Educational videos have become one of the most effective ways to explain complex topics and scale training across classrooms, companies, and communities. Whether you’re a teacher trying to engage your pupils or a content creator looking to maximize your audience, knowing how to make educational videos is essential for delivering compelling content.
This guide breaks down everything you need to know to create educational video content that captures — and holds — attention.
What are educational videos?
Educational videos are any form of video content designed to teach or train an audience. These videos support specific learning outcomes by blending explicit instruction and memorable visual elements.
General types include:
- Presenter-led videos, where an instructor speaks directly to the camera.
- Screencast videos that show on-screen actions for software training or tutorials.
- Interactive videos that allow learners to make choices, answer questions, or explore custom paths through your content.
Some examples of standard educational videos are:
- How-to instructional videos that provide step-by-step guidance. Ideal for showing procedures or product use cases.
- Explainer videos that simplify complex ideas through visuals, narration, and animations to boost understanding.
- Tutorial videos that guide viewers through a task from start to finish.Useful for teaching skills or showcasing specific tools.
- Training videos that focus on employee onboarding or professional development. Often aligned with a larger workplace standard.
- Documentary videos that deliver in-depth insights and expert perspectives to support conceptual or historical learning, or advance a certain idea.
Vimeo offers a powerful platform for creating transformative learning and development video experiences. With high-quality video hosting and customizable players, educators, content creators, and businesses alike can craft content that educates and empowers.
Explore Vimeo’s Learning & Development video solutions →
How to create educational videos: 10 steps to boost learning impact
Creating an impactful educational video takes more than hitting the record button. Here’s how to make one with intention and strategy.
1. Define your purpose and target audience
Start by identifying your learning goal and who your learners are — what do they need to know, and how will your video help them get there? Tailoring your content to their experience level and motivations sets the foundation for success, because each audience is different. For example, an informational video for a group of elementary school students will look and sound much different than one for a corporate training module.
2. Choose a topic
Select a focused topic that addresses your learners’ needs or challenges. Avoid trying to cover too much at once. Consider applying just-in-time video training strategies, where short, topic-specific videos support learners in their moment of need.
3. Develop your content
Gather research, examples, and any supporting visuals. Use a storyboard to map the structure of your video, helping you visualize how information, graphics, and narration will come together. For an online teaching video with a lot of complex content, consider planning out specific chapters to make it easier to digest.
4. Draft a video script
Your script should be clear, engaging, and informational. Break ideas into easy-to-remember parts and include animations, diagrams, or emphasized audio elements. A concise, well-written script helps reduce cognitive load and ensures alignment with your learning objectives.
Try Vimeo's AI script generator →
5. Gather your equipment
You don’t need high-end gear, but you do need the basics: a good mic, a decent camera, and adequate lighting. For screencasts, screen recording software and a quiet recording space are key.
6. Record your video
Use your script as a guide, but speak naturally. Keep things conversational and confident, whether you're on camera or narrating a demo. If you're training a remote workforce, consider streamlining the process using AI-powered tools to enhance video creation for learning and development.
7. Edit and polish your video
Knowing how to produce an educational video is the next step. Use editing software to trim unnecessary footage, correct sound issues, and add titles and transitions. If you’re making a video for a business or content creation channel, you can also insert branded visual elements during the final editing process.
Try Vimeo's free editor →
8. Publish your video
Export in high quality and upload to a platform that supports secure, distraction-free viewing. With Vimeo, you can easily host your educational videos, protect them with privacy settings, and embed them into e-learning platforms or online learning websites.
9. Review results
Track and analyze the performance of each video using either your Learning Management System (LMS) or Vimeo's integrated analytics dashboard to gain insights into effectiveness.
10. Make updates and changes as needed
Periodically update your educational videos by utilizing Vimeo's 'replace video' feature or by modifying interactive elements, such as quizzes or branching paths, to ensure the content remains current, accurate, and engaging for learners across multiple years.
Best practices for creating compelling and engaging educational videos
To truly connect with your audience and support long-term learning, you need to design your content with clarity, accessibility, and engagement in mind. These best practices will help ensure your instructional videos are learner-focused:
- Add captions: Adding captions to your videos allows learners to follow along more easily, especially in sound-sensitive environments. They also support non-native speakers who can read but not speak the language.
- Create a video transcript: A transcript enhances comprehension and enables viewers to quickly revisit key points. It also boosts your SEO, because crawlers will look at your transcript for potential keyword matches when ranking your videos.
- Create an audio description: For learners with visual impairments or other barriers, adding descriptions of on-screen action makes your content more accessible.
- Keep your videos short: Depending on your type of educational video, aim for six to 10 minutes. Shorter videos maintain attention, reduce cognitive load, and make it easier to retain information.
- Invest in storytelling: A compelling narrative helps learners stay engaged and motivated. To make the content memorable, use examples, characters, or real-world scenarios.
Tools for making educational videos: Top recommendations
Selecting the right tools can significantly impact the quality and effectiveness of your educational videos. Whether you're filming a lecture or building an interactive learning experience, the following tools offer powerful features to help you confidently plan, produce, and share your content.
For presenter-led videos
Vimeo provides distraction-free hosting, 4K quality, and analytics tools to help you measure impact. Educators can embed videos directly into courses or websites using seamless Learning Management System (LMS) integrations.
YouTube is a widely-used video platform for hosting and sharing content. While easy to access, it includes ads and suggested content that may distract learners.
Compare Vimeo and YouTube →
For screencast videos
Vimeo’s screen recording feature makes creating screencast tutorials with voiceover and webcam support simple, which is perfect when quickly putting together walkthroughs or software training.
ScreenRec is a basic screen recording tool that offers fast sharing and lightweight functionality for creating quick instructional videos.
For 2D animated videos
Powtoon is a beginner-friendly platform for creating animated explainer videos using drag-and-drop tools. It offers a free plan with access to basic templates and characters, making it easy to create animated educational videos for free without needing design skills. Upgrades unlock branding and advanced export options.
For whiteboard animation videos
VideoScribe is a tool for creating whiteboard-style videos where hand-drawn illustrations animate in sync with narration.
Explain Everything is a collaborative digital whiteboard with real-time recording and annotation features, often used for flipped classrooms or online workshops.
For interactive videos
Vimeo’s interactive tools enable you to add clickable buttons, chapters, quizzes, and lead forms directly within the video, making them ideal for assessments and engagement.
PlayPosit is an interactive video platform designed for higher education, enabling instructors to insert questions, notes, and polls.
Create more impactful learning experiences with Vimeo
Creating effective educational videos requires the right mix of technical insight and storytelling. And whether you’re training employees, teaching students, or building an educational video content library, you need the best tools.
Vimeo makes it easy to create educational video content that connects and converts. With high-quality hosting, management, and editing features, and L&D solutions, you can upload and deliver immersive video learning experiences that equip your learners with new skills. Vimeo also integrates with popular website builders and LMS platforms, helping you easily embed videos into courses, portals, or internal training systems.
