A useful onboarding video has one job: help a new customer complete one meaningful workflow. It is not a tour of every menu, a narrated release note, or a substitute for the entire help center.
Start with the first useful outcome
Choose the moment that makes the product feel valuable for the first time. Give the lesson a concrete promise, such as publishing the first project or inviting the first teammate. If a step does not move the viewer toward that promise, it probably belongs in another lesson.
Make the interface readable
Record only the window or region that matters. Crop away distractions, keep the cursor calm, and use guided zooms when a control would otherwise be easy to miss. A viewer should never have to search the frame while also listening to the explanation.
Edit around decisions, not clicks
Spend time on the moments where a user must understand a choice. Routine typing can move faster. Pauses and mistakes can disappear. The result should feel natural, but every second should help the customer reach the outcome.
End with a confident next step
Show the finished state, say what changed, and give the viewer one next action. That final confirmation turns a walkthrough into a lesson they can use.