Can I put an interactive video in an email?

Short answer

Not inside the email itself. Email clients do not run video players or interactions, so you send a link to the video. Put a still image of the video in the email, link the image and a text button to the share link, and the viewer watches the full interactive video in their browser.

How to do it

1. Open the video, select Share, and select Copy link.
2. In your email tool, add an image of the video with a play icon on it. A frame from the video or the thumbnail you set in Design works well.
3. Link the image to the share link. Add a short text link or button below it, such as “Watch the video”, with the same link.
4. Send a test email to yourself. Open it on a phone and a computer, select the image, and check that the video opens and plays.

Know who watched

A plain share link does not tell Mindstamp who the viewer is. The view shows as anonymous unless the viewer fills in lead capture. You have three ways to connect a view to a person:

• Personalized links: on the Share page, select Personalize for a recipient… to make one link per person. You can upload a CSV to make many links at once. Every view through a link is reported under that person’s name. Core and above.
• URL parameters from your email tool: add merge fields from your email or CRM tool to the link, so each recipient’s link carries their name or email. See personalize video links from a CRM.
• Lead capture: ask for name and email inside the video. See capture name, email or phone number.

Send viewer activity back to your CRM

To trigger a follow-up email from what a viewer did in the video, send Mindstamp data to your CRM. HubSpot is on Pro and above. Webhooks and Zapier are on Core and above. See what data each integration sends.

Tips for email

• Do not attach the video file. An attached file has no interactions and is often too large to send.
• Mindstamp does not make an animated GIF preview for email. If you want motion in the email, make a short GIF in another tool and link it to the share link.
• The Email tile on the Share page opens a new message in your own email program with the link already in the body.
• Some company email filters flag unfamiliar links. A link on your own domain (Pro and above) can look more trustworthy to the recipient. See custom domains.

Go further

• Sharing tutorial
• Variables tutorial
• HubSpot integration