How many times have you explained to a new volunteer how to use your CRM system? Or shown a colleague over Zoom where to find the right folder in Google Drive, spending 15 minutes just to coordinate a time and connect? Every day in small teams and non-profit organizations, dozens of such micro-meetings and repetitive explanations take place. They seem like minor things, but together they eat up hours of valuable time, distract from important tasks, and create a dependency on a specific person being “online.”
The solution to this problem is asynchronous communication. This is an approach that allows you to share information without requiring your colleague to be available at the same moment. And one of the simplest tools for this is Loom. It’s a service that lets you record a short video of your computer screen with your commentary, upload it to the cloud, and share it with a simple link—all in a matter of minutes. It’s the ability to record an explanation once and use it dozens of times.
In this article, we will provide a step-by-step guide on how to set up Loom and record your first high-quality video tutorial in just 5 minutes.
When Loom Becomes Your Superpower: 4 Use Cases
This tool is extremely versatile. Here are just a few situations where it can save you hours of work.
- Onboarding New Team Members. Instead of giving the same introductory lecture every time, create a library of short Loom videos: “How to use our Trello,” “Where to find document templates,” “How to apply for a day off.” A newcomer can watch them at their convenience and refer back to them if they forget something.
- Technical Support and Feedback. Instead of writing a long email describing a problem (“I click the button, but nothing happens”), you can record your screen in 30 seconds, showing the issue in action. This is much more informative for both you and the person who will be helping. It’s also just as convenient for giving feedback on a design or text, commenting on it with your voice directly on the screen.
- Short Presentations and Reports. Need to show intermediate project results to a partner who can’t join a call? Record a 5-minute walkthrough of your presentation, commenting on the key slides. This shows respect for the other person’s time and ensures your information is conveyed correctly.
- Training Materials for Your Community. You can easily create mini-courses or tutorials for your audience: “How to fill out a grant application,” “How to use our online service,” etc. This increases the value of your project and demonstrates your expertise.
Setup in 2 Minutes: Preparing to Record
Before you record, it’s worth spending a few minutes on preparation.
Installation
Loom offers two main options: a Google Chrome extension (ideal if you only need to record what’s happening in your browser tabs) and a desktop app for Windows or Mac (necessary if you want to record activity in other programs on your computer).
Checking Your Microphone and Camera
Quality audio is 80% of your tutorial’s success. Make sure the correct microphone is selected in the Loom settings (even a simple headset from your phone provides much better sound than a laptop’s built-in mic). The camera (your face in a circle in the corner of the screen) is not mandatory, but it adds a personal touch and makes the video more engaging.
Preparing Your Screen
Before you hit the record button, close all unnecessary browser tabs, turn off notifications in your messengers, and clear your desktop of anything unrelated to your tutorial’s topic. This will make your recording look more professional and won’t distract the viewer.
Your First Recording: A 3-Minute Step-by-Step Guide
The recording process in Loom is intuitively simple.
Step 1: Choose What to Record
In the Loom menu, select the desired mode. The most commonly used is “Screen + Camera.” There are also “Screen Only” and “Camera Only” options. You can choose to record your entire screen or just a specific application window.
Step 2: Click “Start Recording.”
After clicking the button, a countdown will begin (3…2…1…), giving you time to prepare.
Step 3: Conduct Your Demonstration
Calmly and clearly comment on your actions. Try to move your mouse cursor smoothly, using it as a pointer to show where to look. Remember: one tutorial, one topic.
Step 4: End the Recording
Click the “Stop” button. And here’s where the magic of Loom happens: you don’t need to download or convert anything. The video instantly opens in a new browser tab, ready to be viewed and shared.
Step 5: Quick Edits and Settings
Right on the video page, you can do basic editing (trimming unnecessary parts at the beginning or end), change the video title, add a description, or even include a call-to-action button (e.g., “Go to website”).
Security and Sharing: How to Manage Access
You have full control over who can see your videos.
- Sharing by Link. By default, anyone with the link can view the video. This is the simplest method.
- Adding a Password. For confidential information, you can set a password for the video.
- Restricting by Email Address. You can grant access only to specific people by entering their email addresses.
- Search Engine Indexing. In the settings, you can turn off indexing to prevent your videos from appearing in Google search results.
Pro Tip: Create a page called “Knowledge Base” in your workspace (e.g., in Notion) where you will store links to all your video tutorials, grouped by topic. This will become a single reference guide for the entire team.
The Power of Asynchronous Communication
The story of a Zoom meeting that could have been a link is a reality for many teams. Implementing tools like Loom is not just about screen recording. It’s about changing the culture of communication. It’s about respecting the time and focus of your colleagues.
Instead of interrupting someone with a call, you send them a Loom. They will watch it when it is convenient for them. Instead of gathering five people for an hour-long meeting, you can ask each to record a 5-minute video with their thoughts. As a result, you get a team with less stress from constant notifications and more time for deep, focused work.
Want to implement video tutorials in your team but don’t know which processes to start with? Ask for advice, and our specialists will help you identify the key points for introducing asynchronous communication.
