What do you do when you want to cook lasagna and don't know the recipe? What do you do when you want to learn about the best smartphone to buy within your budget?
We open Google and search for it. Or we open Youtube and type the query.
We all search for things we want to know.
Google may show you all the results., But YouTube is primarily a virtual video guidebook for your every question. You will see articles, images, and even news related to the topic. Don't you believe it?
All these numbers show that videos are the best way to instruct someone. We ourselves prefer watching a video when we want to know "how to" do it.
If you want to teach something to the viewers, an instructional video is the way to go. Videos are everywhere; there is no denying the fact. From food bloggers to fitness influencers, everyone shares videos nowadays. If you aren't creating video content, then you are far behind.
We are at the point in history where people prefer watching a video to reading an article. Earlier, creating videos had exuberant costs and a long production time. But now, when smartphones have powerful cameras, it has become easier and faster to create videos. So, here is a game plan for you to make your own instructional videos.
The first sensible step in the process of creating instructional videos is to know your target audience. This step is crucial because you can't serve their needs if you do not understand your audience's needs.
What is the purpose of an instructional video? It is to instruct or teach the viewers. Your main goal should be to know what they want to learn. Knowing your audience isn't just about general information like - age or geography. It is about researching their tastes and preferences. Now, there are other social media platforms like Instagram, which has "Poll stickers," you can use it to know about what the audience wants in this or that format. You can also use Youtube's poll question feature to learn more about your audience's preferences.
Even if you know your users like the back of your hand, you need to do your research before you create instructional videos. You can ask yourself questions like-
The more questions you ask yourself, the clearer you will visualize the video. Keep learning your audience because it keeps growing and changing. The only way to keep them satisfied is to keep up with their needs.
Deciding the topic of your video is the next important step. Do not go blind into the process, and make a video on any idea that crosses your mind. Here are few tips on how you can decide or find topics in your area.
As a creator or brand, you can take inspiration from a book, a podcast, or even an advertisement. Deciding on a topic doesn't always depend on you. In school, if your teacher assigned you a project on "Air pollution", you had to write about air pollution only. You did not write about Ninja Turtles, no matter how much you wanted to. Your goal was to write something that impressed the teacher. Similarly, when creating an instructional video on a topic, you have to choose a topic that interests not only you but the audience.
The prep for the video continues. After you know your audience and then choose a topic, you need to plan the video. Just visualize how your instructional video is going to look like. To create great instructional videos you need to be prepared. You can't just grab a camera, shoot some hyperlapse and create video on a whim. For instructional videos, you should have a clear vision about - What the topic is going to be? How the video is going to look like? What will be the production costs? How is it going to educate the viewers? Where will it be filmed? Which platform are you filming the video for?
Once the questions have clear answers, start writing about it.
Scriptwriting and storyboarding are the essential parts of planning. It crystallizes the ideas you have in your mind. The first step you need to take is to write down all the ideas or points that you want to showcase in your video. After you have the main ideas written down, use a conversational tone to fill in the rest of the script. If you have step-by-step video tutorials then write every step. Write the script like you are explaining the topic to a friend. Here are some tips you can follow while planning the video-
Successful instructional videos aren't made in a rush. All of them have a proper script and storyboard. It is the visual representation of what your video will look like. Planning is highly crucial when creating instructional videos.
Video production costs are usually the reason why marketers hesitate to make videos. But creating videos has now become easier than ever. You can make high-quality instructional videos with just your smartphones. But to make your job easier, we have some budget tips for you when making a video.
If you are low on budget and do not want to go into the effort of creating a budget and deciding locations and actors, the best way to shoot a video is to use an online video maker. Offeo is an online video maker that can make attractive and catchy videos for all your social media platforms. It has plenty of attractive templates to choose from, whether you are influencer or a real estate agent, you can get your type of video templates at Offeo.
Have a reasonable video budget if you really want to shoot an instructional video. Do not need to go overboard with production costs.
Once you have a clear idea of what the end video is going to look like, you can start with the recording. Prepare the video background/ location of the shoot, the actors(if any), the products, the equipment like mic and camera, etc. When everything is in place you can start recording.
Many of the creators shoot with their cameras. While it is alright, one needs an extra mic for clearer audio. In Tutorial or explainer videos, good audio is essential. Audience need to follow what you are saying. You can do one thing, that will it easier for the audience to understand your video tutorials. Along withe the video, you can add visual instructions as well.
This short and sweet tutorial video of Offeo is about how to do an ice reveal for your product. It not only includes the guiding steps from Clement Chia, but it also has a step-by-step visual representation at the start of the video. Moreover, you can add the right subtitles to your videos so the viewers get a clear idea of what you are saying. Here are some tips to help you with digital video recordings
Editing may seem like the last thing you want to do after recording a video. Recording videos can be tiring. So, try to take some rest before you go ahead and edit the video clips.
You already have the storyboard where you have visualized how the video is going to look like, use it to put together the video. It is always advisable to record your voiceover and video separately.
There are many ways to edit a video clip. If you want to learn about the different video editing software, here is a list of Top 10 Free video editing software programs.
When editing make sure that
To make your video look professional you can add intros with brand logo, use the customized brand font, etc...
Once the editing for the tutorial is done you can share it across various channels.
NOTE: One shoe doesn't fit all. The same video can't be share across all channels, like a 8-7 minutes tutorial video will do great on Youtube. But for Instagram, you need to squeeze it and make a reel of 15-60 seconds.
After making an instructional video and editing it the next plausible step is to share it across social media platforms. As mentioned before, you can't share the same video on all platforms. You have to optimize the video for each platform.
Another tip to follow is to share the video where your audience is the most active. Choose a platform, may it be Facebook or Instagram, even YouTube, where your target audience is most active and post the instructional video there.
However, before sharing the video with the world, give it a test run. Run it across a few of your friends and co-workers. Get some reviews and feedback, before you share it on social media. YouTube is the best platform where you can share tutorials or instructional videos, so make sure you share your own videos on the platform. Screencast videos are also another option.
You may assume that there is only one type of instructional video, but there are quite a few.
Instructional videos are not just about "how to fix my Instagram glitch" or "how to decorate a Christmas tree easily". Sometimes there are various types of instructional videos, once you have differentiated them it is easy to choose which type of instructional video to make.
A short Instructional video or a micro-video is an instructional video of shorter length, with a narrower topic. It is intended for small and specific topics. The audience nowadays has a short attention span. So, micro-videos are the best way to instruct them. It is suitable for Millennials and GenZ audiences. You can use it for social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, even LinkedIn and Twitter. Keep the video length short, anywhere between 30- 120 seconds.
Training videos or employee training videos are exactly what they sound like. These videos are created in a workplace setting to improve employees' specific skills. These videos can cover industry-related topics, job-related topics, and also cover interpersonal topics, like compliance or harassment training. Most of the training videos are long and are presented in form of a class. These videos are aimed to improve the viewer's skills.
Explainer videos do what they say. These videos provide a complex business concept or product in n easy and digestible form. Explainers are short and sweet. Explainer videos are waiting 1-2 minutes.
Most of the explainers have a voiceover with basic animation, to explain the concept. These videos offer a great way to explain a larger topic, product, or service that your company offers in a fun and entertaining way. Explainers are mostly short videos, with voiceovers and basic animation. You can use these types of videos to hype up your brand or new products/ services. Create it easily by using animation software. Create animated videos on Offeo with just a click
Sometimes tutorial videos are assumed to be synonymous with instructional videos. Tutorial videos are mostly "how-to" videos, that follow a go-to instructional method for teaching a process providing step-by-step instructions. Tutorials are not short videos but are mostly longer videos ranging between 3-10 minutes. Anything between 5-8 minutes is the perfect length for a YouTube Tutorial.
But you can also create shorter videos because the attention span of the audience is reducing. This Youtube video by Offeo is a tutorial on how to create animated videos for social media. It is 6 minutes long, which s the perfect length. You do not want to keep the viewers waiting for the solution. Start with a small introduction and get to the point straightaway.
Presentation videos are when you record an online presentation or seminar. It can be as simple as recording your computer screen during the presentation or recording just the audio and creating relevant video explanations later.
It is one of the best instructional videos because it fulfills the learning objective of the viewers. Presentation videos are longer and dense. It demands more time and the attention of viewers.
As mentioned earlier, you can make an entire screen recording during the presentation, or just share the slide with a voiceover or just highlight the key points of the presentation.
Screen recordings are another type of instructional video. If you want to show people how to do things, like add a video to Shopify website, or create a hyperlink from YouTube, then you need to share your screen.
In screen recordings, you can just record the screen while you do the thing and add a voice-over later. That is a great way to create effective instructional videos.
You know how to create an amazing instructional video
- Search for topics that resonate with your audience and learn what your viewers need.
-Visualise the idea -storyboard it, write a script and define your idea.
- Start recording according to the plan.
- Edit with relevant audio and effects/ animation.
- Share optimized videos across niche social media channels.
We highlight key information in the points above. But other than the steps we have already mentioned, there are some tips you can use to create effective tutorial videos.
How to make instructional videos that aren't boring? Try to tell a story. Do not overwhelm the viewers with facts and figures. Use their pain points, weave a story around it, make it relatable, then offer a solution. Like this amazing instructional video by Slack. It narrates the story of why Slack was created and how to use it.
Creating a video is just like making a piece of art. You need to narrate it, you need to use imagery, you need to be creative. Try to make a video with not just on-screen text but also a visual description.
If it is a screen recording, then you probably do not need much text to explain your video. But if it is something other than screen recording, try to visually represent it as well. If you cannot do that, then use text as a last resort.
Use images and visual presentations to showcase the concept or idea. This simple tutorial on how to fold a fitted sheet is an amazing example. It doesn't have any animation or have any adds text. It's a good ol' traditional how-to video, that shows how to fold a fitted sheet.
Remember how we said that use text-only as last resort. But in this example, the text is used in the best way possible. This quick tutorial on how to escape quicksand is an animated video.
It a just 2 minutes long. It shows how a person can escape quicksand without panicking. Animation is used along with text to describe the process. Sometimes, we have to explain things we can't record. Animation helps us to create fun and entertaining videos which are also educational like the one above.
Just because everyone is posting in TikTok doesn't mean you have to. Do your research and find the place where your target audience is more active at. Then use that host to share your videos. If you are an e-learning professional, you might want a more secure platform to share your tutorials rather than on Facebook.
Do you know how many times people have ignored a video just because it didn't look appealing enough? An interesting thumbnail can change the way people look at your video. When users search for content, they are going to see your video thumbnail. So make sure it is attractive.
Practice before you preach. If you want to make a tutorial on how to blow dry your hair, then you need to try it first yourself. No matter what kind of Instructional video you want to make, try to find the solution the particular topic before you start shooting a video on it. Do it yourself, then teach people how to do it.
When making an instructional video you need to be focused. Be strategic - do your market study, learn about the audience, their interests, create buyer's personas, tend to their needs. Your job is to provide the viewers with answers! If you want to disrupt the noise and want to create something unique, you need to be authentic.
Follow your instincts.
Be real.
Teach what you learn.
And you will be creating great instructional videos in no time!
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