Some messaging is just better in video form.
But when you need to do inbound sales outreach or send an email update to your team, how do you include a video without waiting ages for your attachment to process or sacrificing video quality?
Thankfully, you can send a video through email while preserving the content you so painstakingly recorded. Read on to discover a few different tricks, like embedding video thumbnails into Gmail using Loom’s Chrome screen recorder. And if your email provider says your video file is too big, no worries. There are solutions for that, too.
Why sending video through email is so annoying
Sending videos through email can feel like time-traveling back to 2002. Despite major technological improvements, the decades-old problems with sending videos via email still exist today.
Email platforms restrict large file attachments. Yahoo Mail, Gmail, and Outlook cap attachments at 25 MB, while iCloud Mail limits attachments to 20 MB or 5 GB if you share via iCloud Drive.
Your internet connection can make file sharing via email painfully slow. The average upload speed in the U.S. is 32.8 Mbps for broadband and 9.8 Mbps for mobile. That means a 25 MB video takes between 6.1 and 20.4 seconds to upload, on a good day. And that doesn’t consider your email service’s available bandwidth.
Encoding issues can pop up. Encoding converts the images and audio from your video file into code. Encoding issues can corrupt your video attachment, reducing its quality or preventing recipients from viewing it at all.
Some email clients restrict certain file types. Many workplaces block certain video formats and other file types for security reasons, so your email marketing videos never arrive in the recipient’s inbox.
You send several emails at a time. If you send bulk emails, they might get flagged as spam if you don’t play by the rules. Check out Gmail’s bulk sender rules to avoid penalties.
Thankfully, there are workarounds for these challenges. Most video creation tools like Loom make your life easier with multiple ways to share videos with viewers.
How to send a video through email
Dodge email attachment restrictions with these step-by-step guides for sending video emails.
How to send Loom videos through email
Once you’ve recorded your Loom video, you can instantly generate a link to share it. Visit your Loom Library, open the video you want to share, then grab the shareable video link in one of three ways:
1. Click the link icon
With your Loom video open, look for the link icon in the top-right corner next to the “Share” button.
Tap the link icon to copy the video link to your clipboard. Paste it into the body of your email, compose your message, and hit send.
2. Click the Share button
You can also adjust video permissions before you share:
Open your Loom video and select the “Share” button in the top-right corner to open the sharing settings window.
Adjust permissions, and add a password to view your video if you want added security.
Click the “Copy link” button in the bottom-right corner of the video-sharing settings window, then paste your video link into your email and share away.
Pro tip: Using email videos to find new leads? Set your Loom recordings to request an email when someone views them to capture prospect contact info and follow up.
3. Share directly to Gmail
Open your Loom recording and tap the “Share” button in the top-right corner to open the sharing settings window.
Add your recipient's email in the box under “Add people.”
Check the box next to “Add a message” to include a note, then tap the “Share” button to send your email video to your recipient’s Gmail account. You can even use the Loom AI Auto Message Composer to quickly write a message.
Create video embeds with Loom links and Gmail: If you and your recipient both use Gmail, you can turn Loom links into embedded videos so recipients see a compelling animated GIF thumbnail.
How to send YouTube videos through email
Sharing a pitch deck or building stronger customer connections by alerting your community that your latest video just dropped? You can easily share YouTube videos with a link:
Open your YouTube video and find the “Share” button below the video title.
Tap the “Share” button to open the sharing pop-up. Click the “Copy” button to copy the YouTube video URL to your clipboard.
To share the video at a specific starting point, check the box next to “Start at” and select a time, then copy the updated link.
How to share Google Drive video links
Another way to create a shareable video link is to upload your video to a cloud storage service like Google Drive.
Open your video file in Google Drive and tap or click the “Share” button in the top-right corner.
This opens a new window where you can grant specific people access to your video by adding their emails or adjusting general permissions. Once permissions are good to go, tap or click the “Copy link” button in the bottom-left corner of the window.
If you need to adjust permissions, tap the down arrow below “General access” to select “Restricted” or “Anyone with the link.”
If you choose “Anyone with the link,” you need to tell Google whether these people can only view the file (Viewer), view and comment on the file (Commenter), or view, comment, and edit the file (Editor).
Once you’ve fixed the permissions, tap the ”Copy link” button in the bottom-left corner of the window and then tap the “Done” button.
Pro tip: Add a video screenshot to your email and link the image to your video file. This can create more interest and encourage recipients to watch your video.
How to send a video through email as a Gmail attachment
Attaching files to your emails is straightforward, but remember that your file size limit is 25 MB. That’s not very large, so if your video exceeds the limit, check out Loom’s video link-sharing tutorials or learn how to compress video files.
Create a new message and look for the paper clip icon at the bottom of the composer window.
Tap the paper clip icon, find your video clip on your computer, and tap the “Open” button to attach it.
You can also link directly to a video saved in Google Drive:
Create a new email and look for the Google Drive icon at the bottom of the composer window. It looks like a triangle.
Tap the Google Drive icon to search for your video file, then double-click the file to attach it.
How to send a video through email as an Outlook attachment
Outlook users also have a file size limit of 25 MB, but Microsoft lets you upload and share OneDrive files up to 2 GB. That’s 2,000 MB, for anyone counting.
Create a new message and find the paper clip icon. If you use the Outlook web app, it’s on the right-hand side of the top toolbar.
Tap the paper clip icon and choose “Browse this computer” if you’ve saved your file on your computer. Choose “OneDrive” if you’ve already uploaded your video to the hosting service, or choose “Upload and share” to upload your video to OneDrive and share it from there.
If your file is too large, Outlook gives you the option to upload it and insert a OneDrive link. If your video is under 25 MB, you can click “Attach as a copy.”
Pro Tip: You can preview video attachments by clicking the down arrow next to the file name in your email message and selecting Preview.
How to send a large video through email
If you prefer not to use cloud storage services like Google Drive or OneDrive to email links to long videos, you can compress your video file and attach it to a new email.
1. Video compression sites
The easiest option? Use an online video compression service, most of which are free:
Heads up: Don’t download any files, even your own compressed video file, from a site you don’t trust. The sites above are legitimate and won’t sneak malware onto your computer when you download your file. When in doubt, look for multiple user reviews to decide if a site is safe.
Here’s how to compress your video using an online compression tool. This example features FreeConvert:
Head to the video compressor site and upload any large video files.
Adjust your compression settings. FreeConvert lets you set a target file size; this one is set to 25 MB.
Apply your settings, then tap the “Compress Now” button and wait for the site to process your video file. This could take a few minutes, so get up, grab a drink, or give your pet some love.
Once finished, tap the “Download” button or right-click to save your compressed video file.
2. Video editing tools
Video editing tools like HandBrake, Clipchamp, and VLC Media Player include compression tools. You can also use a video trimmer, like Loom’s Edit by Transcript and Live Rewind features, to cut unnecessary footage.
You can edit your video just like you’d edit a Google Doc with Edit by Transcript. Remove or correct words, sentences, and whole paragraphs to reduce your video file size and perfect your final product.
Ever wish you could pause, rewind your recording, and fix a blooper without re-recording the whole video? You can do just that with Loom’s Live Rewind. Wish granted.
How to create impactful video emails
Keeping videos short and sweet is one way to create compelling messaging. Ideally, your videos shouldn’t exceed two minutes, but it’s best to test different lengths to find your audience’s preference. The 2024 State of Video Report found that longer videos got more people to click play, while shorter videos held viewers’ attention for longer.
Here are some other ways you can make an impact by sending a video through email:
Optimize for mobile viewing
About 70% of people watch videos on their smartphones. Create an optimal mobile viewing experience with vertical or square aspect ratios and good lighting. If you’re recording with Loom, check out these iOS mobile screen recording tips.
Include a call to action
Give your audience a goal to accomplish by adding a call to action (CTA). Use clear language like, “Learn More” or “Schedule a Call” so your viewers know exactly what to do.
Never forget a CTA: Loom AI’s Auto CTA feature automatically adds a CTA button and link to your recording.
Tell a story
Humans love stories. They inspire and motivate us, and it’s easier to persuade viewers through storytelling than through cold, hard facts. Make your video memorable and compelling with a relatable story that evokes emotion.
Personalize your content
Personalization is the hallmark of any good video marketing strategy. Consumers now expect a personalized experience when they interact with your company, and 76% get frustrated when personalization is missing.
Create personalized videos with these tips:
Use the viewer’s name and other details in a voiceover, text overlay, email messaging, or subject line.
Speak directly to your viewer and address them personally.
Tailor your video based on past interactions or research.
Personalize your Loom videos: Use the Variables in titles feature to personalize your Loom videos at scale.
How to measure email video engagement
Monitor these metrics to see if viewers resonate with your video emails or if you need to adjust your strategy for better results:
Play rate: The number of recipients who clicked play to watch your video.
Engagement or completion rate: The number of recipients who watched your video and how much time they spent watching it.
Click-through rate: The number of recipients who clicked on your CTA.
Conversion rate: The number of recipients who clicked your CTA and then completed a desired action, like making a purchase.
Email unsubscribe rate: The number of recipients who unsubscribed from your emails.
Most video hosting sites like Loom include metrics reports. Loom logs completion rates, CTA conversion rates, video views, and view times in its Engagement Insights dashboard.
Easily send a video through email with Loom
Avoid headaches like file size limits when sharing videos through email. Use Loom to create personalized messaging. Instantly share Loom video links, embed videos in Gmail, and try its easy-to-use video editing tools.
No matter what your email provider throws at you, sending a Loom video through email is effortless. Try Loom today to see for yourself.