Explainer Video
60–180 second video that teaches one concept. Common B2B asset.
- COINED
- 2000s
- TAXONOMY
- FORMATS
- RELATED
- 4
- TEMPLATES
- 0
The explainer video is a 60-to-180 second piece that teaches one concept. Software demos, B2B product launches, financial-services overviews. It exists because some ideas are easier to absorb as motion+voice than as a sales deck.
Structure is canonical: open with the problem (audience nods, recognizes the pain), introduce the product as the answer, show three specific value props, close with a CTA. Voiceover usually drives the spine; visuals can be animation, motion graphics, or screen-recording with picture-in-picture.
The best explainers feel inevitable - like they couldn't have been any shorter or any longer. The worst feel like a sales pitch in cartoon clothes. The difference is whether the visual track is actually showing the value or just decorating the script.
SaaS landing pages. B2B sales support. Product launches. Anywhere a complex idea needs a 90-second handshake.
Mass-market consumer advertising - explainers feel too earnest. Topics that don't have a clean three-act structure.
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