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Hotspot FAQ

Everything you need to know about adding and managing interactive hotspots in your Simplebooklet.

Available on all plans.

General Questions

What is a hotspot?

A hotspot is a clickable area you place on any page of your Simplebooklet. When a viewer clicks it, it triggers an action — such as opening a website, playing a video, launching an email, or navigating to another page. Hotspots make your booklet interactive without changing how it looks to your audience.

What types of hotspots are available?

Simplebooklet supports nine hotspot types:

Website — link to any external URL

Email — open a viewer's email app with your address pre-filled

Telephone — trigger a click-to-call on mobile and desktop

Video — embed a video from YouTube, Vimeo, or upload your own

Image — display one or more images in a lightbox

Document — open a PDF, Word doc, or other file in a lightbox

Code — embed a custom iframe or third-party widget

Caption — display a text overlay with an optional link

Page — navigate to another page within the booklet

Can I add more than one hotspot to a page?

Yes. You can add as many hotspots as you need to a single page. Each hotspot is independent and can be a different type.

Do viewers need to do anything special to interact with hotspots?

No. Hotspots work in any modern browser with no account, plugin, or download required. Viewers simply click the hotspot area to trigger the action.

Will viewers be able to see where the hotspots are?

Hotspots briefly flash when a page first opens to signal that something is clickable, but the orange outlines and icons visible to you in the editor are hidden from viewers. The hotspot remains fully interactive — it just blends into your design.

Tip: To make clickable areas more obvious, add an icon, button image, or short prompt text beneath your hotspot to guide viewers.

Adding Hotspots

How do I add a hotspot?

Open the Edit tab from your Dashboard, navigate to the page you want, click the Hotspot button in the left-hand toolbar, and choose your hotspot type from the dropdown menu.

Fill in the required details and click Save or Add.

Can I add a hotspot to any page?

Yes. You can place hotspots on any page in your Simplebooklet, and each page can have its own set of hotspots.

How do I resize or reposition a hotspot after adding it?

Click on the hotspot on your page to open the Element Editor. From there you can drag it to reposition it and use the handles to resize it to cover the area you want.

How do I edit a hotspot I've already saved?

Navigate to the page containing the hotspot in the Edit tab, click on the hotspot, then click the small orange edit icon to reopen the hotspot settings. Make your changes and click Save.

Website Hotspots

What URL formats does the website hotspot accept?

Enter the full URL including the protocol, for example https://www.yoursite.com. Partial URLs may not resolve correctly.

What are the options for how a website link opens?

Open in Lightbox — the website loads in an overlay on top of your booklet

Open in New Tab — the website opens in a new browser tab
Open in Current Tab — the website replaces the current browser tab

Email & Telephone Hotspots

What happens when a viewer clicks an email hotspot?

Their default email app opens with your email address already filled in as the recipient. The viewer writes their message and sends it from their own email account.

What happens when a viewer clicks a telephone hotspot?

On mobile devices, it prompts the viewer to dial the number directly. On desktop, it opens whatever calling app is set as default (such as Skype or FaceTime).

Video Hotspots

What video platforms can I link to with a video hotspot?

You can embed videos from YouTube, Vimeo, and Google Drive using the Embed option. Simply paste the video URL.

Can I upload a video file directly?

Yes. Use the Upload option to upload a video file directly from your device. Supported formats are MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, FLV, MKV, and WEBM up to 50 MB.

Tip: Uploading your own video removes external platform branding for a cleaner, more professional look.

What customization options are available for uploaded videos?

Uploaded videos support four additional settings:

Autoplay on Open — plays the video automatically when the hotspot is clicked

Muted Audio — plays without sound by default

Hide Video Playbar — removes the video controls from view

Loop Video — plays the video on repeat

Image & Document Hotspots

Can I add multiple images to a single image hotspot?

Yes. You can upload multiple images to one image hotspot and they will display as a gallery in the lightbox for viewers to browse through.

Can I add a caption to an image hotspot?

Yes. When setting up your image hotspot, there is an optional caption field where you can add context or a description for your viewers.

What file types does the document hotspot support?

The document hotspot supports PDFs, Word documents, and other common file formats. The document opens in a lightbox directly within your booklet.

Code Hotspots

What can I embed with a code hotspot?

Any third-party tool that provides an embed code or iframe — including surveys, contact forms, scheduling widgets, maps, and more. Paste the embed code directly into the code field and save.

What page navigation options are available?

Next Page — links to the page immediately after the current one

Previous Page — links to the page immediately before the current one

First Page — links to the first page of the booklet

Last Page — links to the last page of the booklet

Choose Page — links to a specific page number you enter

Why would I use page navigation hotspots instead of letting viewers flip pages normally?

Page navigation hotspots give you control over how readers move through your content. They're useful for creating table of contents links, back-to-top buttons, section jumpers, or a guided flow that skips over pages not relevant to a particular audience.

How Hotspots Support the Reader's Journey

Hotspots touch every stage of the Reader's Journey. In the Awareness stage, page navigation and caption hotspots help readers find and understand your content quickly. In the Attention stage, video and image hotspots reward curiosity and deepen engagement. In the Immersion stage, code and document hotspots give readers access to tools and materials without pulling them away from your booklet. And in the Action stage, website, email, and telephone hotspots remove every barrier between interest and response — making it as easy as possible for your audience to take the next step.

Ready to start adding hotspots?