Brett LindenbergMost marketing videos that play on your own website, in your emails, or in sales follow-up should be interactive, because that is where a viewer decides what to do next. Give each one at least one interaction, such as a choice that sends the viewer to the part they care about or a clear next step at the end. You add these on top of the video you already have, so nothing needs a reshoot. The exception is a video you upload directly to YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok, because those apps play the file without your interactions. In the 33-second product tour below, pick Setup checklist, Plan comparison, or Security overview, and the video jumps to that resource.
Which marketing videos should be interactive?
Start with the videos you already make. In Wyzowl's 2026 video marketing survey of 266 marketers and consumers, run in late 2025, 69% of video marketers had made social media videos, 68% explainer videos, 57% testimonial videos, 48% video ads, and 39% product demos. The same survey found that 63% of consumers would most like to learn about a product or service by watching a short video, against 12% who chose a text article. Yet 67% of video marketers measured return on investment by views. A view count tells you how many people pressed play. A click on a pricing button, or an answer to one question, tells you which of them wanted pricing or a demo.
| Video | Where it usually plays | Add this | What the report then shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explainer | Homepage or product page | A question at the start that asks why the visitor came, then jumps to the matching section | Which need brings visitors to the page |
| Product demo or tour | Product page and sales follow-up | Buttons that let the viewer pick the feature to see, plus a menu with pricing and setup links | Which features each viewer chose |
| Testimonial or customer story | Case study page and sales emails | A button to the full case study or a booking calendar, placed where the customer states the result | Which story leads to a click |
| Webinar replay | On-demand page and follow-up email | A chapter menu and a lead capture form | Which chapters people open, and who they are |
| Video in an email or newsletter | Email, as a linked thumbnail | A personalized link for each recipient and one button that matches the email's offer | Who watched, how far, and who clicked |
| Social video or video ad | Inside YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok | Nothing in the uploaded file. Link the post to the interactive version on your site | Visits to the interactive version |
Several rows have examples you can play. The landing page intent split asks a visitor whether they want fewer payroll errors, faster setup, or a team comparison, then plays the message for that goal. The buyer-stage product tour opens the proof that fits what the buyer asked to see, and the on-demand webinar navigator opens the chapter the viewer picks. More patterns are on our pages for landing page video, product tours, and webinar repurposing.
Four additions that fit a video you already have
None of these needs new footage. Each one sits on top of the finished video, and you can move, edit, or delete it later without re-exporting the file (how editing works).
A menu of resources the viewer can open at any time
The Magic Menu, which we used to call the Resource Tray, is a menu of links and resources inside the player. You can show it at the start or at a time you choose, or leave it for the viewer to open. An entry can open a link or resource, or jump to a time in the video or to another video. The report records each choice like any other click, and the Magic Menu is on every plan (Magic Menu tutorial).
On a marketing video, fill it with the pages a buyer checks before they are ready to talk to you: pricing, a spec sheet, the FAQ, and a booking link. The viewer opens the one they need without leaving the video, and you learn which one it was. If you want a single link on screen the whole time instead, use one small button set to show from start to end (keep a button visible).
An end screen that offers the next step
Choose what happens when the video ends in the End Screen settings (end screen help). The options are:
- Show Button: a message and one button that can open a link, switch to another video, start an email or a call, or download a file.
- Show Custom Screen: your own layout with buttons, text, and images.
- Show Viewer Results: a message and the viewer's score.
- Automatic actions: replay the video, switch to another video, or redirect to a page, with no click needed.
Do not rely on the end screen alone. Across 8.07 million views of 18,315 Mindstamp videos (2018 to October 2026), the average view played 46.5% of the video, and views of videos 2 to 5 minutes long played 39.2% on average. Many viewers leave before the last frame, so place your main call to action in the video as well, at the point where the video has made its case, and repeat it at the end. The end CTA match example shows a final call to action that changes with the task the viewer just finished, and our guide to adding call-to-action buttons covers the setup step by step.
A download, with a form in front when you want the lead
The Download File click action gives the viewer a file you choose, such as a brochure or a white paper. It is on Pro and higher plans (click actions). To ask for contact details first, open the button's settings and turn on Capture Lead. The form appears when the viewer clicks, and the download follows once they submit it (lead capture help). The form can ask for a name, email, phone number, or custom ID, plus your own text, number, date, checkbox, or dropdown fields.
Put a form in front of a file that is worth an email address to the viewer, such as a buying guide or a benchmark report. Leave the file open when it helps a buyer who is already close, such as a price sheet or a setup checklist, because a form at that point slows them down. Our list of document downloads to include in a video covers which files work well.
Each lead appears in the viewer report with that person's clicks and answers. Lead capture can also appear at the start of the video, at a set time, or at the first interaction, and you can let viewers skip it. To send leads to other systems, use the HubSpot integration, Zapier, or webhooks on supported plans. Mindstamp sends webhooks during background processing after the viewing session, so allow for a delay. For where to place the form in the video, see our guide to video for lead generation.
A new video from a script, when you have no footage
If a topic has no video yet, you can make one from a script with an AI avatar tool and then add interactions to it. Mindstamp connects to Synthesia and HeyGen. Synthesia's help page for the Mindstamp integration lists the setup: turn on video sharing in Synthesia, create an API key, and paste the key into the Synthesia integration in Mindstamp. After that, your Synthesia videos appear in the list when you add a video in Mindstamp.
Avatar video suits explainers and FAQ answers that change often, because you edit the script and generate the video again instead of booking a shoot. Our guide to generative AI and interactive video covers where AI-made video works and where it falls short.
When a marketing video should stay as it is
- Native uploads to social apps and ad platforms. A file you upload to YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok plays as a flat video. If you post the Mindstamp share link instead, the post shows a preview card with the video's title, thumbnail, and share message, and a click opens the Mindstamp player where the interactions run (social preview settings). Use the native upload for reach, and send the people who want more to the interactive version.
- Short brand films and teasers that ask nothing of the viewer. A button over a 20-second mood piece interrupts it and offers something the viewer did not ask for.
- Videos nobody will follow up. If no one reads the report or calls the leads, the interactions add build time and no result.
For the case beyond marketing, with training, sales, and support, read why use interactive video.
How to make your existing marketing videos interactive
- List your marketing videos and where each one plays: website pages, emails, sales follow-up, or social apps.
- Set aside the videos that play only inside social apps, and the short brand pieces from the section above.
- For each video left, write down the one action you want next, such as a demo request or a trial sign-up. Start with the video on your busiest page.
- Bring the video into Mindstamp. Upload the MP4 or link it from Vimeo or Wistia, and the file stays where it is hosted. YouTube links work for testing, but Mindstamp does not support YouTube for published videos (YouTube help).
- Add the main action where the video makes its case, set the end screen, and fill the Magic Menu with the pages buyers ask for. Our step-by-step guide to creating an interactive video covers the editor.
- Replace the old player on the page with the Mindstamp embed code (embedding on a webpage). In emails, link a still frame with a play icon to the share link, because email apps do not play video (video in email).
- After a few weeks, read the report for the click rate on each call to action and the point where viewers stopped watching. Change one thing at a time so you can tell what made the difference.
Keep the first version small. Tyson Zahner used a branching marketing video to send each viewer to the offer that matched their answers, and Zahner's advice to new users is to start with a simple interactive video and get the message right before building many paths (Tyson Zahner case study). If the footage changes later, replace the video file. The interactions and their times, the share link, and the embed code stay the same, but you need to move any interaction that no longer lines up with the new footage (replace a video file).
For the metrics to track once the videos are live, see our guide to interactive video marketing. For full campaign plans with audience, offer, and follow-up, see interactive video marketing strategy. All our marketing use cases are on the marketing page.
Common questions
Do I need to reshoot my marketing videos to make them interactive?
No. Interactions sit on top of the finished video, and you do not edit the footage. Upload the file or link it from Vimeo or Wistia, then add the interactions on the timeline.
Can interactive videos play inside YouTube, LinkedIn, or Instagram?
No. Those apps play the uploaded file without the interaction layer. Post the share link, which opens the Mindstamp player, or embed the video on your own page. For what YouTube's own cards and end screens can do, see interactive YouTube videos.
Can I put an interactive video in an email?
Not inside the email itself, because email apps do not run video players. Send a still frame with a play icon that links to the share link. A personalized link for each recipient, or URL parameters filled from your email tool, lets the report show who watched. Our guide to embedding video in an email covers what each email app supports.
How many interactions should a marketing video have?
Start with the call to action the video exists for. Add a choice near the start if viewers arrive with different needs, and set an end screen. Add more only after the report shows that viewers use what is already there. For formats with more choices, such as product quizzes and branching stories, see our interactive video examples.
How much does it cost?
Mindstamp prices plans by the number of videos, editor seats, and minutes watched each month, with unlimited viewers. See pricing for current plans. The free trial lasts 14 days and needs no payment card.
Pick the marketing video on your busiest page, decide the one thing you want viewers to do after watching it, and make that the first interaction you add.
