10 Genially tricks from the Genially Team that you’ll love

As you may well have suspected, at Genially we use Genially all the time.

To make social media posts, to create training content for the Genially Academy, for reporting, presenting projects and events… even the company org chart and our press kit are geniallys.

There are people on the team who know some pretty nifty Genially tricks. So, we’ve asked around and put together the 10 best ones to share with you. If you want your content to be even more spectacular, this post is for you. Enjoy!

10 Genially tricks you probably didn’t know

1. Hiden interactive content

What do you think of this trick for surprising anyone who interacts with your creation?

This trick is great for hiding the answers to questions, riddles, or other games. It’s very useful for gamifying your content.

Follow these steps to replicate this effect:

1. Place all the elements on the canvas: the visible letters, the ones you want to hide, the lines underneath, and also the button.
2. Duplicate the button and place it on top of the original.
3. Now group the new button with the elements that you want to make appear when people interact with your genially. You can learn more about the grouping feature here.
4. Apply ‘Hover animation – Fade in’ to this group of elements.
5. Now you just need to cover the elements that you don’t want to be interactive with an invisible area; everything except the button. All set! 

2. Edit your genially without anyone noticing

One of the most interesting features of Genially is the ability to update it as many times as you want; the link always stays the same, and whoever has it will always see the latest version. But, what happens while you’re editing it? Is the content still visible? Or does it have to return to draft form?

The best way is to use the hide page feature. 

For example, imagine you want to edit page 3: duplicate it, hide the copy, and edit it all you want. Your audience can still view the full genially. When you finish editing your copy of page 3, make it visible and delete the old one. Nothing to see here!

Check out this tutorial to learn how to hide a page of your genially. 

3. Allow your audience to download a PDF stored in your Drive in one easy click

Want to share some information in PDF format? Make it look good! You can paste download links in the elements of a genially to make sure your useful content is also visually appealing. 

1. Upload the document you want to share to your Google Drive.
2. Open it, click on Share, and select the option that says ‘Anyone with a link can view’.
3. Click on Copy link.
4. Paste the link anywhere to be able to see and edit it. The link will end in /edit or in /view. Delete anything after the last / and substitute it for export?format=pdf

You got it! That’s the link to download the document.

5. Now you just need to create a link type interactivity on the button from which you want your audience to download the document and paste the link you’ve created there. 

Another good thing about this trick is that you’re also taking advantage of the benefits of the cloud. Even if you change the content of the document in Drive, the link will remain the same. Your audience will always see the latest version.

It’s a great trick for when you need to share documents, and even better if they’re documents that may need updating from time to time.

4. Embed a webpage in your genially

Yep, you read that right. I’m sure you already know that you can embed a genially in any website, but you may not know how to do it the other way around. The trick is in using this tool that generates iframe codes, and it’s really easy. 

In just a few seconds you’ve got your code. Then, all you have to do is paste it in the Insert section of your genially.

This trick is handy for when you want your audience to see various websites but without the need to open more than one window. This way, they’ve got everything in one place and you avoid distractions.

5. Request feedback… discreetly

If you use Typeform, you probably know that you can insert your forms in Genially, right? Have you tried this format?

When you want to ask for feedback in a non-intrusive way, this format is the best option. How do you do it? Choose the side panel option in the Share section of your Typeform and copy the code that appears. When you paste it in your genially, it will look like the tab in the example. You can even modify the code to adjust it to the dimensions you want.

6. Create ‘fake’ carousel banners super quickly

You know those rotating banners you see on website homepages? Well, you can make those with Genially, without knowing anything about programming. Yep, you don’t need any programming knowledge; not even a programmer friend. Nothing.

You can make an interactive presentation and activate the video navigation mode and loop playback option. All you have to do then is edit the time you want each page to remain on screen, and insert it at the top of your webpage. All set! No one will know if they’re watching a genially or a super cool carousel banner.

And if you don’t want the video controls to appear below, you can download your creation as an MP4. Then upload it to your website and show off your content! Bet you didn’t know creating your own videos could be so easy!

7. Create a flashlight or magnifying glass to stun your audience in your gamified activities

Exploring is fun! That’s why the flashlight trick is always a great success. You can use it in the creation of gamification content to hide a secret code or anything that fits with your story. This resource will make your escape game even more engaging.

To create this effect:

1. Make the canvas background black, or whatever color you like.
2. Add an object like a flashlight, a lightbulb, or a magnifying glass to your canvas. You can use the search bar in Resources to find it. 
3. Then also add a shape that will act as a beam of light, group it with the flashlight, and make it draggable. Give it a color that stands out on the background. 
4. Now add the text boxes and objects that you want to be hidden and give them the same color as the background.

When you move the flashlight around the canvas, the hidden objects will become visible, like in this example:

Try it out before sharing it. In order for this trick to work, the flashlight must be between the canvas background and the hidden objects.

You need to add the canvas background first, then the flashlight, and then the objects. If you haven’t done it in this order, you can use the Order button to reposition them.

Find this and other nifty tricks in the ‘Advanced animations for storytelling‘ course

8. Use an invisible area to create interactive content that’s even more surprising

I’m sure you already know how to make amazing interactive images: you choose a great photo, add some tooltips, and add some interactivity. An interactive image is always a winner and is super easy to create.

What if instead of using icons and tooltips you added an invisible area with interactivity? You could create interactive experiences that are even more surprising! You can use this trick to add information about each person in a photo or each part of an image without breaking up the aesthetic. Your audience will see the additional information when they interact directly with the image.

9. Virtual events that live on

If you share your virtual events using Genially, your audience will be able to enjoy them however and whenever they want. If you create a virtual event in Youtube, when you set it up you get a link. You can embed that content in your genially and this means that:

• Whoever accesses your genially before the event will see the title page
• Whoever connects when the event is happening will see it live
• And whoever connects once it’s over will see the Youtube video of the event

Check out this example:

Just think of the practical applications of this trick; you can create an agenda with all the month’s or school year’s events and share it with your community. The content will always be updated and available. You can read more about how to create a virtual event here.

10. Reusable template: a combo of tricks and features

The genially you see below is the result of a variety of nifty tricks. We’ve made it reusable as a template so that you can make use of it too. As you can see, all you need is one genially to organize tutorials, appointments, and mentoring sessions with your clients.

1. To create a ‘book your appointment’ button you just need to add an available slots event to your Google Calendar and place a button with the link in your calendar. You can learn how to set up appointment slots in Google Calendar here.
2. How do you want your audience to connect to your session? Add the info to this section by making the button interactive. You can paste a link to Youtube if you’re going to broadcast the event there, or you can enter the instructions for accessing Zoom, Meet, or whatever platform you like.
3. Ask for feedback! Lots of people who decide not to send their feedback will do it if you make it very easy for them. Check out this tutorial to see how to do it. 

So, what do you think of these Genially tricks? How many did you already know about? If you find them useful, share this post with your community so everyone can benefit! Oh, and of course if you have a trick you’d like to share, we’d love for you to pop it in the comments of this post, so everyone can witness your genius!