The use of videos to acquire new knowledge and abilities has exploded in recent years. In fact, 83% of consumers in our most recent survey on video viewing habits said they would rather watch a video than read or listen to instructions.
In addition, 52% of respondents said they regularly see educational or informative videos anywhere from twice to ten times each week.
If you’re still passing along information through impossibly long emails or archaic user guides, you’re, at best, behind the times.
Worst case scenario: you alienate potential customers and perplex your coworkers.
The importance of producing informative and instructive videos for both internal and external audiences should not be underestimated. However, if you’ve never made a video before, deciding what to do might be difficult.
Never fear. Creating engaging, amusing, and effective videos is easier than you would believe.
Listed here are five videos that everyone may create right now without any prior experience or expensive equipment.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- What is an instructional video?
- Five types of instructional videos that get the job done quickly and easily
- Why you don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment to make highly effective videos
- How making videos can be easier than sending an email
What is an Instructional Video?
It may sound obvious, but just so we’re all on the same page, an instructional video is any video that demonstrates how to accomplish anything.
This can range from demonstrating a procedure (either physically or in a software program) to teaching softer skills, such as leadership training, customer service training, etc.
How Long Should an Instructional Video Be?
Instructional videos ideally can be of any length, but the shorter they are, the better. Our research revealed that the majority of individuals favor video lengths between 5 and 19 minutes.
Make your videos as long as necessary to complete the task but as brief as feasible. I refer to this as “properly scaling” the video.
What Equipment Do I Need to Start Making Instructional Videos?
Source: Backstage
Posh cameras, pricey microphones, and intricate lighting setups can all help you create highly professional and polished videos.
However, you do not need them. Minimal equipment is required to create videos of a highly effective and professional standard.
As a minimum, you must have the following:
- A computer
- A camera
- An audio microphones
That is all!
In reality, it is more important to determine which software you require.
I use Snagit for quick screencasts (we’ll talk more about these later) and videos that require minimal editing. If your video needs a few more bells and whistles, Camtasia is probably what you need.
However, here’s a pro tip: For optimal results, I strongly suggest selecting both options.
5 Types of Instructional Videos You Should Try Out
Yes, we know there are many types of instructional videos, but there are a few that you can easily make to attain favorable results.
So, without any further ado, let’s get started.
Micro Video
So, let’s get this straight: “micro-video” is just a fancy way of saying “short video.”
Micro videos are extremely brief, narrowly-focused instructional videos that typically teach a single topic. Typically, they last less than one minute. Depending on your needs, they can be highly polished and professional or very informal.
When to use a micro video:
Use micro videos whenever a simple concept must be taught in a few steps. You may create a one-time video demonstrating a new software function. Or, for more difficult ideas, make a series of micro-videos that divide the issue into logical segments.
As instructors shy away from the long-form video, micro videos provide the same results with greater audience engagement.
This strategy also permits greater control over the pace of learning and facilitates the consumption of learning content.
While micro videos are most commonly used to teach a skill, they can also be used to share information or knowledge or to teach soft skills.
Tutorial Video
A tutorial video (also known as a “how-to” video) is the preferred method of instruction for teaching a process or walking through the steps required to complete a task.
Tutorial videos are typically between two and ten minutes long and employ multiple instructional methods, including direct instruction, follow-along guidance, and even quizzes and interactive elements.
It is preferable for these to be as polished and professional as possible for external audiences. However, instructional videos are also incredibly useful within your organization.
They can be as formal or informal as required for internal training.
Imagine a library of video tutorials that your H.R. department can use to provide basic training on how to use various onboarding systems. Those would likely require some additional polishing.
To demonstrate to a coworker how to locate a certain report in Google Analytics, I can create brief video tutorials from my desk. This does not need to be formal or elegant but is nonetheless useful.
When to use tutorial videos:
Tutorial videos can be used to teach virtually anything. There are no strict guidelines for determining when to utilize them.
A tutorial video is important if you need to explain a procedure or give essential information on how to enhance talent.
In this example, the teacher presents the program and guides the user through the stages of video recording, editing, and sharing. It is a basic tutorial video that exhibits the straightforward teaching typically found in such videos.
Training Videos
Like lesson videos, training videos increase someone’s skills. Unlike tutorial videos, which often focus on more technical abilities or procedures, training videos frequently address interpersonal problems, such as compliance and harassment training or job-related themes.
There is an undeniable overlap between training videos and tutorial videos, and the terms are occasionally used interchangeably.
It is common for training videos to include footage of actual individuals to strengthen the connection between teacher and learner, although this is not required.
When to use training videos:
Training videos can instruct virtually any procedure. In scenarios that lend themselves to live video and where the human connection would boost material retention, training videos are frequently employed.
Capture of presentation and lecture
This is one of my favorite methods for creating instructional videos, and it’s useful in more ways than you might expect.
Primarily, recording a lecture or presentation allows the audience to receive the information at their convenience. It enables them to consume as much or as little as they can at any given time, and as with the other videos in this section, they can review it as necessary.
This may involve recording only the slides and audio for a presentation, or it may involve recording the slides, camera(s), and professional audio.
Typically, lecture and presentation captures are longer than tutorial videos, spanning the duration of the lecture or presentation. This makes them more time-consuming to consume and requires a greater level of audience investment.
When to use presentation video:
To make a presentation or lesson available for later review or for an audience that was unable to attend the live event.
Pro tip: Use a presentation video to “flip” a meeting or even replace it.
One of my favorite things we do at BuzzFlick is distributed meeting-essential information via video. In this approach, everyone is prepared to debate a topic and make choices at the meeting rather than having to sit through and analyze information in real-time.
Or, for purely informative meetings, we frequently record a brief presentation with whatever data or information was discussed and distribute it to the team.
Now, individuals may watch the video whenever they have the time, rewind and review it as necessary, and view it at their own pace. They may still return with questions or concerns, but it is no longer necessary for everyone to be present in the same room (or Zoom conference) at the same time.
As content lead at BuzzFlick, I am frequently required to give information on SEO performance, etc.
Instead of calling a meeting every time I want to communicate anything, I grab my data, launch Snagit, and create a sloppy video highlighting what I believe to be significant.
Now, they receive everything they require in a fraction of the time it used to take to bring people together for 30 to 60 minutes.
Screencast
Despite the fact that a screencast is not strictly a distinct sort of instructional video, it is an efficient method for creating any of the videos covered in this article.
A screencast is a recording of a computer screen that is intended to provide information or instruct someone on how to complete an activity.
Screencasts are often brief, casual, and meant for a more limited audience than training videos.
Screencasts allow instructors to rapidly capture material on their screen in order to respond to a query or clarify a difficult idea.
Typically, screencasts are considered “disposable” videos, meaning they may be created fast, with a low production value, for a specific purpose, and have a short lifespan.
However, they do not have to be! A successful software training video might be helpful for months or perhaps years.
When to use screencast:
Screencasts are ideal for providing rapid, informal education. When the audience is small, and the risks are low, a fast screencast is an excellent approach to visually convey a concept or answer a question/solve an issue.
Start Making Your Instructional Videos Today
So, these are the five different types of instruction videos you should make. Even if you’re not a pro video maker, you have plenty of video production software like Camtasia and Snagit in your hand.
However, if you have just stepped into the video marketing world, then we are here to help! As an educational video production company, we create different types of instructional videos that can facilitate you in explaining your ideas in a fun and engaging way.
Various Types of Instructional Videos – FAQs
How many types of instructional videos are there?
Primarily, there are five different types of instructional videos:
- Micro videos
- Tutorial video
- Training video
- Lecture and presentation capture
- Screencast
What are examples of educational videos?
- Lecture with slides
- Talking head
- On location lecture
- Interview
- Documentary
- Demonstration
- Drawing a diagram or concept
- Lightboard video
How much does it cost to create a simple instructional video?
Instructional videos are like explainer videos. The pricing of an explainer video is approximately around $2,500 to $5,000 per minute.
What is an instructional video called?
An instructional video is also known as an educational video/how-to video.
What are the types of instructional media?
There are seven different types of instructional media:
- Pictures
- Realia
- Boards
- Coursebook
- Computer-based technology
- Flipcharts
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An animation enthusiast who enjoys explaining complex animation techniques, mediums, and videos. Her love for animated films drives her. In her spare time, she enjoys watching animated films from Pixar, Disney, and Illumination productions.
