The human brain processes videos 60,000 times faster than plain text – various studies show this. YouTube is the most widely used video platform in Germany and is used in many ways both privately and in education. But why is learning with videos so popular? Find out now what makes learning with videos so efficient and how you can increase your course participants' learning success with online videos!
Do the following situations sound familiar to you too? You want to connect your washing machine yourself in your new apartment, during lockdown you wanted to try a new recipe or you were looking for a clear guide to the complicated Excel formula. What do all these situations have in common? Exactly! Most of the time you find answers in YouTube videos.
Of course, there are other video platforms besides YouTube. Nevertheless, YouTube is the largest and most widely used video portal in Germany. However, the following tips can be transferred to all other video platforms. Videos are omnipresent – the examples mentioned show this. Accordingly, it is not surprising that learning and explainer videos are so popular.
New learning habits emerge in various contexts, with online videos in particular taking center stage: a study by the Council for Cultural Education reinforces this observation. In 2019, it examined YouTube usage among 12- to 19-year-olds. In terms of education, online videos are primarily used to review and deepen classroom content.
Youth / YouTube / Cultural Education Study. Horizon 2019 // Source: Council for Cultural Education, illustration: blink.it
But what makes online videos so popular with learners? And how do you, as a trainer, increase the learning success of your course participants with online videos? You can find the answer to these questions in the following table:
Benefits of your explainer videos
| Benefits of your online videos | Tips for increasing learning success |
Microlearning creates short learning units by bundling knowledge content! The attention span of your course participants keeps decreasing due to fast internet use. Explainer videos briefly present your most important content. |
| |
Illustrated topics | Explainer videos help your participants learn content faster. The video provides them with an audiovisual explanation of the knowledge content.
Through the use of different learning channels, the learning process becomes easier and content can be retained better. | Processes can be represented with graphics. Through the auditory level, your participants can follow you better and understand content more quickly.
|
Focused content | To keep explainer videos interesting, you should not drag them out. Therefore, focus on the most important content.
| Your explainer video can be replayed as often as needed until the content has been learned and deepened. If needed, participants can take notes. |
Consideration of different learning types | Your course participants learn differently! Some people learn more with the left hemisphere of the brain (responsible for numbers, languages, structures), others with the right (images, imagination, feelings). Address both learning types! | Design your online courses in the media mix so that you engage both hemispheres and address the different learning types.
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Personal connection to course participants | Take advantage of the fact that you can motivate your participants personally. You do this best by designing your explainer videos to be exciting and motivating. Because your motivation in the explainer video is noticeable and ideally transfers to the course participants! | Show your face! This creates a personal connection with your course participants.
Also pay attention to good sound and lighting conditions so that your participants can focus on the content.
|
Design variety | You can create explainer videos for all content. You have full creative freedom! With varied videos, it is easy for your participants to follow you.
| Look for an example and use it as a guide when creating your video. In addition, you can think up a story and tell it in your online video. |
It becomes clear how diverse the benefits of explainer videos are. Videos not only get your knowledge content to the point, but also visualize it. In addition, you tailor your online courses to the different learning types by using audiovisual explanations and addressing different areas of the brain.
Would you like to learn more about the different learning types and find out which group you belong to? You can learn this and much more in the blog article “4 Learning Types: How Training Improves Through Colors [Interview]”
You can see: explainer videos not only help you with cooking or connecting a washing machine, but also offer enormous added value in the continuing education context! Because course participants can access the most important information at any time and are supported in learning by visualizations.
Of course, to increase the learning success of your course participants, you can also use the blink.it platform to embed explainer videos in your online courses. How this works and what options the blink.it platform offers you, you can learn in the following section:
Practical example: How to embed explainer videos in your online courses
The blink.it platform offers course creators the option of embedding videos in courses in addition to media formats such as text, image, and audio. You have two options:
1. Embed a video via YouTube
Tutorial: Embed video via YouTube on the blink.it platform // Source: blink.it
2. Upload a video directly to blink.it
Embedding online videos in a blink.it course is very easy. Your course participants thus have the opportunity to work through content in short units (blinks). Your participants benefit from their successful learning process, and you as the course creator benefit from the popular course!
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Why are explainer videos particularly effective in e-learning?
Explainer videos combine visual and auditory stimuli and thus make it easier to understand complex content. Learners can grasp information faster and repeat content as often as needed.
Why should explainer videos be as short as possible?
Short videos help maintain participants' attention and keep content clearly focused. Small, compact units of knowledge in the style of microlearning make information easier to process and remember.
How do explainer videos support different learning types?
Explainer videos address several perception channels simultaneously. Through the combination of image, language, movement, and structure, different learning habits and preferences benefit equally.
Why is the trainer's personal appearance in videos important?
When trainers appear visibly and authentically, a stronger emotional bond with participants is created. This increases motivation, attention, and the willingness to engage more deeply with the learning content.
Updated on 05/08/2026
