YouTube adds click-to-buy buttons

Yesterday I wrote about MySpace profiles getting a "click-to-print" button next month, and now I hear YouTube is monetizing some of its content by adding "click-to-buy" links beneath some videos. The company officially announced the news on a blog post that lets users know this is only the beginning of an eCommerce platform they hope will benefit both users and its partners.

The first phase of this project consists of placing small Amazon and iTunes buttons and links beneath videos making it easier for users to purchase related content straight from the video page. This may attract more content partners in the future, which is always good for visitors, and perhaps help YouTube deal with the copyright infringement problem the company has faced since its launch.

There's no easy way of knowing which videos have these buttons, but YouTube did mention EMI and Electronic Arts will be the first on the site to sell their products this way. One question that hasn't been addressed is whether regular folks will be able to sell their own content on the site. As far as I know only YouTube partners—meaning big companies—will have "click-to-buy" links for now, but this could change in the future as the program expands.

If you're wondering how you too can sell your content on YouTube, check out ReelSEO.com who has a great tip for you entrepreneurs. Grant Crowell recommends inserting a "Hot URL" into the video's description that links to your product's site, then adding a few keywords and action verbs such as "buy" or "see more" to draw attention to the link. It sounds risky, but if there's no rule against it on YouTube, then you shouldn't have any problems.