How to Publish How-To Videos: Formats, Hosting and QR Codes
Where to host how-to videos, which formats and aspect ratios to export, how to name and describe them for search, and how to link them from products with QR codes.
Short answer
Publish each how-to video in two places: where people search (usually YouTube) and where the problem happens (your product page, help article or a QR code on the product). Export an MP4 in 16:9 for websites and YouTube, a 9:16 version if you post to phone-first platforms, name the file and title after the task, and add captions and a step list with timestamps.
Where to host
| Option | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | Being found in search; free hosting; captions | Suggested videos from others after yours; ads you do not control |
| A video hosting service | Clean embeds on your own site, no competing suggestions | Usually a subscription |
| Your own website | Full control; a short, muted clip can play inline | Large files slow pages down; compress and load on demand |
| Help centre or knowledge base | Support answers next to the written steps | Keep one master file so updates reach every copy |
Formats and sizes
- MP4 (H.264 video, AAC audio) plays almost everywhere.
- 16:9 landscape for websites, YouTube and screens.
- 9:16 vertical for short phone-first platforms. Keep the action in the centre when you plan to crop.
- Captions as a separate file (SRT or WebVTT) so they can be translated and switched on and off, or burned in for social platforms that play muted.
Name and describe it for search
- Title: the task as people type it: "How to replace the filter on a [product]".
- Description: one sentence on the result, then the numbered steps, with timestamps on YouTube so people can jump to a step.
- Thumbnail: the finished result or the key step, with a few large words at most.
- On your own site: add VideoObject structured data, a transcript or step list on the page, and a descriptive file name.
Link it from the product with a QR code
For assembly, setup and care videos, the best place for the link is on the product, the packaging or the manual, where the person is standing when they need it. Point the QR code at a short, stable web address on your own domain (for example yoursite.com/setup/model-x) that redirects to the video. You can then change where it points without reprinting anything. Manual to Video offers a free QR code generator for assembly videos built for exactly this.
Keep one source of truth
Keep a simple list of every video: task, product and version, where it is published, and who owns it. When a product changes, the list tells you which videos to update and every place they appear.
Publishing checklist
- MP4, 16:9 master; 9:16 cut if needed
- Captions file (SRT or WebVTT) checked
- Title names the task in searchers' words
- Description: result, numbered steps, timestamps
- Thumbnail shows the result or key step
- Embedded on the product or help page, with a step list
- VideoObject markup on your own site
- QR code points to a stable short link you control
- Listed in your video inventory with an owner
Questions people ask
Should I upload how-to videos to YouTube or my website?
Both, usually. YouTube helps people find the video in search; your website puts it next to the product or help article. Embedding a YouTube video on your site does both at once.
What aspect ratio is best for how-to videos?
16:9 landscape for websites, YouTube and screens. Make a 9:16 vertical cut for phone-first social platforms if you post there.
Where should a QR code for a how-to video point?
To a short web address on your own domain that redirects to the video, so you can update the target without reprinting packaging or manuals.