How To Create an Instructional Video?

Instructional videos are often overshadowed by traditional classroom learning and text-based manuals. Yet, they carve their niche with unmatched clarity and engagement. This unique format sets them apart in the vast world of educational tools, offering a distinct experience that distinguishes instructional videos as a category in their own right.

Key types of instructional videos include how-to guides, tutorials, and demonstration videos, each known for their specific approach to teaching and learning. Explainer videos also stand out, offering a concise but comprehensive overview of complex subjects for learners. Each instructional video presents its design principles, production techniques, target audience considerations and recommendations for effective delivery.

The following sections will explore these aspects in detail, providing a richer understanding of what makes instructional videos a powerful tool for education and training worldwide.

What is an instructional video?

An instructional video is a digital video designed to teach or demonstrate a specific topic or skill. These videos encompass a variety of formats, including simple how-to guides, tutorials, explainers, and demonstration videos. Each type is tailored to provide clear, engaging content that facilitates learning and understanding for viewers.

In the digital age, instructional videos have emerged as pivotal resources across education, training, and marketing fields. They offer a dynamic visual and auditory learning experience that often surpasses traditional learning methods in effectiveness.

Why create an instructional video

Creating an instructional video serves multiple key objectives, each contributing significant value to educational and marketing strategies. These videos are primarily crafted to educate on specific topics or skills, transforming complex information into accessible and easily understandable content. They play a crucial role in training employees or customers, ensuring consistent knowledge transfer across different audiences.

Additionally, instructional videos are powerful tools for selling a product or service, as they can vividly demonstrate use cases and benefits clearly and engagingly. This multifaceted medium enriches learning experiences and bolsters business goals by offering a versatile platform for effective information dissemination and promotion.

To educate on specific topics or skills

Instructional videos are adept at distilling complex topics into digestible, easy-to-grasp segments. They address a variety of learning styles, making them a prime choice for effectively imparting knowledge and skills. Examples:

• Quantum Physics for Beginners simplifies the complex concepts of quantum physics into understandable segments, making it accessible to high school students and curious learners.
• Advanced Excel Techniques: Breaks down intricate Excel functions and formulas, enabling office workers to improve their productivity and data analysis skills.

To train employees or customers

These videos are foundational in training programs, offering a consistent, scalable method to educate large groups. They guarantee that all learners receive the same high-quality information, regardless of their training schedule or location. Case Study:

• Zappos: Implemented instructional videos for customer service training, resulting in improved customer satisfaction scores and a more knowledgeable service team. The videos covered topics from handling difficult customers to using the company’s database software, making training more engaging and effective than traditional manuals.

To sell a product or service effectively

By showcasing a product or service in action, instructional videos can vividly highlight its features and benefits in a real-world context. This approach drives sales and deepens customer understanding and appreciation of the product or service. Specific Products/Services:

• Blendtec: Their “Will It Blend?” series demonstrated the power of their blenders and significantly boosted sales by showcasing the product’s durability and effectiveness in blending a wide range of items.
• Dropbox: A simple explainer video illustrated how their service works, leading to a substantial increase in user sign-ups and a clearer understanding of cloud storage benefits among potential customers.

Organizations can achieve remarkable results by leveraging instructional videos to educate, train, and sell, from enhanced learning outcomes to increased sales and customer engagement.

Choosing a topic for your video

Selecting the right topic for your instructional video is pivotal for its effectiveness. Aim for a topic that aligns with the needs and interests of your target audience, ensuring the content is relevant and engaging. Furthermore, capitalize on your unique expertise and knowledge to deliver insights and information that stand out.

This strategic selection will not only capture the attention of your viewers but also bolster your position as an authoritative source in the field.

Based on identified audience needs and interests

Select a topic that directly addresses what your audience is most interested in learning about. By tapping into their specific needs and curiosities, you ensure that your content is relevant and engaging. Strategies for Identifying Audience Needs and Interests:

• Surveys and Questionnaires: Use online survey tools to ask your current or potential audience about the topics they’re interested in or the skills they wish to learn.
• Social Media Analytics: Analyze comments, shares, and likes on your existing content to identify patterns or topics that resonate with your audience. Tools like Facebook Insights or Twitter Analytics can provide valuable data.
• Keyword Research: Use SEO tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to discover what people are searching for online related to your expertise.
• Competitor Analysis: Look at your competitors’ content. Identify gaps or areas they haven’t covered thoroughly that might be of interest to your audience.

Based on your unique expertise and knowledge

Utilize your areas of expertise and unique insights to inform the choice of your video’s topic. This strategy differentiates your content and positions you as a trusted and authoritative figure within your niche. Ways to Align Personal or Organizational Expertise with Audience Needs:

• Skills Audit: Conduct a skills audit for yourself or your team to map out your areas of expertise. Compare this with the audience needs you’ve identified to find a match.
• Market Research: Engage in market research to understand the broader trends in your industry. This can help you anticipate future needs and position your instructional videos accordingly.
• Feedback Loops: Create channels for ongoing feedback from your audience, such as comments on videos, social media interactions, or direct emails. Use this feedback to adjust and refine your content strategy to align with viewer needs better.
• Collaborations: Partner with other experts to cover topics that complement your expertise. This can broaden the appeal of your content and attract a wider audience.

By strategically choosing topics based on audience needs and your unique expertise, you can create instructional videos that engage and educate while establishing your authority and credibility in your niche.

Writing a script

Crafting a script for your instructional video is critical to determining its clarity, engagement, and overall effectiveness. A well-constructed script should be concise and to the point, ensuring that each word directly contributes to the viewer’s understanding. Employing simple, understandable language broadens the reach of your content, making it accessible to a diverse audience.

Moreover, including clear calls to action motivates viewers to engage further with your content, whether to absorb more information, apply a newly learned skill, or explore your products and services. This strategic approach to scriptwriting is the foundation for creating an instructional video that resonates with your audience and significantly benefits them.

Keeping it concise and to the point

Ensure your script is streamlined, focusing solely on essential information. This approach helps viewers understand the core message quickly and effectively, enhancing the video’s impact. Example: Script Before and After Trimming

Using simple, understandable language

Choose an easy language for everyone to understand, steering clear of complex jargon unless it is clearly explained. This strategy broadens your video’s appeal, making it more accessible and improving comprehension. Tips for Simplifying Language:

• Use short, clear sentences.
• Avoid industry jargon or explain it in simple terms.
• Use active voice.

Including clear calls to action

Incorporate a compelling call to action at the end of your script, providing clear instructions on what viewers should do next. Direct prompts encourage viewer engagement and decisive action, whether applying a new skill, signing up for additional information, or purchasing. Examples of Effective Calls to Action:

By implementing these strategies in scriptwriting, you ensure that your instructional video is informative and engaging and prompts viewers to take meaningful action.

Planning your video production

The planning phase is crucial in transforming your vision for an instructional video into reality. Your initial step is to decide between a DIY approach or seeking professional production help, influenced by factors like budget, skill level, and the project’s complexity. Choosing the right equipment is essential for achieving high-quality visuals and audio.

This includes opting for an HD-quality camera, a microphone that captures clear sound, and lighting that enhances visual clarity. Furthermore, establishing a distraction-free recording space ensures your audience’s attention remains solely on your message. Proper planning is the foundation for a seamless production process, culminating in a polished and effective instructional video.

Deciding between DIY or professional production

Assess your capabilities, resources, and the video’s demands to determine whether to embark on a DIY journey or seek professional production services’ expertise. Pros and Cons: DIY vs. Professional Production

Choosing the right equipment

It’s crucial to equip yourself with tools to ensure your video meets professional visual and audio standards, which are key to engaging your audience effectively. Basic Equipment Checklist for Beginners

Setting up a distraction-free recording space

Establish a recording environment free from distractions to keep your audience focused on your content, ensuring a seamless and uninterrupted viewing experience. Tips for Creating a Distraction-Free Recording Space

• Location: Choose a quiet room with minimal external noise.
• Background: Use a simple, uncluttered background or a backdrop to keep the focus on you.
• Lighting: Position your lighting to avoid shadows and ensure even illumination.
• Furniture: Arrange furniture to create a clean, professional look.
• Soundproofing: Consider basic soundproofing measures like curtains, carpets, and foam panels to reduce echo.

By carefully planning your video production, from deciding between DIY and professional production to choosing the right equipment and setting up a distraction-free space, you lay the groundwork for creating an instructional video that effectively conveys your message and engages your audience.

Recording your video

Your preparation comes to life during the recording phase of your instructional video. Ensuring you speak clearly, slowly, and enthusiastically is vital, as it not only helps you deliver your message effectively but also engages your audience on a deeper level. Incorporating visual aids, such as diagrams or animations, can greatly help break down complex subjects, making them more understandable.

Moreover, keeping your viewers engaged with interactive elements like direct questions or prompts encourages active participation, enhancing the learning experience. This step transforms your script and planning efforts into a compelling and educational visual piece.

Speaking slowly and with enthusiasm

Ensure your words are articulated clearly and delivered at a measured pace to facilitate understanding. Inject enthusiasm into your delivery to captivate and maintain the audience’s attention.

Using visuals like diagrams or animations

Leverage diagrams or animations as visual tools to simplify complex concepts, aiding in clearer comprehension and longer retention among viewers. Tools and Software for Creating Engaging Visuals:

• Canva: Offers a user-friendly interface for creating diagrams and simple animations, which is suitable for non-designers.
• Adobe Spark: Provides templates and easy-to-use design features for creating animations and graphics.
• Powtoon is a web-based tool for creating animated videos with a drag-and-drop interface. It is ideal for explainer videos.
• Vyond: This program allows users to create more detailed and custom animations suitable for a range of instructional video needs.

Keeping viewer engagement with interactive elements

Boost the instructional experience by incorporating interactive elements such as direct questions or engaging prompts, prompting viewers to actively participate and deepen their engagement with the content. Examples of Interactive Elements:

• Quizzes and Polls: To encourage viewers to interact and share their opinions, quizzes or polls can be incorporated into the video or in the video description.
• Call to Action (CTA): Inviting viewers to comment their thoughts or questions on the topic, which can be addressed in future videos.
• Clickable Annotations: Add clickable annotations that lead to related videos, resources, or your website using video platforms’ features.
• Live Q&A Sessions: We host live Q&A sessions at the end of instructional videos to answer viewer questions in real-time.

Integrating these visual and interactive elements into your instructional videos can significantly enhance viewer engagement and comprehension, making the learning experience more effective and enjoyable.

Editing your video

The editing phase is critical in transforming raw footage into a polished, cohesive final product. This stage involves cutting out any parts that don’t add value, ensuring that every moment of your video is impactful and contributes to the viewer’s learning. Enhancing your video with text overlays, music, and special effects boosts its visual appeal and aids in comprehension, making the content more engaging and memorable.

Ensuring the audio is clear and devoid of background noise is equally important, as poor sound quality can significantly detract from the message. Through meticulous editing, you refine your instructional video into an effective and captivating educational or marketing tool.

Cutting parts that do not add value

Eliminate any footage that fails to contribute to the core message or viewer engagement, streamlining the content to maintain focus and deliver maximum value.

Adding text overlays, music, and special effects

Enhance your video with text overlays, engaging music, and dynamic special effects to boost its visual and auditory appeal, making the information more accessible and memorable. Free or Low-Cost Resources for Music and Effects:

• Free Music Archive: Offers a wide range of music tracks that can be used for free under Creative Commons licenses.
• Incompetech: Provides royalty-free music by Kevin MacLeod, which is usable for free with attribution.
• Bensound features a collection of music tracks available for free use with attribution and additional tracks available with a subscription.
• YouTube Audio Library: A resource provided by YouTube that offers free music and sound effects to video creators.
• Freesound: A collaborative database of Creative Commons Licensed sounds, including sound effects and ambient sounds.

Ensuring audio is clear without background noise.

Meticulously refine the audio to ensure it is crystal clear and free of background noise, allowing your message to be communicated effectively and without distraction. Tips for Improving Audio Quality Post-Recording:

• Use Noise Reduction Tools: Audacity (free) and Adobe Audition (paid) offer noise reduction features to help minimize or eliminate background noise.
• Apply Equalization (EQ): Adjusting the EQ can help enhance speech clarity by boosting frequencies where the voice is most present and reducing low-frequency rumble.
• Normalize Audio Levels: Use normalization tools in most editing software to ensure consistent volume throughout your video.
• Consider ADR: If the original audio is unusable, re-recording it in a controlled environment (Automated Dialogue Replacement or ADR) and sync it with your video.

By focusing on these editing techniques and utilizing available resources, you can significantly enhance the quality and appeal of your instructional video, making it a more effective and engaging learning tool.

Publishing your video

Publishing your video marks the culmination of your hard work, making your instructional content accessible to your audience. Selecting the right platform ensures your video finds its intended viewers. YouTube is perfect for achieving a broad reach and is ideal for general topics, whereas professional communities prefer Vimeo for its emphasis on high-quality content.

For those seeking more controlled viewing experiences, hosting the video on your website can significantly boost user engagement and direct traffic. Optimizing the video title and description for SEO enhances your content’s online discoverability. By strategically choosing where and how to publish your video, you can significantly increase its visibility and impact, effectively reaching and engaging your target audience.

Choosing the right platform for your audience

Select a platform that best matches your audience’s preferences and online behaviors, maximizing the likelihood that your video reaches and resonates with its intended viewers.

YouTube for wide reach

Leverage YouTube to access its extensive user base, ensuring your instructional video gains exposure across a broad and varied audience.

Vimeo for professional communities

Opt for Vimeo when targeting professional or creative communities, as it prioritizes high-quality content and offers a sophisticated platform for discerning viewers.

Your website for controlled viewing

Hosting your video on your website allows for a more controlled viewing experience, directly enhancing user engagement and driving targeted traffic to your site.

Optimizing video title and description for SEO

Enhance your video’s online discoverability by optimizing the title and description with relevant SEO keywords, making it easier for your target audience to find your content through search engines. Examples of Well-Optimized Titles and Descriptions

Keyword Placement Tips for SEO:

• Title: Place the main keyword towards the beginning of the title.
• Description: Use a mix of main and related keywords throughout the description. The first two sentences are crucial as they appear in search previews.
• Tags: Use both broad and specific tags related to the video content.

By carefully crafting your video’s title and description with SEO in mind, you can significantly improve its visibility on search engines and video platforms, attracting more viewers and increasing engagement.

Promoting your video

After your video is published, the next crucial step is promotion, which ensures your content reaches a broader audience and maximizes its impact. Sharing your video across social media platforms can dramatically increase its visibility and engagement, leveraging networks and communities with a vested interest in your subject matter. Embedding the video in email newsletters directly connects your audience, adding value and encouraging visits to your site or chosen platform.

Additionally, exploring paid advertising options can further extend your video’s reach, allowing you to target specific groups based on demographics or interests, thus attracting new viewers. Through these strategic promotional efforts, your instructional video can capture the attention it deserves, effectively educating and engaging many viewers.

Sharing on social media platforms

Leverage the power of social media platforms to share your video, utilizing these vast networks to significantly boost its visibility and engage with a wider audience.

Embedding in email newsletters

Increase your video’s reach by embedding it in email newsletters. This will allow you to directly connect with your audience and drive targeted traffic back to your site or video platform.

Using paid advertising for a broader reach

Enhance your video’s exposure using paid advertising, strategically targeting specific demographics or interests to draw in new viewers and expand your audience. Comparison of Advertising Platforms for Video Promotion

By strategically choosing and utilizing these advertising platforms, you can significantly enhance the visibility and impact of your instructional video, reaching your target audience more effectively and driving engagement.

Measuring success

Understanding the impact of your instructional video hinges on measuring its success effectively. This process entails analyzing viewer engagement and watch time, key indicators of how captivating your content is to the audience. Gathering feedback through comments and surveys offers invaluable insights into viewer perceptions and areas for improvement.

Crucially, adjusting future video strategies based on these insights is essential for refining your approach and boosting the overall effectiveness of your content. By diligently tracking these metrics, you can make well-informed decisions that contribute to enhancing your instructional videos, ensuring they resonate with and exceed audience expectations.

Analyzing viewer engagement and watch time

Examine viewer engagement and watch time closely to evaluate how well your video maintains the audience’s interest, offering vital insights into its effectiveness.

Gathering feedback through comments and surveys

Utilize comments and surveys to collect valuable feedback from your viewers, providing insight into their experiences and perceptions of your content.

Adjusting future video strategies based on insights

Leverage the insights from engagement analysis and viewer feedback to strategically adjust your future video content, aiming to continually enhance its appeal and effectiveness for your audience.