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Wadd Enderas

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ago

Striking the balance between informative and engaging in tutorial videos

When creating tutorial videos, on any subject, what is your approach to finding a good way to maintain and convey all the information you want to get across, while keeping the video entertaining and engaging?

The primary focus of my channel is tutorials and information sharing on EVE Online and as a result my videos often run well over 30 minues while I try to cram in all the information I deem important. But then I struggle to maintain good Average Watch Duration as a lot of people find the topic interesting so click on it, but not enough to watch all the detail and they skip through a lot of it.

Do you have any advice on how to approach tutorial videos differently? What has been working for you to date?

Created at 11:44pm, 20th April, 2024. Page last updated at 2:42pm, 16th May, 2024.

Horror and Cats 4/21/2024, 1:16:47 AM

I don’t really create tutorials, but I do consume them. As a consumer, I’m much more likely to be engaged with minimal redundancy/padding.

If in your script you find yourself saying “once again, do XYZ,” that part can be cut. The best example I can think of is say it’s a tech tutorial on troubleshooting disk drives. If at the beginning you’ve already shown the viewer how to open the CMD in a previous step/test, you don’t have to do it again for a different step/test.

It’s safe to say that if a viewer knew enough on how to search for the terms leading to your video, they know and are willing to pay attention enough to not have information repeated.

In essence, trust your audience.

Konquest 4/21/2024, 2:08:03 AM

Horror and Cats

I remember something I heard somewhere. I think it was from Mr beast but I could be wrong. But anyway the message is ‘if you can cut point B out from between Point A and point C and it still makes sense, then you don’t need it’ and ever since that’s the way I’ve been making videos. Many times I start with a 10-15 mins long video but end up cutting a lot and I’m left with just 5 or so mins. The trouble I have it making longer content. Because I’m cutting up the lesser important parts and cutting all the fluff I possible can my videos tend to be short.

Horror and Cats 4/21/2024, 2:13:33 AM

Konquest

I have my best results with the shorter videos. I played Hellsweeper VR for two hours and cut that down to I think 32-ish minutes. Movie reviews I've done I find under 5 minutes is the perfect watch length. Just enough time to fit in before bed, on a break from work, or on the toilet lol.

Konquest 4/21/2024, 2:21:03 AM

Horror and Cats

another thing I found myself doing as a consumer is also rewinding videos a lot from people I follow because

certain parts they talk fast
they show the part really quickly previously my own videos I slow it down to make it easier for people to see. It got me thinking why don't they just slow it down, ahh... they want to get you to rewind, slow down the video or rewatch that part again and again.

I get that as a new creator this won't work :D to a point once you have some following I think this creates engagement, forces your viewers to pay attention as everything moves faster.

Horror and Cats 4/21/2024, 2:47:34 AM

Konquest

Haha yeah I actually enjoy speaking quickly in my scripted videos. I emulate Seth Meyers when I do "presenter voice." I typically don't fully engage when people speak "too slowly," and I put that in quotes because it's not fact, it's just my preference.

Konquest 4/21/2024, 3:45:18 AM

Horror and Cats

I just need to learn to speak more. Coming from Malaysia where people don’t always speak English, I grew up around American & British media and games so sometimes I feel like I’m in the ‘wrong place’. My main language is English, I don’t even speak my local language well. Everything sounds ok in my head but when I speak I lack the emotion and confidence 😁

Horror and Cats 4/21/2024, 3:51:15 AM

Konquest

My first few videos had monotone delivery too lol. It really does get better with practice!

Konquest 4/21/2024, 4:03:05 AM

Horror and Cats

i really hope so :D

Wadd Enderas 4/21/2024, 12:17:30 PM

Konquest

Thanks for the feedback! Some good stuff in this conversation that I'll be taking over to my own content! Horror and Cats what you said about the repetitive content really resonates. It often feels very relevant to include the repetition at the time, particularly to reinfoce a point, but I will revisit this in my thinking!

Makster 4/21/2024, 6:47:49 AM

I'd say for tutorials (unless its really really required in-depth info) should be 5-15 minutes (and even 15 minutes is pushing it).

Most people that search tutorials require a very specific bit of information and that's it so best to keep it tight and concise. I'm reminded of the DIY videos such as - how to fix a carburetor on a 2004 Toyota Corolla. If the mechanic starts making jokes or explaining the history of why this 2004 carburetor is different from the one on the Ford (that was fixed last video), it's not going to be information that I'm looking for (in fact on Google there is often links to YT videos with timestamps of when the necessary information starts).

If a channels tutorials are good and its a topic I want to go further into then I'd go into the channel and start putting videos onto 'watch later'. I guess if you want to retain the viewer you could leave out 'key' information and direct them to it i.e. '... and that's when we need to use X. I have previously gone through the utility and importance of X in this video linked here (or below) so be sure to check that out if you want more information'.

Wadd Enderas 4/21/2024, 12:21:00 PM

Makster

Very good point about the majority of viewers coming for one or two specific nuggets of information. So generally speaking, if you go looking for a tutorial you're not looking necessarily for the entertainment and can find it distracting?

Makster 4/21/2024, 3:14:11 PM

Wadd Enderas

before clicking on a tutorial I'd look at two things - view count and what used to be thumbs up (in replacement for the latter I will scroll to the comments). Admittedly a catchy video name 'people need to stop doing this' or 'things people get wrong when ___' does help. And a thumbnail showing the problem or bit will make more likely to click as well

FirestormGamingTeam 4/21/2024, 12:44:27 PM

This is Eve Online content creation for you, Unfortunately, its always been like this, our views gain over time but there just isn't a big enough player base to really grow very fast, it's one of the reasons I started a Minecraft channel 2 months ago.

Whilst our team keeps producing content, its not our main focus anymore, we love eve online and always will, but the growth is VERY difficult to do, even huge figures like Rushlock, Rixx etc, struggle to grow on YT under Eo content etc.

Just keep at it, do your best and keep at it. I enjoy your content.

Wadd Enderas 4/21/2024, 9:09:17 PM

FirestormGamingTeam

Yeah, the audience is never going to be massive, but I do wonder how the occasional YT creator, like AceFace, can get 30k+ subscribers.

I appreciate the words :) I will continue trying to keep the content a little more concise but for the time-being will probably just stick with what I enjoy doing until I decide to take it a little more seriously. I have to say, this platform does have me excited to put a little more energy into it though!

FirestormGamingTeam 4/21/2024, 9:57:00 PM

Wadd Enderas

Whilst I do not know if this is fact or not, it was pointed out that AceFace videos, when looked at as a whole always seem to be on the exact same view amounts across a two week period, some people seek less savoury means of appearing "big". He was also outright accused on Reddit of viewbotting his channel and subscriber count.

As I said, I do not know if this is a fact or just malicious rumours, just what I have heard.

Captain Benzie has two player bases, the mobile Eve online game and Eve online, so his channel has always been bigger than most Eve Online creators.

Sturmer 4/21/2024, 1:21:16 PM

Tutorials are meant to solve specific problems. Creators often confuse tutorial and educational videos, but they serve different purposes.

For instance, imagine you're in a game, stuck in a maze, needing to know whether to turn left or right. You look up a video for quick guidance, but instead, the creator spends 10 minutes discussing the history of the island where the maze is located, who built it, and the various types of mazes around. This isn't helpful when you just need a straightforward answer to proceed in your game.

You want to solve your problem and get back to an interesting activity - the game.

Wadd Enderas 4/21/2024, 9:10:54 PM

Sturmer

That's a very good point! I hadn't really considered the difference between a tutorial and an educational video. That's something I will definitely take back to my content, thank you!

Lanah Tyra 4/21/2024, 4:15:10 PM

The tutorials I made so far were FFXVI fight guides and I tried to keep them around 5 mins.

If you make longer ones it's good practice to include a joke or something to make your audience laugh about every 7 minutes to keep their attention. Take that from a tour guide, that's how I wrote my long walking tour scripts.

Wadd Enderas 4/21/2024, 9:17:00 PM

Lanah Tyra

Do you think you can put in jokes too frequently (within reason)? Seven minutes sounds like a remarkably specific number but I will take you at your word because I think good tour guides have to be incredible public speakers to keep their audience engaged for as long as they do.

Lanah Tyra 4/22/2024, 7:26:53 AM

Wadd Enderas

That's the hard part, the jokes need to fit so they are not forced and out of place. With a game like EVE I can imagine some fun facts sbout a ship, some misshap from a route, a skirmish gone wrong.

If I was making a longer guide for a fight I would explain a mechanics then include a short clip of me messing up and comment "so not like I did here"