Ever feel like your message gets lost in translation? Explainer videos cut through the noise, turning complex and abstract ideas into simple, unforgettable stories.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to create explainer videos that wow your audience and deliver your message effectively.
Introduction to Explainer Videos
The right animation style and visual storytelling approach can turn even the most complex concepts into something memorable and easy to understand. High quality explainer videos are designed to capture and maintain the audience’s attention through engaging visuals and compelling scripts, enhancing message delivery and audience engagement. They don’t just inform—they leave a lasting impression, helping your brand stand out in a crowded marketplace. Investing in professional video production ensures your message is delivered with clarity, creativity, and impact, making explainer videos an essential part of any modern marketing strategy.
Why Would You Need an Explainer Video?
Explainer videos aren’t just trendy. They serve a critical purpose for businesses trying to communicate their message clearly and concisely to their audience.
Explainer videos are specifically designed to capture the audience’s attention quickly and effectively, making sure your message stands out from the start.
Never created one before? Let’s start with a couple of reasons you might need one:
Simplifying Complex Ideas
If your product or service involves complicated concepts or detailed processes, an explainer video can break these down into simple, digestible pieces. By using visual communication and narration, explainer videos help your audience quickly and easily understand complex ideas and what you offer.
Engaging and Educating Your Audience
Explainer videos are designed to create engaging content that grabs attention and keeps viewers interested. By combining visuals, audio, and storytelling, video content engages viewers more effectively than text alone, making it perfect for educating your audience about your brand, products, or services. Video marketing is here to stay so if your marketing strategy isn’t utilizing video, now is the best time to get in the game!
How Explainer Videos Work
Explainer videos work by blending engaging visuals, compelling audio, and storytelling to capture and hold your audience’s attention. The goal is to educate viewers about your brand, product, or service in just a few seconds, making even the most complex ideas feel accessible and relatable. Effective explainer videos are the result of a collaborative process, where creative teams work closely with you to ensure the final video speaks directly to your target audience.
Animation techniques—whether 2D, 3D, or a mix—play a key role in making explainer videos work. These techniques help break down abstract or technical topics, creating an emotional connection that makes your message stick. Whether you choose an animated explainer video or a live-action approach, the focus is always on telling a compelling story that resonates and drives action. By simplifying complex ideas and presenting them in a visually engaging way, explainer videos help your audience understand and remember what matters most about your product or service.
Pre-Production: Laying the Groundwork for an Effective Explainer Video
“Fail to plan, plan to fail” rings true with explainer videos. Pre-production is where you define your message, identify your audience, and lay the foundation for a successful video. Careful planning during the video production process is essential to ensure your explainer video achieves its goals.
Defining Your Message and Audience
Before you begin creating your explainer video, it’s crucial to clarify your message. What problem are you solving, and what do you want your audience to take away? Start by identifying your audience’s pain points—understand the specific challenges and issues your audience faces—so your video can address these pain points directly and resonate more effectively.
Tailoring the video’s tone and style to your audience helps strengthen the connection. Whether you’re targetting tech-savvy professionals or general consumers, you should speak their language.
Writing a Clear, Concise Script
The script is the backbone of any good explainer video. It should be concise and straightforward, focusing on delivering one core message. When writing the video script, avoid jargon and technical language that might confuse viewers. Remember, a great explainer video isn’t trying to impress your audience; it’s creating an “aha!” moment when they better understand you, your product, or your service.
A strong script should also highlight key features of your product or service, ensuring viewers clearly understand the main benefits and what sets you apart.
Focus on explaining your product or service in a way that feels approachable and easy to follow. Remember, simplicity is key. If your message is too complex, viewers might lose interest and close the video before they reach the call to action and can take the next step.
Storyboarding: Visualizing Your Message
Once the script is set, it’s time to storyboard. This step allows you to plan animated visuals that align with the narrative. Storyboarding helps you test the pacing of the video and check that the visuals will enhance your message without distracting from it. It also gives your team a chance to refine the structure before moving into production so the video flows seamlessly from one scene to the next.
The Role of Brand Story in Explainer Videos
Your brand story is at the heart of every strong explainer video. It’s what sets you apart and forges a genuine connection with your target audience. By weaving your brand story into the explainer video script, you create a narrative that not only informs but also inspires and builds trust. Whether you opt for live action explainer videos or animated formats, a well-crafted brand story ensures your message is both memorable and meaningful.
A compelling brand story gives your explainer video depth and personality, helping viewers see the people, values, and vision behind your product or service. This emotional connection is what leaves a lasting impression, turning viewers into loyal customers or advocates. When you make an explainer video that’s rooted in your unique brand story, you’re not just explaining—you’re inviting your audience to be part of your journey.
Choosing the Right Animation Style for Your Brand
Choosing the right animation style is crucial for creating an effective animated video. Animation style influences how a message is received. Different styles work best for different animated videos, so understanding your options is important. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all choice for most explainer videos. Your message, your target audience, and your product or service should guide your decision on which style is right for your next video.
2D vs. 3D Animation: Which Style Fits Your Message?
An animated explainer video offers you plenty of opportunities to lean into visuals for breaking down complex topics.
2D animation is ideal for animated explainer videos that need to keep things simple and clear. It’s visually clean and often more budget-friendly, making it a popular choice for startups and small businesses.
3D animation, on the other hand, offers more depth and can create a more immersive experience. It’s perfect for industries like tech or engineering, where a visual representation of complex products or services can add real value.
Whiteboard Explainer Videos: A Simple but Effective Approach
Whiteboard animation remains a popular method for breaking down complex topics in a simple, digestible way. This style works especially well for educational content or B2B communication, where clarity is the top priority. The minimalist design of a whiteboard video keeps viewers focused on the key message, making it a great tool for simplifying complicated subjects.
When to Consider Live-Action Explainer Videos
Animation is a popular route to take, but a live action video can add a personal touch and build trust by featuring real people, which helps create an emotional connection and establish credibility.
Live action videos work particularly well when you want to feature testimonials or case studies, or when viewers need to connect with real people behind the brand. The right music track with a talking head can bring a surprising amount of emotion to a video.
Think about your target audience and your message, and then make an explainer video in a style that will bring the two together in an impactful way.
Storytelling Techniques: Engaging Your Audience with Narrative
There are different types of explainer videos: educational, testimonial, the classic 3D explainer, and more. No matter the type, at the heart of the best explainer videos are compelling stories. Engaging videos use storytelling techniques to keep viewers interested and invested throughout the message.
Here’s how to craft a narrative that keeps your viewers engaged and invested.
Crafting an “Aha” Moment
Epipheo’s philosophy of creating “epiphanies” through storytelling is a key strategy for making explainer videos impactful. Start by presenting the problem your audience is facing, and then guide them to the solution in a way that feels like a natural progression. The goal is to lead viewers toward an “aha” moment where everything clicks, and they fully grasp the value of your product or service.
Balancing Education and Entertainment
It’s not enough to simply inform your audience—you need to keep them entertained as well. Whether through humor, emotion, or surprise, balancing education with entertainment is essential for keeping viewers engaged. Good explainer videos that are fun to watch hold attention and make a lasting impression. The most effective explainer videos are those that strike the right balance between education and entertainment.
Using Relatable Characters to Build Connection
Relatable characters are a powerful tool for building a connection with your audience. When viewers see a character they can identify with, they’re more likely to engage with the content and internalize the message. Use characters that reflect your audience’s pain points and aspirations, and guide them through a journey that mirrors the challenges they face.
Production and Post-Production: Bringing Your Explainer Video to Life
With your script, story, and style locked in, it’s time to bring your explainer video to life. Screen recording is a valuable technique for creating explainer videos, especially for software demos and tutorials, as it allows you to capture high-quality, professional-looking footage directly from your digital screen.
First, let’s look at why you should consider working with the pros. Then, we’ll unpack a few explainer video production tips.
Working with Professional Animation Studios
If you’re serious about producing a high-quality explainer video, consider working with a professional animation studio like Epipheo. While you may want to create your own explainer video, professional studios can partner with you to elevate the final product and make the video creation process more seamless.
From scriptwriting to animation, studios bring experience and technical skills needed to create the live-action or animation videos you need to wow your audience with an “aha!” moment. At Epipheo, we believe in a collaborative process so that every element—from visual style and storytelling to sound effects and pacing–makes sense for your message and land with your ideal audience.
Choosing the Right Color Palette and Visual Design
The color palette and overall visual design of your explainer video play a crucial role in establishing the tone and feel of your video. Selecting the right colors to represent your brand, and using design elements that complement your story, ensures that your new explainer video not only looks professional but also makes your audience feel something. Bold, contrasting colors can add energy, while more muted tones may evoke professionalism and trust.
Voiceover and Sound Design: Creating a Full Experience
A well-chosen voiceover can elevate your explainer video by providing clarity and guiding the viewer through the narrative. Match the tone of your voiceover with your brand identity, whether it’s conversational, authoritative, or playful. Similarly, sound effects and music tracks can enhance engagement and set the mood without distracting from the core message.
Animation Techniques: Timing and Flow
The timing of animations is critical in explainer videos. Whether you use snappy, quick animations to energize the video or slow, steady movements for clarity, the timing should enhance the viewer’s experience without rushing or dragging the story. Using smooth transitions and properly syncing movements with the script makes the flow feel natural and engaging.
Editing for Clarity and Engagement
The editing process is where the video comes together. Tight editing keeps the video concise, focusing only on what’s essential. It’s also the time to make sure that the pacing keeps viewers engaged from start to finish.
Bad explainer videos often result from poor editing, which can confuse viewers and reduce engagement.
Creating a Final Video: Quality Control and Launch Preparation
Before your explainer video goes live, it’s crucial to ensure every detail meets the highest standards. Quality control is the final checkpoint that separates a good explainer video from a truly high quality explainer video. Start by reviewing the video for any technical issues—check for crisp visuals, clear audio, and smooth transitions. Make sure the video aligns with your brand identity, from color palette to tone, and that your core message shines through without distractions.
Gather feedback by sharing the video with a small segment of your target audience or internal team. Their insights can help you spot inconsistencies or areas that need clarification. Use this feedback to make final tweaks, ensuring your explainer video is as effective and engaging as possible.
Once you’re confident in the finished product, plan your launch carefully. Upload your video to your website, social media channels, and YouTube to maximize visibility. Consider timing your launch to coincide with a campaign or product release for greater impact. By following best practices in quality control and launch preparation, you’ll ensure your explainer video not only looks and sounds great, but also connects with your audience and communicates your core message with clarity and confidence.
Great Explainer Videos
Great explainer videos stand out because they communicate a single, clear core message in a way that truly resonates with the target audience. They use engaging visuals, sound effects, and background music to create an immersive experience that grabs attention from the very first frame. The best explainer videos are concise, avoiding unnecessary details and focusing on what matters most.
Choosing the right animation style and video format—whether it’s a whiteboard explainer video, screencast, or live-action—can make your message even more impactful. By combining creative visuals with the right audio elements, you can create explainer videos that are both informative and entertaining. Ultimately, a great explainer video is one that not only educates but also leaves a lasting impression, making your brand unforgettable in the minds of your audience.
Distribution Strategies: Making the Most of Your Explainer Video
Placing your explainer video on your landing page can significantly boost conversion rates. A good explainer video won’t deliver results if it isn’t seen. Sometimes, considering where your explainer video will go–whether on landing pages, in social media feeds or in an email campaign–helps you make earlier decisions like video style and writing the best video script possible. A good explainer video moves potential customers down the sales funnel by educating them on your company’s product or service in a way that keeps them engaged and creates an epiphany.
Here are four considerations for distributing your new explainer video well.
Optimizing Your Video for SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t just for web pages—your video’s title, description, and tags should be carefully optimized to ensure it’s discoverable, especially on video platforms like YouTube. Including relevant keywords can help your video rank in search results, driving more traffic to your content. Adding captions and transcripts can further boost SEO while making your video more accessible.
Optimizing your explainer video for YouTube ads can help you reach a wider audience and drive more traffic by leveraging one of the most popular platforms for video promotion.
SEO is a long game so use Google Analytics to get the insight you need for tweaking when necessary and optimizing future videos.
Reaching Your Audience Where They Are
Bummed from a decline in organic social media reach? Two things could be possible. First, you may be on the wrong channel. For most companies, having a strong presence on every social media platform isn’t feasible, nor are your ideal customers equally active on every platform. Sharing your explainer videos across different social media platforms can help maximize reach and engagement. Show up consistently and with value where they are.
Second, be sure to tailor your video format for each platform. Vertical videos perform best on Instagram and TikTok, while YouTube and LinkedIn audiences typically respond better to horizontal formats. Test different formats and platforms to maximize your video’s reach.
Using Paid Ads to Overcome Algorithm Challenges
With social media algorithms favoring paid content, businesses need to embrace the pay-to-play model to stay visible when it makes sense. As discussed in our guide on paid ad strategies, paid ads allow you to target specific demographics and behaviors so your video reaches those most likely to engage.
By strategically placing your explainer video in paid ad campaigns, you can drive higher engagement and ensure that it gets in front of the right audience.
Tracking Performance: Analyzing Video Metrics for Success
Once your explainer video is live, it’s important to measure its performance. Track metrics like views, engagement rates, and conversions to assess the video’s effectiveness. If your goal is lead generation, monitor how many leads the video is bringing in. If it’s brand awareness, focus on reach and impressions. Use this data to fine-tune your approach and improve future video content.
Best Practices for the Best Explainer Videos
By following these best practices—from pre-production planning to storytelling techniques—you can make an explainer video that captivates your audience, creates epiphanies for them, and drives them to action. Reviewing explainer video examples from leading brands can also help you understand what works best and inspire your own approach.
Whether you’re simplifying a complex idea or telling a compelling story, focusing on clear messaging, professional production, and thoughtful storytelling will ensure your finished video stands out. For instance, a project management tool can benefit greatly from a well-crafted explainer video that quickly communicates its features and advantages to potential users.
Ready to create your next explainer video? Epipheo can help you craft a video that delivers the “aha!” moment you’re after. Screencast explainer videos are a great option for demonstrating software or digital products, providing clear visual walkthroughs that engage and educate your audience.
Conclusion
Creating an effective explainer video is both an art and a science. By taking the time to understand your target audience, define your core message, and select the right animation style, you set the stage for a compelling story that truly resonates. Whether you choose an animated explainer video, a whiteboard explainer video, or a live-action approach, the goal is always to simplify complex ideas and make them accessible.
A good explainer video is concise, visually engaging, and easy to follow—qualities that make it a powerful tool for marketing, education, and brand communication. By focusing on best practices, such as clear messaging, thoughtful storytelling, and the right animation style, you can create explainer videos that leave a lasting impression and foster an emotional connection with your viewers.
Remember, the most effective explainer videos don’t just explain—they inspire action and build brand identity. By simplifying complex concepts and highlighting what makes your product or service unique, you can create engaging video content that supports your marketing strategy and drives real results. With attention to detail and a commitment to quality, your next explainer video can become a cornerstone of your brand’s success.
