Why ditching the PDF could be the best thing your comms team ever does
The dreaded PDF.
A multi-page document posted on the company intranet. No summary. No design flair. And zero chance everyone will actually read the thing — especially if you have any number of frontline employees.
Dense blocks of text feel uninspiring and overwhelming in a world where real-time news, multimedia content, and bite-sized morsels of information are now the norm.
So why are so many internal communication messages still stuck in 2005?
“Please see the attached document” may have worked once upon a time. But for today’s workforce — used to scrolling and skimming — this kind of internal communication simply doesn’t cut it.
Let’s take a look at why static comms still linger — and how to move beyond them to deliver social-style communications your workforce will love.
{{mobile-main="/image"}}
The PDF problem — and why it persists
Overreliance on PDFs is a tell-tale sign that your internal comms strategy needs a makeover. While the PDF was once the preferred format for read-only updates, in 2025, it’s something of a relic.
Here’s why:
- It’s slow, clunky, and hard to read (especially on mobile). Ever tried to read a PDF on a smartphone screen? It’s a miserable experience. Pinching. Zooming. Scrolling from side to side. Endless downloads clogging up your device storage. Even on desktop, downloading a PDF is a process. And reading lots of long-winded text requires a lot of time and concentration — neither of which is easy to come by in the middle of a busy work day.
- It doesn’t engage employees. People don’t tend to consume information in document form these days. They prefer feeds, stories, swipes, and reactions. They don’t read studiously through a text. They expect key messages to jump out at them. And PDFs definitely don’t meet the 8-second comms rule — they consistently fail to grab and hold employee attention.
- There’s no way to measure impact. PDFs are a one-way street. You send it out and hope it lands — but you never really know. Sure, you can track email metrics like open rates. But you can’t be sure that employees are actually reading the attached doc from beginning to end. It's hard to get a good sense of employee feedback. So you have lots of unanswered questions. Who read it? Did you grab their attention? Did they understand the information shared?
The charge sheet is pretty conclusive. PDFs aren’t fit for a modern communication strategy. And they’re especially frustrating for frontline workers. So why are some companies still using them?
It often comes down to habit — and a feeling that PDFs are an “official” form of communication. Some organizations have always done comms this way and no one has challenged the process yet.
Workplace tech is sometimes also to blame. Many legacy tools still default to static formats. So it’s easier to create a PDF than to explore modern internal communication channels.
{{mobile-onboarding="/image"}}
What “modern comms” actually looks like
Modern comms are dynamic, snackable, and social. They split an extended message (that would once have been presented as a PDF) into smaller, bite-sized morsels that are easy — and even fun! —to digest.
If you’re itching to ditch the document in favor of something that meets your audiences where they are, you’ll need help from all the following:
- News-feed-style content. Just like LinkedIn or Instagram, your company updates should flow like a content feed. Think attention-grabbing headlines, snappy captions, and plenty of images.
- Short-form video. The most popular form of content in recent years, short-form video deserves a place within your internal communication strategy. A quick 60-second vertical video from your CEO will make a much bigger impact than a 4-page memo.
- Real-time updates, not quarterly announcements. Because you share rolling company news with your workforce, there’s no need for lengthy quarterly updates. You can make your messages short and snappy, so it’s easy for employees to engage with them during a busy work day.
- Comments, likes, and quick polls to boost interaction. Top-down business communication is out. Two-way communication is in. Modern comms gives employees the chance to like, share, and comment on content — and even respond to polls — so they’re always part of the company conversation.
{{mobile-stories="/image"}}
Benefits of a modern internal comms strategy
Creating Insta-worthy internal comms isn’t about replacing PDFs with pretty pictures or chasing the latest comms trends. It’s about improving internal communication, meeting employees where they are, and delivering real business value.
Here’s what a modern internal communications strategy can do for your business.
Better reach, better recall
When messages are delivered in an engaging and accessible format, employees remember them. They’re also more likely to be hanging out on your internal comms channels in the first place, so reach improves too.
Faster adoption of updates
Need to roll out a new process? Launch a policy update? Shift a deadline?
Because modern comms are more likely to land, employees see and understand what’s happening within the workplace. Everyone pulls in the same direction, and behavior change and adoption of new policies get easier.
More authentic connection to your workforce
Today’s workforce craves transparency and authenticity. They want to hear from leaders who sound like real people. And they want to see what their peers are up to, too.
Modern comms make that happen. It gives leaders a way to show up in a relatable way — via short-form videos, comments, and emojis. It gives employees space to voice their own perspectives and connect with one another.
A stronger sense of culture
With video, images, graphics, and interactive internal content, it’s easy to showcase company culture — and help employees feel part of it too.
Recognizing wins. Sparking conversation. Sharing behind-the-scenes moments. Modern comms is great at all of the above. So you make employees feel seen, celebrated, and part of something bigger. You create a shared sense of community — something a PDF could never do.
Measurable results
Unlike a PDF delivered via email, it’s easy to track the impact of modern comms delivered over a modern comms platform.
You can view analytics that tell you how many people are logging in, liking, clicking, and responding. You get the insight you need to hone your internal communication plan and double down on the content your workforce likes best.
{{mobile-voice-video="/image"}}
Practical shifts you can make now
The best internal communication tools give you everything you need to deliver a modern comms strategy. But if you’re not ready for a total platform overhaul, there are still things you can do to modernize your employee communications.
Start small and build momentum with the following ideas.
Turn long-form PDFs into bite-sized posts
Break that 6-page deck into a series of short news feed posts. Lead with a headline. Include a key takeaway. Add a graphic or visual. End with a call to action. Use bullet points, simple language, and short paragraphs that make it easy for employees to digest content on the go.
Introduce Stories and visual formats for leadership comms
Video is even easier to consume than short-form text — and it’s great for employee engagement too. A quick Story from your CEO or a candid photo from a site visit helps to humanize your leadership and build trust with employees.
Encourage employee-generated content
Employees are often experts in social media-style comms. And with the right guardrails in place, an internal creator culture can work wonders for your modern comms strategy. Give people a way to share their wins, co-worker shoutouts, and day-in-the-life content — and your feed will be filled with authentic, culture-building content, sure to engage your workforce.
{{less-is-more="/callouts"}}
Ready to put your PDFs out to pasture?
PDFs had their moment. They were useful when all we knew were static, desktop-based systems. But — in 2025 — they’re no longer an effective way to share information with your workforce.
Your people are busy. They’re mobile. They’re social media savvy. Frontline employees, in particular, need mobile-first comms that fit seamlessly into a jam-packed work day. If you want their attention and their trust, you have to meet all employees where they are, with content that actually connects.
That means rethinking formats, making your messages more fun and engaging — and producing content that feels less like a boring homework assignment. So bring in visuals. Spark a dialogue. And make life easy for employees with short, snappy snippets of content.
So next time you’re about to hit “Save as PDF,” pause. Could it be a feed post? A 30-second video? A quick poll? If the answer’s yes — skip the static doc and go modern. Your employees (and their attention spans) will thank you. Blink makes it easy.
Blink. And give your people the modern comms employee experience they deserve.
