A good script is the foundation of a good explainer video. Write it poorly and you’ll fail to get your message across. Over the years, we’ve worked with many different clients and produced countless animation videos. Some clients produce their own explainer video script, while others want us to produce one for them. When a client provides a script, we review and revise it to make sure the script holds all the key elements and ties back to the desired call-to-action. So, what are these key elements and how can you make sure your script hits the mark? Let’s have a closer look.
The problem - Show that you understand your audience’s pain points
We know you have an amazing product, service or tool and you can’t wait to tell viewers all about it, but let’s start by making a connection with your target audience first. It is important to show that you understand their pain points and problems.
We often notice clients immediately jumping into their offer. But, by doing so, they’re missing an opportunity to connect with their audience and to encourage viewers to continue watching.
A great way to truly connect, is to start with a set of triggering questions or statements. Questions like: “Are you frustrated with…?” or “Are you tired of…?” or statements like “As a … you know…can be tedious” show that you understand their struggles.
These questions or statements also engage your target audience emotionally. Not only are you highlighting the problem, you are also showing that you understand the negative emotions associated with the problem (stress, frustration, anger, sadness, boredom).
Now that we’ve highlighted the problem, let’s look into the next key element.
The Introduction - Introduce your company and your product or service
It’s time to introduce your company and to present your product or service as the solution to the problem you’ve presented earlier. Tell viewers in 1-2 sentences who you are and what you do. But here’s the trick: keep it simple.
In our order form, we ask clients to briefly introduce their company and the products and services they offer. Sometimes these introductions are very clear and we immediately have a good impression of the company, the target audience and the client’s products or services. But, we’ve also read numerous company descriptions that we only grasped after reading them a second time, a third time or after visiting the client’s website.
You want to keep this as simple as possible. A quick rule of thumb is that a 15 year old should be able to understand who you are and what you do. Yes, even if your video is targeted at CEOs and CFOs. They prefer the simple version too.
The benefits – List the benefits of your product or service
A quick recap: so far, you have triggered your target audience by showing you understand their problem and you’ve presented your company and products or services as the solution. The next key element is explaining how your product or service benefits them. Does your product help save time? Is it affordable? Does it have a high ROI?
Now’s the time to list these perks and elaborate on each benefit (if needed). In addition, tell your viewers about the benefits they will enjoy doing business with you. Do you have great customer service or a money back guarantee? Do you have awards to share or a fixed-price guarantee?
Tell your viewers all about why they should do business with you.
How it works – Explain in simple steps how it works
Including a “How it works” section is not mandatory, but it’s a great opportunity to show your target audience how your product, your service or your tool works. Ideally limit this to 3-5 steps and again: keep it simple! You don’t want to make it seem like a huge undertaking or a challenge.
Here’s an example of a bridge to jump into the “How it works” section:
“Our product can be used in 3 simple steps. Here’s how it works:
Step 1:….”
Give each step a name:
“Step 1: Download the app”.
Then write 1-2 sentences going into more detail:
“Visit the App store or Google play and download our app for free”.
Do this for all steps to produce a clear “How it works” section that your audience will love!
Call to action – Tell your audience what to do next
Although you might feel like it’s obvious what people should do after they’ve seen your explainer video, it’s important to actually tell viewers to “buy your product, download your app, visit your website or sign up to your program”. If you’re directing people to a specific page on your website, make sure to include a user-friendly and memorable link.
That’s it! All the elements you need to write a powerful explainer video script. Wondering what it looks like when these key elements are combined? We used the same strategy to produce our promo video. Check it out!
Let us help you win
Don’t have the time to write your own script? Let us produce your script for you. We offer high quality explainer videos and scripts that:
- Pique the interest of your audience
- Optimize content for your marketing campaign
- Sell your product, service, or idea to your audience
- Showcase your logo and brand personality
- Encourage viewers to take action
We will partner with you to create excellent explainer video scripts and videos. If you already have a story in mind and have prepared a draft, let us review it to be sure that it is optimized to get the most hits and visibility. Don’t miss the opportunity to revitalize your sales and marketing campaigns using our proven explainer video strategy.
We are ready to collaborate with you to make your explainer video take off. Contact us today to get started.
