How to Make an Explainer Video — and the Mistakes to Avoid

An explainer video is a short, dense way to get your message across to your audience. But do you know how to make one — and how to avoid the mistakes along the way?

What is an explainer video?

An explainer is an online marketing video that explains the product or service your company offers. It usually lives on a landing page, homepage, or product page, and it's hugely popular — partly because this kind of video can lift conversions by as much as 144%.

Types of explainer video

• Live action. Explains your product or service without animation. It works best for companies selling physical products or people-oriented services, like restaurants or consulting. Showing real people creates an emotional connection — though you can only use what exists in the real world as your assets.
• Animation. Hugely popular, and ideal for explaining technology products or services with no physical form, like software. It gives you more creative freedom, and it's easier to edit when you want to make changes.
• Whiteboard. Made to look like someone drawing on a whiteboard. Many companies use it because it's fairly easy to produce and relatively low-cost.

How to make an explainer video

If you want to make one for your brand, here's what goes into it:

• Script. The heart of an explainer is delivering your message to the right audience. It should tell the story of your potential customer and how your product or service solves their problem.
• Storyboard. A sketch of what the video will look like — camera angles, characters, and the other elements that will appear.
• Voice-over. A professional voice artist understands the right tone to deepen the emotional connection between your video and your audience.
• Illustration. A professional illustrator builds the characters and visual elements from the storyboard. Ideally your characters resemble your target audience, so it's easy for them to see themselves in your story.
• Animation. This is where the storyboard and illustrations are set in motion by a professional animator. Make sure the company you choose has a strong reputation and can deliver top-quality animation.
• Sound and music. Where it fits, background music and sound effects add depth and make your video more enjoyable to watch.

Mistakes to avoid

• Too long. If your video runs too long, your message gets lost halfway through and viewers lose interest.
• Forgetting your target audience. Stay focused on solving your audience's problem. Spend too long describing your own product, and prospects may leave before the video even ends.
• Low quality. Concept and design aren't everything — production quality matters too. Poor animation leaves a poor impression of your brand.
• Relying on templates. Templates are easier because the characters are pre-made, but it means your video isn't designed specifically for your audience.
• The wrong voice actor. Many businesses try to save money with non-professional voice talent. The wrong accent or delivery can come across as unprofessional and hurt your brand image — choose a professional who fits your video.
• Doing it all yourself. Many people assume making a video is easy. In reality, getting the best result is a genuinely complex job that needs a professional team and a solid grasp of both video and storytelling.

Our advice: hire a professional production company with a strong animation portfolio. Don't be shy — get in touch and we'll be glad to help.