Working together with other members of the FixThePhoto team, I often need to create engaging content for our emails, blog posts, and social networks, so I need to understand the difference between meme and GIF to choose the right option depending on the context. Choosing the most suitable type of content allows you to achieve the desired audience response.
Initially, I believed that memes and GIFs were quite similar. Both allow content creators to publish posts that are likely to become viral. They can be seen in different types of content, from replies in the comment section to official newsletters. However, after testing them in various situations, I discovered that they are best suited for different purposes.
Spotify. Spotify often posts memes when publishing posts on X and Instagram to illustrate the listening preferences of its audience. The “Spotify Wrapped” campaign launched by the company demonstrates how to successfully use GIFs and memes created by users.
During one of its campaigns, the company created graphics in the meme style to show listening stats. These posts were widely shared online, as fans liked them a lot.
Dunkin’. When Dunkin’ started using GIFs in their replies and Instagram Stories, it helped the brand to achieve global recognition and build a playful image. When promoting iced coffee, the company used GIFs to show how people pour, spill, and drink coffee. Using funny captions, the company grabbed a viewer’s attention and increased the brand’s visibility on TikTok and X.
Ryanair. The brand stands out for its dark humor and sarcasm. Ryanair combines memes and GIFs to make fun of the unrealistic expectations of its clients.
It posted a tweet with a GIF showing a plane with the overcast sky in the background and the caption “Us flying through your excuses for not booking.” Ryanair often posts replies that become viral, as it knows how to use memes to generate engagement.
Sephora. Sephora successfully uses memes to reach out to a wider audience during product launches. Recently, when promoting lipstick, they used a “before and after” meme and slow-motion GIFs showing how the product should be applied. It helped them create engaging and informative product demos.
Duolingo. Duolingo stands out for its high visibility on TikTok. The company uses memes and reaction GIFs to boost engagement. Their owl mascot helped them achieve global recognition, while the usage of humor made their reminders fun and more relatable.
Discovering the difference between meme and GIF is essential, as it allows people to understand how to make their Instagram stories, TikTok replies, newsletters, and blog posts more engaging and communicate in a signature style. They enable brands to strengthen the connection with their target audience and bring their message across.
At FixThePhoto, we noticed that people often fail to understand what’s the difference between a meme and a GIF. Both types of content often become viral, are perfect for conversations, and evoke a strong emotional response. However, they are used in different situations. While a meme can serve as a great conversation-starter, GIFs are used in reactions.
People use memes when they want to share a joke, make a statement, or publish relatable content. Memes exist in a cultural context, which allows people with a shared background to interpret their meaning correctly. GIFs are often used in tutorials as reactions or illustrations of actions.
Many clients and some of our team members ask themselves: “Is there a difference between a GIF and a meme?” They wonder whether they can use both in a single post and which option allows for achieving higher engagement. The answer depends on the context.
If a meme is popular and relevant to a topic, such posts might generate high engagement. However, in tutorials, GIFs are more suitable as they allow an author to illustrate all the steps of a specific process.
GIFs are one of the most attention-grabbing visual elements we use when writing our posts. These looping videos play automatically and make it easier for us to describe things by showing how they are done. Unlike stills, they demonstrate specific steps better.
As we understand the subtle difference between meme and GIF, we use the latter when we want to demonstrate how a specific feature can be used or react to user messages. As they play instantly, there is no need to click on them or turn on the sound. We use them when writing blog posts, tutorials, and emails.
I prefer to use GIFs when I need to show specific editing steps. If I need to write a post about removing unwanted objects or performing color correction, looping videos help me explain what steps a user should take quickly. It allows me to make my posts more informative and keep site visitors engaged.
If you want to try creating GIF files, you can use a variety of free GIF makers online to streamline your workflow. We often use these services to create product teasers, previews, or tutorials with screen recordings. They are suitable even for novice users and those who do not have time to master professional editing software.
GIFs are especially suitable for those who want to express their ideas without a lot of text. Using a GIF of a happy dance or a clapping person allows you to express your joy or show support. When we released a new retouching tool, we added a simple reaction GIF to the post, and it helped us to grab the attention of our target audience.
“If an email is written in a formal tone, making it difficult to relate to its content, I add a GIF to give it a friendly feel.”
We also often use GIFs when creating how-to posts. Instead of describing each step in detail, we use looping clips to show how to make specific edits. When writing a blog post recently, we used three GIFs to show an image before, during, and after an edit. As a result, visitors stayed on the page for longer.
GIFs are also perfect for emails. We often add GIFs of waving or smiling people to our onboarding messages instead of writing a lot of text. It makes our messages more relatable and gives them a welcoming feel.
I use memes as I believe that it’s an excellent way to build a rapport with other people. Using recognizable images with catchy phrases facilitates establishing an instant connection. Together with our team, I often create memes on the photo editing issues we have to deal with.
For instance, we can post a meme about a client who sends us a blurry picture and asks us to prepare a high-resolution print. Besides, we once posted an 'expectation vs reality' meme, and this post generated a lot of engagement.
When looking for a difference between GIF and meme, I noticed that the latter allows people to emphasize a trendy topic without making it seem forced. Whenever a new meme becomes popular, we consider whether it can be used for a post on retouching or testing photography gear. Funny photography memes allow us to entertain our audience and bring our point across more effectively.
Memes allow us to express our thoughts in the most eloquent and fun way. Whether you decide to add an expectations vs reality meme or use another popular meme about photo editing, it will allow you to strengthen your rapport with the community. Once we posted a meme on how we feel when we incidentally lose unsaved edits. This post attracted a lot of likes, as it was easy to relate to.
Besides, memes can be used in various contexts. I have used them in blog intros, Instagram carousels, and other posts. When we need to publish an engaging post quickly, we typically follow the steps described in a guide on how to make a meme in Adobe Creative Cloud Express. It allows us to create attention-grabbing content without wasting a lot of time.
“If I know that I can post a meme about common issues faced by many clients, I do it, as I know that it will generate a lot of responses.”
People love using memes, as they are reposted quickly. When we choose the most relevant memes for our niche, it allows us to boost engagement. It’s challenging to achieve similar results using plain text or videos.
If you take a closer look at popular Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter posts, you will see that their authors often use memes. Users add memes to express their opinion or tag friends under trendy memes. Posting such pictures allows people to communicate more effectively and have fun.
Using GIFs is also instrumental for effective communication. People post them in replies and stories, and such loop videos enable them to express their emotions. While memes are great conversation-starters, GIFs are best suited for providing visual replies.
It might be challenging to determine the difference between a GIF and meme and decide which type of content is more popular. You will often see memes in feed posts and carousels, while GIFs are used in reactions, DMs, and stories.
Working with content daily at the FixThePhoto team, I’ve discovered the main use cases for GIFs and memes.
Blog content. When creating blog tutorials, I utilize GIFs to help users understand better how to remove unwanted objects or fix light issues. It allows me to illustrate the steps they should take better and avoid writing long descriptions. If a post is written in a formal tone, I add a meme to entertain my readers. It allows me to keep them engaged and reduces bounce rates.
Social media. I often add memes to my Instagram page when I want to tackle popular audio or photo challenges. Adding a captioned picture on a trendy topic allows me to increase the number of saves and shares. I typically add GIFs to replies and stories, as they are perfect for grabbing a viewer’s attention.
Email marketing. I’ve tested emails with GIFs and noticed that they allow me to get more clicks than simple text emails. By adding a short loop video with a new feature, I generate more reactions than when I add a still picture.
I started adding memes to the end of my promotional emails to address the pain points of my target audience and prompt my potential clients to reply to an email. Using humor, I strengthen my connection with my target audience.
Advertising. There is another difference between meme and GIF that one should consider when launching marketing campaigns. When creating carousel ads, I add memes to grab a viewer’s attention. Visually engaging images about retouching techniques or gear motivate people to stop scrolling.
GIF videos are suitable for demonstrating how specific features work. For instance, I use them to show users how to utilize a one-click background tool. Such GIFs are short and lightweight, making them perfect for mobile users with a short attention span.
If you want to learn how to make a GIF from product images, you can use software like EZGif or Photoshop to convert footage into informative loop videos.
Website design. I added small GIFs to our landing pages to make their content more comprehensive. You may also use GIFs in the FAQ section to provide simple answers to user questions. We have noticed that memes on the 404 page reduce the number of drop-offs.
In addition, we added memes to service intro pages and discovered that people stay longer on our website when its content looks more approachable.
Yes, we often use both types of content. GIF files are suitable for providing visual instructions or reacting to other people’s content, while memes are often used to comment on messages. When you use them together, it allows you to express your emotions and convey the right message.
When we posted these types of content, we noticed that posts with memes got more saves, shares, and comments. They evoke an immediate response and often become viral. GIFs also generate high engagement, especially when one posts them in Stories or in replies, but memes allow people to achieve higher visibility due to the potentially viral nature of such content.
It’s unnecessary. Free programs like Adobe Express, Canva, Giphy, Imgflip, or EZGif have special features that allow users to create both with ease. You can use templates to create memes. To create GIFs, upload a short video and trim it to the desired size.
If you create business-oriented content and have a target audience with traditional tastes, it is better to avoid using GIFs and memes. They are suitable for situations when you need to publish a relatable message and express your emotions and sense of humor.
