“There’s nothing more powerful in the world than a good story”.
– Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones)
If Tyrion Lannister were a marketer today, he would have been selling good stories using videos. He knows that when it comes to content marketing in 2020 and beyond, video is on the throne!
When it comes to showing the value of your product or service in a matter of minutes, nothing works as well as explainer videos. After watching an explainer video, a potential customer should be able to graduate from not knowing how your product works to understand and explain the essentials to anyone.
But if you do not tell the story well in the script of the video, the outcome can lack winning essentials like direction, cohesion, and the punchline. Writing a great script is one of the many important steps in developing an explainer video. But it is of singular importance in the process of creating explainer videos.
Image source: https://www.toolbox-studio.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/explainer-video-user-guide.jpg#process
What Is an Explainer Video Script?
The explainer video script is the skeleton of the entire video in written form. Scriptwriting involves detailed descriptions of how the entire video will start and progress including transitions, characters, dialogues, narration, and backgrounds. A kickass script can result in a powerful and compelling video, which will make a lasting impression on the viewers.
Once you have understood the client’s goals for the explainer video, scriptwriting is the foundation on which the entire video creation rests. To create a compelling story that conveys the right message in limited time is a matter of both art and science and scriptwriters play a major role here.
A good script is the backbone of your entire video and needs meticulous planning. Divide your script into three parts just like the acts in a play.
- The Opening
Define the problem. Highlight the big pain points to grab the attention of the viewer.
- The Main Body
Explain how your product or service solves the problem. Simply show how you can fix the issue for them!
- The Conclusion
Present the Call to Action (CTA) in this section: what do you expect from the audience? Send a subtle message, showing how you want the viewer to respond, without sounding very promotional.
More Than One Format – Types of Explainer Video Scripts
- Meet Annie
This is a popular and successful script many explainer videos have capitalized on. Annie is the persona that represents your target audience closely – their industry and business, challenges, hopes, goals, and so on. This type of script starts by showing the audience how she is struggling with a similar issue which they are facing, and how your product saves the day for Annie.
- Secret Sauce
In this type of explainer video script, you explain why your offering is a unique solution to the customer’s problem, without beating around the bush. You need to clearly show what technology or part of the solution is the unique selling point (USP) that no other competitor is offering – the secret sauce that makes it happen.
- Cookie Cutter Solution
This addresses a larger audience and tells your uncommon solution for a common problem. This kind of script works when you know your product or service meets the needs of multiple target audiences. The explainer video script should generalize the subject and show how the problem is solved for as many types of audiences as possible.
Once you have decided the format of the script, it’s time to exercise your gray cells to start writing the script. Let’s dive into the recipe for a hearty, soulful explainer video with secret ingredients that will delight your viewers?
5 Tips for a Kickass Explainer Video Script
1. Keep it short and simple
A voiceover of 160 words per minute is considered ideal. Avoid passive tones in the conversation; keep the dialogue positive, engaging, and to the point. Ensure the age, gender, and interests of the characters suit your business audience. Use timely metaphors and other creative techniques to engage viewers.
2. Deliver the message early and clear
The ideal length of an explainer video is between 45 and 90 seconds. Deal with that dreaded nemesis called limited attention span with short videos and a great opening scene or statement that keeps your viewers hooked.
How do you know if the explainer video script is clear? Here’s a thumb rule – the script should present your main message within the first 30 seconds.
3. Finish well
Your pitch should be presented subtly; your viewers should not feel that you are simply selling your product; prepare and be genuinely interested in offering a solution. Your explainer video should end with an action that viewers can take quickly and without a lot of effort.
4. Use humor if needed
Humor is serious business. It is an ingredient that can make your video touch a chord and keep viewers engaged from the word “Go.” Here’s a unique take:
Using a popular character from Bollywood movies, this animated video explains why GeoGreen is unique and better than cow dung and other compost for improving the quality of the soil. Considering the target audience in mind, i.e., farmers, it uses humor as an essential element to creatively keep the viewers engaged.
5. Stay relevant
Ensure that diction, phrasing and cultural references are used right – they reflect on your business. Context, along with great content, ensures that the video delivers your message to the right person at the right place. Understand your target audience and what their goals and challenges. Set the scene in a place familiar to them. Check out the setting in this video for the tax consultant business, H&R Block.
The video starts with a hassled businessman at an airport, who is struggling to meet statutory GST compliance needs. That is a familiar setting for many! The video then uses infographics and animation to show the process by which GST filings can be done with clarity, speed, and lesser effort.
Explainer videos are, of course, more than just the script. To learn about all that goes into making compelling explainer videos, read this comprehensive guide.
Why Should You Partner with Professionals for Explainer Videos?
Some businesses might have the bandwidth and the skillsets to work on the entire end-to-end explainer video process. Other businesses are pressed for time and see the need for an experienced team to create high-quality explainer videos; that way, the business can focus on what they do best. In such cases, working with a seasoned video production company makes a lot of sense.
While no one can understand your product or service better than you, we can help you weave a story that will appeal to the right target audience.
Toolbox Studio brings seasoned professionals from different fields to handle the entire process of making that explainer video happen with quick turnarounds and exceptional quality. We have developed and executed many explainer video projects for several industries and verticals. Explore various type of explainer videos – from whiteboard animation to infographics – and more offerings with our explainer video services.
