Can you embed a video in an email? Yes!

Can you embed video in email? Yes! However, you can’t embed video in email on your own. Instead, you will need to use a video email platform to make it possible. We want to answer all of your questions and give you all the details about embedding video in email, tools to use to make it easier, and some step-by-step guides on how to embed a video in an email platform like Gmail or Outlook. You can expect answers to these questions:

• Why embed video in email?
• How to embed video in email – Outlook
• How to embed a video in an email on Gmail
• Using Covideo to embed YouTube videos in email

Why embed a video in an email?

Emailing has been a go-to marketing channel for years, but with so many businesses using it, open rates have plummeted. People’s inboxes are flooded with email campaigns and to them, all the emails look the same. This is why video email marketing is becoming increasingly popular. Video email helps you stand out in the inbox, differentiate yourself from your competition with personalization, increase engagement, and click through rates.

You are probably wondering what the best way to email videos is, and the answer is to embed it. If you send it as a link or an attachment, many people are weary of opening it worried that it’s spam. But, if you embed it, they can see a thumbnail of the video which will increase the chances of the recipient actually watching the video. So, ultimately can you embed a video in an email? Yes you can and we will cover some of the best tools to use to simplify the process.

How to embed a video in an email with Covideo

Sending emails is one thing, but embedding a video into an email is another. It can be challenging and frustrating if you aren’t familiar with the process. A video email platform can solve all of these issues. It’s how you can embed your video into an email easily. For those who don’t know what a video email platform is, it’s a tool that allows you to record, send, and track video emails without hassle. Covideo is one platform that is a market leader, and with it, you can embed video with thumbnail into the body of the email.

It’s impossible to autoplay video in emails; however, this is as close as you can get. A 3-5 second animated snapshot, like a GIF, will play in the body of the email. When the recipient clicks on it they will be taken to a new tab where the video plays on a branded landing page with your custom calls – to – action buttons. If you aren’t a current user, sign up for a Start a free trial and see for yourself how easy it is to embed your video! Next, we’ll review a few options for how to embed video in email for Outlook, Gmail, and any other email platform.

Easiest method to embed video in email

You know why, but now let’s talk about how to embed a video in an email. The best sharing option to use is QuickShare. It quickly copies and pastes your video into an email. This method can be used to embed video in email, Mailchimp, Gmail, Outlook, and other CRMs. You can even paste it into a document or social post. Watch a step by step tutorial or follow these simple steps to use Covideo’s QuickShare feature.

Instructions:

1. Login to your Covideo account
2. Click on the “QuickShare” icon on the video you would like to copy
3. Right-click and Paste into your CRM or Email Platform

It’s as easy as 1-2-3. Just remember, when you use QuickShare, it will paste your video with your defaulted landing page, calls – to – action buttons, and thumbnail.

How to embed video in Outlook email

Outlook is a commonly used platform for businesses and individuals. That is why we made copy and paste one of two ways to embed video in outlook email. The other option is to use the Covideo Outlook integration. We created a plug-in that works directly inside of Office 365, streamlining the process of recording and sending videos. If you use Covideo, you get the free video email for outlook integration – it is available for download in every account. These instructions are a step by step guide on how to use the plug – in, or, if you prefer, watch the video tutorial on how to embed video in outlook email.

Instructions:

1. Open a new message in Office 365. Once a new message is open, go to the more options menu, select “Covideo,” and sign in to your account.
2. Fill in the “To:” field with a recipient. Before adding any videos to your email, fill in the “to” field with your recipient. You have access to all of your existing videos in your video library.
3. Click “insert” adds the video to your message with your default landing page and calls to action. “More options” lets you preview the video and change the landing page and calls-to-action buttons before inserting it into the email.

With this integration, you can add a pre-existing video directly in Outlook or record a new one. No matter which option you choose, it won’t autoplay video in outlook email. That process remains the same across all platforms – the animated snapshot will still display in the body, and another tab will open to play the entire video.

How to embed video in Gmail

Gmail is another heavily used email platform. The copy and paste method will also work for Gmail, but we have an integration that will allow you to record and send videos directly from your Gmail account. You can also embed youtube video in gmail, but we will talk more about how to do that in the next section. The process works the same as all other platforms and integrations, so it won’t autoplay video in gmail either, but the GIF will still appear in the body that can be clicked on. The Gmail extension is free for all Covideo users. To use it, you must download the chrome extension from the app store. Then use these instructions toactually embed video in email, gmail specifically:

1. In Gmail, click compose(+) in the top left.
2. Add a recipient and a subject.
3. To add your Covideo, in the bottom right of the compose window you will see the Covideo icon. As you hover over the icon, it changes to “Add video.”
4. Click the “Add video” button.
5. Your video library will immediately show up with your most recent videos (including the one you just recorded in Gmail).
6. Select the video you want to send or search in your video library using the search bar.
7. At the top, select a landing page and calls-to-action for your video.
8. Click the “Insert video” button.
9. Your video is now in your email. Include a short message, and you are ready to send!

How to embed a YouTube video in an email

There may be times you want to send a YouTube video. The easy solution would be to just copy and paste the link, but like we mentioned, many people are unlikely to click on those links. A link attachment seems like spam and some email securities will flag it as such. There is no simple solution to embed YouTube video to Gmail but here at Covideo, we have created a small workaround to this problem. If it is a video of your own, then you can upload it to your Covideo account and send it that way – click here for instructions on how to upload a video to your account. Don’t forget that if the video is not yours, YouTube won’t allow you to download from their site. You will have to get creative about sending the link. For example, you could:

• Record a personalized video with Covideo and in the video mention how there’s a youtube video you want them to watch
• Link the YouTube video in the call-to-action button on your Covideo.
• Hyperlink an annotation onto the video using Covideo’s video annotations feature.

Even if you need to embed YouTube video in HTML email format, Covideo has you covered. For each uploaded video an HTML code is created that you can easily copy and paste. How to embed YouTube video in email, Gmail specifically, no longer has to be a headache – we have provided you with a small workaround.

Start using video email today

No matter which platform you use, you can still embed your videos into the email. With Covideo’s many options, the copy and paste feature or direct integrations, it makes the process easy and hassle free. We even have a workaround to embedding YouTube videos! To see an embedded video email template, request a demo from an expert, or  start a 7 day free trial to try it out yourself!