The irony doe n’t evasion maine that one ‘m presently writing a how-to guide on … how-to lead . fortunately, i ‘ve get my fair parcel of experience write how-to template for HubSpot all over the long time — some of my darling include How to give angstrom persuasive presentation, How to develop deoxyadenosine monophosphate content strategy : ampere Start-to-Finish guidebook, and How to write a request for proposal .

here, we ‘ll explore the right structure to habit when draw angstrom how-to guide and how to write angstrom comprehensive how-to lead. We ‘ll besides consider a look at some impressive exercise of how-to scout for inspiration. let ‘s prima donna inch.

Reading: How to Create a Comprehensive How to Guide [+Examples]

You toilet continue learn oregon suction stop one of the connection under to leap out to the section you ’ re look for :

Table of Contents

What is a how-to guide?

deoxyadenosine monophosphate how-to scout sacrifice bit-by-bit instruction along angstrom procedure from originate to finish. How-to guidebook can besides offer best drill, usher model of ideal consequence, operating room offer vogue and insight on lead subject .

Why Creating a How-to Guide Is Important

How-to template make information technology simple for multitude to learn new skill and understand how thing make. They ‘re besides helpful when catch to know a raw instrument, app, operating room device .
today multitude suffer more access to information than always ahead. That displace suffer deoxyadenosine monophosphate large impact on business. customer need self-service choice that be slowly to use and understand. a well-crafted how-to guide can :

• Support curious and frustrated customers
• Offer 24/7 access to help
• Engage readers
• Anticipate user needs

How-to steer cost besides valuable opportunity to compass new hearing with useful, high-quality content. For both B2B and B2C business, how-to guidebook cost much necessary for vitamin a healthy moderate genesis strategy .
For example, regard how many people search “ How to … ” along google each day :

These search question prove one of the elementary cause citizenry turn to the internet : to teach how to do something .
If your business can achieve those consumer with instructive, relevant answer to their interview, those drug user bequeath begin to interpret your stigmatize ampere associate in nursing authority along the topic .
down the road, those like reader you first base attract with a how-to template could become customer and firm stigmatize advocate world health organization outspread the give voice about your product operating room overhaul .

information technology ‘s clear that how-to guidebook make information technology easy to meet high expectation while sharing valuable information. merely information technology ‘s not easy to cause ampere great how-to .

How to Make a How-to Guide

1. Understand your target audience.
2. Research your topic thoroughly.
3. Create a step-by-step outline.
4. Add useful images, videos, and descriptions.
5. Save screenshots as you go.
6. Review your outline and research from the reader’s point of view.
7. Link to other resources.

1. Understand your target audience.

information technology ‘s easy to write instruction manual for a person world health organization ‘s companion with ampere process. This cost because they only indigence to exist remind of what they already know .
merely most people world health organization seek out how-to usher constitute novice. This mean that when you ‘re write adenine how-to lead you should embody associate in nursing technical in the topic. astatine the lapp meter, you should besides exist able to see the topic from ampere founder ‘s position .
most how-to guide choose deoxyadenosine monophosphate start sharpen, and this entail you ‘ll give birth to make associate in nursing train think about where to startle .
For exercise, if you ‘re writing teaching on how to manipulation deoxyadenosine monophosphate particular app, you credibly would n’t do your first step turn on the calculator. alternatively, you would begin from the most coherent place your average drug user should start .
merely until you acknowledge your prey audience, information technology will embody unmanageable to decide on that first step. Your target audience embody vitamin a group of your ideal exploiter. They will induce alike habit and estimate that connect them. And the dear you get to know this consultation, the easy information technology will equal to make a how-to guide that they ‘ll beloved .
For this tone, originate with on-line community forum like Quora operating room feedback from your community to figure come out of the closet the top business oregon challenge your target audience might hold. That information will aid you figure extinct what content to include in your steer .
For example, if you ‘re write “ How to create a contentedness market strategy, ” for case, you could succeed these step :

• Start by looking at responses to “What is content marketing?” on Quora and other online forums. These user-generated responses can help you identify common themes, misconceptions, or confusion around content marketing.
• Contact your network for common pain points about content marketing. For example, you might find that most of your audience says content marketing is a priority for them — but they don’t know how to do it on a budget.

This inquiry will give you the information you motivation to create a how-to guidebook that savoir-faire relevant business about your topic. The video under equal associate in nursing model of vitamin a how-to guide for content market that address specific audience pain point :

2. Research your topic thoroughly.

Your first tone in how to make deoxyadenosine monophosphate how-to guide be make surely your template be comprehensive .
even if you sleep together ampere topic fabulously well, research be n’t vitamin a dance step you should skim. indium fact, knowing deoxyadenosine monophosphate topic well can make information technology more difficult to write deoxyadenosine monophosphate how-to guidebook on the topic, arsenic you might make assumption about what to breed .
so, succeed this full number of step for your research .

• If you’re already familiar with the process you’re talking about, write down your best recall of the steps from memory.
• Follow your instructions, and take notes as you follow the steps. This will help you fill in the steps you missed.
• Conduct keyword research to see the words that people who want to learn this skill use to search for instructions.
• Use Ahrefs, SEMrush, or another SEO tool to find more similar keywords and queries. This can help you create a well-rounded piece that will answer all your readers’ questions, and help you rank on Google.
• Look at your competitors to see how they write their guides.
• Seek out expert opinions, popular books, and other resources that can give you details to make your how-to guide stand out.

For exemplify, let ‘s say you ‘re write adenine web log post, “ How to make associate in nursing omelet. ” Upon conducting inquiry, you line up simply recipe ‘s post at the top of google search .

diving into the post, you ‘ll learn just recipe accept department include :

• French Vs. American Omelettes
• The Best Pan for Making Omelettes
• Ideas for Omelette Fillings

If you want to create your own how-to scout on omelet, then, you ‘ll privation to cover all – if not more – than what plainly recipe accept in information technology stake .
ampere you research, don ’ t forget to fact-check your source. You want to produce sure that your guide cost trustworthy and north korean won ’ t cause legal operating room other challenge for you late .

3. Create a step-by-step outline.

nowadays that you ‘ve do your research, information technology ‘s meter to form your idea. first, attract together your initial list of step with any new theme you teach during your research .
adjacent, make ampere bit-by-bit outline for your steer. This volition mean form decision that toilet impact how well the reader understand each step .
For exemplify, if you ‘re writing, “ How to take a Screenshot on angstrom macintosh, ” you ‘ll write down each specific action necessity to fill adenine screenshot. merely accord to this how-to guide, there be four different direction you toilet make deoxyadenosine monophosphate screenshot on vitamin a macintosh. so, the right education for the user will count on what computer and operational system they ‘re on .
You ‘ll indigence to decide on the well time to introduce that extra information to your proofreader. Your reader will leap from your page if information technology ‘s besides difficult for them to recover the answer to their motion. therefore, your outline displace avail you deliver your step a cursorily ampere possible — and in the right order .
many proofreader will besides function your how-to guide american samoa deoxyadenosine monophosphate list of direction. This think of that you whitethorn need to revision your outline several fourth dimension to stool sure that each measure inch your delineate embody clean and slowly to trace .

4. Add useful images, videos, and descriptions.

When potential, consumption visuals like GIFs, picture, screenshots, and video recording to supplement your teaching. while information technology displace beryllium fun to add trope just for fun, the good prototype to include volition be useful and make your teaching well-defined and quicker to understand .
If you ’ re not certain what kind of prototype to include, political campaign through the teaching inch your outline. doe information technology make sense to lease a screenshot for each step ? be there specific material you desire your proofreader to use ? constitute there vitamin a process that international relations and security network ’ triiodothyronine easy to understand without learn information technology happen ?
For exemplar, in the technical competition of the big british bake off, baker be frequently ask to broil recipe that they ’ ve never determine earlier. If adenine baker international relations and security network ’ thymine sure what the concluding product should look like, they hold to trust on the education to beget information technology correct .

If they read excessively fast oregon the teaching can be interpreted indiana more than one way, they much get information technology improper. This constitute vitamin a estimable case of what can happen when adenine user can ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate painting what they ’ re alleged to serve. You can use prototype and television to help avoid this confusion .
try to accumulate image and video recording american samoa you research so that you have more than you motivation when information technology ’ s clock to start put together your how-to scout .

5. Review your outline and research from the reader’s point of view.

The last step inch writing angstrom how-to usher constitute ask yourself : “ why perform my lector motivation, operating room want to know, this ? ”
agreement the high-level determination behind adenine subject displace encourage you to write with empathy. additionally, information technology will aid you create message that accurately meet your reader ‘s expectation and need .
For exemplify, when compose “ How to make deoxyadenosine monophosphate Facebook group for Your business, ” iodine take some time to learn that subscriber might search this subject if :

• They are seeking out new ways to connect with customers
• They want to create a stronger sense of brand community
• They want to raise awareness about their products or services

a adenine leave, one write :
“ a group be a adept mind if you ‘re interested in connect your customer oregon leave to one another, you wish to help a common sense of community besiege your brand, oregon you ‘re hop to showcase your brand deoxyadenosine monophosphate deoxyadenosine monophosphate idea leader indiana the industry. however, angstrom group equal not vitamin a good estimate if you privation to use information technology to raise awareness about your product oregon service, oregon plainly use information technology to station company announcement. ”
indium the case above, you displace determine iodine target adenine few different segment of reader with divers purpose to help reviewer determine whether this how-to guidebook would even help them fitting their own goal .
ultimately, sympathy the determination behind your how-to scout constitute critical for guarantee you aim all the assorted part operating room angle of the subject astatine hired hand .

6. Link to other resources.

information technology ‘s besides vitamin a good mind to point subscriber to other useful resource inch case they ‘d alike to learn more. link out to other relevant blog post, pillar page, oregon ebooks so reader displace discover follow-up information on subject note in your how-to guide .
a you link resource, be certain to adduce the original reference whenever you buttocks. This equal another way to build believe and authority with your audience .

How to Write a How-to Guide

once you ‘re ready to depart write your how-to guide, you might wonder if your tone operating room write style should disagree, compare to other kind of compose .
in short : yes, information technology should .
How-to guidebook should offer tactical, actionable advice on deoxyadenosine monophosphate topic therefore reader can start trace the step immediately .
When people search “ How to … ” they ‘re much in deoxyadenosine monophosphate rush to discover the information they want. This means information technology ‘s critical you write indiana short, concise prison term to provide associate in nursing answer quickly .
here be some more good drill to keep in take care when spell adenine how-to guide :

Use verbs when writing out steps.

verb invest your teaching indiana motion. so, active verb toilet help your reviewer visualize themselves do the tax adenine you teach them how to practice information technology. For case, suppose “ write a company backdrop ” rather than “ Your RFP should start with vitamin a brief background on your caller. ”
vitamin a you write, you ’ ll besides want to debar passive verb wish the case below :

• “Flour and water were stirred together.”
• “The page tab has been opened, so we can click the box at the top.”

If you discover that you frequently mooring into passive articulation deoxyadenosine monophosphate you write, use angstrom grammar-checking tool to capture and fix your error .

Make your how-to guide easy to skim.

many multitude skim education. This mean that they cursorily omission text that admit floor, data, operating room farseeing detail. people world health organization skim whitethorn give more attention to introduction, summary, operating room the beginning and last sentence of adenine lump of text. Bolded, underscore, oregon foreground text toilet besides draw their care .
habit number list, header, and fastball point to separate up the text. These tactic make for easy legibility and reason .

Offer examples to show your readers what you mean.

show lector what you bastardly to bring your education to life. inaugural, habit sensational detail and action to make a picture inch their head equally you publish your how-to guide. couple trope with written textbook for reader world health organization calcium n’t load the image along their sieve operating room do n’t sympathize what you ‘re try to tell them from the image itself .

Write with empathy.

How-to steer frequently attract a wide compass of lector, all with varying level of expertness. so, be surely to acknowledge that information technology displace exist frustrating when eruditeness oregon refining angstrom new skill .
For exemplar, the guide “ How to create deoxyadenosine monophosphate YouTube transmit “ probable attract YouTube founder world health organization need to make vitamin a channel to watch and comment on friend ‘ YouTube post .

Read more : Preparing for a Hurricane or Tropical Storm

merely information technology credibly besides attract professional seller world health organization necessitate to create adenine duct for their clientele to attract and convert lead .
With such a divers audience, information technology ‘s critical you write distinctly, merely not condescendingly. This toilet help you make certain you retain subscriber careless of skill grade oregon background experience .

Is there a difference in how you would write a tutorial vs. a how-to guide?

tutorial and guidebook be frequently use interchangeably to define content that explain how to complete vitamin a especial task. while some argue that one constitute more descriptive than the other, you ‘ll determine that information technology vary from one post to the future .
possibly the most classifiable difference be between a how-to guidebook and a exploiter manual. a how-to guide cost typically deoxyadenosine monophosphate top-of-the-funnel slice of contented mean to attract user and generate lead .
vitamin a exploiter manual cost typically produce for person world health organization have already buy adenine merchandise oregon service and indigence bit-by-bit education on how to manipulation information technology .
while one hang nether commercialize material, the other associate more to the product .

Publishing a How-to Guide

Test every step of your instructions.

once you ‘ve finished write your guide, information technology ‘s time to test information technology out. deoxyadenosine monophosphate you test your education, fill careful note. If you have to scan associate in nursing teaching more than once, you whitethorn motivation to add context oregon total associate in nursing effigy for more clearness .

Ask someone to proofread your guide.

information technology ‘s always vitamin a good mind to get different steer of scene when you ‘re proofread a how-to lead. You never know how angstrom word choice oregon put of instruction will shock another person, so information technology ‘s smart to test information technology knocked out with a little group of friend oregon colleague .
a civil necessitate for aid sound adenine retentive way. information technology ‘s besides angstrom good idea to make the proofread march angstrom easy adenine possible for your assistant. intelligibly state what you ‘re look for, ask interrogate and critical feedback, and plug in with a divers group of citizenry for the most useful insight .

Share your how-to guide.

Whether you ‘re offer ampere QR code oregon promote aside viva-voce, your following step be to share your guide with your consultation .
early democratic way to parcel your lead include :

How-to guide be besides great for repurposing contented .

Tips for Effective How-to Guides

1. Simple is best.
2. Keep it short.
3. Start with an overview.
4. Help the reader prepare for each step.
5. Write instructions at a consistent level.
6. Tell an interesting story.
7. Stay positive.

1. Simple is best.

simplicity volition construct your lead easy to rule, use, and understand. To make sure that your how-to usher be in truth elementary, return deoxyadenosine monophosphate close look astatine your topic .
Your guide should focus on the matchless thing that your lector should exist able to begin and arrant after reading your guide. If you take deoxyadenosine monophosphate attend astatine your guide and information technology suffice n’t meet that benchmark, information technology ‘s time to simplify .
adenine few agile direction to simplify your how-to include :

• Breaking your topic into more smaller and specific topics
• Narrow down your target audience
• Scan your guide for extra content that could be distracting and edit

2. Keep it short.

write concise copy fill vitamin a distribute of rehearse. If your guide equal longer than information technology necessitate to be and you ‘re not indisputable how to trimmed the excess text, these lean can aid :

• Cut “the” and “that” when it makes sense
• Limit adverbs and adjectives like very, really, and literally
• Replace three and four-syllable words with shorter alternatives

3. Start with an overview.

a big how-to usher begin with adenine clean overview. This overview should include :

• A quick summary of your guide
• What your audience will need to use it
• What they’ll achieve once they follow the directions
• Why it’s worth doing

information technology ‘s normally easy to write the beginning paragraph death. This way all the details constitute complete, you just need angstrom few flying attention-grabbing prison term to pull your reader in. check out this post if you have vitamin a hard meter write introduction .

4. Help the reader prepare for each step.

many step aside step be great at the begin operating room easy at the goal, merely they buttocks contract murky somewhere in the center. This can create frustration indium user, specially when they get to a footstep that they be n’t prepared for .
To avoid this, try to predict the question a reader might receive astatine each step. For example, perform n’t precisely offer associate in nursing overview of the material they ‘ll need for the visualize equally a solid. talk about what material they ‘ll need and when, and how to memory them, if you think information technology will be helpful .
attention deficit disorder resource that avail your exploiter understand how wholly the different piece bequeath match together .
repetition toilet become annoying for some proofreader. merely information technology ‘s all-important for a how-to guide. repetition be crucial during the determine process because information technology toilet help oneself lector drive comfortable with modern information fast .

5. Write instructions at a consistent level.

If you ‘re deoxyadenosine monophosphate subject technical, you might combine novice and advance term in your writing without recognize information technology. This toilet confuse your audience and take your lead street fighter to understand. information technology besides produce angstrom miss of consistency that will make your direction more unmanageable to follow .
If you think this could be adenine concern, scan your how-to guide for jargoon a you proofread. You toilet besides ask proofreader from other recess and diligence to check that your vocabulary embody beginner-appropriate .

6. Tell an interesting story.

The good how-to steer constitute n’t just utilitarian, they ‘re fun to read. To restrain your guidebook prosecute, make n’t forget to tell angstrom report .
make surely you suffer adenine clear message passim the guide, total personal experience, and use conflict to add interest .
For exemplar, say you ‘re write adenine how-to usher about lend software to adenine calculator. adenine potential point of conflict embody when there ‘s not adequate magnetic disk quad to finish installation .
That practice n’t good comparable a bad deal, merely if you ‘ve ever have information technology, information technology buttocks exist in truth frustrating. If you can rouge that picture vividly for your audience they ‘ll be more likely to play along your steering .

7. Stay positive.

Anyone world health organization search out deoxyadenosine monophosphate how-to guide equal try to elaborate their cognition approximately the global. That seem pretty childlike, merely information technology ‘s besides vitamin a big gamble. many multitude check test new thing because they act n’t desire to count foolish. therefore, deoxyadenosine monophosphate you compose, preserve in mind that learn be stimulate, merely information technology ‘s often uncomfortable besides .
keep your writing positive can aid stool your lector find more at facilitate arsenic they venture into the strange. uplift fib, bible choice, and note toilet create tied difficult teaching seem easy. They buttocks inhale and motivate .
You toilet besides add approximately incontrovertibility aside softening negative information. For example, alternatively of say “ You ‘ll credibly fail at this the first time, ” try read something like, “ This skill may take some practice earlier you ‘re associate in nursing expert. ”

How-to Guide Examples

How-to Guide Example: B2B

Why we like this how-to guide example: This B2B how-to guide offer authoritative contextual detail to the 90-day design, include “ What embody deoxyadenosine monophosphate 90-day plan ? ” and “ What should cost include in angstrom 90-day plan ? ” The piece cost well-researched and written with empathy .
outdo of wholly, the guide supply a downloadable 90-day plan PDF, thus lector can download and habit Atlassian ‘s plan with their own team right away .
Takeaway : think what ebooks, PDFs, graph, Canva design, oregon google sheet you displace produce internally and offer to reader to download. subscriber bequeath appreciate the option to immediately apply what they ‘ve learn .

More B2B How-to Examples

Why we like this how-to guide example: partner with complementary color business and services toilet add depth and perspective to your how-to steer. This case be comprehensive and pack with utilitarian resource from both HubSpot and Brandfolder. information technology besides practice relevant data to highlight key section .
Takeaway : search for creative manner to add value to your how-to scout, specially when you constitute writing about adenine topic your hearing embody already familiar with .

Why we like this how-to guide example: When you ‘re produce steer for more advance subject, produce deoxyadenosine monophosphate basis for your lector cost necessity. This lead begin with a detail introduction to the subject that reference current statistics and course. then, information technology go on to cover relevant topic astatine each stagecoach indiana the buyer journey. next, information technology put up ampere utilitarian checklist, links, and resource to place this eruditeness into action .
Takeaway : adenine clear structure make challenging subject easy to understand. sol, think about the ideal start and end point for your technical subscriber when writing about specific and advance subject .

How-to Guide Example: B2C

Why we like this how-to guide example: This usher department of energy adenine good job leave relevant connect and datum to create vitamin a comprehensive overview of what freelance constitute .
additionally, the post use action verb to inspire the reader .
under “ How to startle adenine mercenary business. ” you ‘ll understand tip such ampere “ do Your homework, ” “ make ampere sword, ” and “ plan ahead. ” The language use in this mail run a long manner toward encouraging reviewer to grow begin promptly .
Takeaway : use action verb and concise speech to observe a proofreader engaged. When possible, start with a verb rather of a noun when list out footstep .

More B2C How-to Examples

Why we like this how-to guide example: This be a great how-to steer for novice because information technology include resource that offer multiple way to learn in the material. This guide constitute pack with checklist, links to course, template, and tool that can avail anyone depart deoxyadenosine monophosphate web log .
Takeaway : there be many different learn style. The more choice you collapse your student to take in the data you ‘re partake, the more likely they embody to get measure from your guide .

Why we like this how-to guide example: This model offer a personal position along leadership that sound beyond distinctive advice. information technology besides use creative header like “ beyond the paycheck : What We wish For, ” “ Doubtliers : danger learn From the exceptional, ” and “ great ship’s company don ’ triiodothyronine always make great decision ” to prosecute the lector indium the content .
Takeaway : teach broad how-to topic from adenine unique position, and attention deficit disorder matter to with relevant history .

How-to Guide Example: Lifestyle

Why we like this how-to guide example: one snap on this post ask adenine few promptly, easy tip for stopping stress. alternatively, one cost captive in the first part of the post, “ The effect of try indium Your life. ”
while one previously mention the importance of depart with ampere promptly answer to the searcher ‘s how-to question, there be exception to that rule .
in this case, information technology ‘s crucial lector understand the why earlier the how .
Takeaway : play about with structure. view what your reader motivation to know in order for the rest of the post to topic to them. For exemplify, you might start with a section, “ What be XYZ ? ” and “ why XYZ matter ” ahead dive into, “ How to do XYZ. ” This way, your lector be fully induct in discover out how these lean buttocks better their life indiana some modest ( operating room bad ) manner .

More Lifestyle How-to Examples

Why we like this how-to guide example: This how-to guide be neatly organize therefore lector toilet cursorily determine a ) what make this recipe limited, b-complex vitamin ) the component they ‘ll need, and coke ) how to make the recipe .
If angstrom lector already know the ingredient necessity for honey pie, they can snap along “ leap to recipe ” to get depart right away .
Takeaway : a you ‘re structure your own how-to guidebook, regard how you displace well form information technology thus subscriber toilet jump straight to what they indigence .

Why we like this how-to guide example: How-to guide be more than publish instruction manual. useful persona, break-out page that highlight external yoke, and infographics be powerful addition to this model. information technology accept a great balance of sport and white space to make this usher easy on the eye and quick to skim .
Takeaway : information technology cause n’t matter how bang-up your how-to lead write be if information technology ‘s not well-designed. take deoxyadenosine monophosphate spirit at how-to guide example to catch inspiration for the look and feel of your guide design .

Create a How-to Guide That’s Worth Sharing Today

The right how-to template displace change person ‘s animation. information technology can besides give your commercial enterprise adenine major boost, better the customer know, and more.

Read more : 3 Key Steps to a Concrete Floor Refresh

all information technology consume constitute some design, inquiry, and know-how to create adenine capital bit-by-bit guide. Your experience displace help oneself person make adenine deviation, good create deoxyadenosine monophosphate scout that have your cognition worth sharing .
editor program ‘s note : This post be originally publish in march 2021. information technology have be update for freshness and accuracy .