3 Steps To Create Great Instructional Videos For a DIY Audience

There are instructional videos for just about everything. I’ve looked up everything from how to recycle a mattress and make whipped frosting by hand to how to fix a sink faucet and how to give myself a haircut (this last one did not turn out so well, but I don’t blame the video). 

And I’m not alone: According to TechSmith, 71% of people have reported watching two or more instructional videos per week in 2021. 

Instructional videos empower people to embrace self-sufficiency which has created a vast community who take pride in do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. Let’s take a look at how these videos can help you enhance your brand and help your customers as well.

Your business can contribute to the internet’s collection of how-to videos by using your brand’s unique expertise to fill in knowledge gaps and provide answers to your audience’s burning questions. Here’s how. 

1. Pick a topic 

Before you make a video, you need to know what it will be about. Ask yourself:

Who is your audience? Are you trying to reach a tech-savvy audience or an audience with limited internet skills? 

What questions are your viewers asking? If you don’t already know, you can tap into a lot of different resources to find out: 

• Reviews: Perhaps your customers have posted reviews online. What are they saying? What are they asking? Perhaps they are asking general questions or specific questions related to how to use your products or service. 

• Customer service tickets: Ask team members who field customer service calls what questions (or complaints) they hear the most. This is a great way to address your customers’ biggest pain points. 

• Keyword research: Think about what expertise your business offers and on which topics. Create a list of key phrases someone might use to look up online information about these topics. Then, look up these topics by going to an incognito window on your web browser and typing these terms in Google. 

For example, if you want to find out how to edit a video on your phone, you would type “video editing on phone” into Google’s search bar. At the top of the search results page, you will likely notice ads that are relevant to your search, as well as organic pages. You may need to scroll down a little to see the “People also ask” box.

From just one search, this box gives four different commonly asked questions related to this search, including “What is the best app for video editing?” and “How do I edit a video on my Android phone?” Both of these topics would be contenders for an instructional video, if you have a business that focuses on marketing or video editing. You should research keywords related to your business and brand.

Dashboard on GetKeywords (Source)

2. Plan ahead 

Next, you'll plan the video and its timeline. To figure out the details you’ll need to know before production, consider: 

Sketching out a vision for the video

When you imagine your instructional video, what do you see? Perhaps you’ve recently seen an instructional video you really enjoyed and want to draw inspiration from. 

You’ll want to draw out a storyboard to make sure your video team is on the same page. Software such as MakeStoryBoard can make this easier for you to put together, edit, and collaborate on with your teams.

Laying out a storyboard in MakeStoryBoard (Source)

Creating a timeline

At this stage, it is also important to know what deadlines your team will need to meet at different stages of the video creation process. Perhaps you are creating this video for a specific marketing campaign, or maybe you are just testing the waters. 

When will you need the final storyboard to get approval from leadership? When will you want a rough draft? How long will it take for edits? When do you want a final draft? When do you want to publish the video? On which platforms do you want to publish the video?

Asking yourself these questions and communicating them to your team will help things run smoothly. 

Assembling the team

Without a team, your creative vision and timeline won’t matter because there won’t be anyone to see them through. Who’s on the video team? Who will be responsible for script writing? Directing? Editing? Sound? Who’s the point person to contact for this project? Who is the project manager?

Manage tasks in Asana (Source)

3. Create the video 

Once you’ve finished planning the video and putting together an amazing team, you’re ready to put together the film!

While you’re in the production and editing phases, always pay attention to the length of the film: Viewers tend to value videos that are shorter rather than longer. It’s best to aim for between three to six minutes. 

At this stage, you’ll want to make sure you’re using a video editor that is easy to use, can do everything you need it to do, and is budget-friendly. Luckily, there are free video editors out there to save the day.

Animation whiteboard in Animaker (Source)

After you create your video, you’ll need to share your masterpiece with the world. Upload your instructional video to YouTube, and get started on your next one! 

This guide walked you through how to create instructional videos to enhance your brand and help your customers, but we realize there might be other YouTube questions on your mind. Here’s a list of other YouTube-related resources on GetApp: 

• A Guide to YouTube Thumbnail Images (Dimensions, Best Practices, and Examples)

• How To Change Your YouTube Channel's Name

• How To Upload Unlisted YouTube Videos

• How Much Can You Make From YouTube?

• Here’s Everything You Need to Know About YouTube Demonetization Rules

• How To Delete a YouTube Channel in Under Five Minutes

• How To Create a YouTube Playlist in Minutes

• What is YouTube Premium, And What Does it Mean For My Business?

• How to Make Training Videos in 6 Easy Steps

• How To Create a YouTube Channel

We also recommended looking at the tools in our video making and video editing software directions, where you can compare tools’ functionality and usability, as well as read reviews from real users such as you.