Key Takeaways
- An explainer video is a short, focused video, usually one to two minutes, that explains what a company does and why it matters, most often living on a landing page, homepage, or in ads and social feeds.
- The best explainer videos share five traits: they are short, problem-focused, on-brand, high quality, and end with one clear call to action.
- A strong explainer follows a simple What, How, Why structure, and the Why, your underlying purpose and what sets you apart, is the part most brands underplay.
- The three main types are animated, live action, and crowdfunding, and the right choice depends on your budget, your product, and the tone you want.
When you research a product you just heard about, there is usually a video waiting for you. Most companies pack their websites with information, but one of the most effective ways they relay it to prospective customers is through an explainer video. It is often the first thing a curious visitor watches, and sometimes the thing that turns them into a customer.
So what exactly is an explainer video, what separates a good one from a forgettable one, and how do you make your own? Here is everything you need to know.
What Is an Explainer Video?
An explainer video is a short-form video, usually made for marketing or sales, that highlights a company’s product, service, or idea in a compelling and efficient way. Most businesses feature them on a landing page or homepage, run them as ads on social platforms, and increasingly cut them down for feeds like Reels, Shorts, and TikTok. Whatever the placement, the job is the same: take something potentially complex and make it instantly clear, showing viewers a problem, your solution, and why you are the right choice, all in a minute or two.
What Makes a Good Explainer Video?
The best explainer videos tend to share five qualities:
- Short in length: Usually under three minutes, and often better between one and two, since attention drops fast and clarity rewards brevity.
- A strong call to action: The video makes it obvious what to do next, whether that is starting a trial, booking a demo, or making a purchase.
- Focused on solving a problem: It names a specific pain, explains how the product or service fixes it, and shows why this solution is the answer.
- Matched to brand and audience: The style and tone fit both the company and the customer it is trying to reach.
- High quality: Both the production and the content are polished enough to communicate the brand’s value with credibility.
So how do the best explainer videos stay short and high quality while keeping the message simple? They follow a consistent structure built on three questions:
- What is the audience’s problem?
- How will your product or service fix it?
- Why should the audience choose you?
Too many explainer videos nail the what and the how, then forget the why. They describe a product competently but never communicate the company’s underlying purpose, which is what actually connects with people. Getting the why right means genuinely understanding who your audience is and leading with a mission that resonates with them, and it starts on the page, which is why explainer videos live or die at the script stage.
Types of Explainer Videos
Before you make one, you need to choose a format. Most explainer videos fall into one of three categories.
Animated explainers are the most popular, largely because they are visually flexible and do not require a full shoot. They also come in several styles: infographic-style animation using charts and iconography, screencast or product-simulation footage for showing software in action, character-driven stories built around a stand-in for your customer, and motion graphics or 3D that bring abstract ideas to life. (The old whiteboard or chalkboard style still exists, but it now reads as dated, so use it sparingly if at all.) Live action explainers, by contrast, use real people and objects, often a spokesperson or founder walking viewers through the product while conveying the company’s mission. Which route you take is part of the broader question of how production differs by video style, and for software and product teams especially, it overlaps with product marketing video.
How to Make an Explainer Video
An explainer video follows the same three stages as any other video production process.
- Pre-production: Develop the concept, write and refine the script, assemble a crew or partner with a production team, and plan the shoot or animation. This is where most of an explainer is won.
- Production: Begin filming or animating, capturing the footage or building the visuals your script calls for.
- Post-production: Edit everything together, record and sync the voiceover, and layer in music, sound effects, and captions.
The workflow differs quite a bit depending on whether you are animating or shooting live, so if you are unsure, it is worth partnering with a team that has made explainer videos before rather than learning on the fly and overspending on a production far bigger than you need. Strong pre-production planning and careful post-production are what keep an explainer both efficient and effective. Above all, get the structure right at the script level and work within the five elements, then choose the style that best fits your brand, mission, and product.
Explainer Videos in the Age of AI and Short-Form
Two shifts have changed how explainer videos get made and used. The first is AI. Text-to-video tools, AI animation, and synthetic voiceover can now speed up parts of an animated explainer and lower the barrier to producing one, which is genuinely useful for generating drafts, b-roll, and variations. What they cannot do is supply the strategy, the script, and the brand judgment that make an explainer land, and accuracy still needs a human eye, since a confidently wrong explainer does real damage. That is exactly why AI video still requires a specialist rather than running unattended.
The second shift is short-form. Beyond the classic one-to-two-minute explainer on a landing page, brands now cut shorter vertical versions, often 30 to 60 seconds, for Reels, Shorts, TikTok, and paid social. Those cuts need to work in a muted, scrolling feed, so design them vertical, caption them clearly, and front-load the hook. A full-length explainer on your site can also lift conversions and, paired with a transcript and captions, support your video SEO, so one core explainer can work hard in several places at once.
Create an Explainer Video That Converts with Lemonlight
A great explainer video takes real coordination, from a tight script to the right style to a polished final cut, and it is far easier with a team that makes them regularly. That is where we come in. Whether you need an animated explainer for a software launch or a live-action video to introduce your brand, our producers can guide you from concept to conversion. Get in touch and let’s create an explainer video worth watching.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an explainer video?
An explainer video is a short marketing or sales video that clearly explains a company’s product, service, or idea, typically by presenting a problem, showing the solution, and making the case for choosing that brand. They usually run one to two minutes and appear on landing pages, homepages, ads, and social feeds.
How long should an explainer video be?
Usually under three minutes, and often best between one and two, since shorter videos hold attention and force clarity. For social platforms, even tighter cuts of 30 to 60 seconds tend to perform better. The right length depends on your audience and where the video will live, but when in doubt, trim.
What are the main types of explainer videos?
The three main types are animated, live action, and crowdfunding. Animated is the most popular and flexible, live action uses real people and settings for a more human feel, and crowdfunding explainers, often a blend of both, tell the fuller story a campaign needs. Animated explainers also span sub-styles like infographic, product-simulation, character-driven, and motion graphics.
How much does an explainer video cost?
It varies widely based on the type, length, and level of polish. Animated explainers can be more budget-friendly since they skip a physical shoot, while live-action productions carry filming costs, and heavy 3D or motion graphics add to the total. The best way to get an accurate number is to scope your specific project with a production partner rather than rely on a blanket figure.
Can AI make an explainer video?
AI can assist meaningfully, speeding up animation, drafting scripts, generating b-roll, and producing voiceover, which lowers the cost and time of an animated explainer. It is not a full replacement, though. The strategy, storytelling, brand voice, and factual accuracy still need human direction, so the best results pair AI’s speed with a specialist’s judgment.
Where should I use my explainer video?
Common homes are your landing page and homepage, where an explainer can lift conversions, along with paid ads, sales outreach, and email. Increasingly, brands also cut short vertical versions for Reels, Shorts, and TikTok. A single explainer, adapted for each placement, can work across your entire funnel.
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