Explainer Videos By the Numbers

In a recent post, we gave you a quick explanation of what an explainer video is—a way to tell a story about your brand and make an emotional connection with your audience. It's important that you grasp the concept before you dive headlong into the explainer-video-making process, but understanding the larger goal doesn't necessarily help you figure out how to flesh out a finished product.

That's why we're going to devote a few lines of digital ink to understanding the measurements your explainer video should fit, giving you the concrete details you need to determine if your explainer video measures up. There's a bit of leeway with each of these metrics, of course, but the following should serve as a rough guideline for making an effective explainer video.

Length: 1-2 Minutes

We put this one at the top where the odds are good you'll actually read it. Attention spans are short these days, you see, so front loading the important stuff is often wise, and making sure you can demonstrate value quickly is essential in your explainer video.

Much shorter than a minute and you probably can't communicate much of value, much longer than two minutes and you start to lose their interest. Keeping it between the two is usually best.

Word Count: 250 or Less

Your voiceover, like your explainer video itself, needs to be trimmed to the absolute essentials. It needs to be engaging, emotionally triggering (in a good way), and communicate some quality information, then cut anything extra or risk overloading your audience.

To get information across at a pace that's both engaging and comfortable to listen to, a target of no more than 150 words per minute is ideal. You'll probably have a few pauses in your voiceover, too, so a two-minute video will have a script around 250 words long.

On-Screen Text: Use Sparingly

There's no hard-and-fast rule here, but in general less is more when it comes to on-screen text. It can totally be used to good effect, but it needs to enhance the non-text visuals and any voiceover you're using. Short phrases that drive home key points are great; attempts to summarize everything your audience is hearing….not so much.

Tech Specs: Aim for 1080p

Nothing says quality like quality—you don't want your explainer video to look like it was produced with sub-par equipment, and 1080p is the standard. Higher definition videos can be created, but most Internet connections and video-playing devices can't yet handle the amount of data and screen resolution of these higher-def videos, and they'll be downgraded to 1080p when viewed, anyway.

For now, sticking to 1080p should be fine, and of course make sure your audio is recorded without background noise, static, or other fuzziness.

Working with Professionals for Explainer Video Creation

You can make your explainer video efforts extra effective and super effective by letting a professional video service help you. From script to sales, the right video team can build an explainer video that not only hits all the right metrics, but that strikes the right chord with your audience. Contact us today to learn more!