An explainer video helps people quickly understand a product, service, or idea. For a small business, it can answer a common customer question, show how a service works, or introduce your brand.
This guide covers practical video examples, common styles, and storytelling tips. For a step-by-step plan, see our guide to animated explainer videos for small businesses, or use our 60-second explainer video script template to start writing.
Looking for a low-risk way to explore an animated video for your business? See the free animated video offer.
Explainer Video Examples for Small Businesses
A useful explainer video focuses on one audience question and answers it with a clear example. Here are three formats a small business could adapt:
- Show how a service works: A home-services company can walk through what happens from booking to the finished job.
- Demonstrate a product: A maker can show the product in use and explain one feature that solves a specific customer problem.
- Explain an unfamiliar idea: A consultant can use a simple scenario and visuals to clarify a process clients often find confusing.
These are illustrative examples, not promises of results. Keep the story focused on what the viewer needs to understand, and use visual storytelling to make each step easier to follow.
Common Explainer Video Styles
Animation can illustrate ideas, processes, or situations that are hard to film. Live action uses real people, products, or locations, which can help viewers see the service or team. Hybrid video combines filmed footage with graphics or animation.
Choose a style based on the subject, audience, available footage, budget, and where the video will appear. A polished production is not a substitute for a clear message.
How Explainer Videos Can Help Your Business
An explainer video can give customers a quick overview of a product, service, or process. Use it to answer a common question or show what happens next, then track relevant measures such as video completion, clicks, or inquiries to see whether it supports your goal.
Critical Elements of Compelling Explainer Videos
Crafting a compelling explainer video involves several key elements that work together to captivate your audience. You can create engaging videos that convey your message effectively by mastering these elements. What are the essential components of a compelling explainer video?
Captivating Scriptwriting Techniques
The foundation of any excellent explainer video lies in its script. A captivating script effectively communicates your message while keeping your audience engaged.
Crafting a clear, concise, and relatable script to your target audience is crucial. Incorporating storytelling elements and a conversational tone can make the script more engaging and memorable for viewers.
The Art of Visual Storyboarding
Visual storyboarding is a crucial step in creating an explainer video. It involves outlining the visuals that accompany the script to ensure a seamless narrative flow.
A storyboard maps key visuals to each part of the script. You can use a simple scene plan with one line per beat; see our explainer video planning guide for a practical checklist.
Incorporating Engaging Animation and Graphics
Animations and graphics play a pivotal role in bringing your script to life. They add depth and visual appeal to your video, making it more engaging for the audience.
Whether through charming characters, dynamic transitions, or captivating illustrations, the optical elements should align with the script’s tone and message.
Seamless integration of animations and graphics elevates the viewer’s experience and reinforces the key concepts being communicated.
It is important to ensure that your graphics and animations align with your brand voice. For example, my brand often uses humorous, unique, or cute graphics, such as babies, animals, and people making funny faces.
Using humor can attract more viewers to your content. However, don’t use humor if it doesn’t align with your brand. For example, avoiding humor would probably be a good idea if you are a funeral home, hospital, or military agency.
The Impact of Voiceover and Sound Design
Voiceover is optional. A human performer or an AI-generated voice may suit your project, depending on your budget, desired delivery, and how you plan to use the video. Compare voice quality, editing needs, and usage rights before choosing. For AI voices, check the tool’s commercial-use terms and any disclosure requirements.
Additionally, strategic sound design, including background music and sound effects, enhances the viewing experience, eliciting specific emotions and guiding the audience’s attention.
When utilized effectively, voiceover and sound design contribute significantly to the impact and memorability of the video. Crafting compelling explainer videos is a multifaceted process that demands attention to each of these critical elements.
You can create videos that captivate and resonate with your audience by honing your scriptwriting, storyboarding, animation, graphic integration, and voiceover and sound design skills.
These fundamental elements work harmoniously to deliver a compelling, memorable viewing experience that leaves a lasting impression on your viewers.
Strategies for Captivating Your Audience
When creating an explainer video, it’s crucial to have strategies to captivate your audience. Understanding your target audience and utilizing emotional triggers in video content.
Creating a solid call to action is an essential component that can make your explainer videos genuinely compelling.
Understanding Your Target Audience
Before crafting an explainer video, it’s vital to understand your target audience deeply. What are their pain points, challenges, and aspirations? You can tailor your video content to resonate with your audience by conducting thorough market research and creating buyer personas.
This understanding will guide the tone, messaging, and visuals of your explainer video, ensuring it speaks directly to your viewers’ needs and interests.
Utilizing Emotional Triggers in Video Content
Emotions play a decisive role in engaging and captivating an audience. When crafting your explainer video, consider incorporating emotional triggers that resonate with your viewers.
Whether it’s humor, empathy, inspiration, or excitement, tapping into these emotions can create a strong connection and leave a lasting impact.
By evoking emotional responses, your video content becomes more memorable and compelling. Thereby, encouraging viewers to take action based on their emotional engagement.
Creating a Strong Call to Action
A compelling explainer video should always culminate in a solid call to action (CTA). Whether it’s prompting viewers to visit your website, sign up for a free trial, or purchase, a clear and persuasive CTA guides your audience on the following steps.
By using compelling language and visually engaging cues, you can lead your viewers toward the desired action, converting their interest into tangible results for your business
Tools and Resources for Creating Compelling Explainer Videos
The right tools and resources are crucial to crafting a compelling explainer video. Each element, from video editing software to voice over resources, plays a vital role in creating an engaging and impactful video that captivates your audience.
Video Editing Software and Platforms
There are various options for video editing software and platforms based on your specific needs and expertise. For beginners, user-friendly platforms like Adobe Premiere Elements or iMovie can provide a good starting point, offering intuitive interfaces and basic editing features.
For more advanced users seeking professional-grade capabilities. Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro are industry-standard choices that offer a comprehensive suite of editing tools, effects, and customization options.
These platforms enable you to elevate your video production with advanced techniques and seamless integration with other creative applications.
Graphic Design and Animation Tools
Incorporating visually appealing graphics and animations is essential to enhancing your explainer video’s visual appeal. Tools like Adobe After Effects and Blender empower you to create stunning animations, motion graphics, and visual effects that bring your concepts to life with dynamic flair.
For graphic design, software such as Adobe Illustrator and Canva offers a range of customizable templates, illustrations, and design assets.
Using these, you can create eye-catching visuals to complement your video content effortlessly.
Voiceover and Audio Production Resources
Clipchamp and ElevenLabs offer AI voice options, while services such as Voices.com and Voice123 connect clients with human voice actors. Options and usage rights vary, so compare voice samples, cost, editing time, and commercial-use terms before choosing.
Additionally, leveraging audio production resources such as Adobe Audition or Audacity enables you to:
- Refine soundtracks
- Adjust audio levels
- And add immersive sound effects…
Ensuring your audience a polished and professional audio experience. Equipping yourself with the right tools and resources within each domain empowers you to create compelling explainer videos that resonate with your audience and leave a lasting impression.
As you explore and experiment with these resources, you’ll discover the potential to unlock your creativity and bring your ideas to life in ways that captivate and inspire.
Measuring Success: Analyzing the Impact of Explainer Videos
Explainer videos can be a valuable tool for capturing your audience’s attention and delivering your message concisely and engagingly.
However, measuring these videos’ impact is essential to ensure they effectively resonate with your audience.
Key Performance Indicators for Video Engagement
When measuring the success of your explainer videos, it’s crucial to pay attention to key performance indicators (KPIs) that reflect audience engagement.
Metrics such as view duration, click-through rates, and social media shares can offer valuable insights into how your audience interacts with your video content.
By analyzing these KPIs, you can gain a deeper understanding of what resonates with your audience and identify opportunities for improvement.
The Role of A/B Testing in Video Optimization
A/B testing, or split testing, can significantly optimize your explainer videos for maximum impact. By creating variations of your videos and testing them with different audience segments, you can gather data on which elements are most effective in capturing and maintaining viewer interest.
This iterative approach allows for data-driven decision-making, continuously improving your video content’s performance. Carefully analyzing the impact of your explainer videos through KPIs and leverage A/B testing for optimization.
Then refine your video content to better resonate with your target audience and achieve your marketing objectives.
Frequently Asked Questions About Animated Explainer Videos That Actually Get Watched
What is an explainer video, and what’s it used for?
An explainer video is a short video that explains what you do, who it’s for, and why it matters. Most are built to answer the questions people are already thinking, just faster than a wall of text.
Common uses include:
- A homepage video that tells your story in under 90 seconds
- A product or service video for a landing page
- A paid ad that needs to earn attention fast
- A sales follow-up video that saves your team from typing the same email again
How long should an explainer video be?
There is no single ideal length. Aim for the shortest video that answers the viewer’s question and supports your goal. A focused explainer might fit in 60 to 90 seconds, while a complex offer may need more time or a short series.
Test the length and pacing with your audience, then review measures such as completion rate and clicks on the call to action.
What info do you need from me to get started?
At a minimum, you’ll want to bring:
- Your goal: sign-ups, sales calls, demo requests, app installs, or something else
- Your audience: who they are and what they care about
- Your offer: what you sell and how it works (plain English wins)
- Your brand basics: logo, colors, fonts (if you have them), plus any style examples you like
If your messaging is still a little fuzzy, that’s normal. A good explainer project usually includes time to tighten the story before animation begins.
Do you write the script, or do I have to?
Many explainer video projects include script support (or full scriptwriting) because the script is the whole engine. Animation can’t save a script that reads like a user manual.
A solid explainer script usually includes:
- The problem (what’s annoying right now)
- The “aha” moment (why your approach makes sense)
- The solution (what you do)
- The proof (quick credibility, not a novel)
- The call to action (what to do next)
Example: If you’re a marketing consultant, the script shouldn’t list services first. It should start with the headache your client is already living with.
How long does it take to make an animated explainer video?
Timelines depend on video length, style, and the speed at which feedback is shared. In most cases, you should plan for multiple steps, not one magical “render” button.
A typical workflow includes: Script, then storyboard, then voiceover (if used), then animation, then revisions. If you’ve got a deadline, it helps to mention it early so the scope and schedule can match reality.
Can I use the explainer video on my website and in ads?
In most cases, yes. Explainer videos are commonly used across:
- Websites and landing pages
- YouTube and social channels
- Email marketing
- Paid ads (social, display, YouTube pre-roll)
The key detail is usage rights (who owns what, where it can be used, and whether any licensed assets have limits). It’s worth confirming this up front so there are no surprise “you can’t run that as an ad” moments later.
Will there be voiceover, and do I get to choose the voice?
Voiceover is optional, but it can help a lot when your message needs clarity fast. Many brands choose voiceover because it guides the viewer and keeps the pace tight.
If voiceover is included, you’ll usually pick from voice options (tone, accent, style), then approve a read before animation locks in. No one wants to animate to a voice that sounds like it’s reading tax code out loud.
How many revisions do I get?
Most explainer video projects include revisions at key checkpoints, often during the script and storyboard stages, when changes are fastest (and cheapest) to make.
A practical way to think about it:
- Script revisions shape the message
- Storyboard revisions shape the scenes
- Animation revisions are best for fine-tuning, not rewriting the whole plot
If you know your team has lots of reviewers, try to pick one decision-maker. Otherwise, feedback can turn into a group chat where every emoji means “change it again.”
Final Thoughts About Explainer Videos
Explainer videos work because they keep things simple, show the problem fast, and land the point with a clear next step. A solid script, clean visuals, and good pacing can turn a confused visitor into a confident buyer.
If you want a video that explains, sells, and still feels human, grab New Horizons 123’s free short explainer video offer and test it on your top landing page. Your future analytics will thank you quietly with higher click-throughs.
Originally published on January 11, 2024; Republished on December 26, 2025, to update content and add video.
As a Visual Digital Marketing Specialist for New Horizons 123, Julie works to grow small businesses, increasing their online visibility by leveraging the latest in internet and video technologies. She specializes in creative camera-less animated video production, custom images, content writing, and SlideShare presentations. Julie also manages content, blog management, email marketing, marketing automation, and social media for her clients.
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