Link to a document in your email

Share a document that you've uploaded into your Library with your contacts via an email text link, button, or clickable image

If you've uploaded a document in your Library, it can easily be linked to within your email. You can either create a text link, a button, or a clickable image to best fit your template design. Accepted types of documents that can be hosted in your Library include Word documents (.docx), Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx), PowerPoint presentations (.ppt), and PDFs. Keep in mind that edits cannot be made to the document after it’s been uploaded into your Library.

• Information regarding linking versus attaching
• Create a text link
• Create a button
• Create a clickable thumbnail image

Did you know? Your document doesn't have to be uploaded to your Library to link to it from an email. You can host the document on your own website or on a third-party service such as Google Drive or Dropbox. Simply copy the URL from whichever source you chose and then insert it into your email as a text link, or create a clear call-to-action with a button. For example, you can link to a shared Google Document or Sheet or link to a Dropbox file.

Information regarding linking versus attaching

When you're sending an email to a co-worker or friend and you'd like to include a document, you insert it into the email as an attachment. So you may be wondering why including documents in your Constant Contact email doesn't follow the same process.

Hosting your document online, either within your Library or on your website, and then linking to it from within your email, is beneficial in the following ways:

• Improved deliverability - Attaching documents to your email can trigger spam filters, which will impact your deliverability. Additionally, we do not recommend using an image of the PDF as your email, as this can result in your email getting caught in spam filters as well.
• Access to tracking information - By linking to the document, you can review your click reporting and see how many contacts have viewed the document.

Create a text link

Creating a text link works best when the document you want to link is not the main call-to-action in your email.

1. Highlight the text you want to link your document to, then click the link icon and select Document from the drop-down. 
   Note: If your document is hosted on your website, choose Web Page, then copy the URL for the document from your website and insert it as a text link.
   
   
    
2. (Optional) Edit the text you want to display as the link.
3. Select a document from your Library. If you haven't uploaded your document yet, click Upload New Document to add it to your Library.
   Note: If you have a large number of documents and you're having trouble finding the one you're looking for, use the search bar to filter by document name or click "Uploaded" to sort your documents by upload date.
4. Click Insert.
   
   
    

Create a button

If the document is the most important part of the email, and you want your readers to access it, use a call-to-action button to make it stand out. 

1. ​Drag a button block into your email. Use the pink guideline to help you find the right placement.
   
   
    
2. Click on the button to open the menu on the left. Click the link icon dropdown and then click Document.
   Note: If your document is hosted on your website, choose Web Page, then copy the URL for the document from your website and insert it as a button.
   
    
    
3. Edit the text you want to display on the button.
4. Select a document from your Library. If you haven't uploaded your document yet, click Upload New Document to add it to your Library.
   Note: If you have a large number of documents and you're having trouble finding the one you're looking for, use the search bar to filter by document name or click "Uploaded" to sort your documents by upload date.
5. Click Insert.
   
   
    

Insert a clickable thumbnail image

Image links aren't as obvious that they're clickable as text links or buttons. When using image links of documents, adding a caption that says "Click to enlarge" can be a helpful cue for your readers.
 

Time saver: When you upload a PDF to your Library, a thumbnail image of the first page is automatically created at the same time! This saves you the steps of having to create a screenshot of your document and upload it to your Library. If your document is multi-page and you want to insert a linked thumbnail of each page, then you'll need to upload each page of the document separately to your Library.

If you don't want to use the first page as the clickable thumbnail, you can take a screenshot of a different page in your document to use instead. Once you have the screenshot, use an image editing program, like MS Paint (Windows) or Preview (Mac), to prepare your image for uploading into the Library. When you're ready, upload both the document and the thumbnail into the Library.
 

1. Click the Images tab.
2. Drag your thumbnail image into your template. Use the guideline to help you find the right placement.
   
   
    
3. Click the thumbnail to open the toolbar, then click the link icon and select Document from the drop-down.
   
   
    
4. Select a document from your Library. If you haven't uploaded your document yet, click Upload New Document to add it to your Library.
   Note: If you have a large number of documents and you're having trouble finding the one you're looking for, use the search bar to filter by document name or click "Uploaded" to sort your documents by upload date.
5. Click Insert. 
   
   
    

If you'd like to pair text or any other content with the thumbnail, add a block to your email template and position it as needed.

Any links we provide from non-Constant Contact sites or information about non-Constant Contact products or services are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as an endorsement by Constant Contact.

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