Thanks to some incredible digital solutions, you no longer need to settle for static, boring, and dull PDFs. You can use Adobe Acrobat to make an interactive PDF with plenty of engaging elements and take your documents to the next level. These interactive PDFs will be the key to capturing attention and boosting engagement with links, buttons, videos, and more. Whether you want to create educational materials, a marketing brochure, or a training manual, Adobe Acrobat can be your go-to solution for turning ordinary PDFs into interactive powerhouses.

Interactive PDF: What even is this?

Before we go over the step-by-step instructions to create interactive PDFs, let’s have a word about it. Interactive PDFs are dynamic files where readers can engage with different elements. These elements can be buttons, links, videos, fields, and checkboxes. You can organize your information better, deliver a flawless approach, and preset your content to captivate your audience.

Why should you create interactive PDFs?

Are you still of two minds about creating interactive PDFs? Such PDFs come with several benefits to create and deliver professional content in no time. You can organize your content better, create a logical structure, and keep your readers engaged within the document.

Whether you are conducting a business meeting, creating real estate marketing material, or working on a press release for an upcoming product launch, interactive PDFs can make a better impact and get the job done in no time.

While there are many capable PDF editors that can create such files, Adobe Acrobat stands out for obvious reasons. It comes with robust PDF editing tools, native desktop and mobile apps, and seamless integration with other Adobe apps.

How to make an interactive PDF with Adobe Acrobat

Before you start, make sure you have an active subscription for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Creative Cloud. Also, set your priorities before you start editing your PDF, as there are multiple elements in Adobe Acrobat to complete the job.

1. Launch an existing PDF in Adobe Acrobat. You can view all the tools on the sidebar. Move to the Edit tab.
2. Select More under the Add Content menu. You can now glance over all the elements available to use in a PDF. Let’s add a weblink here.
3. Select Link and click Add or edit a link.
4. Double-click on a space where you want to add a web address. It opens a dialog box.
5. You can select link type, line style, highlight style, color, line thickness, and link action. The default settings should be good enough for what you will generally need, but you can always make changes based on your preferences. It’s nice to see Adobe offering a bunch of customization options. Click Next.
6. You can use the scrollbars, mouse, and zoom tools to select the target view. Press Set Link to create a link destination.
7. Double-click on it and slide to the Actions menu.
8. Expand Select Action and click Open a web link. Select Add.
9. Enter the web address for the link and click OK.

From now on, whenever you double-click on the rectangle box, Adobe Acrobat will offer a pop-up to open the web address on your device.

Now, let’s add a button to a PDF file.

1. Open a PDF file in Adobe Acrobat and go to the Edit menu (refer to the steps above).
2. Select Button from the sidebar.
3. It displays a blue box. You can place it anywhere on a document.
4. Give it a relevant name and open All Properties.
5. You can change name, appearance (border color, fill color, text size, color, and font type), tweak its position, and add a specific action for when someone clicks or taps on the button.
6. Once you assign a specific action, click Save at the top and your button is ready to use.

In another example, let’s add a video to your PDF document. That way, your readers can view it by clicking right in the file.

1. Open a PDF document and go to the Edit menu (check the steps above).
2. Select Video and press anywhere on a document.
3. A dialog box opens up to insert a video via a link or from local storage. Select Choose.
4. Pick a video file from the Finder or File Explorer and insert it. You can right-click on it and open properties to tweak its launch settings and other controls.

We highly recommend digging into the element properties menu to make the required changes.

Aside from links, buttons, and videos, you can add the following interactive elements to your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.

• Checkboxes in forms and surveys
• Sound clips
• 3D media

Advantages of creating an interactive PDF

Here are some of the advantages of creating interactive PDFs over static ones.

• Increased engagement: When you add interactive elements like buttons, videos, hyperlinks, and checkboxes, it improves reader participation and keeps them hooked. For example, when you are creating marketing materials for a project, you can insert an introduction video right into the document and create a better flow for your potential customers or investors.
• Elevated learning: Interactive PDFs let you explore content in a non-linear way within marketing materials and educational resources, without needing to leave the document.
• Better information retention: Such PDFs help your reader better understand and recall useful information in a document.
• Improved data collection: Do you plan to integrate forms or surveys in your PDFs? You can add checkboxes and quickly collect valuable feedback from the audience.
• Effective communication: You can add interactive email addresses, phone numbers, and web addresses to deliver effective communication.
• Cost-effective: It streamlines your workflow and eliminates the need to distribute too many documents.
• Versatility: Interactive PDFs are useful in many industries and applications. The possibilities are endless here.

Make engaging PDFs

Creators and marketers often go with static PDFs since they are quicker to produce. Although it’s a slightly time-consuming process, making engaging PDFs will be worth the effort because they keep your readers engaged in consuming the information. That said, Adobe Acrobat is a paid app and requires an active subscription. Check out our separate guide if you want to get out of the Adobe ecosystem by using some of the top alternatives.