Sixty-one percent of businesses use explainer videos to market their products and services. But how do you start from scratch? Explainer videos are nothing without a great explainer video script. You only have a minute or so to pitch your product, so every word and frame matters more than ever. By following these rules and using our explainer video script template, your client’s product won’t only be well explained, it’ll be captivating.
Explainer video writing
How to Write an Explainer Video Script
The best explainer videos use an AV script format, otherwise known as a two-column script. This lets you meticulously plan out what you’ll say during the video, and what visuals you’ll show while you’re saying it.
Your AV script won’t be as complex as a feature film, but it should have a beginning, a middle, and a concrete end.
They all follow a basic structure and format. Click on this explainer video script example to see what these AV scripts look like up close and personal.
Explainer Video Script Example • Made in StudioBinder
How did we create this script? We’ll walk you through it, step-by-step, using StudioBinder’s AV script software. But don’t worry – the process we’ll lay out is universal, regardless of the software you’re using.
Explainer Video Script Template
1. Establish structure
We’ve already given you a loose structure for a great explainer video script: establish a problem, deliver a solution, describe how it works, provide a call to action. Your explainer video script should reflect this structure.
Using StudioBinder’s AV script software, you can build segments and banners to create an outline for your video. Of course, if you change your mind, you can add or remove sections as you go.
How to write an explainer video • Explainer Video Template
How to Write an Explainer Video Script
2. Write the voiceover
This is the real meat of your explainer video script. You’ll write out your V.O. in the left-hand column of the script marked “Audio.”
Make sure your writing is clear and succinct. You don’t want your V.O. to drag on with unnecessary verbiage.
Explainer Video Script Voiceover
How to Choose Visuals
3. Plan your shots
It’s not a video without visuals. This is where the right-hand column comes in. Here, you can demarcate what you want to show and when.
Again, for an explainer video script, clarity is king. Make sure the V.O. and imagery compliment each other.
StudioBinder allows you to add links in the visual column, as well as include images from storyboards, stock photos, and other inspirations.
Explainer Video script with visual description
How to Time an Explainer Video
4. Time the script
Explainer videos are tightly timed. You want every second to count, and so when you’re writing, you’ll want to count every second. Literally. The most common way to do this is by reading out loud with a stopwatch.
StudioBinder’s software makes this process easy: you can add durations to specific lines and time yourself with a built-in timer. The software will also count the words in each of your lines.
All of this data is then totaled at the bottom of your script, so you can see your word count and estimated runtime.
Explainer Script's Timer
Share Your Explainer Video Script
5. Get feedback
Before you start recording, you’ll want to get feedback. This will likely come from two places: collaborators and clients. Getting notes now, before you’ve recorded, makes changes much easier.
With StudioBinder, you can share your script using a “view-only” link. You’re also able to add collaborators on the project, allowing them to add comments. If a line’s moved, no sweat — the comment will move too. And when a comment’s been addressed, you can resolve it to remove clutter. You can also give each row a status color with your own designations.
Explainer Video Script with collaborators
Writing an Explainer Video
Find your audience
No matter what you’re writing, whether it be a commercial, a script for a blockbuster film, or a novella, you should have an idea of who your audience might be. The same goes for writing an explainer video script.
It’s important to understand your target audience because this will affect how you present your ideas. If you’re writing for high school seniors, your script will likely look very different than if you're writing for actual 65+ seniors.
Identifying your audience means research. Look into your competitors’ videos and who their audience seems to be. Look into all the available consumer data on the type of product you are trying to push.
After you know who you’re writing for, you can concern yourself with what you’re writing about.
PRO TIP: BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE
Is your character eating “at a restaurant” or a “five star restaurant?”
While it may not seem important, specificity is key in a successful explainer video script. Not only will enhance your explainer video. It’ll also give you preliminary budget.
Provide the Solution
Create actionable takeaways
Most explainer videos will begin with a problem — something that until now doesn’t seem to have a solution. This is where your product comes in.
When you provide the solution, hit your product’s name hard at least twice. State clearly what your product does, but not how. Providing the solution is not the same as explaining the product.
It may seem like you should explain all the ins and outs at this moment, but don’t. Just get across the "what." It gives the viewer something concrete to latch onto. It also instills curiosity as to how you’re going to make good on what you just laid out.
To emphasize this pivot, the best explainer videos change the music and camera to reflect the optimistic tone of the explainer video script. The narrator’s inflection can be more happy and upbeat.
Case study: AdBlock
In this explainer video sample from Sandwich Video, we see that the solution doesn’t equal the how.Explainer video example by Sandwich Video
When our hero is repeatedly hit with ads (in the form of paddles), we clearly see the problem. The solution comes when AdBlock karate chops the ads away. We never get an explanation of how it works, because the explainer video script writers know the "how" isn’t as powerful as the solution.
PRO TIP: COST OF AN EXPLAINER VIDEO
It all depends on your explainer video script template. If you’re hiring a production company, it can cost you thousands of dollars.
You can make it on your own much cheaper by writing the explainer video script on your own, starting the pre-production process, and then hiring a freelance cast and film crew.
Up Next
Write Your Own Explainer Video Script
Feel like you're ready to explain? Time to get writing with StudioBinder’s AV script software. It’s designed to make the five steps we’ve laid out as easy as possible. Good luck!
Refreshing to see someone else lay out scripts in a way that actually makes sense! If you guys find yourself with any overflow, and need an extra writer to ease the pressure, I’d love to work together.
Really Nice Article.
An explainer video is defined as a short video that businesses use to quickly introduce themselves, explain what they do, and tell how they can help solve their customer’s problems. Communicate an idea or message to your customers.