The Anatomy of a Great Product Explainer Video

For businesses that create value through products, both SaaS and physical products, one of the most important aspects is conveying the value of the product to potential users/customers. There are many ways to do this. But, a product video remains the most effective way!

A survey of consumers has shown that over 73% of viewers prefer to learn about a product through a product video. 92% of marketers said that a product explainer video is an integral part of the marketing strategy.

88% of consumers have said that they were convinced to purchase a product/service after watching a product video!

These are big numbers! Clearly, a product video, or more specifically a product explainer video, holds a lot of power and influence over consumers. 

But, what makes a really good product explainer video that keeps the audiences engaged, and entertained and manages to convey the full potential of the product? That is exactly what we are about to explore. Read on!

The anatomy of an amazing product explainer video would constitute of the below pointers:

A tight and engaging script – What, why, how

The backbone of a great product video is its script. One popular tip is to make sure to include an element of intrigue in the first few sentences of the script by asking a question or including a statement that brings attention to the most important benefit of the product. Also, clearly define the what, why and how of the product in a structured manner to make the communication clear. It helps to also pick a story-line or an angle to the script that conveys the features of the product in an interesting way.

Visuals in line with brand design language

The visuals of the video including the colour theme, the layout, the elements in the video, etc are a big part of the communication. It instantly connects the viewers with the brand and the messaging. Animated visuals are a great way to stand out from run-off-the-mill content. If you want to go the live-action visuals route, you can tell more relatable, engaging stories. Either way, stunning, unique visuals are definitely part of great product videos.

Good actors/presenters/AI Avatars

As an extension to the previous point, great visuals need good presenters or AI Avatars to communicate the script to the audience. You can use ai video making tools to directly convert script to videos with live presenters and Steve to get an animated avatar to narrate your script in a high quality video.

Brand integration

Although the content and visuals of product videos from a brand change as per the offerings, standardized brand elements such as a great outro or a logo across all scenes can connect audiences with your product and bring in that valuable aspect of trust and authenticity to your content.

A striking title and thumbnail

Finally, once the video is created, the promotion plays an important role and this is where the product video title and the thumbnail come into the picture! A catchy title that highlights the content of the video and a thumbnail that engages with the viewers is also part of an awesome product video.

Have you noticed these aspects in your favorite product videos? You can create your own masterpiece product videos by going from scrip to video in minutes with Steve. Try it out now!

Guide to create an explainer video

Explainer videos are an excellent way to communicate your business’ product or service without the need for a lengthy text-based explanation. They’re usually between 60 to 90 seconds long, and you can use them to introduce your company, explain how your product works, or highlight some of its benefits.

This guide will discuss everything you need to know about creating an explainer video, including where to start and what things you should think about when making one.

The Different Types of Explainer Videos

Before you begin creating an explainer video, deciding what kind of video you want and need is important. There are different explainer videos of various lengths, styles, and production values.

Whiteboard Video

Whiteboard video uses a hand-drawn animation style to help viewers understand complex ideas. The concept is simple: a narrator explains the problem and then draws on the board to show how the product solves it. It is often used in tech or business niches, where they can help explain complex ideas in easy-to-digest ways.

Animated Video

This type of explainer video uses animation to tell a story. The characters and objects on the screen may be 2D or 3D, but they’re always moving and interacting with each other or with the audience in some way. The visuals make the viewer feel immersed in the product or service being promoted and create a more dynamic and engaging experience.

Live Action Video

A live-action video uses real people and footage to promote a product or service. It’s an incredible brand awareness tool, helping your audience connect with your business and understand what your product or service does in a quick and fun way.

The Benefits of Using Explainer Videos

Explainer videos are perfect for audiences who don’t have much knowledge about your product or service. They’re also short enough that they don’t lose your viewer’s attention span very easily – think about how many times you’ve watched an ad on TV that was 15 minutes long.

According to a 2021 report by Wyzowl, 94% of people have watched an

explainer video to learn more about a product or service. And 84% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.

In fact, they’re so effective that many companies have begun using them as part of their marketing strategy. And it makes sense since explainer videos are more engaging than traditional text-based content and can be shared easily on social media channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Tips and Tricks for Creating an Effective Explainer Video

Producing an explainer video can be daunting, even if you’re a seasoned marketer. There are many things to consider: the story, design, animation—the list goes on. But don’t worry! We’ve got tips and tricks on how to make an explainer video to help your business grow.

Scriptwriting

Before you start filming, make sure you have a solid script to plan for all the different scenes and visual elements you need to have in your video. This will also help you cut down on editing later.

A good script should include the following elements:

• Introduction: Tells viewers who you are and what your brand represents
• Problem: What’s wrong with an existing product or service? Why do people need your product?
• Solution: How does your product solve the problem? What makes it different from any other solution out there? How will it change lives?
• CTA (Call To Action): What do you want viewers to do after watching your video? What action do they need to take to start using your product or service?

Storyboarding

Once you’ve written your script, it’s time to storyboard it! This is the process where you draw out the scenes from your script one by one so that everyone involved in creating the video can understand what they’re supposed to do and when to do it. 

Steve.ai is a software that helps you create storyboards for your explainer videos, in fact it completely takes care of it. This automated tool makes it easy to go directly from script to first draft of video instead of storyboarding each scene. With Steve.ai, you can focus on the creative part of storyboarding at the script stage and not waste time on repetitive tasks like finding images or formatting text boxes.

Design and Animation Tips

• To make sure your explainer video is effective, you should use images that convey the message of your product clearly and are easy on the eyes. Additionally, use pleasing colors and text that’s readable from across a room (or even from across the street if you’re doing outdoor marketing).

• Consider whether you want your explainer video to be animated or not—animation can be fun but expensive if you don’t have the budget for it. If you go with animation (which is generally recommended), make sure it doesn’t distract from your message.

• Use a video editing tool like VEED or Adobe Express video editors to make sure your explainer video is as polished and professional-looking as possible.

• Ensure that your explainer video has clear calls-to-action (CTAs) throughout your video. This will encourage viewers to take the next step in your sales funnel and convert.

Sound and Voice-over Tips

• Get rid of background noise. If you’re using a microphone, make sure it doesn’t pick up any background sound that could distract from your voice-over.

• Don’t use too much music. Music can be great for setting the mood of your explainer video, but too much can distract from your message or even turn off your audience if they don’t like the song.

• Make sure you have enough time to record. It’s a good idea to practice reading aloud before you start recording so that you’re comfortable with how it sounds—and can be sure your pacing is right.

Choosing the Right Screen Recorder for Explainer Video

If you’re making an explainer video, chances are you want to include visuals that make your message easier to understand. You may also need to capture your computer screen for demonstration purposes. A screen recorder is a perfect tool for this.

When choosing a screen recorder for an explainer video, you should make sure to pick one with the following features:

• Easy-to-use interface: You don’t want to spend hours figuring out how to use your screen recorder. If it’s not intuitive, it will take away from your production time.

• Multiple formats and resolutions available: You want to be able to record in whatever format is needed for your platform and audience. This will help ensure that your video looks great on all devices and screen sizes.
• Capture an entire screen or just a specific window: If you’re recording yourself on a webcam and want to show what’s happening on your computer screen in real-time, selecting which window is being recorded can be useful.
• Export as MP4 or GIF format (if needed): Some platforms require specific file formats before accepting your videos. If you’re planning on uploading to multiple platforms (Facebook, YouTube, etc.), ensure that your software supports the file types required.
• Upload directly to a cloud-based storage platform (if needed): The best screen recorders for explainer videos will allow you to upload your videos on Dropbox or Google Drive. This allows you to easily share the video with others and view it on any device. You can also back up your videos to the cloud, so you don’t have to worry about losing them.

Compressing Your Explainer Video

When you compress a video, you’re making it smaller and faster to download, making it easier for your audience to watch without buffering or lagging. This is super important because you want people to watch your explainer videos in their entirety—and if they can’t do that because of slow-loading videos, they’ll leave and never come back.

The process is done using codecs, which are algorithms that encode and decode digital data. Compression algorithms are designed to remove redundancy in the source data without losing its content or meaning.

Use an excellent video compressor tool that doesn’t significantly reduce the quality of your video. This is especially important if you plan to upload your explainer videos to social media, email them around, or put them on YouTube or another site where viewers will have slow internet connections.

Conclusion

If you’ve read this far, you’re ready to start creating your explainer video. This video marketing strategy is an excellent way to engage potential customers. It can also help you reach new audiences, increase sales conversions, and improve brand awareness.

The good news is that plenty of tools can help you create an explainer video. You can record one on your computer if you have the right apps installed, or even just record it as you talk into the camera.

Once you’ve created your video, don’t forget to share it! The best place to do this is on various social media platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Remember, the more often people see your product or service in action, the more likely they are to buy it!

How to create animated explainer videos for SaaS product with AI

With more and more of our lives getting digitalized and evolving with tech, today, SaaS products are a big part of our everyday eco-sysytem. From grammar tools for professionals, task management tools for teams to just about anything that you want to do online, there is likely a SaaS product that either directly helps you do it or enables you to do it in some way. 

Although there are varied products in the SaaS category, one common factor remains that videos are one of the most effective ways to market them. This is particularly true for learning and explainer videos.

Stats say that over 85% of consumers want to see a video when they come to a landing page. 36% of the audience say that they want more explainer-style content to learn about various products including SaaS products.

So today, let us see how to create the perfect explainer video for SaaS products that works amazingly well for your audience in a matter of minutes with Steve! Only, it is not just any other regular stock footage video, we are talking about instantly engaging animated videos!

Let’s dive in:

Step 1

Login to Steve with your e-mail id. Select the animation tab on your dashboard and click on the Script to Animated Video button.

Step 2

You will come to the script page where you can either enter your own script or select from a pre-generated list of popular explainer script templates and tweak as per your product features.

We have entered a new script for this example.

You can now select the source for the visuals, add music and voiceover if required, and most importantly enter a keyword for the AI to understand the context of the video.

This completes the script and media section.

Click Next and choose a template for the video.

Step 3

On your workspace, you can now see that your animated explainer video is ready!

Review the scenes and make any edits as needed.

You can swap characters, expressions or actions. 

And, you can also add or delete scenes, edit the text layout on the scene, increase/decrease scene length and much more on the edit options that are provided.

Step 4

Preview the final video, hit Publish and your video is ready!

Download the video in various qualities of exports and share it on your preferred channels!

That was 4 simple steps to create an amazing animated explainer video. It is no wonder that Steve is not just a tool but is called an AI video making assistant for you.

Try it out and let us know how it has helped you elevate the video strategy for your SaaS product.

5 reasons to create animated explainer videos with AI

Videos are among the most engaging, most seamless pieces of communication today in the digital world. Stats such as the Cisco reports that said 82% of internet usage in 2022 came from videos have shown that the video ecosystem is growing by leaps and bounds and is only going to get bigger.

As videos become ubiquitous, what does it mean for brands? How can brand communicators leverage the versatile tool that video is? Well, the answer lies in picking the best format of video that works for your business and the best channel that will take it to your audience.

In the list of some of the best video formats that work for brand communication, right on the top is the explainer video format. What is an explainer video? A video that demonstrates the workings, the process or the usefulness of your product or service can be called an explainer video.

This ticks really important boxes such as creating customer awareness, communicating product value, increasing user adaptability to product/service through demonstration, and so much more. From people who are exploring new products to people who are looking to learn about a specific topic, there is a huge audience for learning videos and explainer videos cater to this large audience while widening your potential user base. 

Once you have the channels to reach the audience, it is time to think of making your content as unique as possible to retain their attention and convey what you want to say. And, this is where animated content saves the day and how! 

But wait, how does one create animated videos without spending a bomb on specialist video creators? Well, making video creation, even the animated video content, almost as accessible as watching a video is ……AI!

Bringing all of these amazing elements together, let us now take a brief look at the advantages of creating an animated explainer video for your brand using AI. 

User education made easy

User education is a major part of almost every go-to-market strategy. Explainer videos are great tools for this. Using animated content in explainer videos further enhances the quality of user experience, making the content immersive and engaging.

The No-Shoot advantage

With animated videos, one of the biggest advantages is that the whole process of shooting for content can be done away with. Further, the animated visuals offer more scope to showcase varied visuals that wouldn’t be possible with live-action content.

Bring entertainment and education together

Animated videos are perfect to mix entertainment and education for the audience to lap up. By enabling video creators to be more creative and experiment with more characters, these videos can truly become assets to your brand communications.

AI assistant gets the work done in minutes!

Now, to the question of how we make animated videos without breaking the bank and spending weeks – Enter Steve! The AI tool creates animated content in minutes that is a breeze to customize in one click. Get that video making AI assistant to create animated content consistently.

Automate video production 

Extending from the previous point, your video making AI assistant could automate the entire production process by converting script to animated video in minutes, complete with music/voice-overs and render the visuals for you to download in one click.

So, login to Steve and start creating animated explainer videos for your brand now and elevate your content strategy right away!