Key points
- An explainer video answers one question. If you have three, make three videos.
- The structure has four parts: the situation, the problem, how it works, what the viewer gains.
- Every sentence has its picture, and the picture shows exactly what the sentence says.
- A precise example explains better than a general definition.
When to choose an animated explainer
Animation is the right choice when what you explain cannot be filmed: a service, a procedure, a subscription, the journey of an order, the way a price is worked out. A camera cannot show what happens between the moment a customer clicks and the moment the parcel arrives. A drawing that moves can.
It also suits you when you do not want to appear, or when the subject must stay valid for a long time: an animated video does not age with a haircut or a room. If you would rather stay off camera altogether, see our guide to making videos without showing your face.
The four-part structure
| Part | What is said | Share of the video |
|---|---|---|
| The situation | One precise person, at one precise moment | The first seconds |
| The problem | What bothers them today, in their words | About a quarter |
| How it works | What happens, step by step | Half |
| What they gain | The result, then what to do | The end |
How it works takes half the time, because that is what the viewer came for. Split it into two to four steps, no more. Beyond that, the viewer loses the order.
One picture per sentence
In an animated video the picture is not a backdrop. It shows what the sentence says, at the moment the sentence says it. If the voice talks about an invoice, we see an invoice, not a character smiling at a computer.
- One subject per picture. Two ideas in the same shot, and the viewer no longer knows where to look.
- The real thing. If you talk about your app, show your real screen. If you talk about a lorry, show a lorry.
- The movement says something. A number climbing, an arrow linking two steps, a box being ticked: the movement is the explanation.
- The important words on screen. Three to six words, not the whole sentence.
Building it, step by step
Write the question
The one your customers ask. “How does delivery work?” “What happens if I cancel?” That is the title of the video.
Answer aloud, then write
Explain it to someone as you would across the counter. Note what you said: it is clearer than what you would have drafted at a desk.
Sort it into the four parts
Situation, problem, how it works, gain. Eight to twelve short sentences in all.
Note the picture for each sentence
Next to each sentence, what the viewer sees. A sentence with no possible picture is too abstract: replace it with an example.
Choose a style and hold it
The same colours and the same line from start to finish. A change of style in the middle feels like two videos stuck together.
Show it to someone who knows nothing
Then ask them to explain it back to you. What they forget or distort shows you which sentence to rewrite.
“How our vegetable box subscription works”, 50 seconds
- Situation: “Thursday evening, the fridge is empty and you have no time for the market.” Picture: an open, empty fridge.
- Problem: “So you order a takeaway, again.” Picture: a delivery bag.
- Step 1: “On Monday, you choose the size of your box.” Picture: the real selection screen.
- Step 2: “On Wednesday, the grower harvests.” Picture: hands and a crate.
- Step 3: “On Thursday, the box is at the pick-up point near you.” Picture: a map, a dot.
- Gain: “A week of vegetables, without thinking about it.” Then the address of the site.
The right length
For social media, aim for 45 to 75 seconds. That is enough for four parts and three steps. On your website, next to the sign-up button, you can go up to two minutes, because the visitor came looking for the information.
If your explanation does not fit, the video is not too short: the subject is too wide. Cut it. “How our service works” becomes “how to place your first order”, and the rest will make another video. When your explanation rests on results, our guide to showing your numbers in a video covers that part.
The mistakes that lose the viewer
- Starting with the company. “Founded in 2019, our company…” Nobody asked that question.
- House vocabulary. The words you use among colleagues are not your customers’ words.
- Generic pictures. A light bulb for “idea”, a rocket for “growth”: the viewer has seen them a thousand times and learns nothing.
- Explaining everything. Special cases belong on a help page, not in the video.
- Ending with no instruction. The viewer has understood, and then what? Tell them what to do.
Before you publish your explainer video
- The video answers one question.
- It starts with a person and a situation, not with your company.
- How it works fits in two to four steps.
- Every sentence has a picture that shows what it says.
- Someone who does not know the subject was able to explain it back.
- The last image says what to do.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know how to draw to make an animated video?
No. The work that counts is writing a clear explanation and deciding which picture goes with which sentence. The drawing and the movement can be handed to a person or to a tool.
What is the difference between an explainer video and an advert?
An advert creates desire, an explainer creates understanding. The first lasts a few seconds and plays on emotion. The second takes the time to show the steps, and speaks to someone who is already interested.
Can I put real screenshots in an animated video?
Yes, and it is recommended when you explain software or a site. The viewer will then recognise the real screen. Show the screenshot as it is, with the important part highlighted.
Is a voice-over required?
It helps a great deal, because an explanation is followed more comfortably when it is spoken. But the video must also make sense with the sound off, thanks to the words on screen.
With Meratek
How Meratek makes your explainer video
You write in a few lines what you want to explain. Meratek asks you a few questions, writes the story, adds the voice and builds the film. In Story mode, the explanation is told in drawn pictures, in the style you choose. In the Motion tab, the Motion design mode explains it with words, shapes and up to four of your real screenshots: the Demonstration style suits a step-by-step process well.
The price in credits is shown before you start, and one hundred and forty credits are offered when you sign up. Meratek puts into pictures what you tell it: you remain responsible for the accuracy of the explanation.
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