The internet contains plenty of advice geared towards beginning video marketers. If you want to learn how to create, edit, and promote your videos, a Google search will help you find everything you need to know. But the existing articles usually overlook one of the most common questions that new video creators ask: What should my first videos actually be about?

If you’re struggling to come up with video ideas, all the information in the world about camera angles and promotion strategies won’t help you much. But once your ideas do start flowing, you might find that it’s hard to stop them. Give your inspiration a boost by checking out this list of beginner-friendly ideas, plus some general principles that will help you get off to a good start. By the time you’re done reading, you might have an idea (or three) of what your first video will be about.

1. Explainer Video about Your Product or Service

If you’ve never made a video before, a natural starting point is to explain your product or service to your audience in detail. In its simplest form, this kind of video is straightforward to make – all you need is yourself, your product, and a camera. 

To make an explainer video, pretend you’re talking to an interested potential customer. If you sell a physical product, show it off for the camera and explain how it works. Answer questions that people might ask if they were thinking about buying the product.

If your product or service is complicated, or if people tend to ask a lot of different questions about it, you can make a series of shorter explainer videos rather than one long one. Break each question out into its own video and give an in-depth explanation, or talk about a number of different things your product or service can be used for.

2. Product Demo

This idea is closely related to the first one. Instead of focusing on explaining your product the purpose of this video is to show your product in action. Give viewers a step-by-step demonstration of how to use your product or service. Try to make it easy for them to imagine using the product themselves.

With this type of video, it’s important to go slowly – maybe more slowly than you think you need to. Explain everything in detail. You know your product well, of course, but many of your viewers don’t know anything about it. If you’re not sure whether you’ve struck the right balance between over-explaining and not explaining enough, ask a friend or family member to watch the video and tell you what they think.

If you’re selling a digital product like software, learn how to do a screen capture video. This will let you take viewers through the process of using your product. You can make a screen capture video more compelling by demonstrating how your product can solve a real-life problem, instead of just clicking around your software and explaining what different features do.

Like explainer videos, product demo videos can make a good series. Consider making multiple short videos to demonstrate various features of your product.

3. Introduce Yourself and Your Team

Help viewers get to know the people behind the brand by introducing yourself and your team in a video. If you’ve got a camera and some personality, you’ve got everything you need. There are a lot of different ways you can make this video. You can create it as a monologue (probably the easiest option), or you can get a friend to help you by turning it into an interview. You can also put your own spin on this video to make it more fun – for instance, try asking everyone on your team to share a random fact about themselves. The most important thing is that your introduction video feels friendly and authentic.

4. Introduce Your Business

Another good video topic for beginners is your business itself. Every business has a story, and video is a great way to share it with your audience. Talk about what needs your business was designed to fill, how it got started, and what challenges the team has overcome along the way. Include details about your business’ values and goals for the future – this will plant the seeds of an emotional connection (and perhaps brand loyalty) in your viewers. 

5. Tour Your Office or Facility

Once you’ve introduced your business and your team, your audience will probably be interested in getting a behind-the-scenes peek at your office or facility. You can take a practical approach with this type of video – for instance, show viewers the step-by-step process of how your product is made. However, tour videos also give you a good opportunity to build your brand’s image by showing viewers a glimpse of your unique workplace culture.

6. Monologue Video

Do you have insider knowledge, a strong opinion on a certain topic, or some must-know tips that you want to share? A monologue video is a simple and practical way to get them out into the world. You can turn just about any topic into a monologue video. All you need is yourself, some decent lighting, and a camera.

7. Whiteboard Video

Take your monologue videos up a notch by adding a whiteboard. If you’re talking about a topic that’s complex or in-depth, a whiteboard lets you add text, diagrams, and other details to clarify what you’re saying. If you’re a little camera-shy, you might also find it easier to film yourself if you can focus on writing on the whiteboard.

Don’t have a real-life whiteboard? You can still make a whiteboard-style video with screen-capture technology and a virtual whiteboard on your tablet.

8. Film an Event

If you’re at a big event in your industry, or if your business is part of a community event, bring your camera – you might get some video-worthy footage out of it. This type of video is especially easy because you’re just documenting the action, not creating it. If you think the event is interesting enough to your audience that people would tune in, you can also try streaming it live.

9. Animated Videos

Building your skills with a video camera can be a bit of a process. If you want to make a video without worrying about shooting footage, or if you don’t have a good-quality camera yet, animated videos are a simple and accessible solution. There are tons of things you can do with animated videos – they make good explainer videos, FAQs, and animated infographics, among other things. And once you get the hang of using your animation program of choice, they can be easy and fun to make.

10. Repurposed Videos

Have you done any kind of content marketing for your brand in the past? If so, take a few minutes to look through those blog posts, infographics, or presentations. Chances are good that you can repurpose some of them into videos. For instance, you can revise the content of a blog post so that it sounds good when you read it aloud, and then make a monologue video with it. Or, if you have an old PowerPoint presentation sitting around, you can turn it into an animated slideshow with narration (this option is under File > Export > Create a video).

11. Top X Videos

“Top X” lists are a very popular format for all types of content. The title is automatically eye-grabbing – who hasn’t impulsively clicked on a top 10 list before? – and you can create this type of video on any topic, either entertainment-oriented or practical. For instance, try listing the top 10 uses for your product, or go through the top 5 signs that someone is a good candidate for using your service.

12. Case Study

If your business has a few success stories, you can turn them into valuable videos for your YouTube channel. Case studies are a type of video that really benefits from a well-thought-out structure, so make sure to plan adequately before you start creating these.

You can make your case studies compelling by framing them as stories. The main character of these stories isn’t your business – it’s your past customers. Highlight the problem each customer was facing, and then analyze the way your product or service helped them solve it. Make sure to get your customers’ permission before making and uploading these videos. Even better, see if they’d be willing to help you by appearing in the videos themselves.

Case studies can be a little more involved to make than some of the other videos on this list. However, they’re still well within the reach of a beginner, and they’re a great asset for your business’ online presence. Once you’ve tried your hand at a few other types of videos, don’t be afraid to tackle your first case study.

Making Videos as a Beginner: General Principles to Know

Feeling inspired yet? Now that you’ve got some ideas for videos to create, here are some tips that will help you get started with confidence. While there’s an unavoidable learning curve to video creation, you’ll maximize your progress and run into fewer stumbling blocks if you keep these principles in mind.

1. Focus on educational content. It can be tricky to make funny or inspirational videos right out of the gate. Many brands struggle to get their tone right and attract viewers with content that’s meant purely for entertainment. Educational content, on the other hand, tends to be pretty straightforward to make. All you need is the ability to explain your product, service, or industry. Educational videos are also more immediately useful to viewers than other types of content, and this can help get more eyes on your videos right away.
2. Use the equipment you’ve got. You don’t need to run out and buy an expensive camera to make your first video. A smartphone camera and a sturdy place to set it will generally do the job just fine. Get creative and make good use of what you already have, buying only the equipment that you really need. Over time, as your skills improve and you start branching out into more types of videos, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to collect better-quality equipment.
3. Learn a little bit about lighting and composition. A little technical knowledge can go a long way towards making your videos look more polished and professional. You can find plenty of resources for learning lighting and composition online. However, don’t get too caught up in trying to learn everything before you start filming. Experience is often the best teacher, so plan to pick up more nuances as you go.
4. Find a video editing tool that you like, and get familiar with it. Look for an editor or video maker that you actually enjoy using – it will make your life easier.
5. Sketch out your video marketing strategy from the start. Having clearly defined video marketing goals can help you decide what your first videos should be about. Make a list of what you want to achieve with your videos, as well as the topics you want to cover. Then prioritize your list based on your resources, time, and current skill level. You can adjust your strategy as you learn and grow – the important part is having a strategy in the first place.
6. Use scripts and storyboards. No matter how short and simple a video idea is, take the time to make a storyboard and write a script for it before you start filming. This will allow you to spot and fix problems right away, instead of wasting time filming footage you might not end up using.
7. Don’t forget your promotion strategy. Promotion is an integral part of video marketing, so give it a little thought before it’s time to upload your first video. Decide which outlets you’ll post your videos on and how you’ll get them in front of people. Don’t pressure yourself to learn everything right away, though – this is another area where you’ll learn a lot as you go.

Wrapping Up

You don’t need experience or cutting-edge equipment to make great marketing videos. All it takes to get started is a good idea and the willingness to learn along the way. Over time, you’ll make a lot of different videos, so don’t stress too much about finding one perfect idea. Just choose one that sounds interesting and achievable, and do your best with it before moving on to the next one. The more videos you make, the more your skills will improve, and the more ideas you’ll get for future videos.

Amanda DiSilvestro is the Editor-in-chief for Plan, Write, GO. She has been writing about all things digital marketing, both as a ghostwriter, guest writer, and blog manager, for over 10 years. Check out her blogging services to learn more!