Stop hiding your work in a PDF

Everyone in Brussels has experienced this in one way or another.

An association spends months preparing a major report: expert input, multiple rounds of internal feedback, translation, design, validation. When it’s finally done, the team uploads it as a 60-page PDF and posts the link on social media.

And that’s where it ends.

It’s not because the topic isn’t important. It’s because the format doesn’t fit how people consume information today. PDFs were great when the goal was to have something printable and official. But they were never meant to be a communication tool.

They’re invisible to search engines.

They’re almost impossible to read on mobile.

They can’t be easily shared or linked to.

It’s not just about design. It’s about visibility and engagement. Turning a report into a digital publication doesn’t just make it prettier; it makes it smarter. You can measure how people engage with it, track which sections are read and which aren't, update content as policies evolve or milestones are achieved, and reuse key insights across newsletters, campaigns, and social media. It also opens the door to richer storytelling, combining text with video, making data dynamic with interactive charts, and using subtle animations that guide the reader instead of overwhelming them. It really can make people feel the impact of your work, not just read about it.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you should stop using PDFs altogether. They’re still useful for archiving, formal reference, or when you need to provide detailed annexes and in-depth data. In fact, we often include a download link within the online version for those who want to dive deeper. But the main version (the one meant to be read and shared) should live on the web, where it can actually do its job as a communication tool.