How to Embed Video in Your Email and Share It Without Hurting Deliverability

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Video in email marketing has become one of the most powerful engagement tools: higher click rates, better storytelling, and stronger brand recall. Yet the biggest paradox remains: people want to embed video in email, but inbox providers don’t always cooperate.

So the real question isn’t just “Can you embed a video in an email?”, it’s “How do you send a video in an email without landing in spam, breaking the layout, or frustrating recipients?”

Let’s break it down step by step.

Can You Embed Video in Email?

Technically, yes. Practically, not always.

Some email clients support embedded video in email (like Apple Mail), but others (including Gmail and Outlook) often block it or display a broken player.

This means:

Email client	Supports embedded video?
Apple Mail	Yes
Gmail	No
Outlook	Mostly no
Yahoo	No
Klaviyo	No native autoplay

That’s why most marketers do not insert an MP4 video directly into the email body. Instead, they use a video thumbnail + play button + link to a landing page or YouTube/Vimeo.

This method preserves deliverability and ensures everyone can actually watch the video. Find out more about videos in email marketing here.

How to Send Video in Email

Here’s the best-performing structure:

1. Create your video
2. Upload it to YouTube, Vimeo, or your website
3. Take a screenshot of the video as a thumbnail
4. Add a big play button overlay
5. Link the image to your video
6. Add a clear CTA like:
   • “Watch the video”
   • “Play now”
   • “See how this works”

This is the safest way to send video in email marketing without technical issues.

How to Embed a YouTube Video in an Email

If you want to embed a YouTube video in an email, here’s what actually works:

You can’t fully embed a YouTube video inside Gmail or Outlook, but you can link to it visually.

Best approach:

• Take a frame from your YouTube video
• Add a play icon
• Insert an image in your email
• Hyperlink it to your YouTube link

Even though the video doesn’t play inside the inbox, this method gets high click rates.

How to Embed Video in Outlook Email

Outlook generally does NOT support embedded MP4 playback in the email body.

If you try to insert MP4 directly, recipients will likely see:

• a broken file
• a blank box
• a download button instead of a player

Better option:

• Use a video thumbnail
• Link to your video
• Or upload the file to OneDrive and share a link

How to Send a Large Video in Email

If your video file is too big, here are safe options:

Option A: Compress the video

You can reduce file size by:

• lowering resolution (1080p → 720p)
• shortening length
• exporting in MP4 format

Option B: Upload and share a link

Instead of attaching:

• Upload to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or YouTube
• Send a clickable link in an email

This avoids bounce issues and spam flags.

How to Make a Video Fit in an Email

If you still want embedded video in email, follow these rules:

• Keep file under 1MB (ideal)
• Use MP4 format
• Avoid autoplay video in email (most clients block it anyway)
• Add a fallback image in case the video doesn’t load

But again, thumbnail + link is still better.

Video in Email Marketing & Deliverability

Adding video in email can boost engagement, but it can also hurt deliverability if done wrong.

Risks include:

• heavy file size
• broken HTML
• suspicious attachments
• blocked content

This is where tools like GlockApps become useful. You can test how your message appears across different inboxes before sending, ensuring your video email doesn’t land in spam or break in Gmail or Outlook.

Conclusion

Sending a video in an email is less about technical tricks and more about smart communication. It’s easy to get obsessed with embedding video in email or trying to force MP4 files into Outlook, but that rarely leads to better results. What actually matters is whether your audience can open your message smoothly, understand it instantly, and click without friction. The most reliable way to achieve that is still the simple combination of a compelling thumbnail, a clear play button, and a direct link to your video.

When you focus on compatibility instead of perfection, everything becomes easier. Your emails look cleaner, your files stay lightweight, and your deliverability remains intact. Before launching campaigns with video in email, it’s smart to run deliverability checks. GlockApps can analyze your message for spam risks, broken elements, and inbox placement issues, helping you send smarter, safer video emails.

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