Ever wished your visitors would actually watch that product demo or testimonial you’ve embedded?
Let’s face it—standard embedded videos often get overlooked, especially when they’re buried in the content or too slow to load. What you need is a cleaner, faster, and more engaging way to grab attention.
That’s where video popups come in.
With this guide, you’ll learn how to:
Install and acitvate a free, lightweight plugin with zero coding involved
Create a new popup for your user
Add video elements and others to present a engaging story
Customize your popup to fit your site design
Ensure it’s fully mobile-friendly and fast
Plus, this isn’t just about making a popup work…
👉 You’ll also discover design tips, plugin comparisons, and smart troubleshooting techniques to make sure your video popup performs well across all devices 👈
What is a Video Popup in WordPress?
A video popup in WordPress is a lightweight popup window that displays a video—usually from YouTube or Vimeo—when triggered by a user action, like clicking a button or link.
For example, when a user scrolls down a page or hovers over a product image, a video pops up. This popup video demonstrates unique features, offers, etc. which motivates the user to buy that product.
Distinguish between Image and Video in a Popup
While both image and video popups enhance visual engagement, they serve different purposes and require different handling:
Image Popup: Shows a static image in a lightbox-style popup. Great for product previews, banners, or portfolios. Lightweight and quick-loading.
Video Popup: Plays a hosted video (like YouTube/Vimeo) inside a popup. Perfect for demos, tutorials, or testimonials. It often needs additional settings like autoplay, play/pause controls, and trigger behavior.
📌 In short: Use image popups for quick visuals. Use video popups when storytelling, explaining, or selling.
Methods of Adding Video Popups in WordPress
There is no default way in WordPress to add a video in the popup. However, you will find two ways to add videos in a popup. They are:
Using code (without any plugin): Coding is the traditional method of making a video popup in WordPress. You need to use custom HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create such popups. The process of coding is quite complex.
You can also hire professionals to add video in popups. They will build codes according to your requirements easily.
Using an additonal plugins: The easiest and most popular way to set up a video popup is by installing a an additonal plugin. These plugins allow you to configure the popup even without custom coding knowledge.
Best Free Plugins for Adding Video Popup in WordPress
Not every free popup plugin gives you the same value. Some stick to the basics, while others—like WowOptin—pack in premium-style features without the price tag. Here’s a quick comparison to help you choose:
If your goal is to add a video popup in WordPress quickly, cleanly, and for free, then WowOptin stands out for a few solid reasons:
Video support is built-in — no need for workaround hacks or extra extensions.
Video autoplay mode — can enable/disable autoplay function of the video
135+ modern templates — skip the design stress and start with layouts that already look great on mobile and desktop.
Video elements unlocked — adding video element is available in the free version.
Smart targeting — show your video popups to the right visitors, based on device, page, or even browser language.
Unlike other plugins that hold back features behind paywalls, WowOptin gives you everything you need to launch high-performing video popups without spending a cent.
Check out WowOptin’s capabilities at a glance in this video:
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Video Popups in WordPress
Before going to steps please make sure you have activated WowOptin in your site. Check detailed documentation for the installation and activation procedure. Additionally, you may backup your site for security and rollback purposes.
Let’s Roll 🏃
Step 1: Create a New Popup
After finishing the setup, go to the WowOptin tab from your WordPress dashboard. Here, you can see the Create New Optin button, click it. It will take you to the template section, from here select which optin you want to create.
Then, click the start from scratch option and select popup. Now you’re in the popup builder page where you will develop your popup.
Step 2: Adding Video Element
To add a video in the popup click Elements in the left sidebar and choose Video. Select the video element and click the video setting button at the top.
You can add any video from YouTube, Vimeo, or even a use a video already hosted in your WordPress site.
Step 3: Design the Popup
After selecting the element, you can add the link from the video settings. Paste the URL from YouTube, Vimeo, or WordPress. You can also add a specific thumbnail for the video.
I also added a text element and button to make the video popup catchier. You can change layout settings, popup position, and close behavior from the toolbar above. Explore and customize as per your requirements.
You should check the popup’s mobile responsiveness by changing modes from the center top of the window. Don’t forget to check the live preview before publishing. If you are unsatisfied with the mobile version, reorganize the elements as you wish.
Step 4: Set the Target Audience for Videos in Popup
After that, you should select the target audience for the popup. Setting an effective target audience based on their behavior class is a core marketing practice. In this way, business owner and drive sales to their target market and boost sales.
You can choose which devices and visitor types, languages, and browser language are available in free version.
Step 5: Manage Trigger Setting for the Video in Popups
You can set up the trigger behavior of your video popup from this setting. The trigger setting lets you control visitors to direct them to your desired destination.
For this instance, I used the delay popup option which activates after 1 second of loading. You can choose any trigger behavior you want.
Step 6: Manage Display Rules
Display rules let you choose which page(s) you want to display the video in popups. This way you can manage your popup act most effectively throughout the whole website. Moreover, an organized display helps you funnel the user to increase engagement.
I decided to show this popup only for the Shop page. You can explore the options from the dropdown and customize them in your way.
Step 7: Change Schedule and Interval
Another unique feature of WowOptin is the schedule and interval behavior of popups. Schedule option lets choose the start & end date of your popup and you can also select your time zone.
The interval setting adds an advanced behavior setting. It lets you choose how many times the popup will appear and its close behavior.
Now that I have set my preferences for the popup, I need to save and publish the optin. I can check the final result from frontend and experience the display.
How to Add a Video Popup on Click in WordPress
So far, we have seen to add the video in a popup in free version. However, to add a on click popup, you have to buy the premium version of WowOptin.
After getting WowOptin pro, you have to go to the editorial interface of the popup. Then head over to the trigger option.
Here, you can find the On Click option is unlocked in the pro version. Select it. Now, add the CSS selector.
To apply the popup trigger to a specific area of your site, you’ll need the right CSS selector. Here’s how:
Press Ctrl + Shift + C (or right-click → Inspect) to open your browser’s developer tools.
Hover over the part of the page where you want the popup to trigger—it’ll highlight the HTML.
Copy the relevant ID, class, or tag from the highlighted code.
Paste that into the CSS Selector field in the trigger settings, then hit Update to save.
That’s it—your video popup is now tied to that section!
💡 Pro Tip Try to use one trigger for each optin. Using multiple triggers might create conflict among the existing ones.
Best Practices for Crafting an Engaging Video Popup
To make sure your video popup not only looks great but actually drives results, follow these proven tips:
✅ Know your audience: Design the popup with your target user in mind—layout, colors, and video placement can all influence engagement and trust.
✅ Blend elements smartly: Combine your video with compelling text, clear call-to-action buttons, or even a short form. This encourages interaction instead of passive viewing.
✅ Keep it mobile-first: Make sure the popup scales smoothly on smartphones and tablets. Laggy or broken popups can hurt both UX and SEO signals.
✅ Short and sharp wins: Avoid long, slow videos. A crisp, engaging clip with a hook in the first few seconds can do wonders.
✅ Leverage WowOptin tools: Use triggers, display rules, and scheduling features wisely to guide user attention where you want it.
Stay updated with recent features, pricing, and new practices of WowOptin.
Yes, you can easily track detailed user interaction information from the WowOptin dashboard. Additionally, you can view quick statistics for each optin. You can also set milestones and bring out the compartmentalized data from the dashboard tab.
Can You Customize the Video Appearance and Behavior of Popup?
Of course, you can if you are using WowOptin. Go to the design setting in optin builder, you’ll find three tabs named style, position, and close. You can change the layout setting, animation setting, positioning, and close behavior from there. The builder layout is very user-friendly, you can easily access it after exploring.
How to Set Autoplay Mode in Video Popup?
WowOptin lets you set autoplay mode for video popups. From the video setting, you can turn on autoplay mode and select the repeat behavior video setting. You can also hide the control from the same setting.
Is WowOptin mobile responsive?
Yes, WowOptin is mobile responsive. It allows you to create opt-ins and popups that adapt to different screen sizes, including desktops, tablets, and mobile devices. You can also adjust elements and hide them for specific devices.
Conclusion
Adding a video popup to your website isn’t just a design upgrade—it’s a smart move to boost engagement, drive conversions, and build brand trust.
You could hire a developer or tinker with code…but honestly? Tools like WowOptin make it incredibly easy to do it yourself—even if you’re not tech-savvy.
The key is to make it count: use a sharp video, pair it with clear intent, and deliver it to the right visitors at the right time.
Explore the methods above, and if you run into any questions—drop a comment below.
And hey—don’t forget to subscribe our newsletter to stay in the loop for more tips, updates, and exclusive WowOptin offers!
Arefin is a passionate writer with over three years of experience exploring the world of WordPress and WooCommerce. He loves diving into themes, plugins, and tools, sharing insights that help users build and optimize their websites with ease. When he's not writing, you’ll find him testing the latest tech to uncover game-changing features for online businesses.
