You are an awesome copywriter. Even if you are not, let's, for the sake of this situation, agree that you are. You need to launch an email marketing campaign—an important announcement, a feature launch, a course, and so on—and you sit down to write. Once you start, you can't be stopped. You have so much information, charts, statistics, infographics, , pictures; indeed, you have a lot to say, and you are so intent on saying it all that you end up with a new type of content…
…email marketing novel. You could sell that email as a stand-alone book, screenwriting for a movie or tv show. Yeah, it’s that long.
Wait, that is not a bad idea actually. No, not the selling part, the movie part—a video, to be more specific. Instead of a long and daunting email, why not record a video and send it to your subscribers?
Yes, video marketing The concept has been around for a while now, but lately, it’s gaining more adopters. As video marketing grows more prominent, it is high time emails adopted it too.
In this article, I will talk about why you should start doing video email marketing, how to start doing it, and some tips to help you nail it—even if you are not a mix between Tarantino and Ogilvy..
Table of Contents
Table of ContentsWhy Use Video in Your Email Marketing Efforts?
Tips to Better Succeed in Your Video Email Marketing Endeavors
1. Let them know there is a video inside
2. If it's content, stick to a schedule
Why Use Video in Your Email Marketing Efforts?
When you use video for your email marketing, it is easier to pass your message to your subscribers. Videos capture more attention than writing. You can explain things better and keep your engagement rate higher.
According to a study, including a video in an email leads to open-rate increases of about 6 percent. Once you determine the goal of your video, you can use it to entice recipients to stay engaged. Utilizing text-to-audio software can enhance impact by providing engaging voice narration that complements your product presentation. For instance, if you are trying to sell a product, animated explainer videos can creatively showcase features and functionality.
Stories are easier to convey through videos because you can show what you mean instead of explaining it abstractly. With user-friendly video and editing tools available today, creating captivating videos to showcase product features has never been easier.
If you have no problem showing your face in videos, that will create proximity with your subscribers. You may trust a TV anchor more than a newspaper writer, even if both deliver the same news, because seeing someone’s face builds trust.
Forrester Research found that using videos in email campaigns can increase click-through rates by 200–300 percent. Clearly, video email marketing is a dream for any email marketer.
Well, it is well known that videos are heavy, some services may allow you to upload a video directly into your email, but that's not the best strategy to use in this case.
Using YouTube Link in the Email
Instead of uploading your video directly into your email marketing campaign, making your email heavier, you should take advantage of YouTube and then use the link in the email. By not listing your video, you will ensure that not everybody will find it online. And it would be like something for your eyes only. If it is not something you prefer to be shared, if your subscribers share it, it would be like a word-of-mouth type of thing.
Or you could take advantage of SEO, since YouTube is the second biggest and most popular search engine on the internet, and upload your video publicly so people can find you when searching for specific keywords.
How?
I will not show you how to create a channel and upload a video on YouTube. I will assume that you already have this kind of knowledge. A quick Google Search can solve that problem for you in case you don’t.
Upload the video to your YouTube channel. Grab the link and take a screenshot of the thumbnail. You can even put the YouTube logo in the center of that image. In your email, upload the image using the SendX drag-and-drop editor and link the URL to your video. When people click on the image, they will be sent to your video on YouTube.
If you don’t like the idea of having a static image in your email body and you want something that truly resembles video email marketing, you could use a GIF instead. You can go on GIPHY and use it to transform a part of your video into a GIF, upload it to your SendX editor, and link it to your video on YouTube.
Keep in mind that if someone is using Microsoft Outlook, the GIF might not behave as expected, but don’t let this stop you from experimenting. with GIFs. You can also use a tool like Rocketium to automate the video and image creation.
Wistia
Credits: wistia.com
Loved by marketers for its ability to give precise reports that YouTube cannot, wistia is an alternative platform for video hosting. You can use the same tactics explained above for your video email marketing campaign.
The difference is that you will get more detailed analytics on how your subscribers interact with your videos. However, you will lose the SEO advantage of YouTube. Like everything in life, you will have to decide which solution suits your needs best.
Landing Page with Retargeting
Credits for the stocks: Freepik
You can use a specific landing page for your video email marketing campaign. Instead of linking the image or GIF directly to the video, link it to a landing page with the video embedded and ready to play. If you are selling or launching something, you can use a Facebook Pixel or Google Ads for retargeting.
Since retargeting can increase conversion chances by up to conversion up to 70%,
Tips to Better Succeed in Your Video Email Marketing
Endeavors After telling you how you can use video email marketing in your campaigns, I will leave you with a few tips so you can increase your chances of success while experimenting with it.
First of all, make sure you will only give value to your subscribers. Avoid long videos that will waste their time. Only do it if the long video is something you must do in order to really pass the message.
Bear in mind that time is money, don't waste it from your subscribers’ because you may be throwing money away as well.
Second, make sure you let your subscribers know that the content from the email is a video, it won't hurt if you put something like "[Video]..." in your subject line. The heads up will be appreciated.
For increased engagement and production value, consider using an AI video API to automate some aspects of your video creation. These APIs can help you create dynamic content, add text overlays, and personalize your videos at scale.
Third, the concept of funnels applies in the video email marketing world as well. You do it in your traditional email marketing campaigns, so make sure you keep doing the same with your videos. Relevant content for your audience, make sure that you use segmentation and different videos for different stages of your funnels.I know that this may seem like a lot of work, but disregard all this advice and you will have the notion of what true heavy work means when you start losing subscribers.
Top 4 Tips on Video Email Marketing
Let them know there is a video inside
Use “video” in your subject line to let people know. Examples:
• [Video] <rest of the subject line>
• New Video: <rest of the subject line>
• <short subject line> (3 min video inside)
If it's content, stick to a schedule
Send videos consistently (e.g., every Thursday) to build anticipation.
Include CTA in your video
Add calls to action within or below your video to drive conversions.
Use captions/subtitles
Most people watch videos with sound off, so include captions.
Video Email Marketing Examples
Here are top 4 examples of emails with video embedded in them
.Example #1: The first one is an example from foundr.
There is a big, clear YT play button on top of the video. This makes it clear that this is a video & it can be played. They have a clear CTA below the video that will help increase click-to-open-rate.
Source: foundr
Source: Mindvalley
This video by Foundr is a trailer of a course they might be launching. So it's part of the sales sequence.
Example #2: The second one is from Mindvalley.
They have not used the bold red play button but have used a thumbnail that tells you what the video is about. Then there is a button CTA below the video that asks the reader to watch it.
This video by Mindvalley is a content video. It wishes to inform/educate the reader about something.
Example #3: Then there is another example of a video email from Travel Massive.
The thumbnail is literally a massive red play button which a reader can't miss. The CTA is placed after the text and not directly below the video.
Source: Travel MassiveThis video by Travel Massive is a year in review. It's made to entertain the subscriber.So as you can see in the above examples, there is no single right or wrong way to do video email marketing. You have to test out what works best for your business.
Conclusion
Video is the new black in marketing.
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter optimize for videos daily. Success stories like Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube prove that video is king.
Lose the fear of being on camera. Use your copywriting skills to create great scripts for your next videos and embed them in your emails.
Lights, camera, action. It’s a wrap!
FAQs
1. Why should I use videos in email marketing?
Videos convey messages more effectively, capture attention, and improve engagement.
2. Can I use GIFs instead of static images?
Yes. Create a GIF with GIPHY, upload it, and link it to your YouTube video.
3. How can I use a specific landing page for video email marketing?
Link your thumbnail or GIF to a landing page with the video embedded and retargeting scripts installed.
4. What are some tips to succeed in video email marketing?
• Deliver value, avoid unnecessary length.
• Inform readers about the video in the subject line.
• Segment audience and personalize videos per funnel stage.
