Most of the articles about creating employee training videos have been from tool vendors. Not this article. We work with HR & L&D teams to create training videos all the time. So we view this through the lens of what does an editor see once a brief comes in? What works well as far as filming goes, and when will building a training video stop making sense for your company?
Traditional training methods are being replaced with new, updated Video Training Programs, and this will dramatically change how organizations approach their employees’ learning. Research shows that video training offers countless benefits in relation to knowledge retention and long-term skill development.
If you’re an HR manager, a line manager, or an L&D leader trying to determine what an employee training video is, what makes up good employee training videos, and should you build or source out employee training videos, then use the next section to help make that decision.
What Is the Employee Training Video (vs. Corporate Training Video)?
Employee training videos are short-form, internal-focused pieces of video content created for the purpose of educating employees on a specific topic. Examples include:
- How to operate the point-of-sale system?
- Dress code expectations?
- Customer service script?
- Harassment policy?
The goal of an employee training video is behavioral change. They are created to teach employees a specific skill or behavior that will improve their job performance.
Corporate training videos are used by organizations to educate internal stakeholders on various topics including:
- Leadership development series
- Multi-week certification programs
- Customer-facing product education
- Partner enablement
Employee training videos represent the smaller segment within corporate training videos focused solely on educating employees. There are many differences between producing corporate training videos for external partners versus employee training videos.
Corporate training videos produced for external partners typically have a higher production budget, more polished script writing, on-brand motion graphics and a hosted player. In contrast, employee training videos are usually viewed internally via an LMS platform while employees eat lunch. The final result depends greatly on if the demo was clearly shown. Different production budgets, different shot lists and different definitions of “good-enough” define these differing productions. In addition to Vidpros’ overall coverage of both types of content in the training video production pillar and individual format-by-format breakdowns in corporate training video formats, we focus specifically on the employee-facing aspect of this content in this section.
Operational Categories: Translating Complex Concepts Into Video Modules
While there may be additional categories of employee training videos, the seven below encompass approximately 90% of what HR and L&D teams deliver each year. Each of these categories has its own unique production considerations.
Workplace safety. Content created in accordance with OSHA regulations for operating forklifts, using personal protective equipment (PPE) for lock-out/tag-out procedures, preventing slips/trips/falls and protecting against fires. Workplace safety content includes heavy amounts of demonstration footage and on-screen labeling. Many workplace safety training videos require employees to re-watch them annually. See the safety training video guide for production specifics.
Harassment and compliance. Required content for sexual harassment prevention training in states such as California, New York, Illinois, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine and Washington. Due to varying state laws requiring different lengths of time (California mandates two hours for supervisors), interactive questions and certificates are common elements in these types of training videos. Scripts should be reviewed from a legal perspective rather than a creative one.
Customer service. This includes phone scripts, complaint handling, escalation logic and soft-skill based coaching. Role-playing videos demonstrating the poor example followed by the best example with the coach explaining the changes made is ideal. For more details regarding customer service video-based training see the related article: customer service video training.
Role play. Role play involves sales objection handling, conflict resolution and performance reviews. Role-playing training videos are the most frequently under-budgeted type of content due to the assumption that role-playing involves simply “talking.” Creating effective role play takes much more rehearsal than creating a simple how-to demonstration.
Screen recording/screencasting. Screencasts involve recording software demonstrations and/or tutorials. Screencasting is cost-effective to create, quick to update but will degrade quickly in terms of quality when the screencaster does not practice prior to filming. To identify dead air when viewing videos at 1.5 times speed.
Software training. Software training combines screen-recordings with webcam picture-in-picture and are often produced as a series of videos instead of one lengthy video. If the UI does not undergo significant revisions during the quarter, then software-training videos can be reused for an extended period of time.
Soft skills. Soft skills include time management, written communication, providing feedback to others and conducting meetings. As opposed to how-to-based instructional design, soft skills videos tend to resemble documentaries or interviews more closely. Soft skills training videos tend to be the most challenging to keep viewers engaged.
Case Studies: On-Camera Scenarios for Giving Constructive Feedback
Below are several examples of successful employee training videos along with descriptions of why they were so successful. All of the examples listed below were able to engage employees effectively; however, none were able to match the level of authenticity displayed in Nike’s “Your Future – Our Team” onboarding video. Docebo also cited Nike’s work-life-balance framing as being unique compared to other corporate training videos.
This is a company-wide orientation and cultural piece that documents a new employee going through his day-to-day routine. While this piece could have been done using typical documentary or mockumentary techniques, Nike chose to follow a real employee throughout his day. Using real desks, real coworkers and real lunches allowed Nike to create an authentic sense of community for their employees right off the bat. Before any policies or processes are ever discussed, new employees now understand what working for Nike really means.
Xenium HR’s GROW Model Coaching Demo. Xenium HR’s GROW model coaching demo is a great example of an effective employee training video. This video features a live coaching session where Xenium HR demonstrates how to coach managers who deal with burnout and people-pleasing behaviors exhibited by team members. The whiteboard animation that accompanies the coaching helps reinforce the GROW model while the coaching itself occurs live. Xenium HR’s GROW model coaching demo works well because it displays the desired coaching behavior on camera as opposed to describing it verbally.
McDonald’s Hamburger Training Video. Another iconic employee training video is McDonald’s hamburger training video. Like many other restaurants that have developed their own employee training videos, McDonald’s creates these types of videos to train new employees on building their burgers step-by-step. Shot from the perspective of the new employee performing the actions themselves, this video includes no music or fancy graphics. It is raw and straightforward. McDonald’s created this video for new employees as soon as they pick up their first spatula.
WeVideo’s Interactive Examples. When it comes to employee training videos that need to interactively measure learner results (such as safety and compliance), WeVideo offers several branching videos that allow learners to answer interactive quiz questions about a variety of topics. One of WeVideo’s greatest advantages when it comes to measuring results is that interactive questions provide evidence of exactly which options learners selected. This is something compliance auditors look for when reviewing results. WeVideo also points out that interactive training increases learner engagement and retention rates resulting in faster learning curves. Research supports this claim stating that people retain more information when receiving information in a video format than they would if receiving information in a text-only format — even months later.
Qualities of Effective Employee Training Videos
Based on our review of approximately 300+ internal client training videos, there are four aspects of internal client training videos that differentiate the videos that are viewed by the trainee versus those that are skipped: length, format compatibility, branding consistency, and accessibility.
Length. Video training content should be no longer than 3-7 minutes. Any longer and the training content needs to be broken down into multiple videos. There are two exceptions to the rule of thumb of keeping video training content to 3-7 minutes long. These exceptions include mandatory training requirements for compliance reasons (e.g., sexual harassment training), and certification programs where the required duration of the training content is included as part of the certification process.
Format compatibility. Determine what type of format fits best with the type of content. Is the content a walk-through of a software application? Then use a screen capture. Are you creating a hypothetical scenario of how to deal with a difficult customer? Use role-playing. Do you want to create a cultural development piece that has an emotional appeal? Then use documentary film style. If each topic is forced into a single template then the training video may appear cheap.
Branding consistency. Make sure all training video titles, introduction cards, and colors appear consistent throughout all of your internal client training videos. Consistent branding indicates to the viewer that he/she is within an officially sponsored training program and not just another one-time training video created by an employee using his/her personal computer.
Accessibility. Every training video should have captions, complete transcripts, and audio descriptions when visual elements are key to understanding the content. Use WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines for determining accessibility. ADA Title III applies to U.S.-based companies employing fifteen (15) or more people. Accessibility is good practice regardless of company size in the U.S. Using auto-captioning via YouTube or your learning management system (LMS) will not meet the necessary standards due to errors in industry-specific terms. To improve accuracy, hire a person to manually edit the .SRT files associated with each video. This step alone could take up to 15 minutes to edit each video and remove a potential area of compliance issues.
Research-Based Rationale Supporting Training Videos’ Increase in Engagement
Retention and format comparison: research indicates that retaining information learned via video is superior compared to learning via written material. Vyond referenced the six-week retention study mentioned earlier in their article. BizLibrary framed retention differently when referring to costs: “You don’t pay for training. But you pay dearly for ghost users. And suddenly training looks like a bargain,” referencing that replacing employees can cost between fifty percent (50%) and two-hundred percent (200%) of an employee’s annual salary. Therefore, even if employees view training content intermittently, the overall return on investment for developing and distributing training content is favorable based upon replacement costs alone.
Additional insights from production experience: in addition to retention studies demonstrating benefits of video-based training compared to written materials, video-based engagement is also influenced by factors unrelated to format. Three primary factors influencing video-based engagement are: (i) the perceived credibility/authority of the individual presenting on-camera (i.e., a subject-matter-expert far outweighs a scripted/presented narrator); (ii) whether or not the example(s) depicted in the video relate directly to the viewer’s current job responsibilities (i.e., an example depicting accounting procedures would likely not resonate with warehouse staff); and (iii) whether or not the video demonstrates respect for the viewer’s time (i.e., having a two-minute corporate logo/intro prior to displaying actual content).
While research-backed retention metrics provide direction regarding successful formats/types of training media, retention metrics themselves should be treated as directional arguments and not exact measurements. Completion rates/behavioral changes are highly dependent upon contextual variables related to both the organization and individuals viewing the training content, therefore vendors claiming singularly applicable retention metrics across various formats/trainings are either misrepresenting data or attempting to sell products.
Pre-Production Phase: Mapping Out Clear Learning Objectives and Training Program Paths
To assist in planning and producing successful training videos, here is a list of common items to consider during pre-production:
- Create a clear statement defining what the learner will be able to do after completing the training. Example: “The learner will be able to successfully conduct a forklift pre-shift safety check.”
- Clearly define who the target audience is. Will the training be provided to new hires in their first thirty (30) days of employment? Or perhaps existing staff requiring recertification? Will field technicians require specialized training?
- Determine what type of format best fits the type of content being presented. Examples of formats include demo, role-play, screen capture/video tutorial, animated tutorials, interviews, etc.
- Develop a script based on input from subject matter experts (SMEs) prior to filming. Many SMEs tend to revise or significantly alter content while filming if allowed. This creates significant time delays.
- Obtain talent releases from all employees or actors appearing on camera. No exceptions exist for releasing talent.
- Consider accessibility early in your planning stage. Include caption budgets, transcript budgets, and audio-description budgets for videos including visually critical information. Creating captions, transcripts, and/or audio descriptions post-filming increases production costs twofold.
- Properly license music and stock footage. Only use royalty-free licensed materials with documented commercial usage rights. Properly documenting licensing ensures copyright infringement issues do not arise such as receiving a takedown notice for internally uploaded LMS videos.
- Schedule time for re-shooting segments that did not turn out well prior to concluding production. Schedule at least a half-day block for unexpected re-shoots.
For further detail on the production process itself, how to make a training video provides an overview of the entire film/production process from start to finish.
Creating Effective Training Videos Using the Right Tools
There are 3 layers to the tool stack. Most teams will have some of the tools already.
Recording. Screencasting with Loom and/or Camtasia. Mirrorless cameras (Sony ZV-E10, Canon R50) with a Rode shotgun mic for talking-head shots. Smartphone mounted on tripod for B-roll footage when budgets are tight.
Editing. Narrative video editing can be done with either Adobe Premiere or FCPX. Fast edits of text-based content for screencast and talking-head-style videos can be completed by using Descript. Teams that don’t have an Adobe budget may find they use DaVinci Resolve Free.
Hosting/delivery. At this layer is where your LMS selection matters. Pricing as of 2026 for small-business-friendly options currently are: TalentLMS at $69/month, 360Learning at $8/user/month with 14-day free trial, Trainual at $299/month with 7-day free trial, SC Training (formerly EdApp) at $0-$5/user/month with free plan available, and Connecteam at $29/month for 30 users with free plan available. Enterprise options include Valamis which is priced around €17k/year and Docebo which is priced around $25k/year.
Be aware of hidden costs in large-enterprise LMS contracts. Workademy’s pricing breakdown shows a typical example of how a $500/mo base price increases with an additional $2,000 implementation cost, $1,500 training cost, a SSO add-on costing $100/mo, and user minimums. As they note: “Even though you may only have 30 users, you still pay for 50.” Make sure to get the total cost in writing prior to signing.
A brief word about AI-native LMS platforms (Sana, Docebo’s AI Course Creation Tool, 360Learning’s Collaborative AI): while these AI-native LMS platforms are rapidly improving in 2026, they still need human review passes especially since compliance content uses specific words that carry legal weight.
Employee Video Training: Build vs. Buy Decision Tree
When do you decide to outsource employee training video? This is the part of the page that everyone else misses so I’ll spend a little longer here.
Use internal resources to build the video in-house when:
- The video is simply a demonstration of a single-use tool. The vendor does not understand your process well enough to create the script.
- The subject matter expert is your resource and they can easily take 30 minutes to record themselves.
- There is very limited shelf life. If the tool being demonstrated will have multiple user interface updates within a quarter, then the video should be inexpensive enough to recreate.
- Your company has already invested in an LMS authoring platform with the ability to provide simple video capabilities and this is a relatively small project that fits into the available features.
Use external vendors to produce the video when:
- The video has a long shelf life as it will be viewed by many hundreds or thousands of new employees. As production quality increases, the value to the audience also grows.
- If the video is compliance-based and may be reviewed by attorneys as part of state-mandated employee training (e.g. California, New York, Illinois), then it makes sense to defer to outside counsel regarding specific requirements related to the video.
- You require consistency across all episodes in terms of branding. While it’s possible to achieve some degree of consistency, internally produced videos tend to diverge in style over time because they’re recorded by different producers.
- You are creating a type of format that is difficult to create internally such as multi-camera role play, animated explainers or documentary-style culture pieces. These types of formats are not typically something a producer would learn their trade doing.
- Your internal resources are the limiting factor. Your learning and development group has scripts ready but no one to edit them.
- We perform the following calculation for potential clients: if the internal option would require hiring a full-time videographer at approximately $75k-$95k fully loaded per year to complete fewer than 40 completed videos, then the cost per video is high enough that using a subscription-based service for outsourcing becomes less expensive and delivers quicker.
Subscription-based editing models (i.e., having a dedicated editor available on an ongoing basis instead of hiring an editor for each project individually) tend to work better for HR and L&D groups than traditional agency project pricing. The output is generally easier to predict; there is no need for scope of work negotiations when the script changes during the middle of the week. We address the options in our corporate training video production article.
As it relates to large-volume new hire programs, the initial area to consider using an outsourced solution is typically the onboarding library. Using an outsourced approach to deliver consistent quality across all welcome videos creates compound value as the same library is used across each subsequent cohort. The templates and structure required for that work are located in onboarding video templates.
Beyond Simple Head Videos: Evaluating Active Learning Metrics
The three levels of measuring the success of training videos include:
Completion. Did the viewer complete viewing the video? Your LMS will report this information. Although useful, it is a very low threshold. Completion rates above 80 percent are common for compliance-type training (as a result of completion being required) while completion rates less than 50 percent are typical for non-compliance-type library content (due to viewers skipping).
Retention and recall. Did the viewer retain knowledge learned as a result of watching the video? Quizzes embedded within the video player or post-training assessments in the LMS measure retention and recall. Interactive video formats such as those described earlier, which include branching paths and on-screen questions, provide the cleanest method of collecting both types of data. MindStamp’s collection of interactive video examples demonstrates the common ways questions prompt learners into producing usable data.
Change in behavior. Did the learner take the action(s) that were instructed through the video? This is the difficult one. Collecting field observation, mystery shopper, KPI changes based upon the same metrics that the training intended to affect (i.e., reduction in accidents, increase in customer satisfaction, decrease in new hire ramp time) represent the only way to demonstrate whether or not the training content was effective. Because of varying contexts, avoid citing percentage of behaviors changed due to training content without referencing a study and/or year; because there are credible studies supporting various ranges of behavioral impact depending upon the context.
A helpful practice: review your entire training video library every six months for the long-term. Pull all training videos with less than 30 percent completion rates. Either they need to be recut for length, or they need to be retired. The library that successfully trained employees in 2024 will not be successful in 2026 unless it has been updated.
FAQ: Delivering Instructional Videos and How To Videos at Scale
How long should an employee training video be?
Most content requires between three and seven minutes per learning objective. Compliance training has minimum time requirements established by state law in certain categories (e.g., harassment training in California, New York, Illinois).
Do we need talent releases for employees featured in employee training videos?
Yes. Every time employees appear in employee training videos, you will need talent releases.
Are automatic captions sufficient for ADA compliance?
No. While automatic captions are better than nothing, they typically lack the terminology and proper names used in many industries. As such, a manual review/clean-up process is generally performed after automatic captions are generated. The general standard for compliance is WCAG 2.1 AA.
Can I use artificial intelligence tools to generate scripts for my employee training videos?
Yes, for generating first-draft scripts and serving as a scaffold. No, for finalizing compliance-based content (regulatory, harassment, safety) until reviewed by a human subject matter expert (SME) and/or legal department prior to publication. There have been instances where artificial intelligence generated scripts have included language contradicting state-specific requirements.
What is a reasonable budget for outsourcing employee training video development?
For a combination of talking head/voiceover with screen recording including light-motion graphics, the market price range for outsourcing development is several hundred to thousands of dollars per completed video depending on length and complexity. Subscription-style editing arrangements lower the unit cost for each project when consistent volumes exist. Both animation and actor-driven role play projects fall in a different category. Request a per-minute-basis cost from any potential developer rather than a flat daily rate.
Must employee training videos live within an LMS?
While technically not necessary, employee training videos likely would benefit from residing within an LMS. Using an LMS provides tracking of completion status, issuing certificates to learners, and maintaining a centralized library of videos which remain available regardless of who replaces existing personnel. A folder containing MP4 files stored on SharePoint does not serve the same purpose.
If you have developed your scripts and identified your SMEs but lack the resources to develop your employee training videos internally, Vidpros offers subscription-style editing services for HR/L&D teams developing employee training video at scale. Email us a copy of your sample script and we will create the first video so that you may compare our output with what you currently produce on your own prior to committing to a month-to-month engagement.
