An explainer video is a short film, usually one to two minutes, that shows what a product, service or process does and why it matters, in a way a viewer understands at once. For a business it works best when it answers one question for one audience, uses the format that suits that question (animation, live action, screen recording or a mix), follows a tight script of roughly 130 to 160 spoken words per minute, and carries captions so it works with the sound off. This guide explains when an explainer video is worth making, how to choose the format and length, how to write the script, what to put in the brief and how to measure it.
Last updated: 23 October 2026.
When is an explainer video worth making?
An explainer video earns its cost when people keep asking the same question and a page of text does not answer it well. Typical cases: a product that is new or hard to picture, a service with several steps, a process customers must follow, a change in how something works, or a pitch that needs to land in a minute.
It is less useful when the product is already obvious, when the message changes every month, or when the real problem is that the offer itself is unclear. A film cannot fix a confused offer; it will only make the confusion more expensive.
At Odduel, a creative and technology agency in Barcelona and São Paulo, explainers are part of our video and content production service, from script to sound design. The first conversation is always about the one question the film must answer.
In short: make an explainer when a recurring question needs a visual answer. Pick one audience and one message. Choose the format from the goal, keep it short, write the script before anything else, add captions and real sound, and place it where the question is asked: the home page, the product page, the sales email.
Which format should you choose?
The format follows the goal and the subject. The table below compares the main options.
| Format | Best for | Strengths | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2D animation | Abstract services, software, processes | Clear, flexible, easy to update in parts | Can feel generic without a strong visual style |
| Motion graphics | Data, systems, brand-led pieces | Precise, on-brand, works well without sound | Needs a clear script to avoid decoration |
| Live action | Services delivered by people, physical products, trust | Human, credible, shows the real thing | Location, cast and weather add cost and risk |
| Screen recording with motion | Software and apps | Shows the actual interface | Must be redone when the interface changes |
| Mixed (live action and graphics) | Products with hidden workings, launches | Shows the real thing and how it works | More production steps |
Whatever the format, the film should look like your brand. An explainer in a generic stock style weakens recognition even when the message is clear; our article on the brand manifesto shows how a brand’s story and tone can carry into every piece of content.
How long should an explainer video be?
Shorter is almost always better. Most business explainers land between 60 and 120 seconds. Under a minute suits a single idea on social media or a landing page; up to two minutes suits a product page or a sales conversation; longer pieces work only when the viewer has chosen to learn, such as onboarding or training.
Spoken English runs at roughly 130 to 160 words per minute in a calm voice-over. A 90-second explainer therefore has a script of around 200 to 240 words. If your script is longer, the film is trying to say too much.
How do you write an explainer video script?
Write the script before anything is drawn or filmed. It is the cheapest place to make changes and the place where most explainers succeed or fail.
- Open with the viewer’s problem, in their words, within the first five seconds.
- Introduce the answer: your product or service, in one sentence.
- Show how it works in three steps at most. More than three and viewers stop following.
- Show the result: what the viewer’s day, work or business looks like afterwards.
- Give one clear next step: try it, book a call, read more.
Read it aloud with a timer. Cut every sentence that a viewer would not miss. Write the visuals beside each line, so it is clear what is seen while each sentence is heard.
How do you handle sound, captions and accessibility?
Sound is half of a film. A clear voice-over, music that fits the brand and sound effects that mark each step make an explainer feel finished; silence or library music makes it feel like a slideshow.
Many people watch with the sound off, especially on social media and at work, so add captions to every version. Captions also make the film accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The W3C guidance on making audio and video accessible covers captions, transcripts and audio description, and in the EU many consumer-facing services now fall under accessibility rules that include their video content.
What goes in the production brief?
A good brief gets you comparable proposals and a film that answers the right question. Include these points.
- The question the film must answer, and for whom.
- Where it will be used: home page, product page, social, sales, events, onboarding.
- The one action you want viewers to take afterwards.
- Length and versions: main cut, short cuts, vertical and square crops, languages.
- Format preference, or let the studio propose one.
- Brand material: guidelines, fonts, colours, existing footage, product files.
- Voice and sound: tone of the voice-over, language, music direction.
- Accessibility: captions in every language, a transcript.
- Approvals: who signs off the script, the storyboard and the final film.
- Timing and budget range.
How does production run?
Most explainers follow the same stages: brief and research, script, storyboard (the film drawn frame by frame), style frames (a few finished stills that fix the look), voice-over recording, animation or filming, sound design and music, captions and versions, and delivery. Approve each stage before moving on: changing a script line is quick, changing a finished animation is not.
For a view of what drives the cost of each stage, see our guide to video production cost.
Where should you use the video, and how do you measure it?
Place the film where the question is asked. On a product page, near the top. In a sales email, as a thumbnail linking to a page that plays it. On social, as a short cut with the hook in the first seconds.
| Placement | What to measure |
|---|---|
| Home or product page | Play rate, average watch time, conversion of visitors who watched compared with those who did not |
| Social media | Views to the end, shares, saves, clicks |
| Sales and email | Replies, meetings booked, shorter sales conversations |
| Onboarding and support | Fewer support questions on the topic, completed set-ups |
If almost nobody reaches the end, the opening is weak or the film is too long. If people watch to the end but do not act, the next step is unclear.
What are the common explainer video mistakes?
The same problems weaken explainers again and again.
- Too many messages. A film that explains five features explains none. Make one film per question.
- Starting with the company. Viewers care about their problem first; the logo can wait until the end.
- A script written last. Animation and filming are expensive places to discover that the story does not work.
- Generic visuals. Stock characters and library music make a film forgettable and off-brand.
- One version for every channel. A two-minute horizontal film does not work as a vertical social post; plan the cuts in the brief.
- No home for it. A film uploaded to a video platform and never placed where customers ask the question will not be watched.
Which versions does each channel need?
Plan the versions from the start, because framing changes how scenes are designed. A typical set is a main horizontal film for the website and presentations, a vertical cut of 15 to 30 seconds for social media, a square cut for feeds and advertising, and a silent version with large captions for places where sound is off. On landing pages, the film should sit beside the main message and the call to action, not replace them; our guide to landing page design cost explains how video fits into a page built to convert.
Questions people ask
What is an explainer video?
An explainer video is a short film, usually one to two minutes long, that shows what a product, service or process does and why it matters to a specific audience. It typically opens with the viewer’s problem, introduces the solution, shows how it works in a few steps and ends with one clear action. It can be animated, filmed or a mix.
How long should an explainer video be?
Most business explainer videos work best between 60 and 120 seconds. Under a minute suits a single idea on social media or a landing page; up to two minutes suits product pages and sales conversations. At roughly 130 to 160 spoken words per minute, a 90-second film needs a script of about 200 to 240 words.
Is animation or live action better for an explainer video?
Animation suits abstract services, software and processes, because it can show things a camera cannot. Live action suits services delivered by people and physical products, because it builds trust by showing the real thing. Many strong explainers mix both. Choose from the subject and the goal, then make sure the style matches your brand.
Do explainer videos need captions?
Yes. Many people watch video with the sound off, especially on social media and at work, and captions keep the message clear for them. Captions also make the film accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, which many accessibility rules require. Add captions in every language the video is published in, and offer a transcript.
How do I measure whether an explainer video works?
Measure against the reason you made it. On a web page, compare conversion between visitors who watched and those who did not, and check how many reach the end. In sales, look at replies and meetings. In onboarding, look for fewer support questions. Low completion means a weak opening or too much length.
Write down the one question your customers keep asking, and draft a 90-second script that answers it. If you would like us to take it from script to finished film with sound and captions, see our video and content production service or tell us what you need to explain.
