8 Effective Tips for Writing a Killer Explainer Video Script [Free Templates + Video Examples]

Writing an explainer video script can be a daunting task and can cost you a few hundred to thousand bucks if you decide to hire a professional scriptwriter…But what happens if you are just starting out with little money to spend on explainer video scriptwriters?

In this article, you will learn

• how to write effective explainer video scripts that convert,
• how to double your profit and beat your competitors using our explainer video script templates,
• see unique explainer video script examples from top companies, and
• how to avoid costly mistakes using our helpful guides or tips for explainer video script.

With an increasing demand in the use of videos, video marketing has proven to be one of the most effective marketing strategies used by most companies today.

Since videos are more engaging and effective than texts, more companies are investing tens of thousands to craft a unique explainer video for their business.

An explainer video, by the way, is a great way to explain your idea, product, or service to your audience in an easy and concise way.

But before you start your journey to making the perfect explainer video for your business, you need to have an effective explainer video script.

Having an effective explainer video script is very important.

It doesn’t matter if you spend over $10,000 creating an explainer video for your product; if you don’t have a good script, the chances that your video will outperform the competition will be very slim.

What is an explainer video script?

An explainer video script is a piece of content that drives the visual and audio components of an explainer video.

It is basically the foundation, backbone, or the blueprint that the animator uses to craft an explainer video.  

How to write explainer video script using our explainer video script templates

There are several approaches used by different video agencies in creating their script.

However, the two common templates used by Ideaexplainers and some other video agencies today are the
1. The problem to Call-To-Action template, and
2. The new product template.

1. The problem to Call-To-Action template.

This is the most commonly used explainer video script template and it’s made up of 4 different parts.

The first part is the “problem“, the second part is the “product introduction or solution“, the third part is “how it works or the features“, the fourth part is the “benefits” and the final part is the “call-to-action“.

This is how it works,

• you start by addressing a problem troubling your potential clients,
• then you move onto introducing your product or service as the solution to their problem,
• next, you show them how your product works and its features,
• then its benefits and
• finally, you call them to action or tell them the next action to take.

The best way to implement this template in your explainer video script is by answering these four important questions

A. WHAT is the problem affecting your target audience? PROBLEM
B. WHO are you? SOLUTION (or product introduction)
C. HOW can your product/service solve your audience problem? FEATURES
D. WHY is your product better than the existing ones? BENEFITS

A. The problem:

The “problem” part answers the question “what“, and it should take up the first 15 to 20 seconds of the total video length.

When writing a script, this is the very first question that should come to mind.

“What” is the problem my target audience is facing?

This is the problem that your “product” or “service” solves. If you take the problems and connect it to your viewers’ life, they will feel it in their life, which will then make them have a need for a resolution.

In other words, the reason why you should begin with the “problem” is that it gives the target audience the feeling that you understand their troubles.

Showing that you understand their problems will greatly increase their engagement, which will make them want to watch your video until the end.

For example, let’s see the problem part of Ahref’s script below.

“Here’s the problem.
You invested tons of time and money to create a great website, so you could get new customers online. But, nobody is coming to it, because they can’t find you on search engines.
Instead, they’re finding all your competitors.
There they are, ranking at the top of the search results getting all the customers you’re trying to attract. Meanwhile, the beautiful website that you’ve built, is getting no traffic, leads, or sales

How are you ever going to outrank your competitors?”

You can see from the above example that the problem of the target audience is clearly stated.

So anybody having difficulties with ranking a website on the search engine can easily relate to these problems and would like to watch the video all the way through for the possible solution.

B. Product Introduction/Solution

The “product introduction” or “solution” addresses the question “who“.

Here, the solution is you. This is where you, your product or service comes in.

This is where you introduce your product’s name, its tagline, and let your target audience know who you truly are.

At this part of the script, your audience is really curious to know what you are offering them and for this reason, you should expect a higher level of engagement here.

The solution or product introduction should be about one or two lines. Here, you don’t want to go into many details here so as not to bore your audience.

For example, still on the Ahref’s script (the solution part),

 Easy! You use Ahrefs; the platform that shows you exactly why your competitors are ranking so high and what you need to do to outrank them.

C. How it works:

This part of the script addresses the question “How“.

Here you have between 30 to 50 words to explain how your product or service can solve the problems of your target audience or customers.

You should briefly list all the features of your product (or service) and why you are different from your competitors.

Here’s an example of Ahref’s “How it works/Features” section of the script

• Ahrefs will show you all the keywords that are bringing traffic to your competitors,
• every website linking to your competitors and boosting their positions in search,
• every SEO mistake you’re making on your own website and how to fix them,
• automatic reports that track your website’s new backlinks and ranking improvements.

D. Benefit:

Here, you will answer the question “WHY“.

Since your audience already know who you are and that your product is capable of solving their problem, it’s time to tell them why your product/service is different from other similar ones in the market.

It is necessary to list all the benefits that set your product apart from other similar products in the market.

However, before you start writing, ensure you make all the necessary research about your competitors and don’t sound too salesy in your script.

Here’s an example of Ahref’s “benefits” part of the script.

• Ahrefs takes the guesswork out of SEO.
• You will learn what exactly you need to do to outrank your competitors.
• Over six hundred thousand users all over the world have used Ahrefs to rank higher in search engines.

At times, you may find it difficult to distinguish between the “features (how)” and the “benefits (why)” of your product/service when writing your script. Please, you shouldn’t worry too much about that, sometimes both the features and the benefits can be used interchangeably.

Call To Action:

The Call-to-action is the final part of your script. In fact, the main aim of creating an explainer video is to have your target audience carry out the action you specified in your “CTA“.
All the rest of the video is simply there to support the “call to action”.

The CTA is the action you want your target audience to take after watching your explainer video.

Call-to-action should have a clear instruction, like

• Visit our website to learn more
• Call us on 000-0000-0000
• Visit our office at …
• Try our app for free
• Visit our website at Xyz dot dah-dah-dah 
• Share this video with your friends
• Click the link below to subscribe and so on.

When done right, the intent of the explainer video will be achieved.

Important: Your call to action should be clear and straight to the point. You should never use more than one call to action in one video. If you must use many CTA, please create separate videos for them.

If you don’t know what CTA to add, I will suggest you add your contact details. May be your phone number or office address.

And if you are still confused about what CTA or contact information to put at the end of your animated explainer video, kindly check the explainer video script examples below.

Here’s is an example of a CTA from Ahref’s script

Start your free 14 days trial and improve your SEO game.

Now that you’ve seen the “problem to CTA” template, let’s have a look at the complete Ahref’s script and their explainer video.

Ahref’s Script

Here’s the problem.
You invested tons of time and money to create a great website, so you could get new customers online. But, nobody’s coming to it, because they can’t find you on search engines. Instead, they’re finding all your competitors. There they are, ranking at the top of the search results getting all the customers you’re trying to attract. Meanwhile, the beautiful website that you’ve built, is getting no traffic, leads, or sales.

How are you ever going to outrank your competitors?

Easy! You use Ahrefs; the platform that shows you exactly why your competitors are ranking so high and what you need to do to outrank them.

Ahrefs will show you all the keywords that are bringing traffic to your competitors, every website linking to your competitors and boosting their positions in search, every SEO mistake you’re making on your own website and how to fix them, automatic reports that track your website’s new backlinks and ranking improvements.

Ahrefs takes the guesswork out of SEO. You will learn what exactly you need to do to outrank your competitors.

Over six hundred thousand users all over the world have used Ahrefs to rank higher in search engines.

Start your free 14 days trial and improve your SEO game.

To see more script examples, please use the table of content for quick access to the “Explainer video script examples” section.

2. The New Product Template:

This explainer video script template is perfect for a new product launch, Indiegogo or Kickstarter campaign, for introducing new features and upgrades in a product.

Unlike the former explainer video script template, here, you start by introducing the new product to your target audience followed by its features, then its benefits, and in some cases a call-to-action (although not compulsory).

For example; let’s have a look at the unique explainer video script of the Oculus quest.

Oculus Quest is an all-in-one VR system. It’s just you and your hands—completely free and immersed.

With six degrees of freedom, state-of-the-art optics, and built-in audio, you can forget about wires, PCs, and phones. Oculus Quest is ready to play when you are.

The headset relies on four ultra-wide-angle sensors to map your environment as you navigate through it. And with Oculus Insight tracking, every move you make in the real world translates right into the game you’re playing. Combine that with Oculus Touch controllers, and the game is at your fingertips.

So when you grab, swing, or cast a spell, you’ll feel the power of every gesture.

The next level of VR gaming is finally here.

Introducing Oculus quest!

10 awesome Explainer video script examples from top companies

Below are some explainer video script examples from the top companies. Kindly check them out, study the type of template they use, observe how they introduce their problems, solutions, features, benefits, and call-to-action.

1. Amazon go explainer video script example

Four years ago we started to wonder, what would shopping look like if you could walk into a store, grab what you want, and just go!

What if we could weave the most advanced machine learning, computer vision, and AI into the very fabric of a store, so you never have to wait in line?

No lines! No checkouts! No registers!

Welcome to Amazon Go.

Use the Amazon Go app to enter, then put away your phone and start shopping. It’s really that simple.

Take whatever you like. Anything you pick-up is automatically added to your virtual cart.

If you change your mind about that cupcake, just put it back. Our technology will update your virtual cart automatically.

So, how does it work?

We used computer vision, deep learning algorithms, and sensor fusion much like you’d find in self-driving cars. We call it “Just Walk Out Technology”.

Once you’ve got everything you want, you can just go.

When you leave, our “Just Walk Out Technology” adds up your virtual cart and charges your Amazon account. Your receipt is sent straight to the app and you can keep going.

Amazon Go!

No lines. No checkout. No, seriously.

2. Findya explainer video script example

Losing your child is every parent’s nightmare.
Not knowing where your furry friends are, is a point of worry too.
In a world full of GPS trackers, there must be a solution so you never have to worry again.

It’s called Find Ya.

Find Ya is the world’s smallest all-encompassing system to monitor the environment of your loved ones. It allows you to locate your children, pets, the elderly, those with special needs, and runners or hikers through our mobile app.

Simply fasten Find Ya to a shoe, bracelet, hair bow, pacifier clip, or pet collar. Find Ya tracks location in real-time with no distance limits and allows you to set up a care team, schedules, mobile perimeters, and safe zones.

Our GPS tracker is completely different than others on the market. Unlike other trackers, location is not the only thing Find Ya monitors.

Want to make sure your child is not in an area near a registered sex offender? Worried about a child falling into water? Being left in a hot car? Riding in a car that’s going way too fast? Find Ya has you covered.

Our tracker is both discreet and fun! Rather than looking like a tracking device, Find Ya is designed to have interchangeable charms. Change the charms to different characters with each holiday or a favorite color.

If you’re lost we’ll Find Ya:)

Visit our website for more info today!

3. Tripcase explainer video script example

I love to travel.
What I don’t love, is travelling, reservations, confirmations, cancellations… but, I found a way to bring some order to traveling.
One simple thing that can organize my whole trip so I can just enjoy the ride…

It’s called Tripcase and it puts all my travel details in one place; flights, cars, hotels, events, meetings… whatever I’ve got going on.

Here’s how it works, I book a flight and fill the confirmation email to Tripcase and bingle-bangle it’s all there.
You can do this with restaurants, hotels, even stuff that doesn’t have a confirmation email. I just type it in and it becomes another stop on my trip. Or if I’m working with my travel agent my itinerary just shows up automatically, then I can share it with whoever wants it, I can save stuff I want to remember later, I can even get a ride without leaving the app.

But what if my plans change without me even knowing? Not a problem! Tripcase is powered by Sabre, one of the biggest travel technology companies in the world. Which means it’s connected to all the latest info, so I always know what’s up.

Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t love traveling but with Tripcase, I’m really good at it.

4. Market Magnet explainer video script example

Are you a private seller looking to market your home more effectively and stand out among the sea of sellers? 

Well, look no further “Market magnet” has got you covered.

We are a real estate minded marketing company, providing private sale vendors the opportunity to increase their reach by using digital marketing across Facebook and Instagram to help sell their homes.

We create your home’s very own unique website and direct interested buyers there from your professional Facebook and Instagram adverts.

In addition to utilizing the power of social media, we also incorporate other primary property search sites such as “Trade Me” New Zealand’s number one home listing platform.

Encompassing the whole marketplace of buyers means more exposure for your home while you save tons of money as compared with the cost of paying large sales commissions on your hard-earned money.

Interested in learning more about how we can help you market your home in the 21st century, it’s as easy as clicking the link below to book a free marketing consultancy call with a member of our team.

We’re confident you’ll find a marketing package that fits your needs and budget.

Market magnet! bringing the market to you.

https://vimeo.com/278237042

5. Paypal explainer video script example

Welcome to PayPal, the faster, simpler more secure way to shop online and on mobile.
Signing up is easy and it’s free.

Step 1: Sign up at PayPal.com with your email address and create a password.

Step 2: Add your debit card or credit card or both. We will securely store your details, ready for when you shop across the globe.

You don’t need a balance in your PayPal account as we will automatically deduct any payments from your chosen funding source.

Step 3: The fun part! The shopping… oh yeah!
Just look for the PayPal button at checkout on millions of websites and apps worldwide.
It’s that easy!
Whether you’re on your computer, tablet, or mobile phone, PayPal lets you pay in just a few clicks.

When paying with PayPal, you don’t share your financial details with the seller or spend time filling out forms and delivery details every time you shop.

All you need is your email address and password.

And with PayPal buyer protection, if your eligible purchase doesn’t arrive or matches description, then we’ll reimburse you for the full amount.

PayPal makes shopping faster, simpler, and more secure wherever you are!

Sign up for a free account today!

6. CrowdStudio explainer video script example

Just started a business?
Want to rebrand your existing one?
Or has a great tee or poster idea?
Then this is where you probably are. In need of a cool or classy design.

Now you either have to go to a design agency, or hire freelancers.
Freelancers may charge less but can be unprofessional, giving you too few options to choose from, if any of them were even good.
Agencies may give you better designs, but will sooner have you clearing out your bank account. 

So what do you do?

Log onto crowdstudio.in

CrowdStudio is a community of hand-picked professional designers that allows you to get the designs you love for less or your money back in 3 simple steps.

Step 1: You launch a contest on Crowdstudio by stating your requirements and selecting your price. Professional designers study your needs and start sending you their design proposals, all within a few hours. 

Step 2:  You can rate and comment on all the designs you have received, even directly request revisions for individual designs.

Step 3: Within 5 days, you can select the design you like best from all the options. This becomes your contest winner and the only design you pay for. If need be, you can request minor tweaks in the design, you’ll then be provided with international standard files of the winning design whose copyright is solely yours.

Only once you’ve received the final files, is the payment processed and the winning designer paid.

So, whether it’s a logo, poster, t-shirt, or any other design requirement, with CrowdStudio getting the design you love for less is affordable, easy, And risk-free.

7. Grade us explainer video script example

What customers say about your business online is powerful!
Reviews give your business credibility and help new customers find you online.
It’s no wonder 92% of consumers trust word of mouth recommendations more than any other form of advertising, making customer reviews the single most effective piece of marketing you can offer your clients, period!

Harness that power with Grade Us! The most complete solution for review management and local search marketing.

Grade Us provides an easy and unobtrusive way to ask and remind customers to review your or your clients business on the sites that matter most to you.

Now you can amplify the voice of happy customers, reach unhappy customers to improve their brand experience.
Monitor your reviews, reply to your customers, and share your great reviews on your website and social channels.
Discover the number one review management and marketing platform for marketers, digital agencies, and SEO specialists.

Grade Us… Simple, Customizable, and White-label friendly for all your agency needs.

Start your free trial today!

8. Poo-Pourri explainer video script example

You would not believe the mother load that I’ve just dropped. And that’s how I like to keep it—leaving not a trace that I was ever here, let alone that I just birthed a creamy behemoth from my cavernous bowels.

Nothing is worse than stinking up the shared toilet at work. Or the toilet at a party. Or your lover’s apartment. Of course, flushing removes the graphic evidence. Maybe two or three flushes, if your skid marks are as tenacious as mine.
But what can be done of that subtle scent of a 300-cow dairy farm? Aerosol air fresheners aren’t the most effective option, or the healthiest… trying to mask the stench, giving you a nice blend of chem-lab carnations with just a touch of feces?
So, how do you make the world believe your poop doesn’t stink, or in fact, that you never poop at all?

Poo-Pourri!

Poo-Pourri is the before-you-go toilet spray that is proven to trap those embarrassing odors at the source… and save your relationships.

Simply spray Poo-Pourri in the bowl to create a film on the water surface that actually traps the odors in the porcelain prison. And when your little ass-tronauts splashdown and make contact with the film, they release Poo-Pourri’s pleasant aromas so all those around you can smell as a refreshing bouquet of essential oils.

Yes it is a real product. And yes it really works.

We’ve sold over 4 million bottles. On Amazon alone, there are over 1000 reviews rating it 4.8 of 5 stars. That’s a better Amazon rating than the iPhone 5.

If it doesn’t completely stop your stench from spreading, send it back for a full refund, our unconditional stink-free guarantee.

If your poop stinks, click here to get your Poo-Pourri today at Poopourri.com.

So whether you need to pinch a loaf at work… Cut a rope at a party… Or lay a brick at your boyfriend’s, your days of embarrassing smells are over.

Poo-Pourri! Our business is to make it smell like your business never even happened.

9. Cunnigham marketing explainer video script example

In today’s world, digital marketing has become a necessity for any business looking to maintain or grow their position in the market.
The problem is, you don’t have the time, expertise, or staff to handle this critical task within your organization.
You need experts who can help you generate new leads and realize your growth potential.

And that’s where Cunningham Marketing Group comes in!

Because they’re digital marketing experts, they can help you identify opportunities that can expand your business’s market share.
Through gathering the right data and developing a data-driven strategy that aligns with your goals, CMG will ensure that your best foot is always forward in the digital space you can thrive in.
After execution, they then analyze the performance of your campaign and help you invest in improvements when necessary.
So stop struggling to figure out digital marketing on your own!

Contact Cunningham Marketing Group today for your preliminary consultation!

10. Headspace explainer video script example

Meditation has been shown to reduce stress, to improve focus, and create the right conditions for healthy restful sleep.

Headspace is a guided meditation, for everybody, no matter who you are or what you do.

Whether you’re just starting meditating, or whether you’ve been doing it for years, we can help you to train your mind for a healthier happier life.
To get started, visit “headspace.com” or download our app.

Once you’re all signed up, choose the topic you’d like to focus on, let’s say, sleep… or maybe self-esteem. And we’ll suggest the right exercises for you to try.

If you enjoy them and want to learn more, then it’s time to subscribe! When you do, you’ll get access to hundreds of guided meditations from the headspace library.

There are bite-sized many meditations for when you show on time. Exercises to have mindfulness through everyday tasks, like moving or running and packs to help you with everything, from relationships to sport or even sleep, with dozens of packs to choose from.

Headspace is your personal meditation guide to just about everything

8 Effective Tips for explainer video scripts (guides to writing explainer video script)

As explained earlier, the explainer video script is the backbone of any explainer video. The success or failure of any video is 80% dependent on the explainer video script.

I have listed at the beginning of this article the two different templates that will guide you when writing an explainer video script, however, before you embark on crafting the perfect script for your video, please pay close attention to the following tips and have them at the back of your mind whenever you’re writing your scripts.

To Write A Perfect Explainer Video Script, Follow These Simple But Effective Tips;

1. Choose your video template wisely:

You do not want your story to be all over the place without direction. Create a mental picture of the storyline from the “once upon a time” part to the “they lived happily ever after” part before writing the script.

In other words, connect the dots in the story before you start writing. This can be done by selecting the right template for your script.

Pinpoint the relevant content in the story and discard the fluffs.

This will make your explainer video short and straight to the point thereby saving your audience’s valuable time.

2. Focus on your target audience:

A good rule of thumb when writing content, whether it’s a blog post, script, and others is to always focus on your target audience.

You shouldn’t sound selfish or salesy in your script. It shouldn’t just be about you, or your product. Your script should focus more on how you can help your audience get rid of their problems.

So, ensure you reduce the use of certain words like “we“, “our company“, “my product“, and focus more on using “you” and “your” to address your audience. The point here is to select your words carefully because if your video focuses entirely on your product (or service) and ignore your target audience’s problems, you may lose a greater percentage of potential customers.

3. Understand your audience and write to them:

This is extremely important and should be the very first thing you need to do before writing your explainer video script. Your audience wants to listen to what they are familiar with. So use words they understand.

They want you to talk to them directly. This is empathic writing. It drives more engagement and like a magnet, every message in the script sticks.

Not doing a proper background check or understanding who your target audience is can ruin all your video marketing effort.

So before you start writing, you want to know who your target audience is…

• Are they male, or female?
• What is their demographic or ethnicity?
• What is their age group?
• What’s the problem they are dealing with now?
• What product/service have they used in the past?

So you need to know all this information and other relevant data before you start writing your script.

Knowing your audience well will help you write a targeted and relevant script for them, this will make them watch your video all the way through and when this happens, a large number of them are more likely to convert into your buying customers.

Here is a quick example, if you are targeting an audience that isn’t tech-savvy, you can start your script with a question like “Are you having trouble operating your device?” This line of question will send a quick and clear message to your audience that you understand their problem.

4. Don’t bore them with too many details:

If you really want to create a video that will engage and appeal to your audience, then you should keep them focused.

Your video should not be a place to give full details about your product or service. It should not have tons and tons of technical details.

Having too much technical data or specifications can easily bore your viewers. So avoid them.

5. Tap into your audience’s emotion:

Your greatest asset as a scriptwriter is understanding how to trigger the emotions of your readers using words.

You have to understand that most of the time, human emotions are what drive people to make a purchase.

The same rule applies when writing for your explainer video. The best form of emotion that triggers your audience is laughter.

Every human enjoys good jokes. Use language, tone, anecdotes, figures, statistics, or any other storytelling tool to communicate these emotions.

It is important to use emotions appropriate for the subject.

Understanding the kind of joke your audience can relate with is a bonus point in creating a killer explainer video script.

6. Keep it short:

You don’t want your audience to be bored listening to your explainer video. Save their time and keep it simple.

Unless you are creating an educational series or a training video for your audience, your video length should not exceed 90 seconds. This is because short explainer videos perform better than longer ones.

If you are writing your explainer video script, take note of the word count. You can use the table below as a guide.

Note: This table is valid if the voice-over artist maintains a normal pace during recording. However, the length of the video can change depending on how fast or slow the voice artist reads the script.

S/N	TIME (LENGTH)	WORD COUNT
1	30 Seconds	75 Words
2	45 Seconds	113 Words
3	60 Seconds	150 Words
4	90 Seconds	225 Words
5	120 Seconds	300 Words

7. Revise your script:

Revise your script properly before creating your video. Easy way to do this is to ask a friend or a co-worker to listen to you as you read for them.

They will give you feedback and this will enable you to understand what they feel about your script. Be objective and make necessary adjustments.

8. Call-to-action:

Just as a reminder; You want to make sure your call to action is clear to your audience. And please DO NOT USE several call-to-actions in one video. Doing that will only make your audience confuse and it will ruin all your effort.

If you must use different CTA, create different videos, or use the same video with different call-to-action.

In Summary,

Here are some key takeaways that you need to keep in mind when writing explainer video script;

Choose the right explainer video script template for your product or service.

Know your “What (audience’s problem)”, “Who (solution)”, “How (features)”, and “Why (benefits)” before writing the script.

Always bear in mind that videos that are brief perform the best. So, keep your explainer video script short and to the point.

Always use a clear call-to-action and don’t use multiple CTAs.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, a well-written script has an 80% chance of ensuring the success of your explainer video more than the visual.

Take your time to write that awesome explainer video script for your business. An effective video script will guarantee the best results for your video marketing campaign.

If you need help writing an explainer video script, kindly leave a message in the comment section or get in touch with us.