How to Create a Great Explainer Video

So you’ve decided an explainer video is worth the effort and want to create one to promote your product, service or brand. Now what? How do you make an explainer video that stands out and catches your audience’s attention? Check out these tips:

Determine Your Audience

When creating an explainer video, it works best when it is targeted at a specific group of people. A broad message tends to get muddled, and people are less likely to take action. 

Instead, know your consumers and work on crafting a video that will speak to them directly. This may mean doing some extra qualitative and quantitative research on the front end, but being able to address people’s specific needs pays off in the end.

Write the Script

A strong script for an explainer video should be simple and short. It should strike a balance between factual and emotional in order to appeal to people while still giving them important information. 

It is helpful to keep the video focused on just one or two main points so the audience can digest your message. Additionally, people tend to make decisions based on their emotions, so the script should appeal to their emotions.

Keep It Short!

Humans have a very short attention span, so keep the video between 30 and 90 seconds. This should give you enough time to draw in the viewer’s attention and also get your point across. People are more likely to watch the entire video and share it with their friends if it is 60 seconds or shorter. 

One way to aid in keeping your video short is to have your end goal in mind when you write the script. Know what you want the audience to do after seeing your video, and keep the content within the video to one or two key points. Don’t overwhelm your viewers with too much information for them to retain.

Select a Strong Voice When Creating an Explainer Video

Bad audio can ruin a video, so be sure to pick someone with a polished, professional voice. An unpleasant voice can lead people to quickly exit a video. It is important to keep your audience in mind and pick a voice that will keep them engaged. 

Would your viewers want to hear from a man or woman? Someone young or old? What tone should they have? Think about the energy you want your video to have depending on the seriousness of the topic.

Figure Out the Visuals

Once your script is set and you’ve figured out your audio, select videos to go along with them. Decide whether you want your video to be animated or live action. Animated videos can offer more creative freedom and may be less expensive to produce, but live-action videos can be faster to finish and may be more relatable to your audience. Regardless of which you choose, make sure the visuals reinforce your message.

If creating an explainer video seems daunting, let StoryBox Studios walk you through the process and handle the production. Our team specializes in 2D animation, motion graphics and live-action productions, and we’ve created everything from corporate content to family entertainment.