Whether you’re making your own or trying to find a good evergreen video for to communicate your message, here are 6 characteristics to look for:

Scalable. An evergreen video can be made by one person, a YouTuber, a teacher, an author, and be used by thousands of learner each day.

Short. Relative to the concept that’s being taught, an evergreen video focuses in on a narrow scope of content (see this example of Bill Nye).

Fast-Paced. If you must talk faster, good. If you must edit out each second of pause, good. The best evergreen videos are fast-paced.

Engaging. Partly due to their fast-pace and their brevity, these videos have high engagement rates.

Pattern Interrupts. Throughout the video, the flow is interrupted with a graphic, an animation, a funny face, or simply a camera zoom. These pattern interruptions create a “fun” feel and add to the engagement of the video.

Energetic. The energy in the presenter’s voice communicates that this is a video worth watching.