A Guide to Instructional Video Types

Instructional films are an excellent way to provide employees and students with learning, training, and educational content. Videos are more interesting than textbooks and more visually appealing than emails, allowing viewers to absorb and retain information more effectively. This makes them immensely more successful as a training tool, and they can also be used as terrific evergreen content to increase your digital marketing ROI and attract new clients. Choosing the appropriate instructional video to convey your message is nearly as crucial as the message itself. Depending on the content you want to provide, the proper style of instructional film will be more effective than others. However, instructional videos may do more than just educate viewers; they can also help you build your business. Businesses that provide educational information to potential clients can establish themselves as industry experts and gain the trust of their audience. Furthermore, including video content on your website might help to increase traffic and social media engagement.

What is an instructional video?

In a word, instructional films are visual aids that show viewers how to perform a task or explain a subject, technique, or concept. The finest instructional films integrate visual effects, text, and audio to create an engaging and visually appealing experience. An educational video may also include animations, visuals, and on-screen annotations to emphasize key points and make the content more focused and consumable.

Of course, the benefits of instructional films aren’t just for the viewers; they’re also quite simple (and enjoyable) to create. Once you begin generating your instructional films, you may find that they can help simplify your concepts, ideas, and processes while making both the teaching and learning process much simpler.

The most popular sorts of instructional videos

The beautiful thing about instructional videos is that they may cover any topic. For example, an instructional film could be a product demonstration, a how-to guide, a software tutorial, or a safety process – the choices are limitless!

So let’s take a deeper look at some of the most popular sorts of instructional videos.

1. Micro-videos

Microvideos are quick educational videos that focus on a single topic without getting into too much detail. The phrase “micro-video” is essentially a fancy name for “short video.” They are intended to be extremely brief, usually lasting less than a minute. Micro-videos, like many other sorts of video content, can be extremely polished or very informal, depending on its purpose and intended audience. Furthermore, micro-videos can convey a specific message without overloading viewers with information. Microvideos help viewers learn a new skill or gain information on a certain subject rapidly because they focus on a single topic.

When should you utilize a micro-video?

You can use a microvideo to teach or explain a simple idea in a few stages. For example, a micro-video could be ideal for demonstrating how to use a new software function. More difficult notions, on the other hand, may be divided into logical steps, each with its micro-video. Some teachers avoid long-form videos since many feel that micro-videos provide the same results but with higher audience engagement. This method also gives you more control over the speed of learning and makes the knowledge more digestible. Microvideos are commonly used to teach a skill, but they can also be used to communicate knowledge or information, as well as to educate soft skills.

2. Tutorial videos

Tutorial videos (also known as “how-to” videos) are the most common instructional approach for teaching a procedure or providing step-by-step instructions. They are typically two to ten minutes long. Unlike micro-videos, lesson videos explain more complex processes and frequently provide detailed instructions and follow-along help. Interactive components, such as quizzes, can help catch the viewer’s interest and make tutorial videos better. Understanding the goal of the video and who will be seeing it is critical to determining how polished it should be. For example, if you’re creating a lesson film for an audience outside of your organization, such as consumers or clients, you’ll probably want to give it a more professional appearance. However, if it is a lesson video for staff training or internal communication, it can be as professional or informal as necessary.

When should you utilize a tutorial video?

Tutorial videos, like micro-videos, can teach almost anything, and there are no restrictions on when or how they should be used. Essentially, if you ever need to teach a procedure or give essential knowledge on how to enhance talent, a tutorial film will be really useful.

3. Training videos

They are an effective tool for developing employees’ professional skills and addressing interpersonal issues that are critical to sustaining a healthy work environment. While there are some obvious parallels with tutorial videos, training videos are mainly focused on enhancing job-specific abilities and covering work-related themes like compliance and health and safety training. Training videos are also more likely to include footage of real individuals, which can be used to generate real-life scenarios. This may also assist the trainer in connecting with the trainees. However, like with other video content, there are no established guidelines, therefore this is not required when creating a training film. Visual aids such as animations and graphics can be equally effective in generating entertaining and instructive training movies. The most important thing to remember is that the greatest training videos will assist firms in improving employee knowledge and performance while fostering a positive culture of learning and development.

When to use a training video?

Employers, trainers, and HR departments may use training videos to onboard new employees, introduce new processes or technology, and provide refresher training. Businesses can, however, use training videos to teach staff about any topic or process. This form of instructional video is frequently utilized in settings when live video is appropriate, as the interpersonal connection can improve knowledge retention.

4. Explainer videos

An explainer video is similar to a modern-day lift pitch, and the best ones are short (30 seconds to a few minutes). They’re also intended to instantly attract the viewer’s attention while simplifying ideas, products, and services. These movies are a popular approach for businesses to present and explain complicated (and sometimes simple) subjects in an interesting and visually appealing manner. While not necessarily necessary, some explainer videos will incorporate animation, graphics, and voiceovers to help capture the viewer’s attention and impart information. One of the key advantages of explainer films is their ability to convey information in a concise, engaging, and amusing manner. Explainer videos may also be quickly shared on social media sites, making them a low-cost and effective approach to reaching a big audience.

When to utilize an explanatory video?

Businesses use explainer movies to present a new product or service to prospective clients, helping them understand how it works and why it’s valuable. It’s a basic concept, but after you’ve completed a well-polished explainer film, there are numerous ways it may be used and distributed. For example, effective explainer videos can be used as marketing material in advertisements and on social media. Businesses may also add explainer movies on their website, making them the first thing prospective buyers see when shopping online.

5. Lectures or Presentations

A recording of your lecture or presentation is an efficient approach to increase the reach of your material and allow people to learn at their own pace. Viewers can now pause, rewind, or fast-forward to areas they may have missed or did not completely grasp the first time. By offering this level of flexibility, you can make your instructional content more accessible while fostering a better grasp of the material. This type of instructional film does not have to be complex to develop. You could, for example, construct a simple visual and audio presentation using only your slides and voice. Or, for a more professional appearance, you could set up a camera (or cameras if you intend to record your own TedTalk!) to accompany your presentation.

When should you use a lecture or presentation video?

When you wish to make it available to a larger audience or share it with folks who were unable to attend the live event, lecture, or presentation videos come in handy. By doing so, the users can attend your lecture or view your presentation whenever they want and feel. Also, it helps build trust in your audience when you provide them with the material.

6. Screencasts

Screencasts are videos generated using screen recordings to teach or share knowledge. You could even build a screencast that shows how to use a screen recording to generate an instructive film! While screencasts are not a distinct sort of instructional video, they can be used to generate any of the videos discussed in this article. They are typically shorter, more informal, and aimed at a smaller audience than instructional videos.

The advantage of screencasts is that they allow the instructor to swiftly extract material from their screen to answer a question or clarify a concept. Many screencasts are called “disposable” videos since they may be created quickly and with little production value. They serve a specific purpose for a limited time. However, this does not mean that screencasts cannot bring long-term benefits. For example, a well-crafted software lesson video may be valuable for months (or even years!) and might be used to onboard new team members or educate consumers.

When should you utilize screencasts?

Screencasts are ideal for informally providing brief instructions. For example, if you know your audience will be limited and the stakes are low, creating a brief screencast is an excellent method to visually express a concept, answer a question, or solve a problem.

Avoid these instructional video blunders.

While generating videos is simple in many respects, there is still room for error. If you’ve read this far, you should be ready to create your first instructional video; but, you should also consider the most typical mistakes individuals make so that you can prevent them.

1. Focusing on equipment: If you are just getting started, don’t get distracted or overwhelmed by fancy equipment. It is far more vital to learn the fundamentals and focus on honing your video-making skills.

2. Striving for perfection: While it can be difficult to let go of the need to perfect every detail, being a perfectionist can also cost you a lot of time, and we believe it is far better to release an engaging and creative video than to spend an unnecessary amount of time on things that most people will not notice.

3. Targeting the incorrect audience: Make sure you understand your audience and design your video with them in mind.

4. Explaining stages too broadly: The goal of an instructional film is to give clear, concise, and explicit directions. So, make sure to clearly explain each step and provide graphics to help everyone comprehend.

Final words

With these instructional video formats in mind, you may begin producing your own. If you’re experiencing problems, remember that you should have a clear goal in mind for your film. Consider writing a narrative and, for certain sorts of instructional videos, a storyboard. This will help you stay focused and deliver a consistent message to your audience. That will help you hold their attention and ensure that your message resonates.