How To Send a Video via Email
Learning how to send a video by email has never been an easy task, but that’s about to change. When you send videos via email as part of your business strategy, you will see that this small addition can have a profound impact on your overall outreach and engagement.
Before diving into how to send a video by email, let’s outline a few common options you have when wanting to send a video email.
- Send a video from your mobile device as an attachment
- Send a link to a hosted video such as youtube or google drive
- Using a video email platform to record and send videos at ease
Let’s walk through the process of how to send a video by email for each option listed above, and we’ll share the pros and cons of each along the way.
Send videos from mobile as attachments
Oftentimes, this is the common method used when you take a quick video on your phone and want to share it out with others. Let’s run through the basic steps of how to send a video through email from phone. This process would be very similar to how you would send a photo via text, email, on social media, etc., making this one of the most familiar forms to email video.
- Locate the video you want to send in your photo library.
- Click the share or send icon and then click on email.
- Type in the recipients, and a short message or any additional text you want to include. Note: When deciding on video email subject lines – always include the word video to increase click through rates.
- Your video is now ready to send. Your video will send as an attachment, meaning at the bottom of your email your video will need to be clicked on to open and watch. Ta da – you’re all set!
Pros and cons of this method:
- Pro: Anyone can do it. If you have access to the video file and a computer, tablet, or phone, then you’re good to go. Oh, and better yet, it’s free video email.
- Pro: It’s quick and efficient. Once you know the proper steps, you can send a video rather quickly. This does not include the amount of time it takes to deliver your video message though.
- Con: Large files are difficult to send. Email platforms often have limits to sharing large files. So, sending a large video file as an attachment can be a hassle, or sometimes impossible depending on your email server.
- Con: Looks suspicious to others. This is no problem when you’re messaging family and friends however, you could run into some issues in a business setting. If you’re trying to reach a prospect or client, “random” attachments are sometimes flagged as spam and people are often weary to open/click on anything from an unfamiliar contact.
Send links to where your video is hosted
Another common option when dealing with larger videos is to first upload them to youtube, or google drive. Then you can grab the link to where your video is located and share that directly in the email. When the recipient clicks on your link, they will be redirected to a different page where your video is hosted. Here are the basic steps on how to send a video via email through a link where your video is hosted.
- Decide where you want your video to live. Youtube, Google Drive and Vimeo are all popular options. Upload your video(s) to your desired platform.
- Once your video is uploaded and live, grab the URL link and copy it for your email.
- Type out your email as you normally would. Provide some context in your email and let your recipient know that you are linking to a video for them to watch. Paste the link where it makes the most sense or, you can anchor it to a certain word or phrase for a cleaner look.
- When the recipient receives this email, they will have to click on the link to watch your video. Once clicked, they will be redirected to the page where your video is hosted and they will watch your video in the window.
Pros and cons of this method:
- Pro: This is a great method when wanting to share a video with a mass audience. You can upload the video to Youtube once, and direct all your recipients to that page. However, for smaller audiences or personalized videos, this is not the most effective or efficient way to send video messages.
- Pro: Because you’re uploading your video to another site rather than sending it via email, you won’t run into any file size errors or reduced video quality which commonly occur when sending directly from your email server.
- Con: Easy to overlook. When sending a link, especially when accompanied by other text, there’s no guarantee that your recipient will click on, or even recognize that you are sending them a video to watch.
- Con: If/when your recipient clicks on your link to your video, they will be redirected to another page. This diverts their attention away from your message, contact information, and your call to action.
Which leads us to our third and final option, which you’ll find solves all those problems you face when sending videos as attachments or links.
Send videos using a video email platform – Recommended Method
Many video email platforms have been created in order to streamline the process of recording and sending video emails. Video email platforms allow you to record, send, and track your videos. And best of all – you embed a video thumbnail into your email that entices your recipient to click and watch your video. Once they click, they are directed to a custom landing page that features your business and includes your contact information, calls-to-action, and of course, your video. This method incorporates all the powerful features, while still maintaining simplicity and efficiency. Let’s see the steps on how to create a video email.
Note – you will need to sign up for a video email platform for this method- but rest assured, it’s easy…and affordable! Or – try the best video email service, Covideo, Start a free trial,.
How to send a video via email with Covideo
- Login to your Covideo account on either your desktop or on our mobile app.
- Click the red button to start recording your video, or click the upload button to upload one from your video library instead. After recording, your video will upload to your Covideo library.
- Return back to your video library by clicking “My Videos” and locate the video you want to send.
- Now your video is ready to send. You have many options of how to send a video via email and more with Covideo (check out all 7 ways here) but for now, we’ll keep it simple. You can send your videos directly from your Covideo account. Click on the mail icon.
- Now before sending, you can customize your video. Choose a video template, which is a custom-created landing page or select from our ready-to-use designs. Then, select your call-to-actions which are customizable buttons that drive engagement and set clear next steps. Decide on your email icon – this is the thumbnail that will display when someone opens your video. We prefer to use animated gif icon to improve click through rates and overall engagement.
- Click next and type in the recipients and your message! You won’t see your video in the text box, but when you click send, it will be sent at the very top of your email.
- Want to receive an instant notification when your video is watched? Click that check box before you hit send. Once you’re ready, send it!
And that right here is how to send a video via email! While this method may seem like a longer process compared to the others, it truly takes up just as little time and comes with many more customizations that make your emails more effective. Let’s dive into the pros and cons.
Pros and cons of this method
- Pro: Includes tracking and analytics. What good is a video if you can’t measure its success? With Covideo, you gain powerful insights through analytics that track views, engagement, & clicks.
- Pro: Customizations give you more control over your message, your brand, and the power to drive next steps out of the viewer.
- Pro: Recording, creating landing pages and video hosting is all built into one platform. You can do everything you need from one place. And Covideo integrates with where you already work, making it even easier to directly send video email for Gmail, video email for Outlook, or your CRM.
- Con: There is a small price tag. The downside here is that there is a small fee associated with video email platforms. But, thousands are using this around the world and can tell you, this software makes your life easier and is well worth the small price tag. Covideo offers a Start a free trial,
If you’re interested in learning more about the capabilities a video email platform offers – such as captions or a video email chrome extension – click here for a detailed list of Covideo’s features.
Start Today and Send Video Email – Free
Upgrade your outreach and see just how big of an impact video communication can have on your business. Try out Start a free trial to record, send, share and embed video in email within minutes – creating a seamless and positive experience for both you and your recipient. Fairly often we’ll get responses of “Wow, love the video!” or “how did you do this!?” Try it today and see for yourself!
