Customizable Video Player: 11 Ways To Boost Branding & Conversions

Customizable video players amplify brand recognition, spark viewer interaction, and give you control of the viewing experience—fueling conversions.

We asked business owners, designers, and marketers how to leverage customizable video players; they shared real-world gains with examples you can replicate. 

When swapping out generic for customized video players:  

• Webyansh increased watch times by 34% and demo requests by 18%.
• Fetch & Funnel increased watch times by 22% and conversion rates by 18%.
• Cleartail Marketing increased watch times by 34% and conversion rates by 21%.

Discover plug‑and‑play customizations you can add in seconds. Use this guide to infuse your video player with your brand’s DNA and propel prospects straight to conversion.

Out-Of-The-Box Custom Video Player Example

Let’s begin with an example of a customized video player that uses zero coding.

Note the custom player color, hidden player controls, clickable call-to-action overlay during the video, and an end screen with hyperlinked CTA. 

Next, learn more about these features and how to elevate your experience even further.

11 Ways To Customize Your Video Player

Click any feature in the chart below to see more details and setup instructions.

1. Color Theme

Select a custom color to integrate your video player with your webpage and branding. The color is used for the play button, seek bar, and CTA overlay (if one exists).

Color reinforces brand recognition in external marketing videos. But custom colors can also be used for internal videos to represent different categories or courses. 

For example, a coding education company uses color to represent course levels. The beginner’s course uses yellow for the webpage (CTA buttons, link colors, etc) and video player to distinguish it from other offerings in the video portal.

How To Implement with SproutVideo

Customize the embed code to change the video player color. You can save embed code presets to reuse the same customizations easily.

To change the video player color for SproutVideo-hosted websites and landing pages, simply change your video website settings. 

2. Thumbnail Image

Video poster frames (thumbnails) take up much of the video player’s real estate. Use this space to reinforce your brand aesthetic and set viewer expectations with consistent design.

For example, we published multiple episodes in SproutVideo’s Business Video Playbook series, each covering how to grow a business with video. While thumbnails vary, a consistent template, style, and color scheme keeps the look professional and easy to recognize.

How To Implement with SproutVideo

On the SproutVideo platform, you can generate a poster frame from your video (still or animated for up to 8 seconds) or upload a still image, GIF, or MP4. You can also download the poster frame as a starting point for your thumbnail. 

3. Player Controls Visibility       

You’re in control of the viewing experience. You can remove the: 

• Settings Button: Disable playback speed to lock in pacing and video resolution options so viewers watch at the best available resolution for their network speeds.
• Full-Screen Toggle: Prevent viewers from watching the video full-screen.
• Volume Slider: Maintain in-player video volume. 
• Seek Bar: Prevent in-player timeline scrubbing (does not turn off arrow key navigation).

For example, a company hosts internal compliance training that requires employees to take 125 hours of classes. It hides the Settings button to prevent rapid playback speeds. This helps employees absorb the material and ensures they meet the hourly compliance requirements.

How To Implement with SproutVideo

Customizing the video embed code allows you to implement player controls’ visibility. On SproutVideo-hosted websites and landing pages, simply change your video website settings. Advanced users can also create custom controls with our JavaScript Player API.  

4. Player Size & Responsiveness

Set the size of your video player or turn on responsiveness so it automatically adjusts to your viewer’s screen. We generally recommend enabling responsiveness (with specific exceptions) to ensure all viewers can play the video, regardless of their device. 

For example, a company is attending a trade show. They plan to have multiple television screens that loop their company video. The videos need to display at exactly 800 x 450 pixels to ensure they fit perfectly within the monitor’s frame. In this case, setting specific video dimensions is favorable to provide seamless playback. 

How To Implement with SproutVideo

Customize your video embed code to set video player size or enable responsiveness.

5. End-screen Customization 

Direct viewer action or add interactive elements with post-play end-screen customizations. After the video plays, you can prompt viewers to sign up for a demo, watch another video, or grab a downloadable resource. You can also use iframe HTML to embed quizzes, add an order form, and allow newsletter signups—the possibilities are endless with minimal coding.

For example, a software company shares product walkthrough videos on its website. When the video ends, a demo sign‑up landing page appears right in the player, prompting viewers to take the next step.

How To Implement with SproutVideo

A custom post-play end-screen is an out-of-the-box SproutVideo feature that can be enabled when customizing your video’s embed code. You can keep it simple: choose colors and add hyperlinks with basic HTML to direct viewers to other videos or pages. Or, take it up a level using iframe HTML elements to add in-player forms, quizzes, newsletter signups, and more. 

6. CTA Overlay

Direct viewer action with in-player calls to action during the video. These pop-up overlays appear in the top‑right corner at the time you choose. Add your custom call to action text and a link to your chosen destination URL. CTA overlays also match the video player’s color theme, reinforcing your branding during playback.  

For example, a clothing line debuts its newest collection with a runway video. During the trench coat reveal, the company notices an engagement spike. To take advantage of this peak in viewer attention, they add a CTA to order the coat during this part of the video. 

How To Implement with SproutVideo

For SproutVideo users, you can easily enable in-player calls to action in video settings. Once toggled on, the CTA is enabled, so there is no need to update the embed code. It will also appear if you share videos via SproutVideo-hosted websites or landing pages.  

7. In-Player Lead Capture

With lead capture forms, you can collect viewers’ contact information in exchange for access to your video content. This form restricts access at the beginning of a video. However, you can also use playlists to give before you gate, which is the practice of offering value first to build trust before requiring opt-in for in-depth solutions. 

For example, check out the two-video playlist below. The first video ends and seamlessly transitions to the second video, which requires opt-in via the lead capture form.

Want To See More? Watch the full episode (sans lead capture) here

How To Implement with SproutVideo

For SproutVideo users, an in-player lead capture form can be easily enabled and customized in video settings. To give before you gate, build a playlist with an ungated video followed by a gated video. When customizing the playlist embed code, toggle on auto-advancing. 

You can also use lead capture forms and share playlists on SproutVideo-hosted websites and landing pages.

8. In-Player Video Sharing

Allow viewers to share your video on social media directly from the video player while watching. Viewers can select the sharing icon, choose a platform, and share your video without interrupting their experience. 

For example, a music artist hosts a listening party for their debut album. They invite a few hundred people to their live stream party and encourage viewers to invite others to join. With social sharing turned on, viewers can share it to their feed without leaving the live show. 

How To Implement with SproutVideo

You can turn on in-player social sharing for individual videos or account-wide. Adding an embedded (canonical) URL to all videos with social sharing is important because this URL allows social media viewers to find their way back to your website. 

9. Playback Behavior

Set your video to play and replay automatically. Marketers often use autoplay for videos embedded on landing pages to grab attention instantly. Looping a video can enhance engagement, particularly when used in a GIF-style format (as seen here).

For example, a sports camera company‘s homepage features a high-resolution video above the fold. The silent video autoplays and loops continuously to showcase the camera in contextual settings while extending the company’s lifestyle branding. 

How To Implement with SproutVideo

Customize your video embed code to toggle autoplay or looping. On SproutVideo-hosted websites and landing pages, simply change your video website settings. Most browsers do not support autoplay with sound. However, videos will play with sound on browsers that allow it. 

10. Custom Embed Parameters

Using embed code parameters, you can change the video player’s appearance, feel, and behavior in even more ways.

SproutVideo-specific examples include: 

• Volume: Launch the player at a specific volume.
• VTime: Start the video at a specific time instead of the beginning.
• CC: Automatically displays subtitles.

The customization features we’ve covered up to this point are all out-of-the-box SproutVideo features. But you can manually add and combine embed code parameters for even more customization. 

For example, an online course creator wants to see which students are most engaged. They add “vemail” parameters to their video embed codes, which allows them to track the individual viewers by email address in engagement metrics. 

How To Implement with SproutVideo

With custom parameters and some HTML knowledge, you can add additional customizations to your embed code. Explore the list of options and see detailed instructions here.   

11. Fully Custom Video Player 

Create your custom video player from scratch. Start with a stripped video player, then add your custom styling with HTML and CSS. This advanced option provides endless possibilities for creating your branded video player. 

For example, a B2B SaaS company sells employee training software to enterprises. The company wants all its offerings to be white label, including the video player design. Therefore, it builds one from scratch to create a video player that businesses won’t find anywhere else.

How To Implement with SproutVideo

This advanced option requires our JavaScript Player API and the skills or assistance of a developer. You can also reference our resource on building a simple custom video player. 

Next Steps: Video Customizations Beyond The Player

A customized video player is just the beginning. Your business video experience may include additional features like automated subtitles for improved engagement, security measures to protect content, and analytics tracking to improve performance. Explore the possibilities with our other resources:

• Best Practices to Securely Share Corporate Video
• 5 Most Valuable Video Metrics to Measure Success
• 7 Reasons Businesses Use Private Video Hosting Platforms vs YouTube