How to Send a Personalised Video in an Email

To send a personalised video in an email, record a short video for one person, say their name and why you're getting in touch, then put a thumbnail in the email that links to where it plays, with their first name on it. A tool like Vidyard gives you the link and an animated thumbnail to paste in.

Why send a personalised video instead of a written email?

Because people respond to a person. When someone sees you addressing them by name and hears a clear, simple message, they get your tone and your intent along with the words. It builds rapport quickly, it simplifies information, and it establishes trust that a written email struggles to.

A written email is also where questions get left unanswered. You know what you meant; they read it cold, without your tone, and fill the gaps themselves. A short video of you explaining it leaves far less to guess.

Which sales emails are worth personalising?

Start with the three where a person is weighing up whether to work with you:

1. Replies to enquiries. Someone has asked about your services or product. Answer them on video, by name, and you're the business that showed up in person. Follow the steps to record a personalised video reply.
2. Demos. Show a prospect how your product or service works for their business, instead of describing it.
3. Proposal walkthroughs. Talk them through your proposal so they know exactly what they're signing up for. It removes a lot of the hesitation that stalls a deal. Follow the steps to build a proposal walkthrough video in minutes.

How do you record and send a personalised video email?

The simplest route is a recording tool that uploads as you record, such as Vidyard, so there's no separate upload step.

1. Pick your mode. Camera only is best for a personal message. Screen and camera suits a proposal walkthrough or a demo.
2. Check your inputs. Make sure the right camera and microphone are selected before you start.
3. Record. Say their name in the first few seconds, then get to the reason you're in touch.
4. Trim it. Cut the start and end so it opens on you, not on you reaching for the mouse.
5. Add a thumbnail and a title. Choose a static or animated preview, and label the video clearly so you can find it later.
6. Copy the link into your email. Paste the video link, or embed the thumbnail, so they can click straight through to play it.

The full walkthrough, screen by screen, is in record presentations with Vidyard.

What makes someone click the video?

Their name. The thumbnail is the first thing they see in the inbox, and very few people can scroll past a picture of someone holding up their first name.

It doesn't need to be designed. The point is that it was made for them. More on what works in see what makes a sales video thumbnail work.

What should you say in a personalised video?

Keep it to one message. A good personalised video usually covers:

• Their name, straight away.
• Why you're getting in touch, tied to something they said, asked or did.
• The one thing they need to know, said plainly.
• One next step, and only one: reply, book a time, or read the attachment.

If you hear the same question from prospects every week, that's the first video to record. For how video prospecting works in a sales team, hear Chet Lovegren explain how SDR video prospecting works.

Why don't more people send video in email?

Because recording is the hard part. Sending is easy. A phone or a laptop camera can record, but they don't come with any guidance on looking and sounding professional, staying on message, or making it quick enough to do for every enquiry. For video to become part of how you sell, it has to be sustainable: something you can do on a busy Tuesday, not a production.

That's what the Desktop Studio is for. The camera, lighting, microphone and teleprompter are installed at your desk and switch on with one button, so a personalised reply takes minutes. Coaching covers what to say and how you come across on camera, so the videos sound like you on a good day.

Personalised video in email: questions we get asked

How do you put a video in an email?

Paste a link to the video, or a thumbnail that links to it, into the email. Recording tools such as Vidyard give you both the link and an animated thumbnail as soon as you finish recording.

What is a personalised video email?

An email carrying a short video recorded for one person. You say their name, refer to their situation and give one clear message, so it reads as a conversation rather than a campaign.

Which sales emails should include a personalised video?

Start with replies to enquiries, product demos and proposal walkthroughs. They're the moments when a prospect is deciding whether to trust you.

Does the thumbnail really matter?

Yes. It's the first thing the person sees. Putting their first name on it, even on a handwritten sign, tells them the video was made for them.

Want to make this quick enough to do every day?

If you'd like personalised video to be a one-button job at your desk, book a call with Ridge Films and we'll work out what you'd need.