# Set a YouTube channel trailer and featured video

By HeyMark · Updated October 19, 2026

Before opening Studio, your channel dashboard, prepare two recommendations. One should introduce what you publish to someone new; the other could help subscribers continue a series. Have the selected videos ready to assign to the two spots on your Home tab.

## Choose a trailer for people who have not subscribed

1. Open [YouTube Studio](https://studio.youtube.com/) and select **Customization** in the left menu.
2. Select the **Home tab**. If it is off, turn it on to show featured channel content.
3. Under **Layout**, select **ADD section**, then **Channel trailer**.
4. Choose the video that previews your channel and select **Publish**.

The trailer gives viewers a preview of your channel so they can decide whether to subscribe. YouTube says it will not show that trailer to an individual viewer again after they have watched it.

## Feature another video for returning subscribers

On the same **Home tab**, select **ADD section**, then **Spotlight**. Choose the video you want returning subscribers to see and select **Publish**. It can be a video from your channel or any other YouTube channel. A viewer who has watched the featured video will not be shown it again either.

For example, if you run a cooking channel, you could use an introduction to your recipes as the trailer and feature the first episode of a new series for subscribers. Choose each video based on what that viewer already knows about your channel.

## Check the changes

After publishing your changes, return to **Customization → Home tab** and confirm that each section retains your chosen video. Visit the channel with an account that is not subscribed to check the trailer, and with a subscribed account to check the featured video. If that account has already watched the assigned video, it may not appear again even though it remains selected.

[YouTube’s channel layout help](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3219384?hl=en-uk) documents the paths and behavior of both spots. The YouTube Studio app lets you turn the Home tab on or off; the steps for choosing videos are documented for Studio on the web.

To organize videos by topic, you can also [create a YouTube playlist](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/create-manage-youtube-playlist/). Playlists and featured videos serve different purposes on a channel page.

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## Keep reading

- [Create and manage a YouTube playlist](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/create-manage-youtube-playlist/): Create a YouTube playlist in Studio, choose who can view it, add videos, and reorder them. Check the account and playlist limits before sharing.
- [Add an end screen to a YouTube video](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/add-youtube-end-screen/): Add a video, playlist, or subscribe element at the end of your video in YouTube Studio. Check the requirements and preview before saving.
- [YouTube MCP server: upload videos and Shorts from Claude](https://heymark.ai/en/mcp/youtube/): Upload YouTube videos and Shorts from Claude or ChatGPT with HeyMark's MCP server: title, visibility, made for kids and the synthetic content disclosure.

## Developer and agent resources

- [HeyMark MCP documentation](https://heymark.ai/en/mcp/)
- [llms.txt](https://heymark.ai/llms.txt)
- [Full site content for language models](https://heymark.ai/llms-full.txt)
- MCP protocol endpoint: `POST https://mcp.heymark.ai`
- OAuth protected-resource metadata: [/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource](https://mcp.heymark.ai/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource)
- MCP server card: [/server-card](https://mcp.heymark.ai/server-card)