An explainer video helps a newcomer understand a product, service, process, or idea. The script covers more than narration. It connects the spoken words to the visuals, supports important claims with evidence, includes accessibility requirements, and tells the viewer what to do next.
A strong script focuses on one specific audience and one useful outcome. Before animation, filming, or editing begins, decide what the viewer needs to understand, how the visuals will show it, and how long the explanation should take. The finished video should sound clear, look easy to follow, and be practical to produce.
Start With the Viewer’s Problem
Write a short planning statement before drafting dialogue:
After watching this video, [specific viewer] should understand that [product, idea, or process] helps them [specific outcome], and should be ready to [one next action].
For example:
After watching this video, independent retailers should understand that the inventory tool reduces manual stock checks by syncing sales and warehouse data, and should be ready to start a free trial.
This statement gives the script a clear audience, purpose, and call to action. A call to action, or CTA, tells the viewer what to do next, such as booking a demo, starting a trial, or using a feature.
Also decide where viewers will see the video. A homepage visitor, a customer watching an onboarding video, and a person scrolling through social media bring different levels of attention and knowledge. Bellevue College’s scriptwriting guidance recommends defining the audience, purpose, length, and essential information before writing.
Choose a Realistic Length
Use word count to plan the production. A natural voiceover pace is about 140 to 160 spoken words per minute. Pauses, technical terms, screen demonstrations, and time to read on-screen text can make the video longer. These ranges are a useful starting point for a first draft:
| Runtime | Approximate word count at 140 to 150 words per minute |
|---|---|
| 30 seconds | 70 to 75 words |
| 60 seconds | 140 to 150 words |
| 90 seconds | 210 to 225 words |
| 2 minutes | 280 to 300 words |
The right length depends on what the viewer wants to do and how complex the subject is. A short video suits a narrow product introduction. A detailed demonstration needs more time. Research on online course videos found stronger engagement with shorter videos, while Wistia’s business-video benchmarks show that instructional videos can hold attention across a longer three-to-five-minute range. These findings measure different audiences and outcomes, so they do not show that one length works for every video.
Read the finished script aloud with a timer. Cut repetition before asking a narrator to speak faster.
Use Six Clear Story Beats
Use these six beats to help the viewer follow the explanation:
- Hook: Open with a recognizable problem, question, or desired result.
- Problem: Show what makes the current situation difficult or costly.
- Solution: State what the product, service, or idea does.
- How it works: Explain the two or three steps that make the solution believable.
- Proof: Add one relevant fact, demonstration, customer result, or other supportable reason to believe the claim.
- CTA: Tell the viewer exactly what to do next.
An explainer might open by showing why the subject matters, spend the middle explaining the solution, and end with proof and the CTA. Use these divisions to plan the script. A product demo may show the interface earlier, while an instructional video may spend more time explaining the process.
Avoid opening with company history unless the history directly answers the viewer’s question. Start with the situation the viewer recognizes, then introduce the offering as the response.
Write for the Ear and Plan for the Eye
Write voiceover that sounds natural when spoken: use familiar words, keep sentences short, and give each sentence one main idea. Explain each acronym the first time it appears, and describe what each feature helps the viewer do:
The platform matches transactions automatically, so your finance team spends less time reconciling payments by hand.
That sentence gives the viewer a consequence instead of repeating a product description.
Draft the narration and visuals in the same table:
| Time | Voiceover | Visual action | On-screen text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00 to 0:07 | “Manual stock checks take time and still miss changes.” | A retailer switches between sales and inventory screens. | Manual stock checks |
| 0:07 to 0:15 | “The inventory tool syncs both sources automatically.” | The two records update in one dashboard. | Inventory updates automatically |
Use the voiceover to explain what the image cannot show clearly. Use the visual to show movement, relationships, interface behavior, or a before-and-after state. University of North Texas guidance recommends a separate visual column, while UC Agriculture and Natural Resources describes a storyboard as a shot-by-shot plan that identifies production needs before filming or editing.
Build Accessibility Into the Draft
Plan accessibility as you write. Captions show synchronized text for speech and meaningful non-speech audio, such as speaker identification or relevant sound effects. W3C guidance identifies captions as a Level A requirement for prerecorded video with necessary audio under WCAG. Automatically generated captions require human review because errors can change meaning.
Include important visual information in the narration or set aside time for audio description. Audio description explains visual information for people who cannot see it. W3C calls narration that carries this information in the main soundtrack integrated description.
Write:
Select Create report, the large green button in the left panel.
This gives the viewer the button’s label and purpose. A direction such as “click the green button” depends only on color and location. W3C’s audio and video guidance recommends conveying meaning directly rather than relying on sensory details alone.
Check Claims Before Production
Attach evidence to every objective marketing claim before recording begins. This includes percentages, customer results, rankings, performance claims, certifications, and comparisons.
A simple proof record can list the claim, evidence source, date, owner, and qualification. For example, a time-saving result should say whether it comes from a customer study, which customers took part, and whether the result applies broadly or only under specific conditions.
For U.S. advertising, the Federal Trade Commission’s substantiation policy says advertisers should have a reasonable basis for objective claims before distributing them. Requirements vary by jurisdiction and claim type. Schedule legal or compliance review when the video includes regulated or high-risk claims.
Review the Script Before Storyboarding
Start by reading the script aloud. Record a rough voiceover, then check its timing against the planned visuals. Confirm that:
- the opening identifies a viewer problem or desired result;
- each feature connects to a concrete outcome;
- the visuals add information;
- important visual facts appear in narration or planned description;
- captions and on-screen text have enough time;
- every factual claim has evidence and appropriate scope;
- the spoken and visual CTAs ask for the same action.
Revise before locking the storyboard. Copy changes cost more after animation, filming, voice recording, and editing begin.
