Easy Tech TutsHow to Add Video to Brevo Emails Easily 2026
By Impran M N
Most email clients won't actually play a video file inline, which is why every "video in email" trick really just means a clickable thumbnail that opens the video somewhere else. Brevo handles that pattern with a dedicated Video block in its drag-and-drop editor, so you paste a link and get a working thumbnail and play button without writing any HTML. This guide covers where the block lives and what you configure once it's on the canvas.
01Get to your campaign from the dashboard
From the Brevo Home screen, open Campaigns under Marketing in the left sidebar and select the email you want to edit. The Home screen itself is a useful checkpoint before you dive in — it shows your contact count and remaining plan usage, worth a glance if you're about to send to a large list.
02Open the drag-and-drop designer
Inside the campaign, click Edit design to enter the builder. The left-hand panel lists every content block you can drop into the email — text, image, button, and further down, Video. Drag the Video block out of that panel and drop it into the body wherever you want the video to sit.
03Paste your video URL
Click the newly placed video block to open its settings panel on the left. The Video URL field accepts a link to your hosted video — Brevo notes this expects a direct video URL rather than a generic page link, so a raw asset link (the kind you'd get from your own hosting or a video CDN) works more reliably than pasting a YouTube watch page in some setups. There's also a Tooltip field if you want hover text on the block.
04Set or replace the thumbnail
Until a video URL is entered, the Thumbnail section shows a placeholder illustration with the note "Add a video URL to display the thumbnail." Once your link is in, Brevo attempts to generate a preview image automatically; if you'd rather control exactly what recipients see before they click, upload your own static image instead of relying on the auto-generated one.
05Adjust layout, width, and spacing
Below the thumbnail settings, the Layout section controls the block's width as a percentage and its horizontal alignment (left, center, or right), while Spacing controls padding and margin in pixels, with a "Group sides" toggle to link all four padding values together. These are the same layout controls Brevo uses across other content blocks, so if you've styled an image or button block before, this will look familiar.
06Preview and test before sending
Use the Preview & test button at the top of the editor to confirm the thumbnail and play-button overlay render the way you expect, and send yourself a real test email — video thumbnails can behave differently once actually delivered versus how they look in the builder's live preview. Since clicking the thumbnail always routes recipients out to view the video externally rather than playing it inline, double-check that the destination link works before the campaign goes out.
Frequently asked questions
Does the video actually play inside the email?
No. Clicking the thumbnail opens the video externally, in a browser or on your video host, rather than playing natively inside the email itself — this is a limitation of email clients generally, not something specific to Brevo.
Can I use a custom thumbnail instead of the automatic one?
Yes. If you don't add a video URL, the block shows a placeholder until you do; once a URL is added, you can still upload your own static image to override the automatically generated thumbnail.
What kind of link goes in the Video URL field?
A direct link to your hosted video. Brevo's video block is built around a URL field plus a separate thumbnail, so test with your actual hosting link before sending to confirm the preview generates correctly.
Will adding video hurt my email deliverability?
Using a linked thumbnail rather than an attached video file avoids the size and format issues that trigger spam filters — the email itself only contains an image and a link, not embedded video data.
Does the video block work on mobile email clients?
The block uses the same responsive width and alignment controls as Brevo's other content blocks, but it's worth sending a real test email and checking it on a phone before a full send, since rendering can vary by mail app.
Watch the full walkthrough
The same steps, demonstrated on screen from start to finish.
