Nowadays, video is an undeniably popular channel for marketing purposes. 86% of businesses using video as a marketing strategy, But do you know how to embed a video in an email so you can combine two highly effective marketing strategies in one place?
tentative Two-thirds of consumers prefer video over text When learning about new products or services. But incorporating video into email marketing can be difficult because major email clients including Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook do not support embedded video.
Luckily, there’s a creative solution to help you embed Part Encourage subscribers to click-through to your video and watch the rest of the video within your email. Here, let’s see how to do it.
How to embed your video as GIF in email
How to create a still image of your video with the play button
How to embed video in HubSpot email
How to use HTML5 code to embed video in email
How to embed your video as GIF in email
There are two options you can consider when embedding videos in your emails – you can either embed a GIF of your video with a “click here to watch full video” call-to-action (CTA), or you can Embed still photos of your video and, when subscribers click the “play” button, they will be redirected to your video’s URL.
Let’s explore the GIF option first.
GIFs are a great way to take advantage of video marketing in your emails, grabbing users’ attention and encouraging click-throughs to full clips.
how to embed video in email
- Find the URL of the video you want to include, or download and save your video to your computer.
- Visit imgflip.com, a tool that enables you to create GIFs from videos.
- Choose a start point and end point for your GIF.
- Download your GIF.
- Drag and drop your GIF into your email, and add a video CTA that links to the full video.
Comment: You can use the following instructions on any video from your video hosting platform of choice including YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, DailyMotion. In the following examples, we used a Facebook URL, but a YouTube URL would work just as well.
1. Find the URL of the video you want to include, or download and save your video to your computer.
To make a GIF of a video I wanted to include in my email, I first went to HubSpot’s Facebook Page and copied the URL of a video uploaded by the team to the site – “How a Senior SEO Strategist Sees the World.”
2. Go to imgflip.comA tool that enables you to create GIFs from videos.
You can upload a URL directly to Imgflip, or you can upload a video saved on your computer. For our purposes, I copied and pasted the URL from HubSpot’s Facebook page. Alternatively, you can copy and paste the YouTube URL or website URL.
3. Choose a starting point and ending point for your GIF.
You’ll see this pop-up when your video has finished downloading. There are two triangles that can help you choose where you want your GIF to start and stop – if you move green you’re choosing a starting point for your GIF, and if you If you choose red, you are choosing an endpoint.
(It’s important to note, for non-Pro accounts, you can’t create a GIF that lasts longer than 20 seconds on Imgflip.)
Once you’ve selected a clip you want to use for your GIF, click “Generate GIF.”
4. Download your GIF.
Once your GIF is created, you will have the option to copy and paste the image link or image URL. Instead, click “Download .gif”.
5. Drag and drop your GIF into your email, and add a video CTA linking to the full video.
Now comes the fun part! Simply compose your email to send to your subscribers, and drag and drop your GIF from your desktop into the email itself.
Below the GIF, create a video CTA with the URL of your video, such as “Click here to watch the full video” (the URL will likely lead to your own website, YouTube, Facebook, or other social platform).
You can garnish your email subject line with “video included” to further encourage click-through rates.
Of course, you’ll want to use email marketing best practices When embedding GIFs, make sure the video you want to include is actually engaging, interesting content for your email subscribers.
This is a unique opportunity to connect further with your prospects and customers, so be sure to use it wisely – don’t just send a video ad for your products or services.
Next, let’s look at how you can include a still image of your video with a “play” button.
How to create a still image of your video with the play button
1. Take a screenshot of your video.
For this example, I’ll use the same video as before. However, instead of copying the URL, I simply took a screenshot of a paused portion of the video.
2. Add a “Play” button.
When I paused a Facebook video, it automatically included a “play” button. However, if you take a screenshot while a video is playing, you may not have a “Play” button.
To add one to a still image, go to the Add Play Button to Image website, upload your image, choose a Play Button design, and click “Create Play Button Image.”
Then, click on “Download Image”.
3. Embed photo and insert link.
Next, simply click “Insert Photo” in your email to include the image with the “Play” button. Then, highlight the image and select “Insert Link”. Copy and paste the link to the full video (in this case I pasted the Facebook URL, but you can also paste a website URL with your video).
And all! Now, when a subscriber clicks on your picture, he will be redirected to the full video. Make sure the video auto-plays so that the subscriber doesn’t have to click “play” again.
How to embed video in HubSpot email
1. Drag and drop the video module into your email template.
if you a HubSpot Email Tools UserWhen you’re composing an email, you’ll see a video module on the left side of your screen.
HubSpot Drag-and-Drop Email Builder Makes it super easy to add videos to your emails. Simply drag and drop the module into the section of the email you want to include the video.
2. Use a URL or upload a video in the text box.
Next, you have the option of embedding a video using a URL or uploading a video to your COS. For our purposes, we’ll copy and paste a YouTube URL into the text box.
3. Edit video.
Finally, edit the video to suit your needs. You can modify the width and height of the video and also create a custom thumbnail.
4. Review and send your email.
When you’re ready, click the orange “Review and Send” button in the top-right of your screen.
How to use HTML5 code to embed video in email
Finally, some email clients Doing Support embedded video. If you think it’s the right strategy for your customers, you can embed videos in emails using HTML5.
Here’s an example of HTML5 code that you can use in your email:
<वीडियो चौड़ाई = "300" ऊंचाई = "200" नियंत्रण>
<स्रोत src="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/movie.mp4" type="video/mp4">
<स्रोत src="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/movie.ogg" type="video/ogg">
https://www.facebook.com/hubspot/videos/2321291574789962/
If video is not supported, your subscriber may instead see a static image linking to another page.
If you don’t have coding experience, you can ask a developer to help you, or take a look at W3 School’s HTML5 Video Articles,
It’s important to note, however: We don’t recommend this strategy, as you risk either ending up in your customers’ spam folders or using code that many of your customers’ email clients won’t support. Ultimately, it may be more trouble than it’s worth for many of your customers.
To ensure that your video is viewable by all of your subscribers, I recommend one of the strategies listed above instead.
If you are looking for other opportunities to increase email click through rates and conversions, take a look at this HubSpot’s Free Email Marketing Tools,
Elevate your email with video
Adding videos to your emails can increase your engagement and click-through rates. Plus, there’s one more spot for your video content to shine. Follow the instructions above to get your videos delivered to your subscribers’ inboxes.
