The phrase How-To significantly impacts how people search and learn new things on the internet, in whatever they are interested in.
A higher percentage of the internet-savvy population of the world would subconsciously add “how-to” to their search query whenever they are searching for knowledge about something or troubleshooting a challenge they were facing.
You’ve probably searched for one of these examples:
- How to fix a smart watch strap
- How to plan a wedding
- How to contribute to Open Source
- How to grow a YouTube account from zero
- How to learn JavaScript in one week
The list goes on to infinity; you get the idea 😁.
So, if you are considering creating a “how-to” video for your next content, it is paramount that you observe the best practices.
Why? because it helps you offer relevant solutions to your audience and, by so doing, rank higher on Google search.
Let’s jump right into it 🚀
- Define Your Audience: Understand the skill level, background, and familiarity of your target audience AND
- Set Clear Objectives: Determine the specific goals of your instructional videos. What do you want your audience to learn and achieve at the end of the video? Write that down.
- Plan Your Content: Organize your content to follow a logical and structured outline. Keep the video concise, focus on essential information, and break down complex topics into smaller, digestible segments.
- Visual and Audio Quality: Ensure you record your video in a quiet environment. A quality video and audio production helps the audience focus on the information and not get distracted by any background noise. Use a good microphone to record clear audio, speak clearly and at moderate pace, and maintain consistent lighting and video quality.
- Hands-On Demonstration: Include a practical, step-by-step demonstration of key processes by showing actual examples of tasks, commands, or actions.
- Use Visual Aids: Use on-screen annotations, callouts, and highlights to draw attention to key points or actions. Be creative with engaging visuals like screen captures, sounds, animations, and graphics to support your content. It keeps the audience glued 😉.
- Provide Context: Explain why the information is important and connect people to real scenarios or challenges they might encounter.
- Accessibility: Provide closed captions or subtitles for accessibility. Consider creating a transcript for viewers who prefer to read or refer back to written content.
- Seek Feedback / Test & Edit: Share your video with a few people to gather feedback and make improvements. Review and edit your video for clarity, conciseness, and correctness. Make sure all the information you are sharing is correct.
Summary / Takeaway
At the end, what matters most is how the audience feels after watching your video.
Did they find the solution they were looking for?
Did they learn something new?
This means the success of your “how-to” video lies in its ability to help people feel comfortable with what they just learned and confident in solving the challenge they were facing.
Happy creating!🎉
