How to Build an Online Beauty Tutorial in 10 Steps

Content plays a powerful role in shaping consumer preferences, and there’s no industry that illustrates that better than beauty. The growing demand for digital content from beauty professionals presents a unique opportunity to not only enhance your brand, but also to attract a wider clientele. How? By packaging your passion and expertise into engaging online tutorials that showcase what you offer. 

Free beauty tutorials and paid online courses are a perfect way to get started. Whether you’re promoting a storefront or hosting private in-home sessions, beauty tutorials can be a low-cost yet powerful marketing tool and, in some cases, an attractive opportunity to generate passive income. Through teaching, you can build trust with viewers as someone who understands the trends people want to incorporate in their lives.

According to the Square Future of Customers report, 47% of Gen Z consumers, 42% of millennial consumers, and 25% of Gen X consumers are interested in online tutorials or virtual classes offered by beauty or personal care businesses. In this guide, we’ll explore how beauty businesses can use online tutorials to increase their brand presence, keep existing clients engaged, and build a base of enthusiastic customers.

1. Define the opportunity: What is a beauty tutorial, and how does it help your customers?

An online beauty tutorial is a walkthrough of a particular style or method of beauty care — ideally one that’s trending and ideally one that your viewers can do themselves. Giving away the very expertise you want customers to come to you and pay for might seem counterintuitive, but a good beauty tutorial does more than show how to contour your face or achieve the perfect blowout; the idea is to build trust with potential customers and show what makes you (or your business) the go-to expert on a certain subject.

Think of your tutorials like the start of a relationship. For viewers, it’s more intimate than a before-and-after still or a time-lapse transformation video. Viewers could very well use your instructions to get ready for prom, a job interview, or a wedding. While free content like this is especially popular on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, it can also work as a more formal, paid educational course. As always, there are pros and cons to each.

Free beauty tutorials

Free beauty tutorials posted on social media or YouTube often feature multiple steps or chapters to keep viewers engaged. By creating a separate video for each step, the content is easy to consume for viewers, allowing them to rewatch each video as they follow along at home. Plus, when viewers go down a rabbit hole on your account, consuming multiple videos in one sitting, you’re built into their algorithm, making it more likely your content will be recommended in the future — even if they don’t follow you. If you have a really unique voice or story, there’s an entire phenomenon of viewers using how-to beauty tutorials as their own form of entertainment and a window into the creator’s life, which can lead to even more followers. 

While social media algorithms are always evolving, their recommendations generally favor accounts that post often. So posting a series of short videos instead of one long one can be a great way to boost engagement on your channel. There’s no limit to the number of videos you can create for a series — users will happily consume a 10-part series if it speaks to something they’re interested in. And if they’re not interested, it can still leave the impression that you know your stuff.

Paid beauty courses

A paid beauty course would live on a third-party platform or your website, and, to justify the price tag, would be more in-depth than the sea of free beauty advice that permeates our feeds. A paid product means a higher production value and potentially a longer content series. If people pay for your course only to discover they could have gotten that experience for free, it could be detrimental to your brand. 

If you have an established following, are a known brand, can recruit a well-known influencer, or are even an influencer yourself, people will be more likely to pay for your instruction. On the other hand, if you’ve just been creating free content for a while and have received repeated requests for more, creating a paid beauty course could be the next best step to cater to your fans and generate passive revenue. The most important aspect to consider here is putting yourself in a customer’s shoes and considering what would make you open your wallet. 

What do beauty tutorials offer your customers?

• Showcase your work: Teaching demonstrates a relative mastery, so your tutorials — whether you’re sharing “skinfo” or your own groundbreaking technique a la “the sticky method” — should highlight what sets you apart.
• Communicate trends: Social media is where trends are born. A multi-part how-to video series helps put you in the conversation, inspiring potential customers with fresh ideas for their next salon visit.
• Establish connections: Whether you have a good technique that needs sharing, want to announce your business with a bang, or just want to create solid entertainment, the real value of your tutorial is you. Viewers will come back to creators they relate to. 
• Create additional revenue streams: While paid courses can generate income on their own, link-in-bios to your public-facing TikTok or Instagram stores or business website can provide low-barrier access to your business’s offerings and services. Social media’s global reach provides access to far-flung markets and the possibility of going viral if you create something especially interesting.

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2. Pick your beauty trend and join the conversation

Modern consumers want knowledge, expertise, and experiences that can enhance their beauty routines. We know from the Square Future of Customers report that a significant percentage of consumers expect beauty businesses to engage with them online: 79% in the U.S., 72% in the United Kingdom, 69% in Australia, and 68% in Canada.

Your potential followers — who could become your potential customers — will have classrooms in their pockets with your content. For this type of content, success means timing + talent: Tap into what’s hot, show the people your technique, and stand out while doing it.

Choosing a topic for your beauty tutorial

So where should you start? Stick to areas or techniques where you have unique expertise, credibility, or a genuine passion. Look for an overlap between something your beauty business offers and something your consumers are actively seeking to learn about, mixed with a perspective or presence only you can bring to the tutorial. 

Here are some ways to identify what consumers are looking for in an online tutorial:

• Conversations with existing clients
• Conversations with your staff or colleagues about frequent requests
• Topics that are trending on beauty-forward social media platforms, such as TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube
• Information gained from reading online forums and communities focusing on your specific industry
• A Google Trends search to see what’s increasing or decreasing in interest
• Industry-leading publications such as Vogue, Elle, Essence, Cosmopolitan, and Allure
• Industry reports and statistics on consumer demand, like top beauty industry trends or customer preferences.

By focusing on what you do well and have a genuine passion for, viewers will pick up on your experience, product knowledge, and how fun it would be to work with you. Consumers want to know you’re someone they can rely on and get along with.

Example: How an event-focused makeup artist could turn a makeup tutorial into a business opportunity

Let’s use the example of a makeup artist who specializes in weddings and formal events. By searching hashtags such as #weddingmakeup, #bridalmakeup, and #weddingtiktok, they may discover brides are opting for a glowy but natural look because a less-is-more approach photographs well in multiple settings. Their tutorial could start by showing examples of the glowy, natural look and what situations it’s best suited for, such as venue and time of day. 

If this makeup artist wants to target local wedding clients, they could name the specific venue and give tips about what’s worked there in the past. Then, they could show viewers how to apply this look in real time, explain why certain techniques work better than others, and show what’s possible with customization. Then, they could wrap up their tutorial with ways for potential clients to get in touch, find their other work, and book an appointment.

Sure, viewers would learn how to apply the technique themselves. But they could also learn about your friendly attitude and craftsmanship while hearing about all the successful events where you’ve done makeup. They like your style, they know you can handle the pressure of a wedding, and they want to see more.

3. Identify your target audience

Who is your tutorial for? Knowing your target audience allows you to tailor your content to their needs. Consider that casting too wide a net may be a negative here. It’s okay to narrow your audience and speak to the exact customers you want.

Determine what problems your audience faces:

• It could be FOMO, the fear of missing out on the latest trends and appearing unfashionable.
• Maybe it’s cost concerns — high-quality salon visits are out of reach for them, and your tutorials provide the styling guidance they need.
• It could come down to inspiration — they want a new look and a competent local practitioner to help them, so your tutorial is a two-pronged approach that shows them a new style via your expertise.

Define your ideal customer. Develop buyer personas based on demographic information, behavior patterns, motivations, and goals. This will help you create content that resonates with your audience.

Target locally. If you’re trying to drive traffic to a physical location, it’s important to target consumers in your region. Use location-specific hashtags and engage with local influencers to increase reach in your area. For example, if our wedding makeup artist is based in Miami and targeting South Florida brides, they’d tag their videos with #miamibridemakupartist or #bridalmakeupmiami. 

Do your research. Engage with your customers during appointments to learn more about their interests. Use social media polls for further outreach, or join a forum to gather insights on what works for other practitioners.

4. Get ahead of your competition

Use your competitors to your advantage. Learn from their successes, ditch their mistakes, and come out of the gate strong. Conducting a competitor analysis could help differentiate your brand.

To find your competition, do some hashtag research around the trends and audiences you’re looking to target. Curate your “For You” page and search for similar courses and tutorials that may already exist. See what type of content your competitors are creating and any feedback they’re receiving in comments or reviews.

Three other approaches to take when assessing your beauty tutorial competition:

• Compare your audiences. Are they focusing on beginners, advanced techniques, or other professionals? If they’re targeting a specific demographic, consider who’s being left out.
• Ensure course parity. If you’re building a paid course, make sure it’s on par with what your other paid-course competitors offer in terms of content quality, production value, and pricing.
• Differentiate your content. What’s your unique value proposition? It could be your own teaching style, the products you recommend, exclusive content not available anywhere else (such as featuring a key influencer), or providing additional resources like downloadable guides or live Q&A sessions. Undercut the competition with a lower price, offer payment plans, or provide more than anyone’s expecting.

5. Choose your platform carefully

Be where your customers are. Different platforms have different strengths, but it’s crucial to pick a platform that aligns with your brand, content, and target audience. 

Best platforms for free beauty tutorials 

TikTok

• Short-form content: TikTok is ideal for short, multi-part series that explore specific topics in a more casual manner. Attention spans on TikiTok can be especially short, so keep the content engaging and on-topic.
• Algorithm-driven: TikTok’s algorithm is incredibly effective at pushing content to users based on their interests. It’s very common for users to search for the styles they want alongside a hashtag for their area. If you want to promote your services to locals, regional targeting is a must.
• Interactive features: TikTok has lots of engaging features. Stitches allow users to overlay a video of their own on top of yours. Filters let you customize videos and inject a bit of personality. Sounds vary in virality and can be chosen based on how they’re trending.
• Young and engaged audience: TikTok’s audience skews younger, making it ideal if you’re targeting Gen Z or younger millennials interested in the latest beauty trends.
• Follow the audience: On TikTok, health and beauty brands posted more frequently than they did last year across the board. Always go where your audience is. 

Instagram

• Reels for short-form video: Instagram Reels, similar to TikTok videos, are ideal for quick beauty tutorials that showcase specific techniques or products. Reels are discoverable through Instagram’s Explore page, helping you reach a wider audience. In 2024, health and beauty brands doubled their rate of reels per week and saw increased engagement. 
• IGTV for longer tutorials: For more in-depth beauty tutorials, IGTV (Instagram TV) allows you to post videos longer than one minute. This is useful for step-by-step makeup tutorials or more detailed product reviews.
• Shoppable posts: Instagram’s shopping features allow you to tag products directly in your posts and Stories, making it easy for viewers to purchase the products you use in your tutorials. This can come in handy when promoting specific beauty products or working with brands.
• Hashtags and geotags: Instagram’s hashtag and geotag features help increase the discoverability of your beauty content. By using popular beauty hashtags, you can connect with a broader audience. Geotags can help you target local clients if you offer in-person services. 

YouTube

• Long-form content: YouTube is ideal for in-depth tutorials and educational content. According to a Think With Google report, 86% of viewers say they use YouTube to learn new things. Its searchability and the potential for monetization through ads make it a valuable platform for beauty professionals.
• Monetization opportunities: YouTube offers multiple monetization options, including ad revenue and affiliate links. This makes it a strong platform if you’re looking to generate passive income from your beauty tutorials.
• High production values: While YouTube can accommodate a range of production qualities, viewers often expect higher-quality videos. It’s perfect if you have the resources to produce well-edited HD tutorials.

Best platforms for paid beauty courses

• Standalone platforms: Platforms like Teachable or Thinkific offer complete control over your content, pricing, and branding. However, they require more effort to drive traffic compared to marketplaces.
• Online course marketplaces: Platforms like Udemy or Skillshare offer less control over pricing and branding but benefit from built-in audiences, making it easier to attract students.
• All-in-one platforms: Platforms like Kajabi or Podia offer everything you need to create, market, and sell your courses in one place. While they’re more expensive, they simplify the process and reduce the need for multiple tools.
  

Don’t forget to test the experience

Before committing to a platform, take at least one sample course from another creator, or go down the rabbit hole on someone else’s series of TikTok or YouTube videos. That will allow you to test how the various features complement what you’re planning to offer and even provide inspiration on aspects to include in your own course.

Try not to get too sucked into the possibilities, and don’t let too many options keep you from getting started. Start posting and learn from your experiences. Remember: if the platform you choose lacks the features you need, you can always switch. 

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6. Outline your content

Whether it’s a free social media tutorial or a paid online course, make sure each part has a purpose. The end result should be well organized, to-the-point, and easy to digest for a busy audience that has hundreds of brands vying for its attention. 

Put yourself in a beginner’s shoes. Make a list of things you would want to know, common mistakes, and any tools or products that are necessary or helpful. If you’re doing a makeup course or how-to guide for the perfect blowout, do the whole process with a willing friend or current client and take detailed notes on every step.

Make sure there’s a logical progression to your course content, like chapters in a book. State the “why” clearly at the beginning. Let users know what they’ll need to do the process themselves. Shout out all serums, curlers, hydrating sticks, moisturizers, irons, buffers — whatever tools you use — and say why you like them and why they all play well together. From there, organize the steps in a way that’s practical and reflects real-life application.

7. Edit your beauty course

With your plan in place, the next step is to film and edit. As you find your brand’s footing and establish your channel’s voice, you’ll want the video to feel familiar enough so that viewers recognize what they’re seeing, but unique enough that it highlights what’s great about your personal style.

Editing for social media

Here are some best practices when editing content for social media:

• Keep it concise. Social media is about quick, digestible content. When posting multiple parts in a series, shoot for a length of 30 to 60 seconds. There’s no such thing as too many parts in a series. Keeping viewers engaged on your page means a higher likelihood of a follow or click-through to one of your links.
• Create a strong thumbnail. This is the preview image people will see before clicking on your video. It’s their first impression, so make sure it stands out while accurately representing your content.
• Use good lighting and clear audio. Aim for high-quality video with lighting that highlights the subject and the details of your beauty techniques. Use natural light or a ring light, and make sure the audio is clear and free from background noise.
• Maintain consistent branding. Use consistent colors, fonts, and editing styles that align with your brand across all posts in your tutorial series.
• Captions are key. Many viewers watch videos without sound. Adding captions ensures your message gets across even when viewers discover your content on the bus, in class, or next to their partner on the couch. 
• Use trending music and hashtags. Add trending music tracks and relevant hashtags to increase the likelihood of your video being discovered. If you use a popular product in your video, hashtag that product so people looking for ways to use it will find your content. If you don’t know where to start in the world of hashtags, get tarted with tools such as TagsFinder and All Hashtag. 
• Optimize for mobile. Edit your video in a vertical format (16:9) for platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts.

If you need editing help, check out various short-form video editing apps ( like CapCut) that feature full suites of tools to help inject a bit of creativity and add style into your videos.

Editing for a paid beauty course

Creating a video series with higher production value — especially one you plan to charge for — will mean more up-front costs in the form of professional recording equipment. Doing this yourself can be costly and require very specific expertise, so consider finding someone with these talents in your network or hiring a freelance producer to make sure your beauty course comes out looking and sounding perfect. 

8. Price your beauty training and determine your revenue goals

The price of your beauty course will vary depending on the format, your revenue goals, and how the content fits into your overall marketing strategy.

• Course level: Consider the audience you’re targeting and how price-sensitive people may be. Beginners could be less invested and more hesitant to pay a premium price, while advanced learners have probably participated in a handful of courses already and may be more willing to pay .
  
• Marketing: Ensure you include the cost of spreading the word about your course in your pricing. This could include email campaigns or paid social posts for boosted reach. Set a budget and stick to it. 
• Competitor pricing: See what competitors are doing and how your course content stacks up. If you think you have an edge on value or are a more authoritative voice in the space, you can reflect that in your price. On the other hand, remain realistic and avoid pricing too high.

Paid-course pricing models

• One-time-purchase: This model involves selling your beauty course or individual lessons for a one-and-done fee. This way, users have more flexibility in how they consume your content. You can go the high-volume, low-cost route (which attracts more customers) or the low-volume, high-cost route (which attracts a more exclusive audience).
• Subscription model: This model offers continuous access to content for a recurring fee. While it requires ongoing content creation, it provides a steady revenue stream.

9. Launch your beauty tutorial

Once your tutorial is ready, it’s time to go live.

Have a trusted colleague review your content

Before you launch, have someone you trust check out your content in the same way a user would see it for the first time. Encourage them to take notes and report back on what works, what doesn’t, and what may need to be tweaked.

Share with your network

Once you’re ready, post the tutorial on all your social accounts, then encourage your staff, friends, and other reliable voices in your professional network to share it on their social accounts. If your business has a newsletter, include the tutorial there too. Lengthen the promotion period by sharing the course in stages — the way it’s meant to be consumed — in subsequent editions of the newsletter. Consider providing a discount code or bonus materials to your followers, as this kind of initial push can help generate early sales and feedback.

Pay attention to your content’s traction

Launching is just part of the picture. Track performance using analytics available on your chosen platform. Be sure to respond to any direct messages you may receive, as long as they’re relevant. Stay active in the comments section and be ready to provide follow-up information or next steps should viewers ask. Show viewers that you have more to offer as they engage further.

10. Market your beauty course 

With your content posted and your personal network already in the know, it’s time to broaden your reach and make sure as many potential customers as possible come across your videos. Here are some ways to market your new beauty content.

Email marketing

Tools like Square Email Marketing can help create email lists from the customer data you already have. Choose from premade templates to optimize the experience for readers, and use the built-in dashboard to analyze data, see open rates and click-throughs, and fine-tune your marketing efforts.

Influencer marketing

Influencers can help your course reach a larger audience by building credibility and tapping into their own vast networks. Choose influencers whose values align with your brand and who have a following that matches your target audience. 

Paid ads

If you have your own website, consider investing in paid ads to drive traffic to your course. Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Instagram Ads can help.

Reviews and testimonials

Social proof is crucial for convincing potential students to purchase your course. Collect reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers and display them prominently on your website and social channels. 

Evaluating the success of your online tutorial

Now that your beauty tutorial is live, it’s time to check in. How well did it work? Did your content have the impact you intended? How you personally measure success depends on the goals you established in the previous steps. Here are some common metrics: 

• Likes: The healthy engagement rate you’ll want to receive varies based on platform, but for Instagram it’s about 3% of your follower count. On TikTok, it’s one like for every 10 views.
• Comments: This is your most direct route to building your viewership and community. Respond to comments to further boost engagement.
• Shares and forwards: Knowing your content is impactful enough for viewers to want others to see it is huge. Keep an eye on how many shares your content generates.
• Saves: This shows that viewers found your content genuinely useful and want to put it to the test themselves.
• New followers or subscribers: New faces mean new chances to connect. If you convert anywhere near 3% of your viewers into followers, you’re doing great.
• Website traffic: Keep up in real time with tools like Google Analytics to see how your tutorial drives people to your site.
• Click-through rate (CTR): If you included links in your tutorial’s description or your account bio — like to your website or appointment booking page — the CTR measures the percentage of viewers who clicked the link.
• Testimonials: Whether scrolling or searching, people are bombarded with marketing — especially in the health and beauty space. Using positive words that come from others can go a long way. Reach out to anyone who leaves especially thoughtful feedback and ask if you can use their quote in other marketing materials.

Finally, if you published a paid online beauty course:

• Meeting revenue goals: The platform where you posted your course may have a dashboard with a tracking tool for the number of sales generated. Any income from your content is a clear metric of success. Take into account your original revenue goals and the cost of producing and marketing your course to determine your profits.

Remember that beauty consumers have a wide range of priorities, from price to convenience to personal style. There’s no magic equation to reaching your target audience. It takes research, patience, and adjusting your approach based on the feedback you receive. A well-made, informative, and fun beauty tutorial can drive your overall business.

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