How to Write a How To Guide

Writing a how to guide or a tutorial is a pretty straight forward procedure however many people still fail to write successful guides due to lack of structure or lack of a defined goal. In this how to guide, we will teach you how to write a how to guide.

The first step to writing how to guide, is identify what you are trying to teach. If you are teaching how to perform a magic trick, your opening paragraph should explain an outline of the magic trick and possibly a brief description of where most people have complications when performing it.

Next, if your guide requires any sort of materials, make sure you break them all down before you begin the steps. There is nothing worse than getting half way through a tutorial and find out that you are missing one of the key components.

If there are any tips or warnings that the reader should know about before they begin, the best thing to do is to write a small paragraph outlining things they should be aware of prior to starting the tutorial. This is especially important if there are any health risks involved as you don’t want your reader to hurt themselves.

Once you’ve given an overview, requirements, and tips/warnings you should begin to write the steps. If there are many steps, it is ideal to create a new paragraph for each step. Numbering your steps makes following your instructions easier and makes it easier to remember exactly what step you are on. Try to keep each step concise and to the point.

Once you have completed all of the steps, you should write a concluding paragraph. In the conclusion, give your reader a very clear example of what the outcome should be. Don’t just end your guide with ‘DONE!’. The reader should understand that they have completed the tutorial and should have something to show for it.

Put all these pieces together, and you will have written a very successful how to guide.