Brett Lindenberg
An always-available call to action is one a viewer can reach at any second of a video, instead of only during the few seconds you scheduled it. Viewers decide to act at different points, so we pair a timed CTA right after the main point with a resource tray: a panel of your main asks that viewers can open whenever they are ready. In Mindstamp the resource tray is now called the Magic Menu. Viewers open it from an icon on the edge of the player or from a button you keep on screen, and you can also have it open at a time you set or whenever the viewer pauses.
Why one timed CTA misses viewers
A timed button works when you know the moment that earns the click. Often you don't. One buyer is ready after the first feature. Another wants the security details first, then pauses at the price to check the budget. A button that showed for five seconds at 1:40 is gone for both of them.
Many viewers also leave before the end. Across 8.07 million views of 18,315 Mindstamp videos (2018 to October 2026), the average view of a video 2 to 5 minutes long played 39.2% of it. These are mostly training, marketing, and sales videos made by our customers, and many factors differ between them, so treat the figure as a pattern and not as a benchmark for all video. A call to action that appears only at the end misses many of those viewers.
Timed button, persistent button, or resource tray
| Option | When viewers see it | Best for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timed button | For the seconds you choose, right after the point that earns it | One ask tied to one moment, such as "Book a demo" after the demo | A viewer who is not ready at that moment does not see it again |
| Button for the whole video | From the first second to the last | One ask that is always relevant, such as "Talk to sales" | It covers part of the picture the whole time, so keep it small and in a corner |
| Resource tray (Magic Menu) | Whenever the viewer opens it, or when you open it for them | Two or more asks, or an ask that needs supporting material | Viewers have to open it, so they need to know it is there |
| End screen | When the video ends | The next step for viewers who finished | Viewers who leave early never see it |
Most videos need more than one of these. A setup we use often has a timed CTA right after the main point, a small "Contact us" button for the whole video that opens the tray, and the same ask again on the end screen. If you have a single ask, a button that stays on screen is enough, and our guide to adding call-to-action buttons to your videos has the timing settings. For help choosing what to ask for, see why video CTAs matter and where to place them.
How to set up a resource tray in Mindstamp
- Open the video and select Magic Menu in the video menu.
- Add an item: Button, Hotspot, Text, or Image. Each item is a normal interaction with its own label, style, and click action. Text items work well as headings, such as "Talk to us" or "Resources".
- Give each item a click action. The table in the next section matches common asks to actions.
- Open the Magic Menu design settings and choose the panel's position and size. A side panel leaves part of the video visible. A full-size panel has room for more items. Set the background color and how transparent it is.
- Decide whether the video pauses. With Pause for Menu on, the video pauses while the tray is open. Leave it on when items open a calendar or a form, and turn it off for a small side panel that viewers browse while they listen.
- Choose how viewers open the tray (see below).
- Open the share link in a private browser window on a phone and on a computer, open the tray, and click every item. A private window shows the video as a viewer sees it, and the owner preview in the editor does not store normal viewer responses.
To reuse a tray, open Magic Menu on the second video and use Copy from to import the tray from the first one. The Magic Menu tutorial shows the editor on screen, and our guide to interactive video menus covers menu design and section menus in more depth.
Make the tray easy to find
A tray works only if viewers open it. Mindstamp has four ways to open it, and for calls to action we usually combine a visible button with one of the others.
- The Magic Menu icon. Turn on Show Magic Menu Icon in the design settings and a small tab appears on the left edge of the player. The tab stays on screen during playback, even after the player controls hide.
- A labeled button. Give a button the Open Magic Menu click action and keep it on screen for the whole video. A label such as "Pricing and contact" tells viewers what is inside, which an icon cannot do.
- Show on Pause. This setting opens the tray whenever the viewer pauses, so your next step is on screen at a natural stopping point and the viewer does not have to look for it.
- An Open Magic Menu navigation. It opens the tray when playback reaches a time you set, with no click (navigations). Place it on the line where the presenter says "the links are in the menu", so viewers learn the tray exists.
What to put in a CTA tray
Put an item in the tray only if it makes sense at every point in the video. Offer one ask that needs commitment and one that does not, because a viewer who is not ready to book a meeting may still take a price sheet.
| Ask | Click action | What the viewer gets |
|---|---|---|
| Book a meeting | Open Link Modal with your Calendly or HubSpot meetings page | The calendar opens on top of the video, so the viewer books without leaving (calendar embedding) |
| Call sales | Start Call | A phone opens its dialer with your number. A computer shows the number in a message, and a tablet opens its calling app if it has one and also shows the number (adding click-to-call to your videos) |
| Email a person | Start Email | The viewer's email app opens with your address filled in |
| Price sheet or one-pager | Download File | The file downloads. This action is on Pro and higher plans |
| Discount code | Copy Text | The code goes to the viewer's clipboard |
| Pricing page or trial | Open Link | Your page opens |
Our click actions reference lists every action. For ideas on which files to offer, see document downloads to include in your interactive video.
Company overview
Put your logo at the top, then a link that explains why customers choose you, a meeting button, and a contact option. This layout suits product demos and recorded webinars, where a viewer may want to reach you at any point.
Further reading
Link to articles, help pages, or other videos that explain a topic the video only touches. In a sales video, that might be your security page and a case study. In a training video, it might be the policy document and a glossary. Viewers who need the detail can get it, and the video stays short for everyone else.
Section links
Buttons with Change Time or Switch Video let viewers jump to a part of the video or to another video. A tray can mix section links with calls to action, but a long list of sections belongs in a menu of its own. Our guide to building interactive video menus covers that case.
Change the tray as the viewer watches
Tray items follow conditional logic like any other interaction, so the tray can offer a different ask depending on what the viewer has seen or said. Two patterns we use:
- After a section. Add a Set Variable navigation at the end of your pricing section, for example
seen_pricingset toyes. Give a "Get a quote" tray item the conditionseen_pricingexists. A viewer who opens the tray before the pricing section sees your general items, and the quote request appears after it. - After an answer. Ask "What brings you here?" at the start and store the answer in a variable. Then show "Talk to sales" to new buyers and "Open the setup guide" to current customers.
Variables are on Core and higher plans, and conditional logic is on Pro and higher. One interaction can test two conditions at most.
Measure which asks viewers use
Mindstamp records each tray click like any other interaction, with the viewer, the action, and the second of the video when it happened. After the video has had enough views to compare items, check two things.
- When viewers click the main ask. If tray bookings cluster after a certain point in the video, add a timed CTA at that point too.
- Which items nobody uses. Rename them, move them up, or remove them. A short tray is quicker to scan.
Add lead capture to see names next to the clicks. On Pro and higher plans, interaction webhooks send each click to your CRM or another system after the viewing session ends. The reporting overview shows what each report contains.
Common questions
Is the resource tray the same as the Magic Menu?
Yes. Our March 2023 product update introduced resource trays as a menu of interactions viewers can open at any point in the video. The feature is now called the Magic Menu, and the Open Magic Menu click action and navigation open it.
Does the video keep playing while the tray is open?
Only if you turn off Pause for Menu in the Magic Menu design settings. With it on, the video pauses when the tray opens and plays again when the viewer closes it.
Does the tray work on phones?
Yes. Test it on a real phone before you share the video. A panel that takes a third of the player on a laptop is small on a phone screen held upright, so a wider panel is often easier to tap. Our checklist for checking a video on a phone lists other things to test.
Which plans include the resource tray?
Every Mindstamp plan includes the Magic Menu, as our help article on keeping a button visible for the whole video notes. Some actions you might put in it, such as Download File, need a higher plan. See pricing for what each plan includes.
Can I add a resource tray to a YouTube video?
The tray runs in the Mindstamp player, not on youtube.com. YouTube links work in Mindstamp for testing only, so before you publish, upload the file or link it from a supported host such as Vimeo or Wistia (using YouTube videos in Mindstamp).
To try it, pick a video that already gets steady views. Add a tray with your main ask, one low-commitment item, and a way to contact you, then keep a small labeled button on screen that opens it. Once the video has collected a few weeks of clicks, compare when viewers used each item and move your timed CTA to the moment the tray points to.
