Branded file sharing links: four layers to set up
Branded file sharing links use four layers: logo, your own domain, readable link names and emails from your domain.
Branded file sharing links put your name on every step a client sees: the page they land on, the address in the browser, the link you paste into an email and the notification that tells them files are ready. Four layers do that work, and you can add them one at a time. This guide shows what each layer is, which to set up first and how to check the result before a client ever clicks.
Why a generic link weakens trust
A link from a general transfer service or a shared drive tells the client nothing about you. The address belongs to someone else, the page carries someone else's design and the email comes from a sender they may not recognise. For a client who just paid for a brand identity or a film edit, that is a thin way to receive the work.
It also looks like the messages people have learned to distrust. Unexpected emails with a link and a vague file name are exactly what phishing looks like, so a careful client may hesitate, ask you to resend it or never open it. A branded link answers the question \"is this really from you?\" before the client has to ask.
The four layers of branded file sharing links
Think of a branded link as four layers, from the page outward to the inbox:
Logo and colours on the page. Your logo, favicon and accent colour on the file transfer page.
Your own domain. The address reads files.yourstudio.com instead of someone else's website.
A readable, named link. The path says what the transfer is, such as /t/brand-assets, not a string of random characters.
Notification emails from your domain. The email that delivers the link comes from your address, not the tool's.
Each layer works on its own, but they reinforce each other. A logo on a page at a stranger's domain still looks borrowed, and a perfect domain with a default page feels unfinished.
What to brand first if time is short
Start with the page, then the domain. The page is what the client looks at, and a logo with your accent colour takes a few minutes. The domain takes a little longer because of DNS, but it changes the address people see, which is the part careful clients actually check.
Named links and branded emails come after that. They polish a result that already looks like yours.
In Tarkle, custom branding puts your logo, colours and favicon on your transfer pages, request pages and portal. Free includes custom branding, so you can set your logo and accent colour before you pay for anything. The favicon is a Pro feature: on Free, your pages show Tarkle's default favicon. On Free, the Powered by Tarkle line stays on your pages.
Use a square logo. The logo you upload appears on transfer pages, download links and outgoing emails, so a square mark with a plain background is the safest choice.
Choosing a domain or subdomain
Use a subdomain of a domain you already own, such as files.yourstudio.com, share.yourstudio.com or delivery.yourstudio.com. A subdomain keeps your main website untouched, and it is easy to remember and easy to say on a call. Pick a name that describes the job, not the tool, so it still makes sense if you change tools later.
With Tarkle, your own domain lets you open your links and client portal from your own domain. Free includes a custom domain, and each workspace connects one custom domain. In the domain settings, add your subdomain. Tarkle shows the DNS records to add at your domain host.
Set the domain up a day before the first delivery, not an hour before. DNS changes can take a while to reach everyone.
Naming links so they read well in an email
A client skims the link before clicking it. Compare files.yourstudio.com/t/x7Kq92 with files.yourstudio.com/t/acme-brand-assets. The second one tells them what they are about to open and who it is for.
A few habits that work:
Name the project and the deliverable, not the date or your own internal code.
Keep it short. Three or four words is enough.
Use lowercase words separated by hyphens.
Give each round its own name, such as acme-logo-v2, so a client never opens last week's files by mistake.
In Tarkle, named transfer links replace the random ID with a name of your own, such as files.yourstudio.com/t/brand-assets. Names use lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens, up to 64 characters, and words such as sign-in, settings, branding and billing are reserved. Creating a custom name is a Pro feature. The original link with the random ID redirects to the new name.
Say the link out loud before you send it. If you cannot read it to a client over the phone, it is too long.
Branded notification emails
The email is often the first thing a client sees, before the page. When it comes from a tool's own address, the sender and footer point to the tool, not to you.
Tarkle can send notification emails from your own domain. Notification emails come from your domain, not ours. Sending from your own domain is a Pro feature.
Checklist before you send a link to a client
Open the link in a private browser window, as the client would see it.
Check it on a phone, because many clients will open it there.
Confirm the logo loads and the colour matches your brand.
Check the address: your domain, with a readable name.
Read the email subject and sender. Does it look like you wrote it?
Check that the files are the right version and that the link works.
Decide who should be able to open it, and for how long (see below).
Send the link to yourself first. You will catch a wrong logo or a typo in the name in ten seconds.
When branding is not enough
A branded link helps the right person trust it. It does not decide who can open it. Anyone holding the link can still use it, so match the protection to the files.
Password: ask for a password before the page opens, and send the password by a different route than the link, such as a message or a call. Free includes password protection, so you can set one without paying.
Expiry: set a link expiration date so unfinished work does not stay open forever. A transfer or request link stops working after that date.
Email check: Email capture asks for an email address before a download starts.
Burn after read: a transfer set to burn after read stops working after its first download, so a second download is refused. This suits one-off handovers.
For contracts, unreleased campaigns or personal data, combine a password with an expiry date. For a public press kit, a branded link on its own is fine.
What to remember about Tarkle
Tarkle puts your logo, colours and favicon on your transfer pages, request pages and portal, and it lets you open links from your own domain. Free includes custom branding, a custom domain and password protection. Named transfer links and email from your own domain are Pro features, and so is the favicon. Start for free and set up the logo and the domain first.
