Choose the format by what the message needs to do. Use video to show motion or build emotion, an interactive page to let people explore their own situation, an article to be found and referenced, and a diagram to make one relationship clear at a glance. Many topics are best served by one primary format with a lighter second format alongside.
Start with the message, not the medium
Ask four questions before choosing:
- What must the reader understand or do afterwards? One sentence.
- Is the idea about a process over time, a structure, a calculation or an argument?
- Where will people meet it? Search results, social feed, email, a sales conversation.
- What can you maintain? Interactive pages and video need updating when facts change.
The four formats
Video
Best for processes with motion, product demonstrations and emotion. Weaknesses: slower to scan, harder to update, and it needs accessibility work. WCAG requires captions for prerecorded audio at Level A, and an audio description or text alternative for prerecorded video, unless the audio already carries all the important visual information. For discoverability, Google recommends a dedicated watch page for each video with a unique title and description, plus structured data and a stable thumbnail.
Interactive explainer
Best for calculators, configurators and “what applies to me” decisions. Strengths: engagement and personalisation. Weaknesses: highest build and testing effort, needs a text fallback, and can fail on slow connections. See interactive websites for when the extra effort pays back.
Article
Best for complex, searchable topics, comparison and reference. Strengths: cheap to update, easy to skim, easy to link and translate. Weaknesses: passive, and long text can lose people when a picture would do.
Diagram
Best for relationships, hierarchies, timelines and systems. Strengths: fast comprehension and easy to reuse. Weaknesses: poor at nuance, and it needs a text description for people who cannot see it.
Decision table
| If your message is mostly… | Lead with | Add |
|---|---|---|
| A process that unfolds over time | Video | Article for search, captions and transcript |
| A decision that depends on the reader’s inputs | Interactive | Plain article version |
| A topic people search for and compare | Article | Diagram of the key idea |
| A structure or relationship | Diagram | Short article or caption |
| Brand story and emotion | Video | Still frames and quotes for social |
Accessibility is part of the choice
Each format has a cost to make it usable for everyone. Video needs captions and a description or transcript; interactive pages need keyboard operation and clear labels; diagrams need descriptive text. Budget for this up front rather than treating it as a late fix. If it is skipped, you exclude some of your audience and weaken the explainer.
Cost and effort, honestly
Costs vary with scope and are specific to each project, so use relative judgement. A rough ordering of production effort is usually article, then diagram, then video, then interactive, but a simple animated video can cost less than a complex interactive tool. Do not choose video simply because it feels modern. Choose it because motion helps.
One idea, several formats
You rarely need to pick only one. Write the article as the source of truth, extract a diagram, and cut a short video from the same script, as described in content repurposing. AI tools can speed some video work, but they have limits discussed in AI video production for brands.
Quick checklist
- One sentence on what the reader should do afterwards
- Format matches the type of idea
- Accessibility plan written before production
- Text version exists for every non-text format
- Someone owns updates when facts change
Where Radiance Impact fits
Radiance Impact combines production and technology: the Studio makes video and animation, while the Technology division builds interactive pages. For how the disciplines work together, see about Radiance Impact, or contact the team to discuss your explainer.
