Embed Block

Overview

Including content from third-party platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter can help you better tell your story to users. The Embed block makes it easy to include this content within a post on your site.

The Embed block can be particularly useful within posts as it allows you to include social posts from students, faculty and others affiliated with the university. By weaving in their social posts into your story, you can additional perspectives can be presented to your readers.

You can add the Embed block itself, but the easiest way to embed content is to simply paste the URL to the content within a paragraph block. WordPress will then automatically import the content and format it correctly.

Many third-party platforms such as YouTube allow you to copy and paste embed code. With WordPress you do not need to copy this embed code. In fact, you’re encouraged not to use it. Rather, copy the address within the address bar and paste that into your WordPress post. This is the preferred option because WordPress will embed the content in a mobile-friendly manner.

If you are embedding a social media post, you can usually click on an individual post to open it in a lightbox or a new window. You would then copy the URL from the address bar. If this does not work, there is oftentimes a “More options” button that will allow you to get a link directly to the post.

Other Options

If you are embedding a YouTube video, you may want to use the Video Image block instead. It allows you to specify a still image as the video’s cover image. This gives you more control over what your users see before playing the video. It also provides a branded “play” button in the lower left-hand corner of the video.

Need help?

Have questions? Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns at go.ncsu.edu/ucomm-dev-request.