Key points
- One number at a time. Three numbers on the same screen, and the viewer keeps none of them.
- A number alone says nothing: it needs a unit, a period and a point of comparison.
- Movement helps people understand: a counter climbing, one bar passing another, a before then an after.
- Show only true numbers, ones you can back up if someone asks.
Why a number convinces
“Our customers are very happy” leaves no trace. “412 customers left us a review, and 380 gave the top mark” stays, because it is precise and can be checked. A number gives the viewer something they can repeat to someone else.
But a number shown badly does the opposite. A table full of figures looks like a report, and nobody reads a report on a phone. Video asks you to choose: one number, one message, one picture.
Which number to choose
The best number is not the biggest. It is the one that answers the question your customer is asking. A restaurant has no reason to show its turnover: it shows how many dishes on its menu are made in its own kitchen.
| You want to prove | Number to show | How to show it |
|---|---|---|
| That people trust you | The number of real customers or reviews | A counter climbing to the value |
| That you save people time | The time before, the time after | Two bars side by side |
| That you are improving | A value month by month | A curve being drawn |
| That you cost less | Your price and the usual price | Two price tags, one crossed out |
| That it works | A result measured at a customer’s | A before and an after |
Giving the number a meaning
“45%” means nothing. 45% of what, over how long, compared with what? A number needs three companions to be understood.
- The unit: pounds, minutes, customers, kilometres. Written next to the number.
- The period: per day, in a year, since 2022.
- The comparison: before, the average, last year. Without it, the viewer cannot tell whether it is a lot.
- The everyday picture: “3,000 litres of water” says less than “the same as twenty baths”.
Also say where the number comes from, in one quiet line: “measured on our 120 jobs in 2025”. That line is the difference between a proof and a claim.
The method, step by step
Write what you want to prove
One sentence. “We deliver faster than the average.” The number comes afterwards, to support it.
Choose one to three numbers
One main number, and at most two to support it. Each gets its own screen.
Add the unit, the period and the comparison
If one of the three is missing, find it or change number.
Choose the shape
A counter for a quantity, two bars for a comparison, a curve for a change over time, a before and an after for a result.
Write the sentence that goes with it
The voice says what the number means, not only the number. “Two days in place of five: your order arrives before the weekend.”
Leave it on screen
Once the movement is over, the number stays visible for at least two seconds. The viewer needs time to read it.
A delivery service, 40 seconds
- Hook: “You order on Monday. When does it arrive?”
- Number 1: two bars. “5 days” in grey, “2 days” in colour. The voice: “Two days in place of five.”
- Number 2: a counter climbing to “8,400 parcels delivered in 2025”.
- Number 3: “97 parcels out of 100 arrived on the announced date”, with the line “measured over the year 2025”.
- Ending: the name of the service and the address of the site.
The movement that makes it clear
A number dropped on screen in one go is a poster. A number that builds up is an explanation. A climbing counter gives a sense of quantity before the value is even read. A bar passing another makes the gap felt. That is the principle of the Figures and facts style in motion design.
The movement must stay honest. A bar twice as tall must stand for a value twice as large. A chart that starts at 90 to make a two-point difference look huge misleads the viewer, and the viewer who notices stops believing you.
The mistakes that make people doubt your numbers
- Too many numbers. Beyond three, the video becomes a table.
- A percentage with no base. “+200%” may mean you went from one customer to three.
- Round numbers everywhere. “1,000 customers, 50% cheaper” sounds false. “1,040 customers” sounds true, provided it is true.
- A number that goes by too fast. If it disappears before it is read, it was useless.
- An out-of-date number. Write the year. A 2022 result presented as today’s turns against you.
Before you publish a video with numbers
- Every number is true and you can back it up.
- Every number has its unit, its period and its comparison.
- One number per screen, three at most in the video.
- The bars and the curves respect the proportions.
- Every number stays readable for at least two seconds.
- The voice says what the number changes for the customer.
Frequently asked questions
What if I have no numbers yet?
Do not invent any. Show what is already true: your years of experience, the deadline you keep, the number of steps in your method. And start measuring today for the next video.
Can I compare my numbers with a competitor’s?
Only if the comparison is exact, can be checked and covers things that are comparable. When in doubt, compare yourself with an average whose origin you state, or with your own earlier result.
Should numbers be rounded?
Round to make reading simpler, not to flatter. “Nearly 8,400” for 8,372 is honest. “Almost 10,000” is not.
How long should a number stay on screen?
Long enough to read it twice under your breath. In practice, two to three seconds after the movement ends.
With Meratek
How Meratek sets your numbers in motion
In the Motion tab, choose the Motion design mode, then the Figures and facts style. You write your idea and give your numbers. Meratek asks you a few questions, writes the story, adds the voice and animates the film: counters, curves, a before and an after, with your real screenshots if you add some.
The price in credits is shown before you start, and one hundred and forty credits are offered when you sign up. Meratek shows only the numbers you give it: you remain responsible for their accuracy.
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