Applies To: ■ PoliteMail Desktop ■ PoliteMail Online ■ PoliteMail M365
Version: □ 4.94 □ 4.97 ■ 5.x
Adding Video to a Message
PoliteMail provides a couple of ways to integrate video into your messages easily!
Option One: Link to Video from an Image
The most common way to add a video is to first insert an image of your choice from the PoliteMail Builder, and then link a video to it when clicked. This will be the initial thumbnail image that a user will see before they click on it to view the video.
Because your message can be sent to thousands of recipients and thus create a very large process time for the server, videos are not uploaded; your video needs to reside somewhere that is accessible via URL.
- Insert your desired image from the PoliteMail Builder into your message.
Once inserted, click on the image to click on the 'Add Video Overlay' button from the floating toolbar that appears. This step and the next are optional, but allows the user to easily notice that this is a video.- A window will appear that allows you to choose from several types of 'Play' buttons.
- The 'Play' button is now added, now let's make a link to the video you want. Click on your image again and select the pencil icon in the floating toolbar.
- A window appears where you can enter the URL of your video in the 'Link' field. You can also enter any alternative text for better accessibility.
Once inserted, click on the image to click on the 'Add Video Overlay' button from the floating toolbar that appears. This step and the next are optional, but allows the user to easily notice that this is a video.
Option Two: The Insert Video Button
There is also an 'Insert Video' button you can use to place a video into your message. Using this button will open a small window where you can either insert the URL to your video, or paste embed code. Note, however, that there are no other options to choose from, and the link will not be tracked, so the first option is recommended if you really want to customize the experience.
Video Tips
- The video must be in .mp4 format. If you want to send a YouTube video, just post a link to the video instead.
- Adding video can be done in all editions of PoliteMail (Desktop, Online, and PM365), although PoliteMail Online is recommended for the best experience. Adding a video from the Outlook desktop requires the video to have an Access-Control-Allow-Origin: * header.
- Microsoft also offers a tool to troubleshoot Actionable Messages here.
- The video can be any size but it is recommended to have a height less than 480px to avoid scrolling on devices with smaller screens.
Troubleshooting
- Make sure you have O365 Measurement enabled, with a valid Sender ID.
- When adding links from YouTube, do not use the url that displays in your browser's address bar; you'll want to use the share button in the video to get the correct url.
- Still stuck? Try this article for more tips.
