61 added
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Original
2026-01-01
Modified
2026-03-10
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<p>Many marketers wonder how to embed video in email campaigns. The answer is, you shouldn’t.</p>
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<p>Many marketers wonder how to embed video in email campaigns. The answer is, you shouldn’t.</p>
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<p>According to CanIEmail, an authority on email client format support,<a>85% of inbox providers don’t support embedded video</a>. Why? Because major inbox providers like Gmail, Apple Mail, and Outlook tend to view embedded content-surveys, forms, videos, widgets, etc.-as a security threat.</p>
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<p>According to CanIEmail, an authority on email client format support,<a>85% of inbox providers don’t support embedded video</a>. Why? Because major inbox providers like Gmail, Apple Mail, and Outlook tend to view embedded content-surveys, forms, videos, widgets, etc.-as a security threat.</p>
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<p>This means your videos won’t autoplay within an email, nor will they play at all inside an email app. If you send emails with embedded video code, two things are likely to happen:</p>
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<p>This means your videos won’t autoplay within an email, nor will they play at all inside an email app. If you send emails with embedded video code, two things are likely to happen:</p>
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<ol><li>The email client will strip out the embedded code, and your recipients won’t see the video when they open the email.</li>
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<ol><li>The email client will strip out the embedded code, and your recipients won’t see the video when they open the email.</li>
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<li>Your email will end up in junk folders, and your overall deliverability will plummet.</li>
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<li>Your email will end up in junk folders, and your overall deliverability will plummet.</li>
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</ol><p>This is why reliable marketing automation platforms, like Klaviyo, don’t support embedded videos in emails-because they know how important it is to preserve<a>email deliverability</a>.</p>
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</ol><p>This is why reliable marketing automation platforms, like Klaviyo, don’t support embedded videos in emails-because they know how important it is to preserve<a>email deliverability</a>.</p>
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<p>You may not be able to embed video in your emails, but there are several ways you can make sure people see them. Here’s a step-by-step guide to making clicking on a video in an email a no-brainer for your subscribers.</p>
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<p>You may not be able to embed video in your emails, but there are several ways you can make sure people see them. Here’s a step-by-step guide to making clicking on a video in an email a no-brainer for your subscribers.</p>
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<h2>1. Find the right platform to host your videos</h2>
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<h2>1. Find the right platform to host your videos</h2>
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<p>When you’re looking for a place to upload your video files, consider 3 things:</p>
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<p>When you’re looking for a place to upload your video files, consider 3 things:</p>
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<p>Your non-email video goals.</p>
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<p>Your non-email video goals.</p>
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<p>If email is only a slice of a larger video strategy, YouTube is best for SEO and overall discoverability. That said, if you’re creating videos specifically for social channels like TikTok or Instagram, make sure the videos you use in emails link back to those channels (or any landing pages on which you’re hosting that content) so that you can measure engagement properly there.</p>
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<p>If email is only a slice of a larger video strategy, YouTube is best for SEO and overall discoverability. That said, if you’re creating videos specifically for social channels like TikTok or Instagram, make sure the videos you use in emails link back to those channels (or any landing pages on which you’re hosting that content) so that you can measure engagement properly there.</p>
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<p>Video analytics.</p>
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<p>Video analytics.</p>
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<p>If you want to use analytics to build or optimize a larger video strategy, choose a platform that will give you access to metrics on video views, watch time, average view duration, and audience retention. And remember there are nuances, here. Note, for example, that if you upload a video to YouTube and then need to swap it for another version,<a>you lose the URL and all analytics for that video</a>. With Vimeo, you can swap out the video and retain the original video URL with analytics.</p>
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<p>If you want to use analytics to build or optimize a larger video strategy, choose a platform that will give you access to metrics on video views, watch time, average view duration, and audience retention. And remember there are nuances, here. Note, for example, that if you upload a video to YouTube and then need to swap it for another version,<a>you lose the URL and all analytics for that video</a>. With Vimeo, you can swap out the video and retain the original video URL with analytics.</p>
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<p>Customization.</p>
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<p>Customization.</p>
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<p>If you want to customize your videos’ brand colors or password-protect videos for exclusive access, this is when you may want to consider Vimeo or Wistia over YouTube.</p>
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<p>If you want to customize your videos’ brand colors or password-protect videos for exclusive access, this is when you may want to consider Vimeo or Wistia over YouTube.</p>
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<strong>YouTube</strong><strong>Vimeo</strong><strong>Wistia</strong><strong>TikTok</strong><strong>Instagram</strong><strong>SEO/discoverability</strong>✅❌❌✅✅<strong>Advanced analytics</strong>✅💰💰❌❌<strong>Custom player colors</strong>❌✅✅❌❌<strong>Password protection</strong>❌✅✅❌❌<strong>Call-to-action buttons and cards</strong>✅✅✅On ads onlyOn ads only<strong>Storage capacity</strong>Unlimited💰💰UnlimitedUnlimited<strong>Pre-roll ads before your video</strong>✅❌❌❌❌<strong>Video editing features</strong>❌✅❌✅✅<h2>2. Choose where viewers should watch the video</h2>
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<p><strong>YouTube</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Vimeo</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Wistia</strong></p>
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<p><strong>TikTok</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Instagram</strong></p>
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<p><strong>SEO/discoverability</strong></p>
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<p>✅</p>
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<p>❌</p>
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<p>❌</p>
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<p>✅</p>
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<p>✅</p>
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<p><strong>Advanced analytics</strong></p>
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<p>✅</p>
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<p>💰</p>
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<p>💰</p>
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<p>❌</p>
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<p>❌</p>
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<p><strong>Custom player colors</strong></p>
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<p>❌</p>
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<p>✅</p>
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<p>✅</p>
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<p>❌</p>
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<p>❌</p>
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<p><strong>Password protection</strong></p>
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<p>❌</p>
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<p>✅</p>
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<p>✅</p>
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<p>❌</p>
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<p>❌</p>
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<p><strong>Call-to-action buttons and cards</strong></p>
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<p>✅</p>
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<p>✅</p>
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<p>✅</p>
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<p>On ads only</p>
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<p>On ads only</p>
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<p><strong>Storage capacity</strong></p>
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<p>Unlimited</p>
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<p>💰</p>
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<p>💰</p>
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<p>Unlimited</p>
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<p>Unlimited</p>
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<p><strong>Pre-roll ads before your video</strong></p>
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<p>✅</p>
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<p>❌</p>
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<p>❌</p>
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<p>❌</p>
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<p>❌</p>
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<p><strong>Video editing features</strong></p>
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<p>❌</p>
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<p>✅</p>
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<p>❌</p>
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<p>✅</p>
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<p>✅</p>
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<h2>2. Choose where viewers should watch the video</h2>
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<p>Your hosting platform isn’t the same as your landing page.</p>
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<p>Your hosting platform isn’t the same as your landing page.</p>
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<p>Let’s say you’ve chosen YouTube as your hosting platform. That doesn’t mean you’re sending people to YouTube from your emails to watch your video. You can instead embed the YouTube video file on your website, then send the recipient there.</p>
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<p>Let’s say you’ve chosen YouTube as your hosting platform. That doesn’t mean you’re sending people to YouTube from your emails to watch your video. You can instead embed the YouTube video file on your website, then send the recipient there.</p>
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<p>This is true for all hosting platforms mentioned so far, including TikTok, Instagram, Wistia, and Vimeo.</p>
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<p>This is true for all hosting platforms mentioned so far, including TikTok, Instagram, Wistia, and Vimeo.</p>
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<p>We recommend sending people to your website to watch your videos for a few reasons:</p>
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<p>We recommend sending people to your website to watch your videos for a few reasons:</p>
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<ul><li>You<a>own your website</a>, so you control the user experience.</li>
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<ul><li>You<a>own your website</a>, so you control the user experience.</li>
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<li>Your video analytics will integrate well with your website analytics.</li>
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<li>Your video analytics will integrate well with your website analytics.</li>
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<li>You’ll encourage viewers to browse your website and take additional actions-increasing the likelihood shoppers will convert.</li>
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<li>You’ll encourage viewers to browse your website and take additional actions-increasing the likelihood shoppers will convert.</li>
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<li>You can feed website data into your paid media retargeting strategy, so that folks who have seen specific videos don’t get served with the same one again, and again, and again.</li>
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<li>You can feed website data into your paid media retargeting strategy, so that folks who have seen specific videos don’t get served with the same one again, and again, and again.</li>
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</ul><p>Your choice of website landing page depends on the type of video you’re promoting. Here are some examples:</p>
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</ul><p>Your choice of website landing page depends on the type of video you’re promoting. Here are some examples:</p>
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<ul><li>Product how-to → Product page</li>
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<ul><li>Product how-to → Product page</li>
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<li>Brand story → About us page</li>
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<li>Brand story → About us page</li>
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<li>Customer reviews → Homepage</li>
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<li>Customer reviews → Homepage</li>
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</ul><p>10 types of videos in emails-and when to use them in the customer journey</p>
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</ul><p>Unlock the power of video email marketing with our guide. Learn about 10 types of videos in email, when to use them, and real-world industry examples.</p>
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<p>Unlock the power of video email marketing with our guide. Learn about 10 types of videos in email, when to use them, and real-world industry examples.</p>
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<p><a>Read full story</a></p>
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<p>Check out this example from lawn care brand<a>Sunday</a>. You can clearly see the full video is hosted on YouTube, but it’s embedded at the top of their About Us page.</p>
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<p>Check out this example from lawn care brand<a>Sunday</a>. You can clearly see the full video is hosted on YouTube, but it’s embedded at the top of their About Us page.</p>
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Source: Sunday<p>The video is the first thing Sunday wants people to see when they’re learning about the brand.</p>
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<p>The video is the first thing Sunday wants people to see when they’re learning about the brand.</p>
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Source:<a>YouTube</a><h2>3. Style your video graphic to encourage clicks</h2>
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<h2>3. Style your video graphic to encourage clicks</h2>
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<p>Now that you know where you’re sending people, it’s time to increase the likelihood they’ll get there from your emails.</p>
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<p>Now that you know where you’re sending people, it’s time to increase the likelihood they’ll get there from your emails.</p>
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<p>Here are a few ways to encourage a click, without actually<a>embedding a video in your email</a>:</p>
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<p>Here are a few ways to encourage a click, without actually<a>embedding a video in your email</a>:</p>
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<h3><strong>Use a static image that looks like a YouTube thumbnail</strong></h3>
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<h3><strong>Use a static image that looks like a YouTube thumbnail</strong></h3>
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<p>YouTube creators are obsessed with video thumbnails, and for good reason.</p>
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<p>YouTube creators are obsessed with video thumbnails, and for good reason.</p>
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<p>The overwhelming majority of top-performing creators on YouTube use custom thumbnail images, meaning they aren’t using the options YouTube generates for them-they’re creating thumbnails themselves<a>based on some tested best practices</a>:</p>
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<p>The overwhelming majority of top-performing creators on YouTube use custom thumbnail images, meaning they aren’t using the options YouTube generates for them-they’re creating thumbnails themselves<a>based on some tested best practices</a>:</p>
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<ul><li>High-contrast images</li>
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<ul><li>High-contrast images</li>
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<li>Adding arrows, circles, and other graphics to images</li>
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<li>Adding arrows, circles, and other graphics to images</li>
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<li>Bright colors</li>
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<li>Bright colors</li>
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<li>Text overlays</li>
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<li>Text overlays</li>
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<li>Faces in images</li>
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<li>Faces in images</li>
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</ul><p>Treat your email thumbnails the same way and use image editing software (we recommend<a>Photoshop</a>,<a>Pixlr</a>, or<a>Canva</a>) to add a red play button for good measure. Everyone already recognizes YouTube’s play button, so you might as well lean in to the expectation to increase clicks.</p>
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</ul><p>Treat your email thumbnails the same way and use image editing software (we recommend<a>Photoshop</a>,<a>Pixlr</a>, or<a>Canva</a>) to add a red play button for good measure. Everyone already recognizes YouTube’s play button, so you might as well lean in to the expectation to increase clicks.</p>
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<p>Check out this example from men’s grooming brand<a>Beardbrand</a>, which combines thumbnail best practices with a YouTube play button to entice people to click on the image.</p>
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<p>Check out this example from men’s grooming brand<a>Beardbrand</a>, which combines thumbnail best practices with a YouTube play button to entice people to click on the image.</p>
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<h3><strong>Make an animated gif</strong></h3>
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<h3><strong>Make an animated gif</strong></h3>
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<p>An animated gif is a moving image that repeats itself on a loop. It’s more eye-catching than a still shot, but inbox providers support the format because they consider it a moving image rather than a video.</p>
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<p>An animated gif is a moving image that repeats itself on a loop. It’s more eye-catching than a still shot, but inbox providers support the format because they consider it a moving image rather than a video.</p>
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<p>Use one that gives people a preview of the video you want them to watch. Returning to our Sunday example from earlier, the brand could choose to isolate this gif preview from their brand video and add a play button to encourage people to click:</p>
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<p>Use one that gives people a preview of the video you want them to watch. Returning to our Sunday example from earlier, the brand could choose to isolate this gif preview from their brand video and add a play button to encourage people to click:</p>
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<p>To make a gif, we recommend using an app like<a>GIF Brewery</a>,<a>EZgif.com</a>, or<a>Imgflip.com</a>.</p>
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<p>To make a gif, we recommend using an app like<a>GIF Brewery</a>,<a>EZgif.com</a>, or<a>Imgflip.com</a>.</p>
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<p><strong>A word of caution:</strong>If your gif file size is too large, it will take too long to load in an email. Aim for a file size of 1MB or less.</p>
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<p><strong>A word of caution:</strong>If your gif file size is too large, it will take too long to load in an email. Aim for a file size of 1MB or less.</p>
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<h3><strong>Add a video link to your email copy</strong></h3>
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<h3><strong>Add a video link to your email copy</strong></h3>
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<p>Your last option is adding a link to text-an approach that’s simple, uncomplicated, and effective with the right copy.</p>
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<p>Your last option is adding a link to text-an approach that’s simple, uncomplicated, and effective with the right copy.</p>
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<p>For example, if you’re pushing people to an educational video or product demo with clear steps to accomplish something, you can summarize each step in your email copy, then link out to the video with a call to action (CTA) at the end.</p>
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<p>For example, if you’re pushing people to an educational video or product demo with clear steps to accomplish something, you can summarize each step in your email copy, then link out to the video with a call to action (CTA) at the end.</p>
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<p>This is also the best route to take any time you’re attempting to include a video in a completely text-based email.</p>
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<p>This is also the best route to take any time you’re attempting to include a video in a completely text-based email.</p>
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<p>Here,<a>East Fork Pottery</a>embeds a video link in the text of their email, pointing readers to an Instagram video of their culinary manager building a flower arrangement.</p>
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<p>Here,<a>East Fork Pottery</a>embeds a video link in the text of their email, pointing readers to an Instagram video of their culinary manager building a flower arrangement.</p>
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Source: East Fork Pottery<h2>4. Test and optimize options for future emails</h2>
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<h2>4. Test and optimize options for future emails</h2>
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<p>Whether you choose a thumbnail or a gif, you won’t really know what works until you test it with your audience. This is why we recommend running a few A/B tests when you start pushing people to videos with email.</p>
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<p>Whether you choose a thumbnail or a gif, you won’t really know what works until you test it with your audience. This is why we recommend running a few A/B tests when you start pushing people to videos with email.</p>
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<p>Here are a few examples of tests you can run to see which approach works best for your audience:</p>
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<p>Here are a few examples of tests you can run to see which approach works best for your audience:</p>
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<ul><li>Thumbnail A vs. thumbnail B</li>
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<ul><li>Thumbnail A vs. thumbnail B</li>
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<li>Thumbnail vs. gif</li>
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<li>Thumbnail vs. gif</li>
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<li>gif A vs. gif B</li>
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<li>gif A vs. gif B</li>
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<li>Thumbnail vs. text</li>
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<li>Thumbnail vs. text</li>
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<li>Text A vs. text B</li>
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<li>Text A vs. text B</li>
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</ul><p>When you run your A/B test, you’ll need to choose a parameter to measure to determine success. For the purpose of testing what entices people to view your video, we recommend click rate.</p>
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</ul><p>When you run your A/B test, you’ll need to choose a parameter to measure to determine success. For the purpose of testing what entices people to view your video, we recommend click rate.</p>
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<p>With Klaviyo, you can<a>customize your A/B test parameters</a>by audience percentage and time. For example, you can choose to reserve 20% of your email recipients for variation A, and another 20% for variation B.</p>
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<p>With Klaviyo, you can<a>customize your A/B test parameters</a>by audience percentage and time. For example, you can choose to reserve 20% of your email recipients for variation A, and another 20% for variation B.</p>
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<p>Depending on how many of your recipients click on the email, a winner is chosen after 6 hours-and the rest of the recipients automatically receive the winning variation.</p>
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<p>Depending on how many of your recipients click on the email, a winner is chosen after 6 hours-and the rest of the recipients automatically receive the winning variation.</p>
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<h2>5. Don’t forget about accessibility</h2>
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<h2>5. Don’t forget about accessibility</h2>
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<p>Images that link to videos can introduce some busyness to otherwise clean design. It’s important to consider design accessibility considerations when, for example, including a play button on a video thumbnail image.</p>
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<p>Images that link to videos can introduce some busyness to otherwise clean design. It’s important to consider design accessibility considerations when, for example, including a play button on a video thumbnail image.</p>
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<p>To make sure your emails remain accessible with the addition of a video image, make sure to:</p>
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<p>To make sure your emails remain accessible with the addition of a video image, make sure to:</p>
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<ul><li>Add alt text to all images.</li>
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<ul><li>Add alt text to all images.</li>
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<li>Avoid putting pertinent information in images.</li>
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<li>Avoid putting pertinent information in images.</li>
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<li>Use contrasting colors.</li>
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<li>Use contrasting colors.</li>
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</ul><p>Learn more about Klaviyo’s<a>accessibility recommendations</a>for email and forms.</p>
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</ul><p>Learn more about Klaviyo’s<a>accessibility recommendations</a>for email and forms.</p>
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<p>Power smarter digital relationships with Klaviyo SMS.</p>
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<p><a>Get started</a></p>
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