WordPress is one of the most popular CMS platforms on the web and offers a variety of themes, builders, and plugins. As a flexible, open-source site builder, WP supports web developers of all experience levels, from novice to expert. This guide will help you embed Wistia videos on your WordPress site.
Get started with embedding on WordPress
Tip
Recommended embed settings for WordPress:
Inline (Standard) or Popover embed
Responsive Sizing
Embed into an HTML Block (block editor) or the Text tab (classic editor)
Note
Avoid using the fallback/iframe embed type on WordPress, as the WP editor tends to modify the iframe code and break expected functionality.
Embed in the block editor with an HTML block
Note
The Video and Embed blocks don't support Wistia URLs. Use the Custom HTML block with your full embed code instead.
Also known as Gutenberg, the block-based editor offers an HTML block that should support Wistia's Inline (Standard) or Popover embeds. Copy your embed code from Wistia and add an HTML block to your page:
In the WP editor, click the block inserter "+" button
Add the Custom HTML block to the page
Add your embed code to the block, then click on the "Preview" option to see your video
Embed in the classic editor's Text tab
If you prefer to keep things old school and use the WP Classic Editor, you can add an Inline (Standard) or Popover embed in the Text tab of the page.
Copy your video's embed code from its manage page in Wistia.
In the WP Classic Editor, select the Text tab.
Paste the embed code into the page.
Click "Preview" to see your video, or "Publish" to publish the page.
Embed with oEmbed links
If you’d prefer to embed a video URL instead of using HTML embed codes, oEmbed is another option. Just add Wistia to your oEmbed provider list, and you'll be good to go.
WordPress themes and plugins
One of WordPress's biggest selling points is its massive library of 3rd-party resources. While many themes and plugins have unique options for using video in new and creative ways, they don’t always include out-of-the-box support for Wistia embeds. We have tips and strategies for checking compatibility and testing our different embed styles.
Support for Wistia embeds depends on which hosts the developers chose to include–if there is a WordPress theme or plugin you really want to use with Wistia embeds, we recommend making a feature request to the devs who built it!
Read more about testing out embed codes here.
Page builders (Elementor, Divi, Avada)
Most page builders include their own video widget, but these usually support only a few hosts like YouTube and Vimeo. A Wistia URL may show up in the builder's preview and still not appear on your live page. Use the builder's code widget with your full embed code instead:
Elementor: HTML widget (not the Video, Shortcode, or Text Editor widget)
Divi: Code module
Avada: Code Block (not a Text Block)
Builder editor previews don't always show Wistia players, so check your published or live-preview page to confirm the video is working.
Caching and performance plugins
Plugins like WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, Perfmatters, Autoptimize, and W3 Total Cache can delay, combine, or lazy-load Wistia's scripts, which keeps the player from loading. For best results, exclude fast.wistia.com and fast.wistia.net from the following settings:
Delay JavaScript execution
Defer, combine, and minify JavaScript
Lazy loading for scripts and iframes
If you're excluding individual files, include both https://fast.wistia.com/player.js (or https://fast.wistia.com/assets/external/E-v1.js for legacy embeds) and your video's https://fast.wistia.com/embed/<media-id>.js script. After changing settings, clear your WordPress cache, any CDN cache (like Cloudflare), and your browser cache, then test in an incognito window.
Tip
For further guidance, refer to WP Rocket's documentation:
Troubleshooting
Video doesn't show on the live page
Check that you're using a Custom HTML block or code widget, not a video or embed block. Then view your published page's source and confirm the Wistia <script> tags are still there. Some security and optimization plugins strip them out.
Wistia URL shows as plain text, or embeds the whole Wistia page
The plugin or field only accepts oEmbed. Add Wistia to your oEmbed provider list, or switch to a Custom HTML block with the full embed code.
Player jumps or resizes when it starts
This is usually caused by lazy loading or theme CSS that overrides the player's size. Turn off lazy loading for Wistia and check your theme's styles for iframe or video.
Using the Wistia WordPress plugin or [wistia] shortcode: This older method isn't recommended. Paste your full embed code into a Custom HTML block instead.