Adding Web, Video and Shopping Links to your Content

Issuu provides the feature of adding web, video and shopping links in your content, which helps readers to interact with your content and learn more about your brand.

When hovered over, links within your content show up as blue outlines around ads, videos and images with icons to direct the desired interaction.

This article explains how to use the Issuu Link Editor.

Link editor is accessible on the latest version of Safari 13.1.1 and other different browsers. It is not accessible on older Safari versions. 

NOTE: If you add links in your content through Issuu Add Links & Video feature, those links will not be available in the downloaded version of the content, because Issuu does not modify the original file. 

Adding Links in Your Content

1. Go to Publications from Side Navigation Menu
2. Select the publication you want to update and you will be directed to Publication Workspace
3. Select Add Links & Video
4. When the Link Editor opens, first select a page, then draw a box around the area of the page where you want to add links

5. New pop-up window will display

1. WEB LINKS

Select Web for web links

1. Insert web URL
2. Click Done and Save 

2. SHOPPING LINKS 

Select Shopping for shopping links

1. Insert shopping URL (Link should be at least 50x50 px to show any icon)
2. Click Done and Save

3. GO TO PAGE (In-document) links

Select Go to page if you want to redirect your readers to other pages within your content (Creating In-Document links)

1. Select the Action you want from the dropdown menu.
2. Select Page number where you want to redirect your readers.
3. Click Done and Save.

4. Video Links

1. Go to Publications from Side Navigation Menu and click on the content you want to update and you will be directed to Publication Workspace
2. Click Add Links & Video
3. Select the Video option from new pop-up window
4. Insert the URL and select one of the options from Play in Overlay, Embed in Publication, Embed in Publication and Autoplay
5. Click Done and click Save and Publish changes

Below you will find explained the different options you have when adding video links:

a. Play in Overlay (Available on all plans)

It will make your content interactive. Once the reader click play button, the video will play in overlay.

b. Embed in Publication (Available on Premium and Optimum plans)

The reader has to click the play button to start the video.

c. Embed in Publication and Autoplay (Available on Premium and Optimum plans)

The video will play automatically as soon the reader turns the page of the content.

Converting Links

You can convert links to Shopping links, Web and Video links or In-Publication Video links on a specific page by selecting page numbers or in an entire document. 

1. Go to Publications from Side Navigation Menu
2. Select the publication you want to update and you will be directed to Publishing Workspace
3. Select Add Links & Video
4.  It will open a Link Editor
5. Select Convert links at the top of the Links Editor
6. A new pop-up window will open, choose the type of link to convert from the dropdown menu, and apply changes to a specific page or the entire document
7. Click Convert and Save

Remember, links added to your publication through Issuu feature Add Links & Video will be overwritten during re-uploading the document. Only links created in the document using a link creation tool before uploading to Issuu will be included again after updating or replacing document.

Best practices for Adding Links to your Content

a. If you're selling content, please note that Youtube videos cannot be embedded behind a paywall following their terms of service. You need to seek approval from Youtube directly before you embed videos on pages that are not part of the free preview pages.

b. To embed and autoplay video, it should be at least 210x120px or 120x210px. Videos will always play in overlay if there is not sufficient space to insert the embed. We recommend to widen the space to embed videos properly. For the best experience on pages in portrait mode, the video should span at least 2/3 of the page width or half of the page height. Embedded videos autoplay only on desktops. Mobile web and Issuu iOS/android app are not supported at the moment.

c. Videos must be available publicly both on Youtube and Vimeo. Private/non-published videos won't play either as embedded or in the overlay. 

d. Many browsers do not let you autoplay with sound on or autoplay at all i.e. why a video set for autoplay, starts on mute. Take a look at:

https://developers.google.com/web/updates/2017/09/autoplay-policy-changes

Clicking on play is a willing action on behalf of the reader. If you simply use embed in publication video option, then the video will not be muted when the reader will click to play it.

 If there are more than 2 videos on a single page or in spread, then only one will be autoplayed. 

e. Regardless of the type of link you added, select View in reader button, and a new window will open where you can view your content with the newly added links.

Color of the links reflects their status:
- orange - unsaved link
- green - saved link
- blue - published link

If you leave a page with an unsaved link, the links will not be saved for when you return. Once you've "SAVED" your links you can move away from the Link Editor and the links will be available when you return.

The links will only be shown in the live version of your content once you've published your saved links.