15 Effective How-To Video Ideas & How to Come Up With Your Own

What to consider when coming up with how-to video ideas

When choosing how-to video ideas and concepts, you should keep a few things in mind. Taking care of these considerations can help you achieve the best results for your brand and your audience alike.

Your expertise

First, you need to consider your expertise and the best ways to use this in your content. What skills or knowledge can you share, and how does your experience set you apart? By understanding what you bring to the table, you can produce content with a purpose.

Your audience

Next, it’s time to consider the audience your content needs to serve. This awareness can help you ideate in a way that responds directly to audience needs and interests. What kind of education do people look for from your brand? What consumer pain points can your how-to videos address? This will help you create efficiently and effectively.

Your offer

Similarly, it’s important to understand how your how-to videos relate to your brand’s offer. Do your videos clarify specific product or service details? By crafting content that aligns with your brand, you can improve brand awareness and use your how-to videos as part of a broader sales and marketing strategy.

Your skills

Last but not least, you need to be aware of your video production skills and how these will affect your content. Are you a confident video editor with the capacity to craft complex clips? Or would you feel more comfortable sticking to the editing basics? It’s okay to rely on tools that help you create within your comfort zone. This way, you’ll be able to consistently achieve the best-quality results.

How to come up with engaging how-to ideas: 5 ways

For many how-to video creators, coming up with good ideas can feel like a challenge! Fortunately, there are many options you can turn to when you want to feel inspired and spark a great idea. Try these avenues!

Do your research

When you’re running low on how-to video ideas, research is your friend. Turn to common search engines, like Google, or search Answer the Public for popular search terms. Alternatively, comb through social media content. Broadly researching within your niche can help you learn what people are searching for. You can gain inspiration from other video creators or fill a content gap with missing information.

Best for: Video creators who are looking for a broad understanding of potential ideas and existing content within their industry.

Ask your audience

Often, your audience can be the best source of inspiration – and understanding. Using your social media accounts, ask your consumers what kinds of tutorials they would find helpful. Host surveys, polls, and interviews that invite people to share their perspectives. This allows you to base your ideation on real market research. You can ensure that your content responds to what people want from your brand.

Best for: Brands who want to get to know their viewers and make videos that directly support the interests of their existing audience.

Use Chat GPT

Increasingly, businesses and creators are turning to the power of artificial intelligence to spark new creativity. Use an AI tool like Chat GPT to gain a sweeping view of how-to videos within your niche, and ask the software to help you generate a list of potential video ideas. This will give you access to a wide range of concepts you might not think of on your own.

Best for: Creators who are feeling stuck on content ideas and want to test the ability of AI content creation tools.

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Analyze your competitors

Your competitors can help you come up with great how-to video ideas! Watch content from other creators within your industry. Which styles and topics are evergreen? Do you notice any missing details or inclusions? While it’s important to make sure that your content is original, learning from others can be valuable in helping you achieve the best quality.

Best for: Video producers who want to better understand their market and which other how-to videos their content will compete against.

Address common queries

Finally, look for opportunities to craft content that addresses common queries your brand receives. Do you often find yourself answering the same questions or helping customers troubleshoot? These patterns can help you identify what your audience really needs from your video. This ensures that your content offers all-important value.

Best for: Creators who want their content to directly solve customer pain points and concerns, in addition to saving time on resolving queries.

15 how-to video ideas and examples to inspire you

Looking for a few easy, effective how-to video ideas to get you started? Here are 15 of our top picks, plus some examples to use as inspiration.

1. Teach a specific task

Sometimes, a simple how-to video can make a big impact!

Use video content to teach users how to complete a specific task related to your brand and its offer.

By focusing on a single task, you can avoid overwhelming your audience and create short, easy-to-watch videos. This also leaves plenty of ideas for future how-to content!

In the long run, these videos will support your brand strategy and value offer in addition to driving extra traffic results.

Example: Open a New Google Doc in Google Drive by Google Workspace

Strengths:

• Offers valuable insights
• Communicates succinctly
• Uses easily understandable language
• Walks audiences through a specific process

2. Show a how-to hack

Hack videos are popular, and for good reason!

Create video content that offers quick tips and hacks to help users make the most of products or services.

By crafting entertaining how-to hack videos, you can provide real, actionable value that builds trust and generates interest around your brand.

Over time, you can continue to share more simple hacks that make people’s lives easier, all while benefiting from high engagement results on your content.

Example: 6 Mascara Hacks You Need to Know by Denitslava Makeup

Strengths:

• Presents relevant, closely related hacks
• Guides users towards better results
• Communicates clearly and effective
• Focuses on broadly applicable solutions

3. Talk to an expert

Speaking with an expert can offer a major credibility boost.

Interview an expert or thought leader within your niche, and use this as an opportunity to deliver value how-to information and insights.

When you connect with established voices, you can benefit from more advanced expertise and build more trust for your audience.

Expert-led how-to videos may even help drive more traffic to your accounts and improve your reach in the future.

Example: Simon Sinek Masterclass: The Key Steps to Finding Your Purpose by High Performance

Strengths:

• Relies on the sights of an established industry leader
• Responds to key questions relevant to the audience
• Communicates impactfully and effectively
• Uses a style that connects easily with viewers

4. Produce a step-by-step guide

A step-by-step guide offers comprehensive educational value.

Produce a how-to video that walks viewers through an end-to-end process, helping them follow along and get the most out of your product or service.

By offering clear, detailed steps, you can give users access to a valuable resource they can return to time and time again.

This how-to idea will support the value of your brand and may even help people build more trust in you and your content.

Example: The New Riverside | Full Riverside Platform Walkthrough [2023] by Riverside.fm

Strengths:

• Offers comprehensive yet easy-to-understand steps
• Covers a full platform’s use and process from end to end
• Communicates ideas in a simple, accessible way
• Includes graphic elements to assist understanding

5. Create a how-to animation

Effective design can help users stay engaged while watching video content.

Use animations and design elements to enhance your video’s value and engagement potential while highlighting key concepts and ideas.

Well-structured animated videos allow you to incorporate clear branding materials while capturing and maintaining a high level of visual interest.

Your animated how-to clips will get people interested in your future content and could even help you build a loyal audience.

Example: Fonolo | Explainer Video by Animation Explainers

Strengths:

• Includes clear, engaging animated elements
• Incorporates effective branding details
• Uses moving graphics to maintain visual interest
• Illustrates spoken materials with design support

6. Interview a user

In many cases, your users or customers are the best source of information!

Interview a user or consumer on the best ways to use your product or service, and share this perspective with other members of your brand’s audience.

Talking to real users can provide trust in the form of social proof, all while helping you build your market understanding. Alternatively, you can connect with staff members!

Better yet, user interviews are an endless source of content opportunity! Over time, you can continue to connect with additional consumers willing to share their experience.

Example: How to Improve Your Metabolic Flexibility with Lumen by Dr. Morgan Nolte

Strengths:

• Highlights valuable perspectives and teachings
• Showcases real-world applications
• Answers high-impact, relevant questions
• Articulates value quickly and succinctly

7. Produce a mini tutorial

Thanks to the advent of short-form videos, mini-tutorials are powerful.

Craft a short-form how-to video tutorial that you can use to showcase a specific concept, idea, or product feature.

Mini how-to videos can often be repurposed as YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, TikTok videos, and more. This helps you expand your reach.

You can create short how-to videos quickly and easily, maintaining audience interest by sharing new content frequently in a variety of online destinations.

Example: Cricut Joy Tutorial For Beginners by Design Bundles

Strengths:

• Delivers impactful information in a short timeframe
• Uses an easily repurposable format and aspect ratio
• Communicates simply using clear steps with great reach potential
• Guides viewers through the basics of a specific process

8. Highlight various uses

Want to offer a different way to use your product or service?

Produce a how-to video that highlights an alternative use your customers can benefit from. Show users a new way to take advantage of product features.

When you highlight alternative use cases, you can prove the true value of your products by showcasing their diversity.

Unique uses can even expand to a simple video series! Plus, you can invite your audience to share their own out-of-the-box ideas.

Example: 8 Alternative Uses for Transit by Andrew Huang

Strengths:

• Showcases a wide range of use options
• Provides comprehensive how-to information
• Uses visual elements to support communication
• Relies on clear, accessible language and content delivery

9. Answer your FAQs

A good how-to video can be an opportunity to answer frequently asked questions.

Use your video content to respond to common queries and offer necessary clarity on customer concerns.

Answering FAQs allows you to target your audience directly and offer the value your viewers are really looking for.

Eventually, you may notice you’re receiving new and different questions. You can use these to create an updated FAQ response video.

Example: Answering FAQs About Our Guest Communication Services | Guesty Product Webinar by Guesty

Strengths:

• Relies on expert responses to common questions
• Addresses queries clearly and effectively
• Incorporates screenshare and design where relevant
• Maintains an accessible, inclusive communication style

10. Bust common myths

Some how-to videos focus on clearing up myths and misconceptions.

Craft a myth-busting how-to video that helps you eliminate untruths and resolve common misunderstandings related to your brand.

Busting myths can help you build greater clarity around your products or services, helping your audience understand you better.

As time goes on, you may even identify more opportunities to bust myths and clarify details for your viewers.

Example: Busting Hair Care Myths! Build-Up, Silicones and More by Lab Muffin Beauty Science

Strengths:

• Includes informed advice and expertise
• Respond to common beliefs within a specific niche
• Targets the audience with tailored communication styles
• Focuses on key concerns and areas of interest

11. Collaborate with other brands

Brand collaborations can be valuable for how-to content.

Connect with another brand relevant to your own, and work together to create a how-to video that will serve both of your audiences.

Brand collaborations allow you to introduce new ideas and someone else’s perspective. They can even help you access a new audience, improving content reach.

As you continue to build your content base, you can look for new collaboration opportunities and create a strong, effective professional network.

Example: How to Create Video Podcasts on Riverside and Publish Directly to Spotify (through Anchor) by Riverside.fm

Strengths:

• Combines two closely linked brands
• Showcases a variety of great uses and applications
• Highlights the value of the relevant products and services
• Emphasizes the impact of both associated brands

12. Capture real-time use

Often, the best solution is to show your product or service in use.

Create a how-to walkthrough video that shows the real, unfiltered process of completing a specific task.

Real-time use clips can help you emphasize the simplicity of your product or service in addition to providing social proof that builds consumer trust.

These videos also offer a chance for you to get your audience involved, even creating effective user-generated content that serves a how-to purpose.

Example: How to Use Chat GPT Open AI for Beginners by The AI Advantage

Strengths:

• Uses screenshare to show real-time use
• Includes narration to describe actions
• Shows all steps clearly and comprehensively
• Invites viewers to replicate use process

13. Share your screen

Screensharing can be a helpful tool when recording digital how-to guides.

Produce a tutorial video that uses screen sharing functionalities to show users exactly which steps to take and how to execute them.

A high-quality screenshare how-to video can help your audience feel confident using your product or service and resolve common troubleshooting concerns.

Ultimately, sharing your screen and capturing a how-to video could help you grow your brand. Tutorial content may drive more traffic and help users make the most of features.

Example: How to Auto Post TikTok Videos on Plann by Plann

Strengths:

• Shares important on-screen elements clearly
• Narratives steps slowly and comprehensively
• Communicates in an accessible tone of voice
• Targets a broad audience with visual and audio engagement

14. Correct common mistakes

Do your customers often make the same mistakes with regard to your product?

Record a how-to video that corrects common mishaps and offers better solutions. Teach your consumers how to achieve better results with your product or service.

By correcting mistakes via video, you can ensure that your consumers see the real value your brand offers. You may even be able to avoid bad reviews!

As an added benefit, using a how-to video to teach your customers could save you time that would otherwise be required from your support team.

Example: Correcting Voice-Over Mistakes: Editing in Audacity by Gary Terzza VoiceOver Coach

Strengths:

• Addresses common software errors and mishaps
• Offers clear, easy-to-navigate solutions
• Communicates directly with the video audience
• Shows the on-screen process using visual materials

15. Expand on other tutorials

Finally, you can create how-to videos that expand on previous content!

Review your old how-to videos and written step-by-step guides. Create a video that updates old information, expands on uncovered ideas, or delivers content in a new way.

By expanding on existing how-to materials, you can ensure that you’re always providing the latest, most up-to-date information while curating a consistent content approach.

Your audience can refer back to your previous content and consume new updates for a more comprehensive understanding of your brand and its offer.

Example: How to Make YouTube Clips (Free, Fast & Easy) by Riverside.fm

Strengths:

• Communicates clearly, comprehensively, and impactfully
• Uses high-quality video and audio to enhance professionalism
• Expands on previous videos detailing broader processes
• Showcases an easy-to-follow step-by-step process

FAQs on how-to video ideas

Still unsure about how-to video ideas? Here are our answers to a few frequently asked questions.

How do you make a good video idea?

So much goes into making a great how-to video! Think carefully about what your audience is looking for and how you can create content that helps them get more out of your brand. A video that focuses on these elements will be a success!

How do people come up with video ideas?

Video ideas are all around you! Refer to other content within your niche. Talk to industry colleagues and to your audience. Look for patterns in troubleshooting or misconceptions. Do your research online and on social media. All of these are great ways to get inspired.

What types of videos get the most views?

Every video is unique, which means that there’s no one recipe to gaining a high number of views. However, how-to videos have been proven as a highly successful video category on popular sites like YouTube. This means that tutorial content can be an excellent growth opportunity!

Final thoughts

Are you ready to create a how-to video that shows off the best of your brand? Don’t wait to make a start! Capture studio-quality video results with Riverside today.