The tutorial is the format with the longest life. An unboxing lasts one campaign, a tutorial stays two years on the product page, in the welcome email and in support replies. That is why it should be negotiated differently from the start.

The structure of a tutorial that gets used

Final result first, so people know where this is going. Then the steps, numbered and unadorned. At the end, the most common mistake and how to avoid it. That last block is what makes the brand reuse it in customer service, and it is the one almost nobody films.

Film for reuse

Leave clean silences between steps so the brand can cut standalone blocks. Film a wide shot and a detail shot of every step. Deliver the file without burned in subtitles, plus the subtitles separately. That way one shoot serves five different uses, and that gets paid for.

Rhythm and length

Forty to ninety seconds for social, plus a longer version if the product demands it. Tutorials allow more length than any other format because the viewer arrives with a specific intent, but every step still has to get to the point.

No music, clean hands

The sound of the action rules: the click, the fit, the liquid. Music covers exactly what builds trust. And watch your hands in frame, because in a tutorial the camera sits on the gesture the whole time.

Charge for how long it lives

If the video will live on the product page, in support and in email for two years, it is not campaign content. Ask for broad rights with a defined term and a matching price, or a short renewable term. It is the format that pays worst when unnegotiated and best when it is.

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Frequently asked questions

Where does the tutorial start?

With the final result.

Which block does everyone forget?

The most common mistake and how to avoid it.

How long can it be?

Forty to ninety seconds.

How should it be priced?

Broad rights with a defined term.