In distributed work environment, not every conversation needs to be a meeting. With teams spread across time zones, asynchronous communication has become essential. In fact, 78% of surveyed knowledge workers say it's challenging to get work done and attend all their meetings, an overload that async tools can help alleviate. Enter Loom, a video messaging tool for quickly recording and sharing video updates. Loom brings a personal, human touch to async communication, more engaging than a long email, yet far more convenient than scheduling another call. Atlassian has embraced Loom by integrating it into its collaboration suite, even introducing an AI-powered meeting assistant that automatically turns Loom meeting recordings into summarized Confluence pages. The benefits are clear: more personal than text, more flexible than live meetings, and easy to share across Atlassian tools. This blog will explore when to use Loom videos, how to embed them in Jira and Confluence, and tips to get the most value, helping your team cut down on meetings without losing context or connection.
Quick project updates or demos: Instead of a 30-minute status meeting, record a 3–5 minute Loom summarizing progress or demonstrating a new feature. A short Loom can often replace a long meeting, giving everyone time back. For example, engineers can show a feature in action or reproduce a bug on video for the team to review asynchronously.
Design and prototype reviews: Walk through design files with your voiceover. It’s often easier to explain design decisions verbally while pointing at the design than to write a lengthy comment. Teammates can watch on their own time and pause or re-watch as needed.
Training and onboarding: Create tutorial Looms for common questions or new employee onboarding. It’s more engaging to see and hear a process (like a how-to in Jira or Confluence) than to just read instructions, and the video can be reused for multiple people.
Giving detailed feedback: If something is easier said than written, record a Loom. For instance, a manager can review a document or a piece of work on-screen and give verbal feedback, using the mouse to point out specific areas. This can convey tone and nuance better than text.
When one person is “presenting”: Atlassian’s research found that meetings where one person talks the majority of the time, such as presentations, status updates, demos, or project kickoffs, are ideal to replace with Loom videos. In these scenarios, an async video delivers the same information without everyone having to coordinate calendars.
In Confluence Cloud, Loom is built right in, making it simple to add rich video content to your pages. You can even record a Loom video directly from a Confluence page while editing. For example, clicking the Loom icon (or typing /loom) in the editor lets you start recording without leaving Confluence. Record your screen and/or camera to explain a proposal, demonstrate a concept, or give context to a document. Once you finish, the video is automatically embedded on the Confluence page for viewers to play. This adds a personal walkthrough alongside the written content; readers can choose to either read the text or watch you explain it, depending on their preference.
If you’ve already recorded a Loom, you can easily embed it by pasting the Loom link on a Confluence page. Confluence will auto-render the video player inline, so viewers don’t have to leave the page. This works for blog posts, project plans, requirements documents, anywhere you want to include a visual explanation.
Pro tip: Whenever you embed a Loom video, include a short text summary or key points below it. This way, the content is searchable and accessible to teammates who may prefer reading or need captions. Transcripts can make the video’s information available to all, improving accessibility for those who can’t play audio and helping non-native speakers follow along. By pairing video with text, you get the best of both worlds: the rich context of spoken explanation plus the clarity and searchability of written documentation.
While Jira is more about tracking tasks, Loom can bring issues to life there as well. Atlassian has integrated Loom into Jira Cloud, allowing you to record and attach videos to issues for richer context. From a Jira issue view, you can click Add > Record a Loom video to capture a quick screencast or camera message on the spot. For example, a tester might record a Loom showing a bug occurring on their screen and attach it to the bug ticket, far clearer than a written description alone. Developers can record a short demo of a new feature and add it to the Jira story for the team and stakeholders to watch asynchronously.
Some tips for using Loom in Jira:
Enhance issue descriptions: Instead of writing a long description, drop in a Loom link that verbally walks through the issue or requirement. Jira will embed the video player so others can play it within the ticket.
Comment with Loom videos: You can record Looms as comments on issues as well, useful for explaining code reviews, complex feedback, or updates on a ticket. Jira’s Loom integration even lets you record a video comment by clicking the Loom icon in the comment field.
Customer support via JSM: If you use Jira Service Management, consider replying to tickets with Loom videos for a personal touch. While there isn’t a native Loom button in JSM yet, support agents can still record a quick how-to video using the Loom browser extension or app, and then share the link in the customer’s issue. A short video reply can delight customers and convey empathy, even asynchronously.
Personal touch with the camera bubble: When recording, consider showing your face in the corner of the screen. This “camera bubble” adds a human element: your teammates can see you, read your expressions and feel more connected, which boosts engagement. Atlassian encourages recording personalized overview videos to complement written updates; seeing a real face builds trust and clarity in a way text alone may not.
Use transcripts and captions: Loom automatically transcribes your spoken words into text. Make use of this! After recording, review the transcript for key points; you can even copy the entire transcript with one click and paste important excerpts into your Confluence page or Jira ticket. This ensures that anyone who can’t or doesn’t watch the video still gets the information. Plus, transcripts improve searchability and accessibility for colleagues with hearing difficulties.
Time-stamped comments and reactions: Encourage your team to interact with Loom videos using the commenting and emoji reaction features. Viewers can pause the video and leave a time-coded comment or question, which the creator can reply to asynchronously. They can also drop emoji reactions at specific moments. This creates a lightweight discussion around the video content. It’s a great way to handle questions or clarifications without scheduling a follow-up meeting. Teams can even record reply Looms to continue the conversation. By integrating these feedback loops, you keep everyone engaged without needing to be live at the same time.
Make use of AI features: If you’re on Loom’s advanced plans, explore the AI capabilities. For instance, Loom’s AI Meeting Assistant can join your online meetings, record them, and then auto-generate a summary with action items, even creating a Confluence meeting notes page from the recording. This means even if someone couldn’t attend a meeting, they can quickly catch up via the Loom summary page. Also, Loom’s AI can help trim silences or filler words from your videos or even create Jira tickets from video content. These features can save you editing time and seamlessly tie your videos into actionable work.
Do: Plan your talking points. Take a minute to outline what you’ll say before hitting record. A little planning helps keep your Loom concise and focused. You might even jot bullet points in a Confluence page first. This prevents rambling and ensures you cover the key points quickly.
Do: Keep it short and sweet. Aim for ~3–5 minutes if possible. If you find your recording is running longer than, say, 6–7 minutes, consider whether the content should be broken into two videos or supplemented with a document. Viewers are more likely to watch shorter videos to the end. A succinct Loom that respects people’s time will be appreciated.
Do: Speak clearly and with enthusiasm. Without the energy of a live meeting, your tone matters even more. Be conversational and upbeat, and enunciate your words. This keeps viewers engaged. Imagine you’re speaking to someone in person. Smile and use hand gestures if you’re on camera; it will come through in your voice and body language.
Do: Use visuals to your advantage. One big benefit of Loom is that you can show what you’re talking about. Share your screen, slides, or demo; show the chart or code as you explain it. Visual context helps people understand complex information faster. Instead of describing a UI bug in words, show it. Instead of writing a technical how-to, record yourself performing the steps on screen.
Don’t: Turn it into a monologue without context. Remember that viewers might not watch immediately or may skim. Provide a title or brief intro in the video. And as mentioned, include written context (summary or transcript) wherever you post the video. That way, nobody’s left in the dark if they don’t have headphones handy.
Don’t: Rely solely on video for key decisions. While video is great for explanations, ensure that any decisions, approvals, or critical data from the video are also captured in text. Video alone shouldn’t be the only record for something important; it’s harder to scan later compared to text. Think of Loom as a complement to, not a replacement for, permanent written records in Confluence or Jira.
Do: Share your Looms in the right channels. Since asynchronous videos don’t “pop up” like meetings, proactively share the link where your team communicates. For instance, after embedding a Loom in a Confluence page, drop a message in your team’s chat or Slack: “I’ve posted a 3-min Loom update on the project page, please check it out.” This ensures everyone knows the video exists and can watch it on their own schedule. Without a nudge, people might not realize there’s an update to view.
Do: Consider privacy and permissions. Treat Loom videos with the same security you would any document. By default, Loom videos shared within your company can usually be viewed by anyone in your Loom workspace. If your video contains sensitive information, adjust the privacy settings; Loom allows restricting access to specific people or making the link private. Also, if you embed a Loom on a Confluence page with limited access, ensure the Loom’s settings align so that you don’t accidentally expose content to a wider audience. Always double-check that the right eyes can see your video.
Introducing async video communication might be a shift for teams used to live meetings, so it helps to nurture a supportive culture around it. Start small and lead by example. Team leaders or project managers could initiate a practice like “Loom Fridays”, where the week’s updates or demos are shared via Loom instead of a live call. When leaders and managers regularly use Loom, it signals to everyone that this behavior is encouraged. Atlassian even had one of its co-founders kick off an async video challenge to inspire company-wide adoption, showing that buy-in from the top can help drive change.
Be patient with team members who are camera-shy or new to recording themselves. Emphasize that polish isn’t the goal; authenticity is. It’s perfectly fine if your video isn’t flawlessly edited or if you say “um” a few times. In fact, a conversational tone and the occasional stumble can make it feel more real, like you’re talking to a colleague, not delivering a formal broadcast. Encourage those hesitant to focus on the message they’re conveying, rather than their on-screen presence. Over time, as everyone gets more comfortable, recording a Loom will start to feel as normal as typing an email.
Also, invite interaction to make async videos a two-way street. For instance, after sharing a Loom update, you might ask the team to leave at least one comment or question on the video by a certain day. This creates engagement and ensures people actually watch the content. Celebrate time saved from not having meetings; perhaps calculate meeting hours reduced in a month due to Loom and recognize the team for that efficiency. As habits build, you’ll likely find your team feels more “in the loop” than ever, without being tied to constant meetings.
By integrating Loom with Atlassian’s toolkit, teams can transform how they communicate, reducing unnecessary meetings while keeping communication rich and human. A Confluence page filled with not just text and tables, but an embedded video of a teammate explaining the content, can be far more engaging and clear. A Jira ticket with a short Loom demo can convey the essence of a new feature or bug in seconds. This approach creates a working environment where everyone stays informed on their own schedule, and precious live meeting time is reserved only for truly interactive discussions or brainstorming.
Ultimately, async video has become “the glue” that helps information flow between distributed team members in a more personal way. Atlassian’s vision in acquiring Loom was to enable exactly this: to let customers seamlessly move between video, transcripts, documents, and action items in one unified workflow. The outcome is collaboration that is both efficient and empathetic, as Atlassian put it, helping teams collaborate in “richer, more human ways”.
So, why not give it a try? Challenge your team to swap one of your upcoming meetings or long status emails with a Loom video. Embed it in Confluence or link it in Jira, and see how people respond. You might discover that productivity improves and your team doesn’t miss the 30-minute meeting that never happened. With a bit of practice and the tips above, Loom can become a natural extension of how your team shares knowledge and updates.