An animated video can explain faster than words alone
Do you have a product, service or point-of-view that needs explaining? Whether you’re a manufacturer of widgets, a specialised commercial cleaner or a politician looking for followers, well-written explainer videos can help you get through to your audience quickly.
What is an explainer video?
An explainer video is not an ad, although it usually involves some kind of call-to-action at the end. The whole point of an explainer video (animated or filmed) is to describe a complex offering in a way that makes it feel simple. For example, back in 2017 we wrote a script for the Reserve Bank of NZ about how they use the OCR to influence short term interest rates. Take a look at the video. Another example is this video for CycloPower, a delivery mechanism for dietary supplements.
Sometimes an explainer video is an essential part of customer service. It can ensure new purchases work and keep working. Here’s an example of an after-sales how-to explainer video for Airbow®.
Why do explainer animations work?
For many people, watching is easier than reading. And it’s also a more effective way to learn something, because both your eyes and ears are capturing the message. The success of You Tube is proof that audiences often prefer to watch than read.
In his book ‘60 Seconds: How to tell your company’s story & the brain science that makes it stick’, Andrew Angus says that with audio alone your audience will retain about 10% of what they’re told, but when you add visual storytelling that number goes up to 68%.
However, videos can’t replace words on your website. For the sake of search engine optimisation, you still need a swag of text – a minimum of 500 words for your home page and at least 300 words for other pages. The best case scenario is to have your explainer video backed up by a page that delivers the same messaging in text form.
How do you write an explainer video?
As with any copywriting job, a great video script begins with a thorough brief. Your writer needs to know the purpose of the video, the audience and a breakdown of the information that must be conveyed in the script. If you want something to happen at the end, like a click through to a website, that should also be in the brief. It’s also good to specify the length of the video, because longer videos cost more to produce. Most explainer videos are between 60 and 90 seconds long.
An experienced explainer video script writer will produce a two-column script – one column for audio and the other for video – so that you can see how visuals and voiceover match up. This script format makes it easier for the production team to put the video together. It also simplifies recording of the voiceover.
What does an explainer video script cost?
Our ballpark cost for a 90-second explainer video script is usually around $500 ex GST. A 60-second video is around $375. The actual video production (done by a separate company) is additional, but it goes more smoothly if you have a professionally-written script. If you’d like us to take a look at your explainer video job, call 021 192 6699 or email jo@wordjoiner.co.nz.