Theres no more compelling digital content category than video and campaigns are making it a central part of their digital strategy. But, getting these videos in front of voters and supporters is too often overlooked.
Instead of only relying on viral distribution from social media and news media, campaigns should also use their email lists to promote videos. Here are three tips for promoting your videos via email.
Include Captions
As with social media, most of your subscribers will be reading your email on their mobile phones where theyre unlikely to have sound on. Use a tool like Kapwing to add captions to any video you share online so viewers engage with it and get the message even when they cant hear whats being said.
Create A GIF
Instead of simply embedding a screenshot of the video, make your email dynamic with a GIF of an important scene that will entice a reader to click and watch the full thing. I use Giphy to create GIFs from YouTube for free. Make sure you use the smallest file size they provide.
Create a Landing Page For The Video
Dont just link out to YouTube or Facebook. Youll miss an opportunity to drive engagement. Instead, create a landing page on your website, like a blog post about the video or a petition page on WinRed.
Emailing your videos to supporters is a great way to vary the mix of your emails beyond donation asks alone. Dont forget, the rule about having a single call to action still applies.