How to make great instructional videos

If you’ve ever tried to explain an abstract concept using words alone, you know how important visuals can be when trying to get your thoughts across. Creating and sharing instructional videos is a great way to make things easier to understand for customers, employees, and even colleagues. Even better, because they’re pre-recorded and can be watched at any time, instructional videos allow for knowledge sharing anytime, anywhere. Not sure where to start? When armed with the right tools, instructional videos are some of the easiest kinds of videos to make. To help get you off on the right foot on the path to instructional video nirvana, we’ve put together a roadmap that will show you how to make instructional videos, from the crucial ideating period to that polished final product. Let’s jump in.

What is an instructional video?

First, let’s talk about what an instructional video actually is. An instructional video is any video that explains a concept, shows how to do something, or answers a question in a concrete, step-by-step way. There are many types of instructional videos, but you may be most familiar with explainer videos and screen recordings. Let’s dive into the specifics.

Popular types of instructional videos

Understand the gist, but need some visuals to really get it? (We can relate.) Here are some of the most common kinds of instructional videos you’re likely to come across.

Infographic instructional videos

Often animated and usually relatively short, infographic instructional videos explain a concept or idea through the use of data visualization and other visual representations of information. These videos generally rely on strong voiceover and tend to be complemented by vibrant animations.

How-to instructional videos

One of the most common forms of instructional videos, how-to videos or tutorials are a great option for explaining the end-to-end process for, well, a process. These videos can range anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds, and break down a series of actions into numbered steps.

Demo instructional videos

Demonstration instructional videos are great when showcasing a product in action. These kinds of instructional videos can take many forms, but generally rely on custom footage to unveil a product via un-boxings, product tests, reviews, and more. Demo videos like these are great for humanizing a product and demonstrating value.

Screen recorded instructional videos

Screen recordings are super versatile videos that allow a user to record their computer screen to explain a concept, interface, or project. These videos are super useful for technical explanations of a digital interface (like website walkthroughs!), HR explainers, project deep dives, and more.

How to make instructional videos

Because instructional videos are all about clear explanations, it’s important you do the early legwork to make sure your video is as simple and straightforward as it can be. That means that instructional videos require a decent amount of prep-time. Here are a few things to keep in mind when planning and producing your instructional video:

1. Decide your video’s goal

Before you even begin the scripting process for your instructional video, decide what your key takeaways should be. Once you’ve clearly outlined your goals, continue to refer to them throughout the process. This will help you make sure you’re hewing closely to those key tenets.

2. Identify your audience

When preparing your content, it’s critical that you get clear about your intended audience. Consider what they might ask, why they’re watching this video, and what particular problem needs to be addressed. This will help ensure your video serves a need.

3. Decide your intended length

This doesn’t have to be exact, but it’s good to think about your intended platform before you jump into your video plans. If your video is intended to live only on your website, feel free to plan for a longer video (i.e. 2 – 3 minutes). If you’re planning on a social media distro plan, you’ll want to keep it much shorter (like, under a minute) so you can program it everywhere.

4. Draft an outline and storyboard

Now it’s time to outline and storyboard. Start by writing out a vague sketch of the steps you’ll want to cover and how you’ll want to visually represent them. If you’re looking to work with a conventional structure, we suggest starting with introducing the main idea, outline the steps needed to make it actionable, then include a section with a key points wrap up near the end.

5. Write the script

Now that you’ve got the critical concepts outlined and ordered, it’s time to officially write the words and visual cues you’ll use in the video itself. Make sure you’re thorough on this step! You want to make sure your instruction is super clear and easy to follow. When in doubt, speak and write like you’re explaining your concept to a friend! You can find more in-depth guidance on video script-writing here.

6. Capture and edit your instructional video

There are a couple of ways you can gather the visual and audio elements you need to make your video. Let’s outline your options.

Make it with stock footage

If you’ve got little equipment and even less time, your best option is to use content that’s all ready to go. Vimeo Create has tons of video template options (like the ones featured above!) that will allow you to customize your text and incorporate your video script without the need for uploading any new footage or audio tracks. Simply select your favorite content from our massive stock library, choose a soundtrack to match the mood, customize your text with your prepared script, then save and share your video!

Capture your screen

For those looking to explain something digitally, it’s hard to beat the ease of screen recording for capturing and sharing an instructional video that’s got clear visuals and your own audio baked in. You can use Vimeo Record, our free Chrome extension, to capture your screen, your audio, and even your webcam all in one shot. Simply start recording, say what you need to say, and share your work with the world.

Shoot it yourself

If you need to represent something IRL, we promise it’s not so hard to capture content on your own. In most cases, your phone works quite well as your primary mode of recording. Just spend a few moments making sure your light is on point (check out our full guide to lighting at home here), set your phone on a stable surface, and get to work. Then, you can upload that footage to Vimeo Create to make it easy to splice together and share with the world!

Hire a creative

If you really want to go all-in, we’re big fans of finding a creator who gets your brand and can help you accomplish your vision. For videos with high-lift visuals (like animation or drone shots), you can easily find a perfect collaborator using Vimeo For Hire.

6. Share your video

Now that your video is ready to go, consider a few things before sending it out the door. If you’re embedding on your website, make sure to include a contact form or CTA at the end of your video to drive people to your website or start capturing leads. If you’re routing to social, you can share your videos directly to the platforms of your choice with our super intuitive publish to social feature. Now get out there and show ’em how it’s done!

Make your video now