Explainer videos are a powerful tool for businesses looking to convey their message quickly and effectively. Whether you’re launching a new product, introducing a service, or simplifying a complex concept, explainer videos help you engage your audience with visual storytelling and clear communication.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps to create a compelling explainer video that captivates your audience and drives results.
1. Define Your Purpose and Audience
Before you start creating an explainer video, it’s essential to define its purpose. What are you trying to achieve? Are you explaining how a product works, educating your audience about a topic, or promoting a service? Once you have a clear goal, think about your target audience. Understanding their needs, pain points, and preferences will help you craft a video that speaks directly to them.
Key Questions to Ask:
- What problem is your video solving for the audience?
- What tone and style will resonate with your viewers (fun, professional, educational)?
- What action do you want your audience to take after watching?
2. Craft a Clear and Concise Script
The backbone of any successful explainer video is a well-crafted script. A great script focuses on clarity, brevity, and a logical flow. Remember, explainer videos are typically short (1-2 minutes), so every word counts. Start with a strong introduction that grabs attention, explain the problem, introduce your solution, and end with a call-to-action (CTA).
Basic Script Structure:
- Introduction: Grab attention by addressing the viewer’s problem or pain point.
- Problem: Briefly describe the issue they face, showing empathy and understanding.
- Solution: Introduce your product, service, or idea as the solution to their problem.
- How It Works: Provide a simple explanation or demo of how it works (use visuals for support).
- Call-to-Action: Encourage viewers to take action, such as visiting your website or signing up.
Pro Tips for Writing Scripts:
- Keep sentences short and easy to understand.
- Use a conversational tone, speaking directly to the viewer.
- Focus on benefits, not just features—show how your solution improves their life.
3. Storyboarding: Visualizing Your Script
A storyboard helps you visualize how each scene will unfold in your explainer video. It’s essentially a sketch or outline of what happens on screen, paired with the script. Storyboarding ensures that your visuals match the script and helps you plan the flow of your video. You don’t need to be a professional artist—a simple sketch can do the job.
How to Create a Storyboard:
- Break your script into key scenes or moments.
- Sketch out each scene, focusing on the main visual elements.
- Add notes about the camera angles, movements, or transitions.
- Include text overlays, animations, or visual cues that enhance the story.
Tools for Storyboarding:
- Traditional pen and paper.
- Digital tools like Canva, Storyboard That, or PowerPoint.
4. Choose a Style and Visuals
Explainer videos come in various styles, and the one you choose should align with your brand and message. Common styles include animation, live-action, whiteboard videos, and kinetic typography. Animation is one of the most popular styles due to its flexibility, allowing you to explain abstract ideas in a visually engaging way.
Popular Explainer Video Styles:
- 2D Animation: Simple, clean, and effective for telling stories.
- 3D Animation: Adds depth and realism, great for product demos.
- Live-Action: Involves real people and locations, ideal for building trust.
- Whiteboard Animation: Features hand-drawn illustrations, perfect for educational or step-by-step content.
- Kinetic Typography: Uses dynamic text movements to emphasize key points, ideal for fast-paced videos.
Once you’ve chosen your style, gather or create the visuals. If you’re using animation, this might involve working with a graphic designer or using animation software. For live-action, you’ll need a camera, actors, and a suitable location.
5. Focus on High-Quality Audio
While visuals are important, high-quality audio is equally crucial. Poor sound quality or confusing voiceovers can undermine the effectiveness of your explainer video. The narration should be clear, and the tone should align with the message—whether it’s casual, authoritative, or enthusiastic. Adding background music or sound effects can also enhance the emotional impact of the video.
Audio Tips:
- Use a professional microphone for crisp voiceovers.
- Record in a quiet environment to avoid background noise.
- Choose music that complements the video without distracting from the narration.
- Sync sound effects with actions for added engagement.
6. Keep It Short and Sweet
Explainer videos are designed to simplify complex ideas in a short amount of time. Ideally, aim for a video length of 60 to 90 seconds. This forces you to get straight to the point and keeps viewers engaged throughout. Longer videos tend to lose audience interest, so focus on delivering the most important information efficiently.
Why Shorter Is Better:
- It respects the audience’s time.
- Viewers are more likely to watch the entire video.
- A concise message is often more memorable and impactful.
7. Use Engaging Animation and Transitions
If you’re working with animation, make sure to use engaging transitions and movements to keep your viewers’ attention. Smooth transitions between scenes, animated text, and simple visual effects can make the video more dynamic. However, don’t overdo it—too many flashy elements can overwhelm the viewer and detract from the message.
Best Practices for Animation:
- Keep animations simple and focused on enhancing the message.
- Use transitions to smoothly guide viewers from one point to the next.
- Highlight key features or benefits with subtle animations, such as text popping up or icons moving into place.
8. Add Subtitles or Closed Captions
Many viewers watch videos without sound, especially on social media. To ensure your message gets across regardless of sound, add subtitles or closed captions to your video. This also makes your content more accessible to a wider audience, including those who are hard of hearing or non-native speakers.
Why Subtitles Are Important:
- Boosts engagement for viewers who prefer silent viewing.
- Improves accessibility, reaching more people.
- Helps clarify complex information.
9. Include a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)
Every explainer video should end with a clear and compelling call-to-action. After you’ve explained the product or concept, guide viewers toward the next step—whether it’s visiting your website, signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase. Your CTA should be simple, actionable, and aligned with your video’s purpose.
Effective CTA Examples:
- “Sign up now for a free trial!”
- “Learn more on our website.”
- “Get started today and improve your workflow.”
10. Optimize for Different Platforms
After creating your explainer video, you’ll want to share it across various platforms, such as your website, social media, and email campaigns. To ensure the video looks good everywhere, optimize it for different platforms by adjusting the video format, size, and length. For instance, Instagram prefers square videos, while YouTube works best with widescreen formats.
Platform Optimization Tips:
- Add captions or subtitles for social media.
- Create custom thumbnails to attract clicks.
- Ensure mobile responsiveness for better viewing on smartphones.
11. Test and Analyze Performance
Once your explainer video is live, don’t forget to monitor its performance. Use analytics tools to track key metrics such as views, engagement, click-through rates, and conversions. This data will help you understand how well your video is resonating with your audience and whether any improvements are needed for future videos.
Metrics to Track:
- View Count: How many people watched your video?
- Engagement Rate: Are people watching the whole video or dropping off early?
- Conversions: How many viewers followed through with your CTA?
- Comments/Feedback: Are viewers engaging with your content?
Final Thoughts
Creating an engaging explainer video requires a clear script, appealing visuals, and smooth narration, all while keeping the video concise and to the point.
By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can craft a video that simplifies complex ideas, resonates with your target audience, and drives action.
Whether you’re a small business or a large corporation, explainer videos are a versatile tool to communicate your message effectively and leave a lasting impression.
Now that you have a roadmap, it’s time to start creating your own explainer video and captivate your audience!
