Add and manage overlay text

Want to add a link to a videoask step or looking to add an extra note or thank you message? You can add overlay text to any of your videoask steps or replies to make things even more interactive and personalized.

There are a whole host of ways our users are making the most of the overlay text feature, here are a few of them to get you started:

adding links for respondents
asking a question in text format (this one can be really useful if you've chosen to use a video from our Pexels or Giphy library without audio)
adding an extra note
adding variables to your overlay text to include your respondent's name for an added human touch 🤗

You can see an example below (taken from our troubleshooting page) of a videoask step using the overlay text feature:

💡 Pro tip: Find out how to pass variables into overlay text to automatically personalize steps in your videoask.

Add overlay text to an existing videoask step

Click the step where you'd like to add overlay text.

In the right-hand sidebar, click the Video tab.

Add or edit your text:

Choose the text size (relative to its display) by clicking on the dropdown menu and selecting the desired size:

Small, Medium, and Large text sizes can be seen below:

The selected text size is relative to the viewport and device. So while a "Large" font will technically be displayed as a different size on desktop vs mobile devices, the text will appear large relative to the size of the window.

If you'd like the overlay text to be revealed partway through your videoask step, or fade out before the end of your videoask step, you can use the Reveal/Fade slider feature.

Note: The Reveal/Fade slider feature cannot be used with videos added from the Pexels or Giphy Library.

In the example below our text will be revealed to the respondent after 5 seconds, and will fade out 6 seconds before the end of the videoask step:

Note: The Reveal/Fade slider is a handy tool if you're adding a link to a webpage but you don't want it to distract your respondent until you mention it in your video.💡

When you're happy with your settings, click Done.

Add overlay text to a new videoask step

When creating a new videoask step, you'll be prompted to add any desired overlay text after you upload or record a video.

Start typing overlay text and text control options will display below:

Select the text size from the dropdown menu.

Toggle on or off the option Darken video for text readability.

Click Continue to finish creating the step.

Add overlay text to a videoask reply

After recording a reply, you'll be given the option to add overlay text before sending. Start typing and the overlay text options will appear.

Select the desired text size from the dropdown menu.

If you'd like the overlay text to be revealed partway through your video, or fade out before the end of your video, you can adjust the Reveal/Fade slider feature.

Note: The Reveal/Fade slider feature cannot be used with videos added from the Pexels or Giphy Library.

When you're ready to send your message, click Send reply.

Add links to your overlay text

You can add links to other webpages or videoasks in your overlay text. This will redirect your respondents to your chosen destination page in a new tab or window (allowing them to continue responding to your videoask).

If you'd like to redirect your respondents to another webpage or videoask in the same window or browser (and end their videoask "experience"), check out our redirect feature.

Note: It is not currently possible to add a hyperlink using the overlay text feature (but we're working on it!). For now, we recommend using a URL shortener for longer links to make sure they don't distract your respondent from your video masterpiece!