What video formats actually matter in insurance marketing?

Insurance marketing video has converged on a handful of formats that consistently drive measurable outcomes. Most of the rest, the broadcast TVCs, the brand films, the high-production hero pieces, are still produced but rarely move the metrics that insurance marketers are measured on. They look good in award submissions. They do not generate qualified pipeline or improve broker enablement.

Below are the five formats producing the most value across specialty insurance, commercial insurance, and life and health insurers in 2026. Three of them are animation-led. Two are live action.

Format 1: Animated product explainers

The single highest-leverage video format in insurance marketing. A 60 to 90 second animated explainer for each product or program, designed to be embedded on the product page, sent in broker enablement kits, and used in customer onboarding.

Why animation: insurance products are abstract. Coverage scope, exclusions, claim thresholds, eligibility, deductibles. There is no physical thing to film. Motion graphics visualize all of it cleanly.

Production cadence: one per product, refreshed annually. For a mid-sized specialty insurer with 8 to 15 product lines, that is 8 to 15 animations in the library at any time. For more on the format, see our guide to explainer videos: when to use them and how to produce them.

Format 2: Claims process walkthroughs

The most undervalued format in insurance marketing. A 90-second video showing what a customer experiences when they file a claim. Used in onboarding, in marketing materials, and on the help center.

This works as either animation or live action. Animation if the focus is the process flow. Live action if the focus is the human experience of being supported through a claim.

The reason this format matters: claims experience is one of the single biggest drivers of insurance customer retention. Customers who have a clear mental model of what a claim looks like before they need to file one have measurably higher confidence in their insurer. A claims walkthrough video is a retention tool.

Format 3: Broker and agent enablement videos

Short videos (60 to 90 seconds each) designed for distribution partners. Each one covers one specific product feature, one selling situation, or one objection handle. These live in the partner portal and the broker email cadence.

Format: usually live action with motion graphics overlays. A subject matter expert from the insurer explains the topic, with the on-screen graphics reinforcing the key points. Filmed in batches of 5 to 10 videos per shoot day to keep production efficient.

For an example of how a specialty insurer scales partner-facing video production, see the Dual North America case study.

Format 4: Animated internal communications

Strategy updates, policy changes, system rollouts, AI tool introductions. Internal comms in insurance has historically been a talking-head format. Animated motion graphics videos dramatically outperform talking heads on the same content, with watch-completion rates running 2 to 3 times higher.

Format: 90 second to 2 minute animations, embedded in the staff portal, included in manager toolkits, and pushed through internal communications channels. For more on the format choice, see our piece on animation vs live action for internal comms.

Format 5: Customer testimonials

The one format on this list that is always live action. Real customers, on camera, describing how they used their insurance. Usually 60 to 90 seconds. Used in sales decks, on the website, and in marketing campaigns.

The reason testimonials live in this format: they only work with a real face. Animated case studies do not carry the same credibility weight. The production challenge is finding willing customers and getting their stories on camera within a reasonable window. Most insurance marketing teams underproduce testimonials, then realize too late that they need them for an upcoming campaign.

Why three of the five are animation-led

Insurance is a category dominated by abstract concepts. Coverage, exclusions, thresholds, processes, regulations, organizational structures. Animation visualizes abstractions better than live action does. The formats where live action wins (broker enablement and testimonials) are the formats where the value is the human on screen.

This is a change from 5 years ago, when insurance marketing video was predominantly live action and animation was reserved for hero brand films. The economics have shifted: animation has become significantly more affordable and faster to produce, while the ongoing volume of content insurance marketing teams need has only increased. For more on this shift, see why FSI marketing teams are bringing animation in-house.

How to prioritize if you are starting from zero

If you have no existing video library and need to start somewhere, this is the order that delivers value fastest:

1. One animated product explainer for your top-selling product line
2. One claims walkthrough for your highest-volume claim type
3. Two to three broker enablement videos for your most-asked-about features
4. One animated internal comms piece for the most recent change in the business
5. One customer testimonial filmed during the next quarter

That is 6 to 7 videos in the first 90 days, covering the five formats with proven value. From there, expand each format in line with what is moving the needle in your reporting.

What does this cost?

For a mid-sized insurance marketing team producing on the cadence above, $120,000 to $250,000 per year covers the production for 30 to 50 videos across the five formats. That is meaningfully less than most insurance marketing teams currently spend on agency-produced video, with materially higher output. For a broader view of what an enterprise video program covers, see the enterprise video playbook.

For more on producing testimonials in particular, see our guide on producing testimonial videos at scale. Learn more about how this works in practice with Dual North America, or explore Shootsta for financial services and insurance.

For the frameworks behind scaling this kind of work, read The Business Animation Playbook.