Informational video definition
Broadly speaking, an informational video is a recording that conveys some knowledge and passes it to the viewer clearly and comprehensively. This terminology is not fixed in stone yet, so you may come across different definitions from various sources. We’ll stick to the most common and basic explanation to avoid misunderstanding and misleading.
Informational video is often mistaken for explainers. While these two notions are close, they are not the same. In a nutshell, every explainer is informational, but not every informational video is an explainer.
An explainer (or instructional video) focuses on a precise task, question, or idea, and explains it as briefly as it’s possible, without beating around the bush. An informational (or informative) video is more general, it includes finer details and deeper topic coverage. While an explainer just gives a short instruction, an informational video can also fill in on the related topic and provide a retrospective and background.
Benefits of informational videos
Informational videos are one of the best ways to transfer knowledge and inform your followers or customers about some product or feature.
You can find this type of content on:
- Educational platforms (MOOCs, etc.);
- Personal vlogs;
- Cooperative sites;
- Non-profit organizations’ sites;
- Governmental platforms;
- Any online resource.
No wonder they are everywhere, as informational videos increase viewers’ engagement and relieve helpdesk agents (if a company has such a feature) of a lion’s share of users’ requests, as the customers can find solutions by themselves.
An animated informational video with background music and (sometimes) interactive elements provides the user with the data they are looking for at any moment, be it a night or on Christmas Eve. They are efficient, comprehensive, and, which is no less important, cheaper than live support.
Types of informational videos
Informational video types can be defined according to the shooting technique or content. Both approaches are not exhaustive, so we will just give a rough overview with a couple of examples.
- Live-action videos with real actors;
- AI-generated videos;
- Animated videos;
- Tutorial or “how-to”;
- Explainers;
- Educational videos;
- And so on, and so forth.
Actually, you can find examples of informational videos almost everywhere. It’s easy to say, what is NOT an informational video. We wouldn’t include in this category the following recordings:
- Explicitly commercial and marketing ones;
- Entertainment videos, pranks;
- Unboxing;
- Interviews (but it depends, with whom. If it’s an interview with a scientist about their latest development/invention/discovery, it may well be informational);
- Sport events.
Summing up, if content is king, and the way of presenting it is much less important, this video enriches you with new useful knowledge — it’s an informational video. If the visual part is most crucial, there is no voice-over, or you can turn the sound off and still enjoy the shooting — the chances are, it is not informational.
How to make an informational video
Information video creation has the same general stages as any other video product.
- Preparation. At this step, you analyze your audience, define the topic, think of informational video ideas, collect the data, and write a script. All these actions may take up to several days or even weeks, but it’s essential to perform them thoroughly, as otherwise, the whole project will be just a waste of time and money.
- Shooting. Actually, it shouldn’t be literally shooting, you may well generate your project in AI tools, or draw and animate it, as mentioned above.
- Post-shooting editing. Now you have to process this raw material in a decent informational video maker, combine it with other visuals and elements, add audio and/or voice-over, change the color scheme, and edit in any other ways.
It may also be a good idea to promote your ready and posted video, but it heavily depends on your aim and the platform you use.
FAQs
What is the perfect duration for an informational video?
An informational video may be longer than a several-minute-long explainer, but still, its duration shouldn’t exceed 10 minutes. After that threshold, the viewer’s attention inevitably drops down.
Where can I find informational videos?
Almost everywhere. The most popular hub is, of course, YouTube, but you can find educational videos in personal vlogs, on companies’ portals, and social media platforms.
What is the difference between an informational video and a tutorial?
In a nutshell. An informational video provides viewers with information on a specific subject, while tutorials give step-by-step instructions on how to perform specific tasks.
Punchline
Informational videos are hard to define and explain. It’s a controversial topic with various interpretations. In a broad sense, every video which conveys and transfers information belongs to this type.
