What is an explainer video?
TechSmith defines it as "a short, goal-driven video that uses visuals and narration" to explain a product, service, process or idea (TechSmith). The genre started with Common Craft, whose 2007 "In Plain English" videos used paper cut-outs and a friendly voiceover. Common Craft says the series "helped spark what's now known as the explainer video genre" (Common Craft). Its 2009 Dropbox video sat on Dropbox's homepage for years and had passed 25 million views by 2012, according to Dropbox (Common Craft).
An explainer is close to, but not the same as, a launch video (announces something new, often more cinematic) and a demo video (shows how the product works, step by step).
What are the types of explainer video?
| Style | What it is | Best for | Typical 60 s price (guide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2D animation | Flat illustrated characters and scenes | Abstract ideas, consumer products, storytelling | $2,500–$10,000 |
| Motion graphics | Animated text, icons, charts and UI elements; design and movement rather than characters | Software, data, product features | $1,500–$6,000 |
| Whiteboard | Illustrations that appear as if drawn by hand while the narration plays | Processes and education | $1,500–$5,000 |
| 3D animation | Modelled objects with depth and lighting | Hardware, products that don't photograph well | $5,000–$25,000+ |
| Live action | Real people and places on camera | Trust, culture, human stories | $5,000–$20,000+ |
| Screencast | A screen recording with voiceover | Tutorials and quick product walk-throughs | A few hundred dollars, or DIY |
Style definitions from TechSmith; price ranges are Vidico's market guide (Vidico), a studio's estimate rather than survey data. See published studio prices.
How long should an explainer video be?
For most products, 60 to 90 seconds. The data behind that:
- Wistia, 13 million+ videos: videos under a minute average 52% engagement (product videos 50%). Wistia recommends 1 to 5 minutes for explainers and demos, and notes most viewers drop off around the halfway point, so put the key message first (Wistia).
- Vidyard, 943,000+ business videos from 2024: about 65% of viewers finish videos under one minute, versus about 20% for videos over 20 minutes; engagement is highest in the first quarter of a video (Vidyard). Vidyard's own guidance is 60 to 90 seconds for an explainer (Vidyard).
- Launch videos specifically: the median among Product Hunt's daily top three in Sept–Oct 2026 was 78 seconds (our study of 150 launches).
Platform limits override everything: App Store previews must be 15 to 30 seconds (Apple), and Google Play autoplays only the first 30 seconds, muted (Google).
How many words should an explainer script be?
| Length | Words (at 130–160 wpm) |
|---|---|
| 30 seconds | 65–80 |
| 60 seconds | 130–160 |
| 90 seconds | 195–240 |
| 2 minutes | 260–320 |
Studios write to 125 to 160 words per minute: VideoScribe says 130 to 150 (VideoScribe), and Breadnbeyond writes 140 to 150 words for a 60-second video (Breadnbeyond). The one measured dataset we found, 862 online course videos, averaged 156 words per minute, and faster speakers held attention better (Guo et al., 2014). Leave room: visuals carry part of the message, and pauses help it land.
What structure works for an explainer video?
Most studios use a version of problem, agitate, solve (Copyblogger), extended with proof and a call to action. For 60 seconds:
- Hook (0–5 s)Open on the viewer's problem or the most striking moment, not your logo.
- Problem (5–15 s)Make the problem specific and familiar, in the viewer's words.
- Solution (15–25 s)Introduce the product as the answer, in one sentence.
- How it works (25–45 s)Show two or three moments of the product doing the job.
- Proof (45–52 s)A number, a customer, a result: one reason to believe.
- Call to action (52–60 s)Product name, URL and one thing to do next, held long enough to read.
Write in two columns, what is said and what is shown, so every line has a picture. Keep each on-screen line up for at least three seconds (TechSmith), and make it work with the sound off, because feeds autoplay muted.
Where should you use an explainer video?
- Homepage and product pages. Wistia reports a 24% play rate for homepage videos, higher than product, contact and thank-you pages (Wistia).
- Launches. Product Hunt, X and LinkedIn. See the Product Hunt launch guide.
- App stores. 15 to 30 second previews on the App Store; a YouTube link on Google Play.
- Sales and onboarding emails. Vidyard suggests 45 seconds or less for video in email (Vidyard).
How do you make an explainer video?
| Route | Cost | Time | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | Mostly $2,400–$5,000 per minute published; agencies $10,000+ | 3–8 weeks | Custom craft, several review rounds |
| Freelancer | Wide range; quotes vary 10x | 1–4 weeks | Quality depends on the person |
| DIY tools | Free to ~$50/month | Your time | Templates and screen recordings |
| nod | $49 per video | No shoot, no timeline to edit | Made for software products, from your product page |
Prices and timelines in detail: how much an explainer video costs and 12 explainer video companies compared.