Are you looking for a more personalized way to reach out to your audience? Connect on a deeper level and boost form engagement by using video to ask questions.
Video questions are available on all Growth and Talent plans. Discover more about our Growth and Talent plans.
Want respondents to record their answers with video? Read this article to find out how.
How to add a video question to your form
1. Open a form from your Workspace, or start a new one. Click + Add content to open the questions menu.
2. Choose how you want people to answer your question–don’t worry about adding video at this point. We'll do that in the next step.
3. Select the Video option from the Question settings on the right-hand sidebar.
Warning! If you switch back to Text after recording or uploading a video and then publish your form, your video may be deleted. You’ll have to record it or upload it again if you decide to switch back to Video.
4. Optionally, type a question or the title of your video in the placeholder field. You can customize this however you like, with a maximum of 105 characters. If you choose to leave this field empty, the placeholder text itself will not be shown to your respondents.
5. Click the + sign next to Add video in the right-hand sidebar, or click + Add video in the editor.
6. Now you’ll be prompted to select your video source. We’ll click Webcam to record a new video, but you can also choose to upload a video.
7. Before you can record, you'll need to give Typeform permission to use your camera and microphone. Click Request permissions.
8. Your browser should now show a pop-up window asking for permission to use your camera and microphone. Click Allow.
9. Click the settings icon at the top of your screen to select which camera and microphone you want to use for your recording.
10. Remember to make eye contact with the camera and find a quiet spot with good lighting! When you're ready, click the red button to start recording.
11. You'll be given a 3-second countdown before the recording begins.
Each video can be up to 5 minutes long. A timer will count down at the bottom of your screen while you record to let you know how much time you have left.
If you want to create a video longer than 5 minutes, you can choose to upload your own when you select your video source. For this option, there is no time limit, but the maximum file size you can upload is 500MB.
Tip! Try to keep the main action in the center of the frame within the red side panels when recording. This will make sure your video is optimized for all settings and devices.
12. When you're finished recording, click the red Finish button.
13. Now you can preview your video before proceeding. This is a good time to check the quality of your audio and make sure you’re looking directly into the camera. If you’re happy with your recording, click Save and continue. If you want to have another go, click Retry.
14. Once your video has been uploaded and processed, click Video preferences in the Question settings on the right-hand sidebar to toggle Fit video on or off. By default, your video will fill the screen with the exact dimensions depending on screen size. If you choose to Fit video, the entire width of the video will be shown.
Here’s how this video will look with Fit video toggled off.
And here’s how it will look with Fit video toggled on.
15. You can also use the Closed captions toggle under the Captions tab to turn closed captioning on or off for your respondents in each video question. This toggle is on by default. You can also review or edit your captions, learn more about how to edit your captions here.
Turning off closed captions means that your respondents won’t be able to see the closed captioning option at all when playing your video. You’ll also see a content warning in the accessibility checker for each video question that has closed captions turned off.
16. Using a random frame from your video as a thumbnail image might not present you in the most flattering way. To choose your preferred thumbnail, go to the Thumbnail tab under Video preferences and use the scroll to select a frame from the video that captures you at your best. When you've found the perfect thumbnail image, click Save.
17. You can also trim your video under the Trim tab to only show a selected fragment of it to your audience. Click Save when you've selected the frames you want to keep from the timeline.
Trimming doesn't remove the original version of your video. You can always go back to your video preferences to reset changes, or create a new trimmed version using the timeline based on the original version.
18. If you want to delete the video from your form, hit the trash can icon.
19. You can change your Question settings in the right-hand sidebar. The options available will vary depending on the type of question you’ve selected.
Toggle on Delay interaction if you want make sure respondents watch your video before responding. This means that the option to respond won't appear until they've watched some or all of your video. You can insert the amount of seconds or select Full length for the amount of time you'd like to delay the option to respond from appearing. The delay countdown will only begin once the video starts playing.
Note! Currently, you can’t add any additional images or videos to your question if you’ve chosen to ask your question using video.
20. Click the Preview button to see what your form will look like when you share it with your audience.
21. When you’re happy with your setup and you’ve added all the questions you want, click the Share/Publish edits button and share your form with the world!
When your respondents watch your video question, they’ll have the option to change the playback speed (1x, 1.2x, 1.5x, 1.7x, 2x), turn on automated closed captions (if your video has closed captions enabled), and make the video full-screen by clicking on the corresponding icons in the bottom right-hand corner of the video.
Note! Automated closed captions are currently only available in English.
The first video question in your typeform autoplays in preview (muted) to encourage people to click play and watch the video. Any subsequent video questions autoplay with sound for a smooth respondent experience throughout the form.
FAQ
Are there any limits to respondents viewing video questions?
Yes, the number of video question views will depend on your plan. A video question view is when a respondent clicks play on your video. Below is a breakdown of what counts as a video question view:
- Pausing, resuming, or moving the video progress bar within 60 minutes will count as 1 view.
- If your video automatically loops, this will count as 1 view.
- If playback fails after clicking play, this still counts as 1 view.
- Views are considered complete after 60 minutes of inactivity.
- If a respondent watches the entire video question and then clicks play again to watch the video a second time within 60 minutes, this will count as 2 views.
The Growth Essentials and Growth Pro plans have a set number of monthly video question views. Check out our plans & pricing page for the specific number of video question views on your plan.
For the Growth Custom plan, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager or our Sales team to confirm how many video question views are on your plan.
Why can't I add video questions to my form?
This feature requires a subscription to one of our Growth or Talent plans.
Are video-format questions compatible with any Typeform question type?
Yes! Video questions are compatible with all question types. However, it’s not currently possible to add a video question to a Welcome Screen or End Screen. If you want to add video to a Welcome Screen or End Screen, you can do so from the media gallery instead.
What file types are accepted when uploading a video to Typeform?
The following video formats are supported:
MP4
MOV
WEBM
What is the maximum file size/length for a video?
If you record your video within Typeform, your video can be up to 5 minutes long. If you upload your video to Typeform, there's no time limit but the maximum file size you can upload is 500MB.
How do I replace a video?
Replacing a video is simple. Just click the trash can icon to delete the current video. Then, add another video.
Will the video appear cropped to respondents depending on their window or device?
Each viewer's window or device adapts to the video's size, providing a responsive viewing experience.
For example, if you adjust the size of your browser, it'll show more or less of the video based on the dimensions of the window. We ensure that your video always maintains its original height and remains centered on the screen.