To GIF or not to GIF? 🤔

Question

Have you used GIFs on your "ship" upcoming pages or PH posts? Do you like seeing GIFs on other product pages? In your opinion, do GIFs convey the message better than the product screenshots and/or video?

Are there any cool tools or tips you can share about creating GIFs to promote your products? ✌️

Clément Jacquelin · Accepted Answer

Gif for sure.
The catch my attention everytime, much more than just images !
I mean, high quality Gif, not the pixelated one.

Maxwell Davis · Answer

The nice thing about GIFs is that they're so easier to consume than a video and better at grabbing attention when compared to a static image.

Sofya Narbut · Answer

I think they should be used in moderation. Sometimes too much movement can be overwhelming.

Abderisak · Answer

@jacquelinclem Exactly, it has to be a big high quality gif for it to work. And it can't be too lengthy, otherwise I would opt for video.

Lior Galante Cohen (Vaza) · Answer

@jacquelinclem Thanks for the input! I, too, believe they can be great attention-grabbers :)

Amit Naime · Answer

GIFs are the best!

Senin · Answer

always gif. never not gif

Daniil Glezer · Answer

are you really asking it?

Deepa from PLG Works · Answer

Gifs are great. They are better and less intense than videos, but sometimes too many moving gifs can be disturbing.

Solomon Bush · Answer

I definitely like GIFs on landing pages & product pages. I think there is a time and place for videos, but if you want to capture a short workflow, task, or feature - GIFs are the way to go.

However, if you're launching a product, I would definitely do a short video too. You want to target as many users as possible :)

Derek Duban · Answer

Great question. I'm working towards a launch on PH regarding webpage animations. I'm very curious to see some websites with GIFs on them in the ways people are talking about here.

Can someone please post some example URLs?

Lior Galante Cohen (Vaza) · Answer

@avidnote Thank you!

Lior Galante Cohen (Vaza) · Answer

@maxwellcdavis That's true. Would you include all three, then? As in, a GIF, a video, and static images? Or would you give up one of the three?

Lior Galante Cohen (Vaza) · Answer

@sclerek Good luck with your upcoming launch, Derek! Would love to support you when your product is live. Please feel free to contact me once it out there on Product Hunt :)

Gabriele Sangrigoli · Answer

I would personally prefer short videos like 10 seconds max than gifs. Gifs seem unprofessional. I guess the answer would be: depends on the type of gif. Someone posts gifs that is basically just their logo in motion.  Even worst a 3 sec gif that shows a really cool features that actually suck once you dowload the app, i.e aspectation must match really.

Gifs must represent the product fairly. That's something tricky to do when you don't have an audio component. Short well-made videos could explain the product way better and catch my attention and interess.

Cons of video: you have to click on them. It means that less people are going to see your video.

Ok, solution? Both. 
Post a catchy Gif that doesn't show anything about the product but catches people attention + Short well-made video of 10 sec + long explicative video for all the futures.

In this way, if a person is interest in becaming a client you'll guide him to the discover of your product. If you think about it you want to have a cone structure to channel your costumers.

To GIF or not to GIF? 🤔

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