If you’re a marketer feeling stumped about how or why to do an explainer video on a dry topic, you’re in good company. The truth is that many of us are reluctant to take on such a challenge, knowing content that’s not provocative or intriguing will be lost in cyberspace. But we need to look at boring subject matter with new eyes and realize that it can be fabulous and engaging, you just need a few tricks up your sleeve. Here are the reasons to take on content in an explainer video format that would otherwise be snooze-inspiring.

• It brings a human side to your content, no matter how mundane. Video gives your readers an inside look at the subject matter by creating a personal connection, which in turn can spark interest. Words don’t do a great job of getting people to care about public transportation, but video footage of average people getting on and off the subway does. You won’t bring your audience to tears or have them rolling in the aisles in a blog post about doing laundry, but an explainer video on how to get out certain stains will have more appeal.
• Explainer videos bring life to even the most boring concepts. It’s tough to attract interest in certain topics unless you add a visual element, especially one that’s animated or live action. Video is all about using images to convey meaning, as opposed to words alone. One trick that will tell you whether your explainer video effectively brings your tedious topic to life is to play it without sound. If you can glean the meaning without the audio, you’re successfully delivering the right message.
• Useful is always interesting. There is always someone out there who could use a tip on how to do something faster, less expensively or more efficiently. Useful translates to valuable to certain members of your target audience, and you can get them to tune into even the most mundane topics. In any event, if you’re covering subject matter that shows your prospects how to make their lives easier, it no longer qualifies as boring.

A topic may be tedious when written, but amazing on video

Think of the school subjects you considered the most boring. History, literature, science and others certainly come to mind, and you likely dreaded reading chapters as homework. But you probably perked up when you got to see a video on the Revolutionary War, a re-enactment of Macbeth or an animated program on cellular fission. There’s no doubt you probably learned a lot more, too. There’s just something about the movement of the images that can generate interest and maintain your attention over time, no matter what the topic may be. Explainer videos for marketing are no different.

You don’t always get to choose the topic you’re tasked with presenting in explainer video format, and there’s a good chance you’ll be given something boring or mundane at some point as a marketer. Instead of dreading the process, you need to realize that even dry material can be given vibrant life as an explainer video. Whatever the subject matter, there’s a story to be told. It’s up to you to find it and flaunt it.