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Explainer Video

explainer video

How to make the most effective Animated Explainer Video in under 2 minutes.

By Explainer Video

We all know how powerful and effective a good explainer video can be. But in todays now and next generation of viewers, getting your message over in a neat and efficient duration is critical. Simply put, shorter films work much harder for you than longer ones.

Lets look at the stats – If your video is over 3 minutes long then pretty much 50% of you viewers won’t watch until the end.

This figure is even sharper if you’re pitching ap product to the younger audience.

So how can you cram everything you want into a short duration film without sacrificing the important stuff?

One of the most important aspects not to lose sight of is this –  the greatest strength of an animated explainer video is that it can “show and tell” at the same time. That is to say a voiceover can deliver one important message while the visual can illustrate a different (although not completely unconnected) part of your message. 

So you can double up on your messaging to enhance the power of your explainer video.

Animated Explainer Video for Business

However one note of caution here – As mentioned the visual and audible parts of your message can be be different but SHOULD NOT feel disconnected.

So in terms of timing and planning your script and storyboard here’s a great guide to what trio place where:

Open strong 0-15 seconds

Start with something bold both visually and audibly. Make a powerful statement that will ensure your viewers interest is raised form the get go.

Get to the point 15-45 seconds 

Back up your opening statements with further key information that clearly lays out the facts of your message and the impact of your product/service on the viewer.

animated explainer video

More meat on the bone (features/benefits) 45-90 seconds

Now its time to delve a little deeper. Hopefully your introduction has been strong enough to en-suite that your viewer wants to know more so this is where you deliver. Ensure the visual and audible elements of your message are now fully concentrated on adding flesh to your opening statement by illustrating the key features/benefits/points of your product or service here. But don’t dwell on any one point for more than 10-15 seconds.

Once more with feeling (summarise all) 90-105 seconds

Don’t be afraid to repeat the key message here. The wrap up should tie together the opening message and the benefits/features described in a simple and concise way.

Close it out 105 – 120 seconds

Once you’ve wrapped up the message ensure you close just as strongly as you started with a clear CTA and viewer message.

Animated Explainer Video for Business

And that’s really all there is too it…. well..sort of. Ok so different films can vary from this structure and we’ve generalised quite a lot here. But this duration and breakdown of message can be found in many successful Animated Explainer Videos and with good reason. It works.

All you need to know about explainer video production

By Explainer Video

You’ll never look back…

Animated explainer videos are useful for clearly explaining complicated topics. They’re a great way to communicate with employees, existing customers, and prospective clients. So what are they, why do they work, and what are the first steps to making one? Here’s everything you need to know.

What are they?

Animated explainer videos… sounds complicated, right? Well they’re not as tricky as they sound. Put simply, an animated explainer video is a kind of computer animated graphic. Usually two to three minutes long and backed by a voiceover, the video uses diagrams, illustrations, and sometimes text, to clearly explain complicated topics.

Why do they work?

“A picture paints and thousand words” has never been more true than with a animated explainer video. It’s not surprising when you think about how visual the human brain is. But more than that, it comes down to the way people live their lives. Gone are the days where we have half an hour plus to sit down and read a heavy piece of text, when the same information can be clearly communicated in a three minute video.

Are they effective online?

In short, yes. More than that- Diode Digital have reported that over 60% of internet users watch videos before reading text on a website. And it’s not only the people you have to think about here: Google absolutely loves videos. So much so that Forrester calculate that a web page with a video is 53x more likely to be the first result on a Google search that a page without one.

What first steps can you take?

Producing an animated explainer video is a multistep process, and changes depending on what style of video works for you, but don’t be put off. The first thing you can do is watch some videos, a simple search on YouTube for ‘animated explainer video’ will show you plenty of options, or check out this playlist. Find a video you like and search for a video production company near you. Discuss the video you’ve found and they’ll be happy to talk you through the next steps.