Learn how to make interactive videos easily. Use our expert, but quick and simple guide to create videos that can engage your audiences, generate leads, and drive sales.

Interactive videos are so much fun to watch, and they’re even more fun to make. 

Creating an interactive video allows you (the creator) to put yourself in the position of your audience and think about how they’ll react to every element on the video and, in turn, how that element should react should they interact or not interact with it.

It’s a creative process and I love it.

Today, I will be showing you how to make interactive videos easily, even if you’re a beginner.

Let’s begin.

Types of Interactive Videos You Can Make

When it comes to interactive videos, there’s so much you can do.

• Email Captures & Buttons
• Branching
• Hotspots, Cards & Tags
• Intelligent eCommerce (Automated and Non-Automated)
• And so much more.

Let’s begin

Recommended for You: Interactive Video: Explanation, Examples, and Best Platforms

Email Captures and Buttons

Email captures are probably the most common element you’ll likely see in interactive videos. It’s pretty basic, and most decent business video hosting platforms support this feature.

These email captures are great for collecting leads right inside your videos, and the buttons are used to link to your products, services, websites, or links you want your viewer to go to.

Branching

Branching is perhaps the coolest part of interactive videos and one of my favorites. 

With this interactive video element, you can ask the viewers to make a choice, and you can customize and personalize the video in real time, specifically targeting the viewer based on his/her unique choices.

It’s incredible for sales marketing, OTT marketing, and eCommerce. No wonder big brands are all doing this.

Here’s a typical example from Newton Running

Newton Running was able to use this interactive video to help their audience customize the shoes they want. The video keeps getting personalized as you make more choices, like Male or Female, New Runner or Pro, Running on Road or Trail and so on.

At the end of the video, based on your choices, you get the recommended shoe personalized for you, and you can shop it by clicking the button on the video.

Here’s another interactive video snippet by Phillips

Other brands like Maybeline, NYPD, Gaiam TV, Samsung, Healthline, and Hays all use branching to create highly interactive videos.

Hotspots, Cards & Tags

Hotspots are very powerful in making videos interactive, encouraging the viewer to click (take action) on your content and find out more about objects used in your video.

It’s a great way to enrich your video with a lot of content without putting up too much text or images in your video. A hotspot, when clicked, can provide basic text information or rich media information, including emojis, images, gifs, videos, etc.

Here’s a sample hotspot from a video by the city of Melbourne about upcoming revitalization projects. 

And here’s a card in an interactive video by Nestle promoting Gerber puffs

Intelligent eCommerce (Automated and Non-Automated)

eCommerce is probably the best way to use interactive videos and definitely my most preferred.

Imagine shopping products right inside videos. It’s getting popular, and people love it, especially on OTT apps for smart TVs.

This image below is a video from Mango

Basically a product showcase video with models dressed in different designs from Mango in the short video. In every scene of the video, the dresses on sale will have the shopping bag attached to them. If you just tap on it, it will reveal the item right on the video for shopping.

Incredible right?

Interactive videos can come in different formats, much more than I have mentioned, but what’s most important is how you can make your own interactive videos.

Now, let’s learn how.

How to Make Interactive Videos Yourself.

It’s really simple.

• Step 1: Plan your video journey – Creating an interactive video is sort of an immersive process; you need to bury yourself in the mind of your audience. Imagine what you want them to see and feel and how you want them to react to every element in your video. Use these to plan your entire video journey.
• Step 2: create your video or snippets of it – Depending on how you’ve planned your video journey, your video may be a whole video or you may need to create the video in short snippets (used in branching).
• Step 3: Choose an interactive video platform that suits your needs. There’s Adilo Studio, HapYak, Wirewax, Wootag, Thinglink, and so many more.
• Step 4: Use their composer or editor to create your interactive videos easily.

10 Tips for Choosing the Best Interactive Video Platform

Action these ten tips to choose the right interactive video platform for your next project:

1. Identify your goals and objectives: First, understand what you hope to achieve with your interactive video. Do you want to increase engagement, educate your audience, or drive sales? Once you know your goals, you can start to narrow down your options.
2. Consider your audience: Who are you creating your interactive video for? What are their needs and interests? Make sure the platform you choose has features and functionality that will appeal to your audience. For example, if you’re targeting a younger audience, you might want to choose a platform that offers gamification features.
3. Do your research: There are a number of different interactive video platforms on the market, so it’s important to do your research and compare your options. Read reviews, watch demos, and talk to other users to get a sense of which platform is right for you.
4. Look for a user-friendly platform: You want to choose a platform that is easy to use, both for you and your audience. The platform should have a simple and intuitive interface that makes it easy to create and publish interactive videos.
5. Consider the cost: Interactive video platforms can vary in price, so it’s important to set a budget before you start shopping. Make sure the platform you choose fits within your budget and offers the features and functionality you need.
6. Read the terms of service: Before you sign up for an interactive video platform, be sure to read the terms of service. This document will outline your rights and responsibilities as a user of the platform. Make sure you understand the terms of service before you agree to them.
7. Test the platform before you buy: Most interactive video platforms offer a free trial, so be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to test the platform before you buy. This will give you a chance to see how the platform works and make sure it’s right for you.
8. Get support: If you have any questions or problems using an interactive video platform, be sure to reach out to customer support. A good customer support team will be able to help you resolve any issues you have and ensure that you’re getting the most out of the platform.
9. Promote your interactive video: Once you’ve created your interactive video, you need to promote it so that people can find it. Share your video on social media, embed it on your website, and send it to your email list.
10. Track your results: Once you’ve published your interactive video, it’s important to track your results to see how it’s performing. This will help you understand what’s working and what’s not, so you can make improvements to your future interactive videos.

FAQs

Final Thoughts On Making Interactive Videos

Creating interactive videos can be a rewarding and engaging experience for both the creator and the viewer. Here are a few final thoughts to keep in mind:

• Plan your video journey carefully. Take the time to understand your audience and what you want them to get out of the experience. This will help you create a video that is both informative and engaging.
• Use a platform that is right for you. There are many different interactive video platforms available, like Adilo. So take the time to research and find one that fits your needs and budget.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment. There are endless possibilities when it comes to creating interactive videos. Try different features and elements to see what works best for your audience.
• Get feedback from others. Share your interactive video with friends, family, or colleagues and get their feedback. This can help you identify areas for improvement and make your video even better.
• Have fun! Creating interactive videos should be an enjoyable experience. So relax, let your creativity flow, and see what you can come up with.