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How to Create a Great How to Tutorial

Ranked #22,359 in Hobbies, Games & Toys, #431,194 overall

Making a Great Tutorial is Simple... If You Know How!

I've read many step-by-step tutorials on different subjects over years. Some of them were really great - short, concise and to the point , and I could follow directions without any problems what so ever. On the other hand, some of these how to tutorials were really confusing and after I've read them, I had a feeling I knew less than before I started.

There are couple things you need to keep ion you mind when you consider creating a how to or DIY tutorial and we'll go through them on this page. If you make a tutorial following directions from this page, feel free to leave a link on appropriate place at the bottom of the page. And to other Squidoo members, I've planned a special treat, so read this page thoroughly. ;)

Tell, Teach, Involve Me shirt
Tell, Teach, Involve Me by bobbyboy123

Have you created a tutorial in the past?

Step by step tutorials, how to tutorials, do it yourself tutorials...

Cartoon Worksheet shirt
Cartoon Worksheet by MikeSpicer

Do you find creating tutorials to be simple or complicated?

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It's easy and I love this type of articles!

arncyn says:

I love creating tutorials too, Michelle! They're the easiest type of lenses for me to make, actually. Just take pictures, describe them and voila! A new lens. (:

Posted March 09, 2010

prosperity66 says:

I'm tutorials' best fan! I don't think they're hard to create - especially because you were my teacher, lol. But I think the first element of a great tutorial is to find a topic that we're passionate about, like you are with your how-to create a lens and how-to recycle stuff.

Posted March 07, 2010

Never tried - it looks so complicated!

padgett1 says:

complicated

Posted April 16, 2010

Rewards4life says:

I've never tried but thinking about creating one soon.

Posted March 09, 2010

 

Making a Tutorial - Five Things to Keep in Mind

Before you even start, you should make a draft following these guidelines

You're thinking to create step-by-step tutorial about a segment of your hobby? There are few things you should have on your mind:

1. Use simple language!
You should keep in mind that not everyone is an expert in a field like you are. Your visitors are looking for a simple explanation to problem they have! So, don't overdo with technical terms - it needs to help them grasp a process, not buy a new encyclopedia!

2. Make it clear and organized!
List all the steps! Go through the complete process once again! If possible, make a video or pictures to supplement your tutorial! Try to look through the eyes of your visitor or ask someone not familiar with the theme to read through. See if they understand the whole process! Take a notes and apply their suggestions!

3. Presentation is important!
Pay attention to grammar, make short and simple sentences. Use pictures or video clips. Use html to emphasize important parts.

4. Make it flow!
Make sure to make a good introduction to your tutorial - tell your visitors what you're trying to teach them and how they can use this knowledge. If you notice that your tutorial is getting too long, maybe it's time to break it down to serial of tutorials!

5. Supply relevant information!
Remember, people want information! But don't want to go through tons of unimportant or not relevant stuff to get a little piece of the information they needed! So, focus and stay on topic!

Samples of Great Tutorials on Different Subjects

Just to have a general idea...

How it really works... print
How it really works... by LovelyYellowRibbons

Origami Jewelry: Make beautiful accessories out of paper
Origami Jewelry is simply that, jewelry created out of folded paper. Who knew, right? I certainly didn't! My first encounter with origami jewelry was in 2004 on a visit to Japan. I was looking for gifts to bring back home when I chanced upon earrings shaped like paper cranes.
How to Make a Christmas Photo Card
One of the signs of the Christmas Season are the cards that start showing up in my mailbox and email box. I enjoy seeing the faces of friends and family as I open up the mail. Sending your own custom Christmas photo card is easy to do with Christmas photo templates.
How to Knit a Pumpkin?
At the end of this week is Halloween ,so is time to look after a nice pumpkin to make our Jack-o - lantern.Usually my husband and my daughter are involved in this "project"- my daughter give the ideas and her father is carving the pumpkin.
How to Teach English to a French Speaker
Learning a new language is not an easy thing. But teaching your mother tongue to someone who never spoke your language is not easy either! In the chart of difficulties in teaching a language, there is one that beats all the others: teaching a foreign language to French speakers.
How to Make a Dish Scrubbie
My grandmother has been making these for years and taught me how to make them when I was in my early teens.They make wonderful little holiday gifts and party favors. In fact, the summer before my wedding, my mom, grandmother and I sat and made more than 50 of these in several shades of pink for the
Man-Tracking 101: How To Find And Follow Tracks For Search And Rescue
The primary purpose of man-tracking is to determine the lost or missing person's direction of travel, which can greatly reduce the size of a search area. So wouldn't it be nice if all prints were as obvious as this one?

Squidoo Tutorials on Different Aspects of Lensbuilding

Just a few as an examples (and maybe you can find something you missed so far)

How to Find and Expand a Niche
There is a lot of talk about building a niche. Everyone is saying: make niche lenses! They have a better chance to be found by search engines! Become an expert in your niche!This is all great! And you should do this!But... how?
Make a Reader Friendly Lens
When I visit a lens or web page for the first time, I quickly scan down it to see if it covers material I want to read or look at. If it doesn't, or it's hard to tell, then I bounce off to look for somewhere that makes it easy to see it has what I want.
Keyword Tips for Squidoo
It's Time for Keywords!Keywords are the words that link your content to your visitors. They are the words people type into search engine search bars to come up with the information they need.Your selection of keywords can make or break your lens.
Are You a Squidoo Nobody? How to Become a Squidoo Somebody in 6 Easy Lessons
Who is this little orange guy? That's what everyone wants to know! So, why are you leaving us in the dark?'This is my bio. I can edit it later.' Well, little orange guy, later has arrived. The time is now! Come out from behind your orange anonymity and let us get to know you!
Free Images and How to Use Them
This is a listing free image resources to use on your lens or website.Also, it includes several detailed How-To sections on how to add the necessary HTML to control and enhance the images in your pages (or lenses).
How To Create A Quality Lens
The word 'quality' has come up a lot lately on Squidoo, particularly when it comes to the Giant Squid Program. In order to be accepted you need 50 quality lenses, but what constitutes a 'quality' lens? Here's what I think defines quality and how you can get there!

I Think That It's Possible to Make a Tutorial About Almost Anything!

Do you share my opinion?

Now, this is special offer for Squidoo lensmasters only: If you're short on ideas how to create step-by-step tutorial lens about any of your interest and, in this way, expand your current niche, I'm available to assist with few suggestions. Leave link to the lens you are curious about how to turn into how-to tutorial and I'll take a look. Be sure to come back in a day or two to follow up on suggestions. ;)

For the rest of the visitors, I hope you found tutorial articles as enjoyable and helpful as I do! I can only hope to see more of them available to public!

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