Blogging vs. Video: When Does Each Format Work Best?

74% of marketers say videos are better than blog posts for generating leads. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s time for your brand to go all-in on video.

It’s time to create a new piece of content. Should you write a blog post, or should you produce a video?

If you’re trying to generate leads, a video may be your best choice. In our most recent survey, 74% of respondents said that videos are more effective than blog posts for generating leads.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should abandon all of your blogging efforts and go all-in on video content. Remember the big “pivot to video” among national publishers a few years ago? If not, here are a few articles to bring you up to speed. Spoiler alert: it didn’t end well.

The reality is that videos may be better at generating leads in certain situations. But in other situations, blog posts are better at generating leads. And the same is true for engagement, social shares, SEO, lead nurturing, and every other goal you have for your content.

The best format for your next piece of content depends on a lot of different variables.

And while there’s no simple answer to the overarching question of blog post versus video, there are ways to make the right decision before producing any new piece of content.

Our respondents offered lots of suggestions to help you make the right choice.

… and Your Skill Set

“It’s not just about which format is best,” says University of Wollongong’s Michal Strahilevitz. “It’s about which format makes the most sense for your message, your audience, and your skill set.”

“If you’re charismatic and engaging on video, do what you are good at, especially if you can use it to convey what you most want to convey to your target audience. On the other hand, if you’re not comfortable with or good at speaking in front of a camera—but you’re a good writer—write!”

“The format you choose should be based on how you’re going to make the best and most persuasive impression,” Strahilevitz says.

… and How Much Time/Budget You Have

When choosing between video and text content, Lauren Crain of STDcheck.com says, “it’s important to consider the timeframe for the content. If we have a tight turnaround, we simply don’t have the time to create an entire video, so we’ll just crank out a blog post. Video content is always more ideal, but it’s not always the most practical.”

When asked how long they typically spend creating a blog post, most of our respondents said between two and three hours:

Producing a video, on the other hand, takes considerably longer. Most respondents said it takes 8+ hours to produce video content:

… and Your Goals

“The best way to decide between posting an article or video is to know the end goal of your content,” says Blogging.org’s Zac Johnson.

“For example, if you want SEO improvement and to rank in Google, you should go for an article. However, if you want engagement and paid reach, video is great for YouTube and social media.”