Video is the king of the digital world. Tutorials, explainers, or even educational videos are quickly becoming the most prevalent means of content delivery. But it’s not just a matter of clicking the record button. It takes preparation, creativity, and a deep sense of purpose to create an instructional video that truly engages your viewers.
In India, BYJU’s, Unacademy and small makers such as Ankur Warikoo changed the educational landscape radically. But why are some instructional videos worth watching, while others are ignored?
In this article, we will teach you the top 10 best practices for creating great instructional videos. If you’re a teacher, brand marketer or content creator, these tips will get you started in producing videos that educate, inform, and resonate with your audience.
1. Know Your Audience
Your Audience needs to be clearly defined before you begin writing or filming. Are you talking to school kids, or employees, or even casual gamers?
Example:
This is where BYJU’s – one of the biggest ed-tech websites in India – shines. Their material is specifically designed for students and covers CBSE/ICSE curriculum. They know that their audience is made up of school kids, so they use simple language, colorful graphics and games to keep them engaged.
Tip: Create audience personas. These are imaginary personas that represent your intended audience and inform the voice, vocabulary, and depth of your training videos.
2. Keep It Short and Focused
It’s easy to overdose viewers with info within a single video. Individuals are notoriously quick-witted, so keep your videos short and specific to a single subject or purpose.
Ideal Length:
For tutorials: 2-5 minutes.
For longer lessons: 10 minutes, divided into segments.
Example:
Another Indian school platform, Unacademy, frequently condenses deep topics into digestible lessons. They allow students to absorb information from one point to the next without feeling overwhelmed.
Recommendation: Choose one guiding principle per video. If you have a few more words, create a series rather than a long, single video.
3. Start with a Strong Hook
Those first few seconds of your video are everything. The vast majority of audiences choose whether or not to watch after 10 seconds.
Example:
Ankur Warikoo, the famous Indian entrepreneur and blogger, often begins his instructional videos with a familiar question or a fact that makes sense. This immediately draws attention and gets the viewer intrigued.
Tips: Always start your video with a question, statistic, or a promise to fix something your followers are struggling with.
4. Copy It, Keep It Fresh
Although you may need a well-developed script, don’t let it sound robotic. Your script should act as an example but the delivery should sound like you’re just talking.
Example:
Just look at how Academy’s teachers pronounce themselves. They dictate the lesson so that they keep the lesson cohesive and comprehensible, but still keep it fun and accessible.
Tip: Speak your script out loud a couple times before you record it. This will allow you to balance between appearing prepared and being authentic.
5. Use Visuals to Reinforce Learning
In videos that teach, pictures don’t merely add up: they’re a requirement. Humans are visual beings, and humans retain 65 percent of the information they learn in the context of a visual cue.
Example:
BYJU’s is an animated, interactive platform that helps people make abstract ideas — such as physics or mathematics — accessible. They don’t only talk about an idea; they demonstrate it and this increases retention.
Tip: Use graphics, animations, or just plain on-screen text to draw attention to the highlights of your video. This makes complicated information easier to digest.
6. Incorporate Real-World Examples
Successful instructional videos do not simply state an idea; they demonstrate the practicalities. If possible, provide examples that your readers can relate to.
Example:
In 2020, Tata Motors created driving videos for responsible driving. They didn’t just pontificate about road safety in abstract terms – they used real roads, real cars and real drivers to make their points. That made it more relatable and practical for audience members.
Tip: Connecting the abstract to real-life issues will make your content easier to remember and implement.
7. Answers and Suggestions Engage Your Audience
You don’t want your training video to be a one-way lecture. You can engage with your audience by requesting questions or getting them to stop and think.
Example:
Ankur Warikoo likes to question his listeners with questions such as “What would you do?” or “Have you experienced this problem before?” This sets the stage for learning and reflection.
TIP: If your platform supports it, add polls or quizzes to the mix. Even a simple, “Slow down and think about this for a minute” can hook the viewer.
8. Ensure High-Quality Production
High-quality production quality is more important than you would think. And no matter how good your content is, lighting issues, unsteady camera angles or bad audio can take the viewer out of your experience.
Basic Production Checklist:
- Lighting: Make sure your face and whatever is in the video are brightly lit.
- Sound: Enables you to record using an external microphone.
- Editing: Cut off unnecessary moments or typos so that the video remains sharp and clean.
Example:
Take a look at the production value of Unacademy’s videos. The videos they produce are clear and crisp, making the learning process easier.
Reminder: You don’t need fancy gear. Even a smartphone with a decent microphone and a bit of light can do wonders.
9. Clear Calls-to-Action (CTA)
Every how-to video should have a straightforward exit. Whether it’s to get viewers to try something out for themselves, or to visit your site, or to go watch the next video in the series, make sure you teach them.
Example:
BYJU’s typically finish their videos with a request to download their app for more in-depth learning. It’s easy to follow, not salesy, and provides the audience with a clear path forward.
Tip: Your CTA should not seem like a sublimation of the content. If you’ve just taught them something, encourage them to take it into their own lives or explore it with the rest of your tools.
10. Test, Analyze, and Improve
Developing a good instructional video is not a one and done proposition. Once you publish your video, measure its success. Are people tuning in for the final cut? Are they clicking on your CTAs? Use this information to make your videos better.
Example:
Unacademy regularly revises content based on reviews and stats. They also change the tempo or structure of lessons if they feel that they’re losing students halfway through a lesson.
Pro-tip: Analyze metrics such as the time watched, number of views viewed, and number of views retained using analytics tools. It’ll allow you to see what’s going well and what needs to be improved.
Conclusion
How to produce a successful instructional video does not only involve technical skills but it also involves knowing your audience, providing relevant content and constantly learning how to be better. If we’ve learned anything from the wildly successful Indian brands, such as BYJU’s, Unacademy and Tata Motors, then a good instructional video will go a long way in both teaching and brand building.
If you’re interested in spicing up your videos, both educational and promotional, then Reset Media is your guy. We are experts at producing quality, engaging videos for your audiences. Contact us today and see how we can implement your vision.