Create a how-to video

Business Benefits

Attract new customers with helpful how-to videos.


Choose a topic for your how-to video that can be covered in a short amount of time.

Don’t go too broad. Social media videos perform better if they’re under a minute long. If you need inspiration for your topic, look back at the frequently asked questions sent by your customers. For example, if you sell painting material, you could create a video to show how to best care for your brushes after painting with oil.

Write a storyboard for your video, with a beginning, middle and an end, to gain a visual understanding of what actions will happen in which sequence.

Draft your storyboard by either using pen and paper to draw your scenes, or use a digital tool like Google Slides’ storyboard template to plan.

Use your storyboard as a guide to write the script for your video, and include an introduction to yourself and a clear explanation of each step performed in the video.

The script will be your voiceover or dialogue in the video. If there’s no voice in your video, your script will be the text that appears on the screen. Be conversational and avoid using buzzwords or jargon, you’ll want your audience to understand you.

Do a couple of dry runs through your video before recording it, to highlight any issues in advance and identify what needs to be altered in the script or sequence of actions.

Record your video and, if including a voiceover, record your audio using tools like Audacity, GarageBand, or Audiate.

Use a dedicated microphone separate to your camera to guarantee good audio when recording your voice-over. Whether you are filming yourself or part of yourself, for example, your hands making an object, make sure there is good lighting and that the action you’re performing can be seen clearly.

If you are recording your screen, make sure the window you are recording is clutter-free and disable any notifications that could disrupt the recording.

Edit your footage using video editing software like Camtasia or iMovie and cut out anything unrelated to the explanation.

For example, cut out any long pauses, sections where the action is over-explained, and any ums and ahs. Use editing features such as zooming in or speeding up to add visual interest for the viewer. If you are struggling to cut down your video, you could always separate it out into different parts and release them separately.

Add text that matches the action being shown in each step of your video to make it easier for viewers to follow along.

Text should be on the screen long enough to be read twice.

Add royalty-free music to that matches the length and mood of your video if appropriate.

Search for music on sites such as the YouTube Audio Library or Epidemic Sound.

Review your video for clarity and test it on someone unfamiliar with the subject and rate its clarity.

Last edited by @hesh_fekry 2023-11-14T11:00:46Z