10 Internal Comms Video Formats That Actually Get Watched (And How to Make Them)

Let’s be honest… Whilst we want to applaud any and all attempts at introducing or embedding video into internal comms, too many tend to fall into one of two categories:

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1. The Corporate Hostage Statement
“Hello… I’m… very excited… to tell you… colleagues… about Q3…” (blink twice if you need rescuing)

2. The Chaos Collage
A 9-minute epic featuring excruciatingly bad stock music, too many wackytransitions and a rogue cameo from Karen’s elbow.

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But great internal videos?
They inform, unite, energise, and -dare we say it- get watched. To the end, and everything!

And the best bit? You don’t need a Hollywood budget to make them.
Just the right formats, clever comms brains (that’s you), and maybe a little help from your friendly neighbourhood video team (hi there!).

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Let’s get into the 10 formats that work and how to nail them.

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1. The “60-Second Leader Update”

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Forget 10-minute monologues filmed in a beige office. Or in front of that wall of Employee of the Month mugshots in snap frames from 2012.
Leaders are more watchable when they’re:

• Short (the video length, not the human height)
• Human
• Not reading off a Word doc

Pro tip: Film them walking, talking, or standing somewhere relevant, such as the warehouse floor, the call centre, the new office.
And if it really can’t all be said properly in 60 seconds, when it comes to length, we recommend thinking of your video as a good pop song. Stick to under three and a half minutes wherever possible. (That experimental extended ambient epic goa trance record might have a niche audience out there, but it ain’t gonna cut it on radio to the masses!)

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2. The “What You Missed This Week” Recap

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A speedy, punchy, TikTok-paced round-up.
Perfect for noisy, hybrid workplaces where no one sees everything.

This is gold because:

• People love bite-size
• It makes the business feel alive, fresh, vibrant
• You can slip in important messages without scaring them

Bonus: Add captions! According to some research, up to 80% of video content is watched without sound.

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3. The Culture Reel

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Show the humans behind the emails: birthdays, charity days, office pets, chaos in the kitchen at 3pm.

This format builds connection faster than any “values poster”.

Try this: Create a monthly montage. Keep it playful. Include outtakes. Sprinkle with memes. Everyone loves a good meme.

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4. The “Behind the Scenes” Sneaky Peek

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Humans are nosey.
Employees LOVE seeing what goes on in parts of the business they never interact with.

Example ideas:

• “A day in the life of a call centre agent”
• “How we prep your orders in the warehouse”
• “What the IT team actually do all day”
• “Why Finance aren’t just busy at month-end”
• “What fires the imaginations in Marketing”

This reduces silos and increases empathy. (Also future recruitment gold.)

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5. The Employee Spotlight

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Short interviews or mini-profiles that make people feel seen.

Co-workers get to meet… well, actual co-workers.
And spotlight videos quietly boost belonging. And that’s a key driver of retention.

Keep them to 90 seconds.
Ask something fun: “Tell us about the worst job you ever had” always delivers.

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6. The Animation Explainer

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Perfect for:

• Strategy updates
• Product launches
• Changes that need explaining
• Anything involving acronyms

Education experts say video improves understanding by up to 95% compared to text.

And animation avoids the dreaded: "Here’s Keith reading slide 12… again."

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7. The Change Announcement (But Make It Friendly)

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Change is scary.
A human-faced video makes it warmer, clearer and less cortisol-inducing.

Use this format when rolling out:

• New systems
• New structures
• New ways of working
• New… anything that will make people groan

Keep it empathetic. Keep it clear. Keep it honest.

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8. The “How-To” Micro Video

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Show me, don’t tell me.
Perfect for internal tools, platforms, processes or “how to request literally anything”.

These are evergreen.
People return to them again and again. You’re not just creating content, you’re reducing future headaches.

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9. The Event Hype Video

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You know what gets people to show up to town halls?
A hype montage with music and bold captions.

Use quick cuts.
Include real people, not stock photos of “diverse business handshake team”.

It creates FOMO and that’s potent.

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10. The Thank-You Video

Underrated. Underused.
Powerful.
Zero cringe (if done right).

A heartfelt 45–90 second message from leaders or teams increases trust and boosts morale more than a long, formal email ever could.

And research by Workhuman shows employees who feel appreciated are 2.7x more likely to be engaged.

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Honourable Mentions

Because a top ten works well in a blog but I have a few other suggestions, here are a few honourable mentions…

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The “You said, we did…” – These are brilliant for building trust and showing your people that their voices are listened to. Especially powerful just before employee survey time!

The Myth-Buster - Perfect for killing rumours, clarifying confusion, or stopping Barry in Finance from spreading his “alternative facts” around the office. People will always fill gaps in information. It’s better you do it than an unofficial but well-loved WhatsApp group.

MVP of the Month – spotlight employees who embody company values. Or just did something bloody brilliant. Because recognition is rocket fuel for engagement. And who doesn’t want to boost morale.

“Behind the Data” explainer - Before sharing KPIs, scorecards or engagement survey results, explain the why behind the numbers.
What did they mean? What’s the real story? Turn cold metrics into human meaning, and stops people misinterpreting charts.

“What We’re Working On” Roadmap – a simple, top level update from leadership, because people love to know what’s cooking. It can really help with change management and trust.

The Friday Roundup – a weekly digest of the week’s most important news. Keep it super-punch and fun, give structure to the week, and avoid channel overload.

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So… Why Do These Formats Actually Work?

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Because they’re:

• Short
• Human
• Authentic
• Easy to digest
• Designed for hybrid + deskless workforces
• Way more interesting than any email

Your employees want to see real faces, real stories, and real energy, not pixelated slides with too many bullet points. If videos aren’t a significant part of your internal comms strategy, we think they should be!

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Want videos that actually get watched?

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You don’t need fancy equipment.
You don’t need an in-house editing wizard.
You just need formats that connect, and a team that knows how to bring them to life (hi again).

If you want help scripting, filming, editing or shaping a full internal video strategy, we’d love to bring your ideas to life.

Let’s make something your people will actually watch. And maybe even enjoy.

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