If you’ve ever wanted to cut down on endless meetings or make your team updates actually stick, you’ve probably heard of Loom—the video tool that lets you record quick screen shares and explainer videos. But recording is only half the battle. If your videos are sitting in a link graveyard or buried in your email, nobody’s getting the message. That’s where Slack comes in.
This guide is for anyone who wants to actually use Loom videos to boost team communication in Slack—no fluff, no hype, just what works.
Why bother integrating Loom with Slack?
- People ignore emails. But they read Slack.
- Videos are faster than typing a wall of text. Especially for demos, feedback, or anything visual.
- Saves time on meetings. Record it once, share it with everyone, let them watch when they can.
Honestly, the combo works when you want to show, not just tell. But if your team hates video or you’re just sharing quick links, it might not be worth the setup. For most distributed teams, though, it’s a big step up from endless threads and “can we jump on a call?” messages.
Step 1: Figure out what you actually want to do
Before you start clicking “Connect,” ask yourself: what’s the goal? Here are the main use cases that actually help:
- Quick demos or walkthroughs for teammates
- Project updates that don’t need a meeting
- Asynchronous feedback (review this when you have time)
- Onboarding explainers for new hires
If you just want to share the odd video, you don’t need an integration—copy-paste a link. The integration is best if you want Loom videos to show up nicely in Slack (with thumbnails and previews), or automate sharing new videos in certain channels.
Step 2: Install the Loom Slack integration
Loom makes this about as painless as possible. Here’s how to do it:
- Go to your Loom account. (If you don’t have one, you’ll need to sign up. Free plans are fine for most people.)
- In Loom, click your profile photo (top right) > Integrations.
- Find Slack and click Connect.
- Slack will pop up and ask you to authorize Loom. Pick the right workspace, and allow permission. Loom only needs access to post messages and show previews.
- You’re done—no need for admin approval unless your Slack workspace is locked down.
Pro tip: If you hit admin roadblocks, just share Loom links directly until IT gets around to approving the integration. It’s not worth a week of tickets.
Step 3: Share Loom videos in Slack (and make them actually useful)
With the integration, you’ve got a few ways to share videos:
a. Paste a Loom link anywhere in Slack
- Just drop the link in any channel, DM, or thread.
- Slack will show a nice thumbnail, title, and “Watch” button.
- People can watch the video right in Slack or pop it out.
What’s good: No extra steps, looks clean, people are more likely to click.
What’s annoying: If you’re sharing a ton of videos, channels can get cluttered. Threads can help.
b. Set up Loom to auto-share videos to a channel
If you record similar videos often (e.g., daily standups, onboarding explainers), you can set up Loom to automatically post new videos to a specific Slack channel.
- In Loom, after recording a video, click the Share button.
- Choose Share to Slack.
- Pick the channel or person.
- You can also set up Loom to prompt you to share to Slack after every recording.
Reality check: Don’t overdo it. Nobody wants a #general channel full of twenty videos a day. Use this for things people actually need to see.
c. Use Slack shortcuts (if you’re really into it)
Loom adds a little shortcut to Slack’s “Shortcuts” menu (the lightning bolt icon in the message bar). You can use this to quickly record a Loom and share it directly, but honestly, most people just use the Loom desktop app or Chrome extension.
My take: The shortcut is nice for power users, but you don’t need it. Don’t get hung up on fancy workflows.
Step 4: Make your videos worth watching
The tech is the easy part. The hard part? Getting people to actually watch your videos and not just ignore them.
A few practical tips:
- Keep videos short. Under 3 minutes is ideal. Nobody’s watching a 15-minute ramble in Slack.
- Add context. Don’t just drop a link—write a sentence or two about what the video’s for. “Quick walkthrough of the new dashboard design. Feedback welcome.”
- Use threads for feedback. Ask people to reply in a thread, so the channel doesn’t get clogged.
- Be mindful of privacy. If your Loom videos include sensitive info, double-check sharing permissions before posting.
What doesn’t work:
- Long-winded videos with no context
- Dumping every video in #general
- Expecting everyone to watch ASAP—Slack is async for a reason
Step 5: Automate (only if you really need to)
If you’re managing lots of videos, you might want to get a little fancier:
- Zapier: Set up a Zap so that every time you record a Loom in a certain folder, it posts to a specific Slack channel.
- Slack Workflow Builder: (If your workspace allows it) Trigger a Loom share as part of a larger workflow—like onboarding new hires.
But honestly, for most teams, just pasting links or sharing via the Loom integration covers 95% of real needs. Automate only if you’re drowning in manual steps.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Integration doesn’t work? Double-check permissions in both Slack and Loom. Sometimes, logging out and back in fixes it. If your workspace is locked down, you might need to bug IT.
- People ignore the videos? Ask for feedback in a thread. If nobody replies, your videos might be too long, too frequent, or not useful enough.
- Privacy gotchas: Loom videos are “Anyone with the link can view” by default, but you can restrict to team members only. Check before sharing sensitive stuff.
When should you not bother with this?
- Your team hates video.
- You rarely need to show your screen or explain things visually.
- You already have a workflow that works.
If that’s you, don’t force it. Sometimes text is faster.
Final thoughts: Keep it simple
Integrating Loom with Slack only really helps if it makes your life easier. Start with the basics: share a few videos, see how your team responds, and adjust. If it’s a hit, automate or expand as needed. If not, don’t be afraid to ditch what doesn’t work.
The goal isn’t to add another tool just for the sake of it—it’s to save time, cut down on meetings, and actually get your message across. Try it, tweak it, and move on.