Should you make your PDF products interactive in 2024? (+ ways to do it)

For most of their history, PDFs were static documents, often used for simple text, internal business memos, and basic business outlines.

Nowadays, PDFs can be anything from the basis of huge graphic posters to eBooks and even online course content. So, whether you’re looking to sell your PDFs online or keep your reader’s attention with an internal document, adding interactive elements can really make or break it.

But let’s start at the beginning!

What is an interactive PDF?

Put simply, an interactive PDF is a PDF that contains elements that allow the user to actively engage with the content, rather than just passively read it. 

In 2024, you can add various interactive elements such as videos, hyperlinks, and forms, helping you transform your dull, basic PDF into an immersive multimedia experience for your readers and customers.

These interactive components can include:

• Hyperlinks to web pages, file attachments, or other sections within the PDF itself
• Embedded videos, audio clips, animations, and 3D models
• Fillable forms and input fields for your user to input data into or select responses
• Clickable buttons that reveal more content or trigger specific actions
• Expandable sections that open up to display additional text, images, or other features

If you sell your PDFs, providing a modern user experience that captures attention can significantly boost user engagement and drive higher sales.

Just like a website or online store, you can massively increase how engaging your PDFs are by seamlessly blending written text, visuals, and other interactive content into one PDF.

With today’s technology, this can all be done within a single PDF document without requiring the user to visit external websites.

Interactive PDF examples and the main types of interactive PDFs

There are lots of different types of interactive PDFs, and each one has a slightly different purpose and focus.

The main categories and types of interactive PDFs are:

• Multimedia PDFs: These utilize a range of videos, audio narrations, animations, 3D models, and other engaging multimedia to boost engagement and interactivity. These types of interactive PDFs are Ideal for training courses, product demos, and any visual/audio content.
• Fillable form PDFs: Perfect for order forms, surveys, quizzes, and job applications, these allow users to type directly into fields in the PDF to complete forms.
• Navigation PDFs: These PDFs typically contain an interactive table of contents, thumbnail previews, and bookmark links, which allow users to navigate through larger and longer PDFs easily.

Interactive PDFs can also combine multiple types of interactivity into a single file. For example, an eLearning course could include navigation bookmarks, multimedia video lessons, and fillable quizzes.

Applying these to the real world, some more tangible and recognizable examples of how interactive PDFs can be used are as follows:

• Educational course content that includes video lessons and interactive quizzes
• Digital magazines and product catalogs with video interviews and demos
• Professional business proposals with fillable order forms and e-signature fields
• Resume portfolios that include clickable links to online work samples

Should you make your PDFs interactive? 

From selling PDFs online to creating content for educational institutions, making your PDFs interactive can have many benefits, but it also comes with challenges. Here are some of the key pros and cons:

Pros

• Higher user engagement and interactivity help readers retain information and understand your content better.
• Enables you (the creator) to pack more value into a convenient single document
• Modern, visually appealing, professional format compared to basic PDFs
• Some interactive PDFs allow you to track viewer analytics

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Cons

• Interactive PDFs aren’t always supported by PDF reader apps or software
• You’ll likely need more technical skills and specialized tools to create advanced interactive PDFs
• Creating interactive PDFs will take additional costs for specialized PDF editing tools, compared to free for normal PDFs
• Interactive PDFs usually have larger file sizes because of elements such as videos — these are often harder to compress
• Potential compatibility issues when sharing with people using older PDF readers

How to make an interactive PDF

So, you’re ready to take on the challenges of interactive PDFs and reap the rewards. What next?

Here are the key steps you need to take to create engaging and compelling interactive PDFs.

Choose the right tools

While basic PDF viewers like Adobe Reader are free, you’ll need more advanced PDF editing software that allows for adding interactive features. Some popular options include:

• Adobe Acrobat Pro: The industry-leading PDF tool, Adobe Acrobat Pro is great, but expensive.
• Wondershare PDFelement: A more affordable option, Wondershare has a good selection of editing features for interactivity.
• FlippingBook: A versatile option, FlippingBook has many options for creating interactive PDFs.

Plan your content

Of course, alongside the right tools you’ll also need the right plan.

Before you get started creating your interactive PDF, you’ll want to plan out in detail the overall PDF content, all the specific interactive components, and where you want to include them.

Make sure to keep it simple and minimal – overdoing interactive features will likely overwhelm your readers.

Explain the importance of planning out your content ahead of time to ensure your new interactive PDF is seamless and well-made.

Select your design

The final touches are sorting out your overall design.

To make the most out of interactive elements, you’ll want to have a PDF design that makes them pop. Try to place links, buttons, and form fields in logical locations, and use contrasting colors and styling to make them stand out. And don’t forget to check if the final version of your PDF is mobile-optimized.

Export and share your PDF

With your PDF ready and shining, it’s time to export and share it with the world. But where should you start?

If you want to sell your PDF online, Sellfy is the place for you. 

An affordable, all-in-one platform, Sellfy allows you to securely sell PDFs, ebooks, graphics, video courses, and other digital content with ease and has all the tools you need to succeed.

“[My favorite feature is] the PDF stamping for eBooks, because there’s a risk that people can resell them. This feature prevents people from doing that, and I think it’s my favorite on the platform.” – eBook seller Amel Aitouche.

Final thoughts

When used correctly, interactive PDFs can not only boost engagement and make your digital content more accessible – they can also increase sales and customer satisfaction.

When combined with an intuitive platform such as Sellfy, interactive PDFs can be a powerful path to online success, helping provide helpful information to customers and readers.

At Sellfy, we’re here to help you succeed. Sign up for a free trial today to learn how Sellfy can help your digital content business grow.