When visitors click play on a high-quality explainer video, they can go from curious browsers to eager subscribers in just a few seconds. The best explainer videos nail exactly what customers need and how the solution works without wasting time or talking over their heads.
Most companies struggle to communicate what makes them special. They ramble about technical specs, use industry jargon, or dance around their actual value. Good marketing videos cut through this noise by focusing on the viewer's problems first and then showing how the product solves them through creative storytelling.
Creating explainer videos that convert doesn't require a massive budget or a film degree. Small companies with basic equipment can outperform corporate productions because they truly understand their audience and craft messages that speak to them.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about creating explainer videos that engage viewers and drive action.
Explainer videos are short, focused videos that clearly communicate what your business, product, or service does and why people should care. They typically run between 60-90 seconds and use simple language, compelling visuals, and strategic storytelling to convey complex information in an accessible way.
When making an explainer video, you should first define your goals and audience. Ask yourself what you want the video to achieve. Are you aiming to increase brand awareness, direct conversions, or simply educate your audience about a particular topic? Your goal will shape everything from script length and visual style to distribution strategy.
Understanding your target audience's pain points and preferences is equally crucial. What problems do they face that your product solves? What type of content do they typically engage with? What tone resonates with them? Answering these questions ensures your explainer video speaks directly to the people you want to reach, making it far more effective than a generic approach.
What makes a great explainer video?
The most effective explainer videos share three key characteristics:
- Clear and concise messaging: Your script should get straight to the point, avoid jargon, and communicate your value proposition in simple terms. Remember, if viewers can't easily understand what you're offering and why it matters to them, they'll click away.
- Engaging storytelling and visuals: Rather than listing features, great explainer videos tell a story—often following a character who faces a problem, discovers your solution, and enjoys the benefits. Complementing this narrative with eye-catching visuals creates an emotional connection that facts alone cannot achieve.
- A strong call to action (CTA): After watching your video, viewers should know exactly what step to take, whether visiting your website, signing up for a demo, or making a purchase. Even the most engaging explainer video may fail to convert interest into action without a clear CTA.
Different types of explainer videos
There are several styles of explainer videos to choose from, each with its own strengths. Your options include:
- Animated explainer videos: These explainer videos use custom animations to visualize concepts and tell stories. They're versatile and excellent for explaining abstract ideas or processes that would be difficult to film, making them ideal for how-to videos.
- Live-action explainer videos: These videos feature real people and environments. Live-action explainer videos can create an authentic connection with viewers and are ideal for demonstrating physical products or showcasing your team.
- Motion graphics videos: This type of explainer video combines text, shapes, and icons with movement to explain concepts. Motion graphics videos are perfect for data visualization and explaining statistics or trends in an engaging way.
- Screencast videos: These videos record your computer screen to demonstrate software features or digital processes. Screencast videos are straightforward to create and extremely effective for tutorials or showing how your digital product works in real time.
Benefits of making your own explainer video
Creating your own explainer video gives you several advantages over outsourcing production to an agency. These include:
Full creative control over your brand's message
Using an explainer video maker application or software designed to help you create short videos gives you complete control over how your brand is presented.
With this complete control, you can ensure the entire video aligns perfectly with your vision and make adjustments at any stage without having to communicate through intermediaries or wait for revisions.
Cost-effective compared to outsourcing
Using explainer video templates can save thousands of dollars compared to agency production. While professional video production companies typically charge massive fees, investing in software for in-house creation is more economical with each video you make.
Faster turnaround & flexibility
Creating a professional-looking explainer video in-house means you can produce timely content for product updates, seasonal promotions, or responses to market changes. You're not bound by an agency's schedule or contract terms, giving you the agility to adapt quickly as your business needs evolve.
Planning your explainer video
The planning phase helps prevent costly mistakes or revisions later in the process because it gives you an idea of what the video will look like before production even begins. Follow these steps to plan your explainer video:
Keeping it simple with the 60-90-second rule is essential for maintaining viewer attention. Most viewers drop off quickly, so deliver your message within this timeframe. Because you only have so much time, you have no choice but to eliminate any unnecessary details.
You can structure the script using this simple format:
- Problem: Introduce the challenge your audience faces. Make viewers feel understood by acknowledging their pain points.
- Solution: Show how your product or service solves it. Present your offering as the answer to their problems.
- How it works: Explain key features and benefits. Focus on how these improve the viewer's life rather than technical specifications.
- Call to action: Encourage viewers to take the next step. Be clear and direct about what you want them to do after watching.
Choosing the right tone and style
Matching the tone to your brand and audience is crucial, whether video prospecting or introducing your audience to a new product. A casual, conversational approach works for consumer products, while a more professional tone might be appropriate for B2B services. Your tone should reflect your brand personality while resonating with your target audience's expectations.
Selecting a video style that aligns with your message and industry helps reinforce your content. For example, a financial service might benefit from clean motion graphics that convey stability and precision, while a children's product might use color animations to create excitement.
The right visual approach makes your message more memorable and strengthens brand recognition.
Storyboarding your video
Visualizing the main scenes before production helps everyone understand how the final edit will look and flow. Your storyboard doesn't need to be artistic — simple sketches with notes about text, voiceover, and transitions are sufficient.
Ensuring smooth transitions and pacing keeps viewers engaged. Map out how your video will move from scene to scene, ensuring each transition feels logical and that the overall pace maintains interest without becoming confusing.
Producing your explainer video
With your planning complete, it's time to bring your explainer video to life with careful production choices. Here's how to produce your explainer video:
Voiceover and narration
You can hire someone, use AI-generated voiceovers, or create your own voiceover recording, all of which can impact how your message is received. While professional voice actors provide nuance and emotion, AI-generated voices have improved significantly and offer a budget-friendly alternative.
Matching the voice style with the video tone ensures consistency. A high-energy, enthusiastic voice works for upbeat content, while a calm, authoritative voice better suits educational material. The voice should reinforce your brand personality and appeal to your target audience.
Selecting visuals and animations
Using high-quality animations, illustrations, or real footage elevates your video's professionalism. Poor visual quality can undermine even the best script, so invest in good stock footage, hire a skilled animator, or learn to create polished visuals yourself.
Keeping visuals aligned with branding and message clarity helps reinforce your identity. Consistently using your brand colors, fonts, and visual style makes your video instantly recognizable and strengthens brand recall.
Adding background music and sound effects
Choosing music that enhances the message without overpowering it creates the right atmosphere. The music should match your brand's personality and the video's emotional tone — inspirational, professional, or playful.
Using sound effects to make key moments stand out adds another dimension to your video. Strategic sound effects can emphasize important points, transitions, or actions, making your video more dynamic and engaging.
Editing for clarity and engagement
Cutting unnecessary parts to maintain a smooth flow keeps viewers watching.
Keeping text minimal and focusing on visuals prevents cognitive overload. The on-screen text should complement the voiceover, not duplicate it, highlighting only key points that viewers might want to remember.
Optimizing & promoting your explainer video
Creating a professional-looking video is only half the battle — you need to ensure people actually see it. Here's how:
Optimizing for different platforms
Best video dimensions and formats for YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other platforms ensure your video displays correctly wherever it's viewed. Each platform has different requirements and user behaviors, so tailor your video accordingly.
Adding captions for accessibility and SEO benefits makes your content available to everyone, including viewers with hearing impairments or those watching without sound. Captions also improve searchability and engagement.
Using video SEO techniques
Writing an attention-grabbing title and description helps your video stand out in search results and feeds. Include your main keyword naturally while creating compelling copy that makes people want to click.
Adding relevant keywords and tags improves discoverability. Research the terms your audience uses when searching for content like yours, and incorporate them strategically in your video metadata.
Embedding videos on websites and landing pages
Placing explainer videos on product pages can increase conversions. Videos help visitors understand your offering quickly and address potential questions or objections before they arise.
Using videos in email marketing campaigns can boost click-through rates significantly. Including the word "video" in your subject line can increase open rates while embedding video thumbnails in email bodies drives engagement and click-throughs.
Sharing on social media and paid ads
Repurposing clips for social media posts and stories extends your video's reach. Create shorter versions or highlight specific sections to suit different platforms and audience preferences, making short-form video content that captures attention quickly.
Running targeted ads to boost reach and engagement puts your video in front of precisely the right audience. Most social platforms offer sophisticated targeting options based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.
Measuring success and improving future videos
Once your video is out in the world, it's time to see how it's performing. The data you collect now will make your next video even better.
Key performance metrics to track
View count, engagement rate, watch time, and conversion rate provide different insights into your video's performance. While view count offers a basic measure of reach, the other metrics reveal how effectively your video holds attention and drives action.
Audience retention analysis shows where viewers drop off, helping you identify weak points in your video. If viewers consistently leave at a certain point, consider revising that section or restructuring future videos to keep important information before common drop-off points.
Analyzing viewer comments and reactions provides qualitative insights that metrics alone can't capture. Pay attention to the specific language viewers use to describe what they liked or disliked about your video.
Testing different styles, lengths, and CTAs helps you discover what elements work best to help you achieve your goals. Create variations of your videos and compare their performance to continually refine your approach.
Bring your ideas to life with an engaging explainer video
Creating an effective explainer video doesn't require a Hollywood budget or years of experience as a video editor.
With Mailchimp, you can seamlessly integrate your explainer videos into targeted marketing campaigns, delivering them to the right audience at exactly the right moment in their customer journey. And once your video captures attention, Mailchimp's conversion tracking tools show you exactly which viewers take action, giving you concrete data to refine your approach. Sign up for Mailchimp today.
Key Takeaways
- Explainer videos help businesses quickly communicate complex ideas through simple, engaging storytelling.
- Choose the right video style (animated, live-action, motion graphics, or screencast) based on your message and industry.
- Develop a clear script structure: Problem → Solution → How it works → Call to action.
- Measure performance metrics like engagement and conversion rates to continuously improve your videos.