Sep 5, 2021

Video Tutorial Tips

7 minute read
Michael Aubry

Any video that displays a procedure, transmits information, illustrates a topic, or teaches someone how to accomplish something is considered as an instructional video.

However, since you're already here you already know that!

What you don't know yet, is how to create great video tutorials!

Luckily, creating Instructional videos isn't just for instructional design professionals.

Not anymore, at least.

An instructional video may (and should) be made by experts in any field.

In this guide, we'll show you some great tutorial video tips, as well as how you can make your own tutorial videos!

Tutorial Videos in Short

When it comes to teaching a procedure or offering step-by-step directions, tutorial videos are the go-to educational tool. Tutorial videos are typically 2-10 minutes long and use a variety of educational strategies.

The best and most common instructional videos are "how-to" videos which are very well-planned and polished.

What makes a good tutorial video?

You need to do a house repair but really don't know how? YouTube.

Do you want to install software on your computer but are not sure how? YouTube.

We could go on and on, but the fact is that the platform is well-known for its instructional content on a wide range of topics. YouTube has grown in popularity as a place to unwind and learn.

Many video tutorials are available to provide suggestions or to assist you through the process of learning something new.

Video lessons are used to assist organizations to sell their brands and give better visual documentation for clients, as well as share information. It's also not that difficult or expensive to do.

Quality content, on the other hand, needs a lot of effort and planning. As mentioned, in this post, I'll give you a few tips on how to make excellent and useful video lessons.

Think about the topic to be covered in your video tutorials

The first step is to choose a topic to discuss. This way, all of the preparation and technical aspects of making video lessons will be focused on this one topic.

Make a list of the topics that you know well. It is critical to be an expert for the knowledge you impart to be more successful. Explain all of your thoughts in a step-by-step process and don't rush because the audience might not able to understand everything.

Use the right microphone for your own

If you want to capture tutorial videos frequently, you should invest in the right tools. Instead of relying on your computer's built-in microphone use a USB microphone for recording the audio

When using the built-in mic, the sound is often distorted. The external microphone comes with additional features and records the sound much more clearly.

Record audio track and video separately and combine them in the end.

Choose your screencasting software

Then you'll need to decide the application you'll use to capture your screencasts. It's tough to decide which one to choose to record your computer screen because there are so many good software's available in the market.

If you're using a Mac, I prefer Screenflow, and if you're using Windows, I prefer Camtasia for screencast videos. These two excellent programs will not only let you record your screen video and your comments, but they will also allow you to perform some excellent editing.

Screenflow and Camtasia are two software's which know exactly what you are looking for while recording your videos. They help you to record screencasts with high quality and efficiency.

These are the most widely used screen recording program, however, they are not free. If you want to try free screencasting software, use CamStudio for PC or QuickTime, which comes included with Mac OS X. Paid screen recorder software to have many advantages over the free ones. Paid applications give you more control over screen recording. There is a huge difference in features of free and paid applications and it is a good idea to try software that provides a trial period before purchasing it.

Recording Tutorial Video

It's critical to record the tutorial video instructions and audio instructions as two different files while filming the video tutorial.

You can begin recording the tutorial video first, followed by the audio instructions. This will help you make fewer mistakes and spend less time revising.

Carefully record the tutorial video instructions. Recording in human voice gives added advantages. Reduce the speed of your steps by around 20%. Concentrate on each step, try not to make any mistakes, and refrain from doing any superfluous activities. Before recording the voice, write the video tutorial transcript.

To avoid making errors, read from the transcript file. It's preferable to record in a quiet place and a clear and genuine tone of voice. When you want to concentrate on something, control your voice and create emphasis.

Instructional Videos Duration

The age-old argument about perfect video length?  The video length is mostly determined by three factors:

  1. What is the topic's level of complexity and detail?
  2. Different sorts of videos allow for more detailed explanations.
  3. The website where the video is being shared

When it comes to video lessons, one of the most common mistakes is to make them overly long.

The research findings vary, but the majority of suggestions are for videos that are less than a minute long. These are excellent for increasing user engagement and memory stimulation. Other videos with higher duration tend to get boring and users prefer short videos.

If you have one video of higher length try dividing it into short videos and uploading it in parts.

Appeal

The term "appeal" should be used with caution. “Is this a topic that many people want or need to know about?” is what appeal actually implies.

A lot of lessons are made in response to requests. Others are made by businesses for the goal of ensuring compliance. In any instance, the most important thing is to make sure that the material is valuable to a wide range of people and catches the viewers' attention.

This is a crucial step if you're creating a lesson based on demand. Examine the data that indicates a need for the instructional and make sure you address the concerns raised.

This is a value check since it ensures that the instruction you develop, as well as the time you put into it, is as valuable as feasible. You can create great instructional videos by keeping in mind this trick.

Edit post-production

Don't be afraid to include notes, chapters, and closed captions if they will make viewing easier and more pleasurable. Most video editing software includes effects that can enhance the aesthetic appeal of your video courses and having some editing skills give you a plus point.

When your movie is longer than a minute or two, chapters are extremely useful. Viewers can choose them and skip to the sections of the video that are most relevant to them by clicking on them.

Make a title for your video content: You want to show viewers how to accomplish something, and if you want people to find your video, you must title it carefully.

If you're not sure what you want to call your article, start with “How to”.

Improve the description of your video: Better search results may be obtained by include keywords in your video description that are relevant to the subject matter of your video.

Also, allow receiving feedback as it engages the audience more and generates a loyal audience for your website or channel. How-to videos must also have a question and answer section at the end where you answer questions that might arise in the mind of the viewers.

At the same time, you can also use the Google AdWords Keyword Planner Tool to find the ideal keywords for your video lessons and also save time.

Select the right tools and software for editing your tutorial video.

Don’t Overdose on Ads

We all know there is no such thing as a free market, and most users are aware that the movie would not be free if there were no advertisements.

Even the most patient viewer might become irritated when there are advertisements everywhere. It's OK to add some advertisements to market yourself, your products, or your services, or even to generate some money, but the right amount is crucial.

Keep in mind that your video hosting site may package its own commercials inside your video, so keep that in mind if you're thinking of packaging your own during post-production.

You'll typically be alright if your promotional content is confined to an initial splash screen with brief company information, contact and links information at the conclusion, with links and maybe overlaying a logo throughout the course.

Be detail-oriented when promoting

But, after all that effort, isn't it worth spending on its advertising to ensure that it reaches your target audience?

Here are some pointers: Use social media to promote the content, as well as sponsored advertisements.

Furthermore, you may employ SEO for videos: high-traffic keywords, effective descriptions, adequate content length, and the placement of accurate cards and thumbnails are just a few of the measures that work!

As previously said, video tutorials are an excellent way to engage your audience since they deal directly with answers to their problems.

As a result, it's a good idea for your promotion efforts to have a wide reach across the web and social media to attract more visitors to your channel and create a loyal audience base, but don't overlook activities targeted just at people who currently follow your postings.

What are the benefits of using video tutorials?

Tutorials are an excellent approach to grow your blog's audience. However, there are so many blogs providing this sort of information these days that it appears to be impossible to distinguish out. You must also be a competent writer who loves it.

If you're more of a visual learner, screencasts are a good option. Because you can follow the procedure step by step while hearing the teacher describe it, video tutorials are a wonderful method to learn.

It's also pretty simple to make your own tutorial video if you follow a few simple rules.

Conclusion

The easiest approach to get started making high-quality video lessons is to look for inspiration from others. So, what are some of your go-to video tutorials? Which tutorials have you found to be the most useful?

Consider how they present the topic and lead visitors through the process. You'll almost certainly receive some fantastic ideas on how to format your videos. Then it's all about figuring out what works best for you and keeping track of it.

The final step is to get your video online and making sure it reaches a wide audience. There are a plethora of ways to get your video online, and they all work great for the most part. However, YouTube is the way to go if you want your video lessons to be seen and seen by as many people as possible.

If you follow all of these best practices, you'll be able to create high-quality instructional videos in no time for your own website or channel.

Michael Aubry

Hey 👋 I am the founder and maker of Motionbox. My mission is to build useful tools in the video space. I enjoy science, art, and sports. Feel free to reach out to me.

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