Online video has exploded in recent years. Thanks to mainstream platforms like YouTube, millions of videos are now available at the touch of a button. With over one billion users on YouTube alone, there’s a huge potential to reach people with your content.
Many of today’s successful videos and channels focus on teaching something or providing a tutorial. Video is a perfect medium for this, which is why today we’re going to look at three ways you can improve your how-to-videos.
3 Simple and Quick Ways to Improve Your Online Video Tutorials
Whether you’re a single person running the channel, or you're part of a larger tuition agency, your videos are going to help a lot of people learn and grow. One of the most incredible aspects of online video, is its ability to reach anyone, anywhere.
Let’s take a look at three ways you can immediately improve the quality of your online how-to-videos.
- Tell Them, Show Them, Tell Them Again
Our first piece of advice comes from a Dale Carnegie quote: “Tell the audience what you’re going to say, say it; then tell them what you’ve said.”
This quote suggests a very efficient structure for your videos. Your audience wants to know why they’re here and what they’re going to learn. Prepare them by opening your video with an explanation of what you’ll be covering.
Follow this up with a structure identical to what you outlined, and grab their attention fast. Once you’ve shown them, repeat everything again at the end with a quick conclusion so they have every opportunity they need to understand your content.
- Stay on Topic
Regardless of the medium, one of the biggest issues that educators face with online programs are a lack of preparation, which leads them to improvisation as they’re recording. This opens up the possibility for all kinds of tangents and off-topic discussion.
While technology has empowered us with more knowledge than ever, it’s also made us less focused as a species. According to a study done by Microsoft, we now have an attention span of eight seconds which is less than a goldfish. Going off-topic is an easy way to lose your viewer, so avoid that by following these simple tips:
● Create an outline that focuses on your One Thing (the main purpose of your video)
● Develop supporting topics and concepts that all relate to your One Thing.
● Make your topics short and punchy so you don’t dawdle on any one topic.
Keeping this in mind, you’ll have a solid structure for your video and it will come across more organized as a result.
- Practice Makes****Perfect
While there’s something to be said about a relaxed and candid video, it’s also important that you don’t come across unprepared. After all, the best way to teach something, is to know it completely yourself.
For this reason, you should try doing several dry runs of your video before you actually post it. If you’re posting a prerecorded video, try recording it several times and using your best take as the one you present to the world.
If you’re doing a live video stream or a webinar, then be sure to practice offline several times before you go live. This is also a great time to test all of your equipment and make sure you have backups in place, in the event that something goes wrong.
Final Thoughts
How-to- videos are a great way to impart knowledge in today’s digital world, but they require a high level of focus and preparation to truly succeed and avoid major video mistakes. Consider these tips when you film your next video and let us know how it improved your engagement in the comments!
About Garret Henry
Garret is a freelance writer, born and raised in the great state of Pennsylvania. He is passionate about all things marketing and SEO. You can find him on Twitter: @garrethenryllc1
