How to Create Explainer Videos [Examples included]

Explainer video is a must-have marketing tool for any organization whether it is a start-up, a lesser known brand or a more established company. It is one of the most powerful means of creating audience engagement and conveying important information. In simpler terms, we can say that it can make the right audience aware of your products and services through a quick and easy explanation so that your audience can understand how your offerings can help them in solving their problems. And, since video is the more preferred than audio or image by the people, it is the best way of retaining the attention of viewers and keep them interested in your products and services.

So, let’s dive deeper into learning what is an explainer video, the different types of explainer videos, how to create it, and a few examples that be used as an inspiration.

What are explainer videos?

Explainer videos are short marketing videos that help in explaining the services and products of a company. These are often placed either on your site’s landing page, the home page, paid campaigns, prominent product page, social media platforms, etc. to create awareness among the targeted audience, increase engagement, and improve your conversion rates.

Different types of explainer videos

The various types of explainer videos are mentioned below:

• Animated explainer videos

  It is the most popular and preferred format for explaining intangible tech products like software. Animated videos are easier to update or edit and enable users to become more creative.

• Live action explainer videos

  It is usually a non-animated promotional video explaining the products and services of a company. It is best for the companies offering people-oriented service or a physical product.

• Whiteboard explainer videos

  In a whiteboard animation video, the animation is hand-drawn and erased on a whiteboard. It is popular among many because of its low cost and ease of operation.

How to create a good explainer video that actually works?

Usually, people feel intimidated by the thought of creating explainer videos on their own. That is why most of them prefer a far better and easier option, i.e., relying on an explainer video company. Of course, it the best choice if you are running out of time or if you are just a novice in the domain. However, if you are really interested in learning how to create a worthwhile video on your own, then you will surely find the below tips helpful. Always remember that the video does not have to be complicated at all. Decide what you need to express, find relevant graphics, 3D, or 2D animation, record a voiceover, and with a bit of effort and dedication, you are good to go with the compilation process.

The following tips will help you to create compelling as well as an effective explainer video animation.

1. Preparing the script of your video

   

   This step is most important when it comes to developing your own explainer video. Make sure to have a strong script from the beginning. Otherwise, it won’t matter either you have the graphics designed from the best company offering graphic designing services or incorporated the coolest voiceover in your video. So, the script is where you need to put the majority of your attention.

   In addition to that, take some time to learn about your target audience’s concerns, pain points, or what freaks them out the most, confusion regarding any product or service, etc. Carry out a survey to answer all the questions and write the script yourself even if you have hired an explainer video company to perform the task.

   Here are some general guidelines for creating an explainer video script:

   • Create a quick overview of your product stating what it is and what it does
   • Introduce the issues faced by the targeted audience
   • Solve the issues by offering a solution through your product or service
   • Keep a call to action in the script, i.e., a free trial or quote
   • Showcase the trust signals. For instance, your awards, achievements, write-ups, well-known clients, etc.
   • Keep it short, i.e., it should be between 30- 90 seconds
   • Keep your key message and value proposition in the first 30 seconds of the video
   • Use simple language instead of technical terms since it won’t help them understand your offerings
   • Speak in 2nd person, i.e., use words like You, Your, etc.
   • Add a bit of humor as it will make the video enjoyable.
   • Include a casual and conversational tone in your videos.

2. Record your voiceover

   

   Once your script is ready, the next step is to record your voiceover. There are a lot of options from where you can choose it. They are:

   • Craigslist: It is an old and reliable option for choosing voiceovers.
   • Fiverr: In this website, you can get a decent voiceover at $5. However, if you need something that is more decent, then you have to pay a bit more than that.
   • Voices.com: This website provides a wide network of professional voice actors to choose from.

3. Initiating the production of video

   

   When it comes to the creation and production of your explainer videos, a variety of options are available such as

   • Pow Toon
     If you are new to the field and wish to create an animated explainer video, then selecting Pow Toon is the right choice. This animated explainer video software can be used by anyone having basic computer skills. Rather than choosing a company offering top-notch animated services, you can go with this option as it is easy to use and won’t exceed your budgetary constraints. Besides, they also offer a series of tutorials to help you start with the creation process.
   • Try crowd sourcing
     Another operating to help you in the creation process is choosing a video crowd-sourcing company, Video Brewery. Here, you first need to submit the general overview of your project. Once it is done, you will start receiving a bunch of proposals from the freelancers of the Video Brewery. You can now choose the one you like. Overall, it will cost you around $3000- $5000.
   • DIY Explainer Video with the help of an iPhone
     With this, you can film an explainer video with the iPhone. DIY filming is one of the cheapest ways of creating videos. However, for editing, you can choose options like Camtasia or iMovie. You can also use the animation toolkit from Salsify, which is rich in containing tons of animation tools and resources.
   • Bring Out the Pros
     You will find many video production companies to help you with creating the explainer videos. However, this option is a bit costlier. It will cost you somewhere between $5000- $20000. The benefit of choosing this option is that you video is guaranteed to look great as you will receive help from the industry-best experts. A few companies to consider are LessFilms, Demo Duck, Explainly, Wyzowl, Studio Pigeon, Fikly, etc.
   • Hire a freelancer
     Hiring an experienced freelancer is also a better option to get assistance for quality video production. It will cost you much less than hiring a production company. You would be able to easily find one either on craigslist or various other freelancing sites.

4. Applying sound effects or music

   

   In case you need to add sound effects and music to your videos, below are a few places to check out.

   • YouTube: This popular website will offer a lot of free background music to use it in your creations.
   • Audacity: It is a free tool that lets you create your own audio files.
   • MusOpen: It provides free resources for music like sheet music, recordings, etc.
   • Audio Jungle: It provides royalty-free audio files such as sound effects, loops, and more.
   • Free Sound: It is a database of Creative Commons that offers audio samples and recordings.

5. Measure the video performance

   

   You can use tools like YouTube Insight or Google Analytics to track down the performance of your videos. It can help you know the pauses, plays, how many viewers hit the 30-sec mark or 60-sec mark, etc.

Best examples of explainer videos

Here are the couple of best examples of explainer videos that can be used as an inspiration to create your own.

• Mint

  Mint is a perfect example for those businesses which wish to use animation instead of live action. It makes the most out of animation to showcase how it extracts financial information by studying different parts of the user’s life and combining it into one setup. It also uses screenshots of their actual products to familiarize users with the design and arrangement of the product.

• Spotify

  Spotify exclusively incorporates fun animation and an amazing soundtrack to explain its digital music service. The color scheme used in the video perfectly matches its design while its music matches with the fast-paced cutting. It also includes only a few lines of text and a simple tune to show that their services are all about music.

Those were some of the best explainer videos of all time and the different tips you should follow while creating your own. By creating a good video, you can further strengthen your video content marketing strategy and get tons of benefits for your company. It includes increasing the conversions, improving your search engine rankings, holding the viewer’s attention on your page for 2X times more, reaching a wider audience through social media platforms, repurposing it for various needs like email signature, investor pitch, etc. That is why make sure to have a thorough understanding of your target audience and core messages before you start creating. Now, use the article as a guide and creating amazing animation videos for your advertising campaign according to your needs.