Blogs
Blogs are a conversational way to educate someone on a certain topic or trend. Unlike an in-depth report, a blog usually focuses on one theme or angle so that it’s easy for someone to land on, scroll through, and absorb the information quickly.
Start with a relatable hook
Even if the blog will dive later into the technicalities, start with something that’s recognizable to someone who's just dipping their toes into payments and financial technology. This way, you can help guide the reader into the topic so they understand how it fits into everyday life, and why it’s important to know more about it.
Keep paragraphs short
It can be automatic to keep scrolling on a webpage. Break up paragraphs into short chunks that can still be read while the reader keeps moving down the page. Even two long sentences can be enough for one paragraph in a blog format.
Break up text with images
Huge blocks of solid text can be difficult to read. Help the reader understand the information by giving them time to digest a certain point with an image that complements the copy. Or even better an image, like a diagram, that offers another way to explain a concept.
You don't need to explain everything
The great thing about blogs is you don’t need to provide every speck of detail or define every term. That’s what hyperlinks are for. Stick to your one angle or theme, and if the reader wants to dig deeper into another angle, customer example, or specific keyword, link to a relevant piece of content.
Voice overs
When choosing voiceovers, be it for internal videos or external, let’s consider two things: who the audience is and how we have previously tackled voiceovers for this audience.
Have they been predominantly male and American? And if so, why? Our preference is definitely North Atlantic when producing in english, but this doesn’t necessitate someone who is overly-enthused or too bubbly. Let’s choose a voice that is discernible, but will be taken seriously. Let’s mix genders - we don’t want Adyen to be perceived as singularly male or singularly female. In saying that, it’s important also to make sure that no gender is particularly associated with a trope ie. male for technical videos, female for retail focused content. Age is a consideration here also - we don’t want Adyen to be considered singularly old or young.
Given the volume of content, and how much of it is directed toward a specific audience, let’s be as targeted as possible. Voiceovers for internal, informative, cultural videos can be a little more lively than for instance, those about interchange fees or acquiring licenses.
If we’re creating a series - let’s think about consistency - should there be one voice for instance, associated with all videos to do with Adyen for Platforms? If so, let’s put a cap on it. There should be no more than five in a series with the same voice.
It’s also worth noting that videos that deal with intricate subject matters require an engaging, upbeat and enthusiastic voiceover in order to keep the listener engaged.
Let’s be smart about choosing the voices that represent the brand and recognize where something should be different, or when it should simply be more of the same.