We’re thrilled to introduce Ben Hancock, Commercial Director of Pulse Studio, as our guest blog post writer today. Understood has had the pleasure of working with Pulse Studio for many years, collaborating on some truly impactful and engaging training videos. Their expertise, creativity, and keen eye for detail have been invaluable to us, and we always enjoy teaming up with their talented team.

In this post, Ben shares his top seven expert tips for creating training videos that not only educate but leave a lasting impression. We’re excited to share his insights with you!

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As the video production team at Understood & Pulse Studio, we’ve spent years helping organisations and businesses with training video production that actually delivers results and achieves learning objectives. 

We understand putting together a video that’s both engaging and educational can feel like a daunting task, so whether you’re looking to train employees, onboard new team members, or just share your know-how, these tips will help you create videos that truly make an impact.

1. Start with clear learning objectives

First things first—before you even think about pressing that record button, it’s crucial to nail down your learning objectives. What do you want your viewers to walk away with? Having clear goals not only helps keep you on track but also ensures your audience knows exactly what they’re getting from your video.

Pro Tip: Use clear, actionable language in your objectives. Think along the lines of “Learn how to…” or “By the end of this video, you’ll be able to…”. It keeps everything focused and on point. We like to distil a bullet point list so we’re not trying to cram too many learning objectives into a single piece of content.

2. Keep it short and sweet

Let’s face it—nobody has the time (or the attention span) for a marathon training session. That’s why it’s super important to keep your videos concise and to the point. Focus on the key information and save the deep dives for follow-up materials (pdfs, landing pages) or a series of shorter videos.

Pro Tip: Aim for videos in the 2-5 minute range. Trust us, your content will have more impact!

3. Invest in good quality visuals and sound

We can’t stress this enough—quality matters. Even the best content can fall flat if it’s presented with poor visuals or bad audio. Good lighting, clear visuals, and crisp sound go a long way in keeping your audience engaged.

Pro Tip: If you’re showing software or screen demos, make sure your screen recording is high-resolution (we capture 4K then have the ability to zoom in during post-production to further engage viewers). And if you’re including voiceover in your video, it’s generally worth getting in a professional unless you have a specific reason not to. If recording yourself, then a good external mic with a small amount of post-processing will make the world of difference.

4. Get your audience involved with interactive elements

Training doesn’t have to be a one-way street! Adding interactive elements like quizzes, polls, or clickable links can turn passive viewers into active participants, making the learning process way more engaging.

Pro Tip: Use tools like YouTube’s interactive cards or e-learning platforms that let you embed quizzes and other interactive features directly into the video. It’s a great way to keep your audience engaged and ensure they aren’t just hitting the play button and switching off!

5. Show, don’t just tell – use real-world examples

We’re all about bringing content to life, and there’s no better way to do that than with real-world examples. Whether it’s a case study, a scenario, or just a simple example, showing how things work in practice helps your audience connect the dots.

Pro Tip: Use examples that your audience can relate to. If you’re training employees, use scenarios from their day-to-day work. If you’re educating customers, tie it back to how they’ll use your product or service.

6. Keep the tone conversational and friendly

Nobody wants to feel like they’re being lectured at, right? Keeping the tone conversational makes your videos feel more personal and approachable. It’s like having a chat with a friend who’s explaining something interesting —they’re more likely to hang around and listen.

Pro Tip: When you’re recording, imagine you’re talking directly to one person. It helps to make the tone more relaxed and less robotic. And don’t worry if you stumble over a word or two—it can add to the authenticity or we’ll just edit it out!

7. Don’t forget about accessibility – add captions and transcripts

Making your videos accessible is key to reaching a wider audience. Adding captions and providing transcripts not only helps those with hearing impairments but also benefits anyone who prefers reading along or needs a translation.

Pro Tip: Be sure to double-check any captions for accuracy—automated captions can sometimes get a little creative with words and although potentially entertaining this isn’t going to have the desired result.

Final thoughts

And there you have it—our top tips for creating training videos that don’t just educate but deliver results. We believe that great training videos are all about clarity, engagement, and a little bit of fun. Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to level up your existing content, we hope these tips help with any videos you produce going forward.

Remember, we’re here to help make your training more impactful. So if you’re ready to take your training videos to the next level, give us a shout.