When clients say the word “content,” nine times out of 10 they’re referring to written content: text-based articles, marketing blurbs, social media posts. Content is so much more than just words, especially when it comes to digital content. Take a moment to look back and think about how many videos you watched that told a compelling story without ever using any words. Or a time you listened to a podcast for several minutes and still wanted to hear more. It's hard to say, but one guess would be that if you read the transcript of the podcast, or the video description; you would not be that interested.

Written content still needs to exist, so it’s not about replacing it, rather it’s about figuring out which ideas and stories are best served by written content. Then figuring out which stories are best told through other channels. But How?

Creating great video content, or audio content is simple if you just stick to the principles of creating great written content.

Share Emotion

When you use great branding tools like video and audio in your content strategy, they can help create the sound and feel of your company in forms that can't exactly be shared by written content. Writing about a news story is one thing, but showing a video tells a completely different story one with full emotion and empathy. Using video to help convey the fun, or sadness of an event lock your audience into a more emotional viewership, one where they will likely share the video socially.

Showcase You

Content should showcase you, your brand, and client offerings in a way that makes sense for your audience. If video is the best way to tell a story, use video. If an article works, do that. But don’t create a video that says the exact same thing as its related article or vice versa. Your media type should have a purpose, and if it doesn’t, revisit your strategy. One major starting point is to always consider the client strategy, what are they trying to use this video for, and how will the content be received.

Plan Ahead

To create successful video content, you need successful writers. Videos still need to tell a story or convey an idea — with or without words. All television shows, movies and even some seemingly improvised video blogs start with scripts. Your videos should, too. Just like you wouldn’t publish an unedited article, you don’t want to upload a long, unedited video. No one wants to watch the back of a guy’s head with bad audio. It’s a bad viewing experience, which mean it’s also a bad user experience — streaming videos are limited by a user’s bandwidth. Longer videos mean longer streaming time, so plan ahead, and make ure to capture the video with a plan of action. Create shot lists, story boards, script out questions, and then simply follow through with the plan.

Remember, video and audio are still content. Start by understanding your audience. Think about who is viewing your content, when they’re viewing it and how. From there, it’s about forming the right strategy and creating a content mix that makes sense for you.