How to use GIFs in your campaign

[Caitlin_M]

We know GIFs as those little animated images that you see on different websites. But did you know that you can insert GIFs into your Constant Contact campaigns? 

That's right! You can upload and insert a GIF just as you would a regular image. Adding a GIF into your campaign can certainly liven up a static campaign and add some personality. Here are a few things you should know before adding a GIF into your campaign.

• Just like images, GIFs need to be under 5MB in size in order to be uploaded into the Constant Contact library. 
• Less = more. Putting too many GIFs into a campaign can be distracting and pull your reader away from the message you are sending. Just a few will do!
• Right along the lines of less = more, choose GIFs that are shorter in length (like the one I used above). Longer GIFs are larger in file size and may not even upload properly but they also take your readers' focus away from your message.
• There are some email clients that don't support GIFs and will only show the first frame of the GIF. It's important to keep this in mind and send yourself previews to make sure that the first frame still makes sense even if the GIF doesn't play. 

So, how can you use a GIF in your campaign? Here are few suggestions:

• Display a reaction - are you excited about a sale that you are having or want to promote something great happening with your business or organization? Show your readers how excited you are by using a GIF!
• Support your message - Maybe you work for a nonprofit animal shelter and you are trying to raise money. Try including a GIF of cats or dogs so your readers remember who their donation would be helping.
• Show personality - Readers love seeing personality in an email. Use a GIF to have a fun opening or closing message. Maybe like this:

Want more ideas on how to use GIFs? Look no further than our Blog!

We're interested to know how you will use GIFs in your campaigns. Feel free to let us know or share your "giffed out" campaign on our Share & Get Ideas board! As always, we are here to answer any questions you might have as well. 

[JamieS832]

I'm trying to upload GIFs that are less than 5MB, but the system says it can't upload the file type. What am I doing wrong?

[Brigitte_P]

Hey there @JamieS832 

Thank you for coming to the community to ask this great question!

We have seen in the past that some gifs, even when they are under 5MB, will refuse to upload into the library. I can definitely understand the difficulties this may cause, but I'd like to thank you for bringing it to our attention that this bug is affecting you as well. I will be sharing this with our team.

In the meantime I would recommend attempting to add the gif in one of these 2 methods:

1. You can take the gif to ezgif.com, and select Gif Optimizer. Use the lossy GIF to compress the gif. It does not have to be much, the minimum is 5. This does not always work, but we have had success with some gifs.
2. Or, you can upload the image to another image host and add it as a URL.

Please let us know if you run into any other difficulties along the way, we're more than happy to help!

[HSA_SW_Chicago]

With current updates, I can not upload Gif images!

[Caitlin_M]

Hello @HSA_SW_Chicago. We haven't made any updates that should prevent you from uploading a GIF into your library. What exactly is happening when you upload a GIF? Are you seeing error messaging? Is the file less than 5mb?

[CurionMarketing]

For me, the uploader refuses to process the gif, saying that the format isn't allowed. I also can't drag and drop it into a image placeholder, nor could I find a way to copy/paste the gif from Giphy.

[IndiaP]

Agreed. I cannot upload a .gif file. It prompts an error about the file format being incompatible 

[Gunny304]

Same issue. All these tutorials about how to use a GIF and none of them describe the way the platform works for my account.

[Caitlin_M]

Hi @Gunny304. I'd like to understand more about what you are looking to accomplish. Were you needing assistance with creating a campaign? The best place to start for support would be our Knowledge Base. We have articles covering all aspects of your account, whether that's sending an email, uploading contacts or growing your list. 

Our support agents would be happy to help you on our Get Help board. If you wish to speak with a live agent, click here for their phone numbers and hours of operation.