7 Tips on How to Write Tutorials

We’ve all used tutorials, guides, or manuals at one point in our lives, so we should all know some tips on how to write a tutorial of one kind or another. Unlike simple blog posts, tutorials have an internal structure that must be followed, and they present information in a systematic, usually chronological, way. Here are 7 top tips on how to write tutorials.

What Is A Tutorial?

A tutorial is, simply put, a set of instructions presented in a textual form. Tutorials should be informative and easy to follow, and they should be aimed at a specific audience. Not everyone needs to know “How to fix a dryer by yourself” or “How to change a tire on a Tesla,” after all.

How to Write Great Tutorials?

Writing great tutorials is a mixture of skill and steps to follow – yes, there are tutorials (like this one) teaching you how to write tutorials. The steps to a great tutorial or a manual are outlined below. When it comes to the skill part, it comes from practice. Have a look at some essays on health and try to turn them into tutorials. Simple articles, such as how to incorporate more leafy vegetables into your diet, come in handy as practice materials. Here are our top 7 tips on how to write tutorials.

Understand Your Audience

Understanding the audience when writing for them is of paramount importance. Knowing the approximate age, marital status, income level, etc., is invaluable when writing for a specific niche, as it will help you communicate your message more clearly. Spend your time researching the audience, and you will see the results in no time.

Make a Roadmap

Making a roadmap may seem like too much in writing a tutorial, but this mixture of textual and graphic approaches to writing a piece of text will give you a chance to overview the materials before they are written and will ensure that no steps or pieces of information are forgotten. Many marketing gurus, for example, use a roadmap as a part of assembling their courses. A course is, after all, a long-form of a tutorial.

Name the Materials or Ingredients

One of the things often forgotten is materials or ingredients. Depending on the type of tutorial you write, you may want to list these before the instructional part of the article. This way, an easy overview will make your readership happier and will give you a good chance to reduce your bounce rate.

Provide Illustrations

Providing illustrations is useful for more than one reason:

1. Illustrations can complement the text,
2. They are sometimes clearer than explaining a process in words,
3. They are easy to skim through,
4. They are useful for people who do not speak the language the tutorial is written in, and
5. They are SEO friendly – for as long as you know how to write good alt text.

Write Down the Process

Once the materials, ingredients, and illustrations are all in one place, you should write down the instructional part. Forget about long descriptions and reflections. Clear and concise, step-by-step instructions are all your audience wants to hear. This should be the bulk of your text.

Encourage in Conclusion

Depending on the type of tutorial you write, you may want to encourage your readers. This encouragement can:

1. Put a nice ending to, usually, a long chunk of technical text,
2. Encourage your readers to try out your approach, and
3. Encourage them to read more of your texts.

Always end on a lite note.

Read and Edit

Every tutorial needs to be revised. Ask yourself whether the text is easy to read and understand, how informative it is, how unique, and how easy to follow. Make any edits necessary and give it to a friend or two to read and give you honest feedback.

Final Considerations

A tutorial is a set of instructions on how to assemble, make, bake, learn, etc. There are important elements to any tutorial, regardless of whether it is video-based, image-based, or text-based. Follow these easy tips and tricks and see how you can write great tutorials as well.

Carl Hill

Carl Hill loves to travel and enjoys reading DIY books and blogs. He is an aspiring professional and believes that investing time in yourself is as important as investing in your work skills. He hopes to travel the world and learn a foreign language one day.