Ever feel like your message gets lost in translation? Explainer videos cut through the noise, turning complex 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.
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. 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 visuals and narration, explainer videos help your audience quickly and easily understand what you offer.
Engaging and Educating Your Audience
Explainer videos grab attention and keep it. 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!
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.
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? Your video will resonate with the right people only if you understand their needs and pain points.
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.
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 the visuals and align them 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.
Choosing the Right Animation Style for Your Brand
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 explainer video can add a personal touch that creates an emotional connection while building trust and 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.
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.
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. 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.
Distribution Strategies: Making the Most of Your Explainer Video
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.
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. 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.
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.
Ready to create your next explainer video? Epipheo can help you craft a video that delivers the “aha!” moment you’re after.
