The Power of Video

Jennifer Regala

doi:10.36591/SE-4804-08

I can’t stop thinking about a recent LinkedIn post¹ that I shared on Thursday, October 9, 2025. Daniella Thoren, my Wolters Kluwer Health colleague and beloved friend, and I presented together at the GW Ethics Publishing Conference, hosted by John Warren, Puja Telikicherla, and their amazing team. Our talk, “Equity at the Editorial Table: Rethinking Board Policies for Inclusive, Ethical Publishing,” went really well, and we loved meeting our copanelists. We were also so excited to see each other and our community. At the lunch break, Daniella and I had an idea to bottle up the fun vibes of the day by filming a current TikTok trend that we could repurpose for LinkedIn. We lip synched the 1980 hit by Stephanie Mills:

“I never knew love like this before
Now I’m lonely never more
Since you came into my life”

Daniella had 2 pairs of sunglasses in her bag, so we put those on; she used her hairbrush to be the lead singer, while I danced around in the background with my hot pink conference blanket. Daniella is an amazing partner in our day-to-day work life, but I don’t get to see her often enough because we work remotely. After filming in 1 take, we captioned the video: “What happens when two remote work besties see each other in person for the first time in forever.” I posted it on LinkedIn and forgot about it until the next day, when I saw that tremendous numbers of people were engaging with it. As of this writing, our post has 495,008 impressions. Almost half a million people and counting have seen our whimsical reunion video.

This video is goofy, and I hope that it served its intended purpose: to make people smile. But think about the reach of that impact if you are trying to promote your publication, an important project, or a cause close to your heart personally. According to Wikipedia,² the city of Raleigh has 499,825 residents. We have never had the opportunity before to reach such a large audience with such basic tools. All Daniella and I needed? An iPhone and a LinkedIn account.

In my work as a scholarly publishing professional, I know, both by measuring with my heart and using real data analytics, that posts on any social media platform perform better if they include video. And no, you don’t need to do a goofy TikTok trend like we did.

Intended Audiences and Associated Logistics

Who are you trying to reach? This question is important. Are you trying to make your own personal, professional brand more visible? What do you want to say? And where do you want to post? Your approach to posting to your individual social media will be different than posting for work.
If you’re trying to communicate through video for work, you’ll need to put some thought into how to make those posts happen. Who are the internal individuals who must approve such a post? Which platform will be most effective? If your idea is okayed, then who is the best person to convey your message?
In the case of either the first or second bullet, think about your tone. Is your message serious? Reflective? Fun? What is the call to action for your audience? Plan your video accordingly.
If you need tips on how to proceed, reach out to people who use video well. Send them a DM on social media or email them. People are almost always glad to share their best practices!

How to Film a Good Video and Where to Post It

All you need is a smart phone and a willingness to try. Film vertically and try to keep your content short and succinct. People stop paying attention after ~1 minute.
While you’re starting out, keep video clips short so you don’t need to edit them. And again, long-form video is a lot harder to do well. Stick with short, sweet, and to the point.
Don’t overthink it! If you have a good idea, go for it. If you see a fun trend like Daniella and I did, try it! We took that video in 1 take and did not edit it. The worst case scenario is you don’t post the video. You have nothing to lose!
You can post video on any social media platform, including Bluesky, X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. If you film something you really like, use it across multiple platforms!

Why Does Video Matter?

Video content lets people get to know the real you. You get to practice your public speaking skills and share what’s important to you from the comfort of your home or office!
If you’re camera shy, that’s okay. Get other people to do the dirty work for you. Do you have editorial office colleagues, editors, prolific authors, and reviewers who are “doc stars”? Ask them to film content showcasing the important work you’re doing.
When you film a good video, it’s useful on multiple platforms. Bonus points if you film content that doesn’t expire. Film evergreen content that you can recycle for months to come.
There is nothing more authentic than video. Influencers from all realms have grown famous by sharing their true, authentic selves.

What Are Ideas You Can Use for Video Content?

Day in the life: Video snippets of yourself throughout your daily scholarly publishing life. And yes, show it all! Coffee breaks, power walks, Zoom calls (with consent of course), thoughts and insights into what you’re up to. We want to see it all, and we promise we will watch.
Live conference check-ins: Not everyone can make every meeting, and we get FOMO (fear of missing out). Show us who you’re with, take a video of the buffet, interview some consenting colleagues. Make us feel like we’re there with you!
Introduce yourself or something that is important to you: I love nothing more than “meeting” new people through video. Are you running for office on a scholarly publishing board? Do you want someone to join you for a webinar or in-person video? Tell us all about it!
Peer review recognition, promotion of articles or special issues, open call for Editorial Board members: Use those “doc stars” to tell your story!

Who Does Video Content Well?

Here are some leaders in sharing career content through videos. Check these folks out on LinkedIn:

Patrick Shafe³: Commercial Director, Deanta Global Trends in Academic Publishing Podcast. Patrick shares teasers for his new podcast that showcase guest stars appearing on upcoming episodes. You can’t resist listening to a podcast after coming across one of these videos.
Kent DeLay⁴: General Urologist, Fort Mill, SC. Dr DeLay, also a prolific TikTok doc star, shares general urology tips, what it’s like to practice as a physician in America today, and much more.
ASA Monitor⁵: Check out the official newsmagazine of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, where Madeleine Sendek, Senior Multimedia Publications Specialist, does a tremendous job of curating video snippets from doc stars to increase the reach and accessibility of the publication.
Oncology Times⁶ used a LinkedIn video to tease for an upcoming podcast episode.

As always, I’d love to hear from all of you. Where do you consume your favorite video content? Who are great people to follow? What’s the best video content you’ve posted? What are your favorite social media trends? You can find me on X/Bluesky (@JenniferARegala), Instagram/Threads (@mommyjennyblog), email (Jennifer.Regala@WoltersKluwer.com), or LinkedIn.

References and Links

Jennifer Regala is Associate Director, Publications, at Wolters Kluwer Health.

Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of their employers, the Council of Science Editors, or the Editorial Board of Science Editor.