Hey there, I'm Devin!
Most of the time you can catch me deep in the world of internal comms at Workshop (yes, the Happy Mondays folks!), and while I love AI, there are just some comms questions that need a human who really gets it… that’s me!
Hey Devin,
We’re debating whether to use video, images, or other formats to increase engagement — but I’m worried about adding production just for the sake of it. How do you know when richer media actually helps?
Short answer: YES to all of the above… when it makes sense!
Employees can spot an attention grab from a mile away, so any visual you add should align with the tone and context of the message. If it doesn’t help explain something, reinforce a point, or make the information easier to understand, it’s probably just noise and can be left out.
One of the simplest and most effective things you can do is use real photos of your employees whenever possible. And those photos don’t need to be professionally shot. Phone photos work just fine, and in many cases feel more authentic. Don’t let production quality get in the way of representation! At Workshop, we create a shared Google Drive after every all-company event so employees can drop in photos they took on their phones, which makes it easy to pull real, timely visuals into our comms whether email or a quick Slack message.
When that’s not an option, AI-generated visuals can be a great fallback, as long as they still feel thoughtful and relevant to the message you’re trying to share.
When it comes to video, I always encourage teams to think lightweight. Not everything needs a fully produced video with a script and edits. Video is most useful when tone, nuance, or context really matters, like leadership updates, change announcements, or moments where seeing and hearing someone adds clarity. From a practical standpoint, remember that videos don’t have to be embedded directly in emails. A simple graphic with a play button over a thumbnail image that links out to the video works just as well and keeps emails clean and scannable.
The biggest question I ask before adding any richer media is: does this make the message clearer, or just more complicated? If the answer is clarity, go for it. If the answer is “because it might get more clicks,” it’s probably worth reconsidering.
At the end of the day, richer media should reduce effort for employees, not increase it. When visuals help people understand faster, remember more, or feel more connected, they’re doing their job. When they add extra steps, extra production, or extra distraction, they’re usually not worth it.
