Companies still need explainer videos. The way in which companies make explainers may have changed (with the rise of AI and other technologies), but as long as companies have a product or service to sell, they need a way to showcase it to the world. And an explainer is still a great way to do that.
These days you can more or less generate an explainer with AI or pay someone a few hundred dollars (or less) on Upwork or Fiverr to animate one. All good…until it isn’t. You only have one chance to make a good first impression and explainers is all about first impressions.
So unless you’re mac-and-cheese bootstrapping, then it makes sense to invest in a proper explainer video.
But what does that mean? A proper explainer video?
To explain an explainer, we need to go back a couple thousand years and develop a thorough understanding of Aristotle’s Poetics.
Okay, actually, we don’t. It’s much easier than that.
I’ll sum it up here: a proper explainer video tells a dramatic story.
Why? Because to be impactful, your explainer needs to be entertaining and memorable.
An explainer video has a beginning, middle and end.
Just like any good work of fiction (or creative nonfiction), an explainer video will have a beginning, middle and end. Even if it’s only 60-90 seconds long, a good explainer video will give us enough exposition, plot development and a conclusion for the audience to feel satisfied…and if it’s really good, even a little bit of catharsis perhaps.
An explainer video will have a dramatic arc.
Adding to the above, the explainer will establish a status quo, introduce us to a conflict, have a rising action, a climax and a resolution. We’ve seen explainers introduce us to a problem at the beginning and all the pains and complexities that come with it. We are then introduced to the life-changing product or service to save the day.
Here’s an example of an explainer with a clear dramatic arc.
An explainer will have character development.
Stories are impactful when they have characters we can relate to. Whether it’s animated or live action, an explainer will introduce a character or characters that appeal to the brand’s audience. A very good example is the VP of Sales in our Gong explainer. He basically represents the majority of Gong’s client base.
Another good example is SecurityPal’s explainer. The characters here are the security experts who face the same problems that their audience experiences on a daily basis. On top of that, they appeal to the client demographics, hence the sci-fi/fantasy angle.
Sometimes the character is the brand itself. Whatever it may be, your explainer will have that strong character that audience can relate with.
In this sense, an explainer video is more like an explainer movie or drama. It needs to entertain and connect with your audiences. All of the above makes sure that your explainer is both entertaining and memorable like a good movie. And to add one final thing, it won’t hurt for your explainer movie to have movie-like quality.
Picturelab can provide that high-level production value and the creative development at a budget that works for you.