Explainer videos have become a staple in the modern era of marketing, with companies as disparate as credit unions and sock businesses taking advantage of this form of content. However, making an explainer video can seem daunting if you’ve never crafted one before.
Fortunately, there’s ample inspiration out there to provide you with a rough framework and inspiration to create your own explainer video masterpiece.
In this article, we’ll explore what explainer videos are, the different forms they can come in, and 11 masterful examples to get your creative juices flowing.
What is an explainer video?
Explainer videos are short-form content marketing videos that aim to inform audiences about a product, service, process, or concept. In some cases, they can be how-to videos that instruct audiences about how to perform a specific task or accomplish a certain goal.
Types of explainer videos
While the possibilities are endless when creating explainer videos, there are some popular forms that organizations and creators typically use to express information impactfully.
Some common types of explainer videos include:
- Live action: Live-action explainer videos feature real people speaking or performing tasks. They can be especially useful for how-to videos and businesses such as apps.
- Screencast: Screencast explainer videos typically feature a video of a computer screen. These types of videos usually also feature voice-over narration and work well in marketing for businesses such as SaaS companies.
- Whiteboard drawing: Whiteboard drawing explainer videos feature school-style whiteboard explanations, typically accompanied by narration. These videos can feature a real-life whiteboard or digitally created ones and work well for businesses creating how-to content.
- Animation: As the name suggests, animated explainer videos feature animation as the main form of content. These videos work well for a wide variety of businesses, given their broad nature.
1. Airbnb Co-host
This Airbnb explainer video is an animation featuring an animated character and setting. It aims to explain Airbnb Co-host, a program in which property owners can partner with others if they don’t personally want to be in charge of hosting their property.
The explainer video efficiently explains the concept and makes it easier to digest with the help of the animated video.
2. Bombas
This Bombas live-action explainer video explains the concept behind the brand (donating a pair of socks for every pair purchased) while also promoting its holiday sale. The video educates potential consumers while providing a call to action that prompts them to take advantage of the holiday sale.
This highly stylized live-action explainer video captures the audience's attention while being informative and promotional.
3. Zoom AI Companion
This Zoom live-action explainer video explains how the Zoom AI Companion works and can help Zoom users. Its aim is to help potential consumers and current Zoom users understand the different ways that they can utilize this new AI-powered Zoom function.
The video utilizes live-action content of some sort of automotive company to further convey that Zoom’s AI Companion can be useful to professionals across all types of trades.
4. Robinhood
This Robinhood explainer video utilizes both live-action video and mobile screencasts to get its point across to audiences. It aims to inform current and potential Robinhood app users about its new updates and features they can now take advantage of.
By mixing these different video styles, this Robinhood explainer video clearly conveys concepts while keeping the audience engaged.
5. Toast
This screencast Toast explainer video successfully explains Toast’s offerings and the ways they can benefit restaurant owners and operators. The aim of this SaaS explainer video is to show restaurateurs how they can benefit from Toast’s offerings, such as better customer service and increased revenue.
The screencast format works well in this case because it shows off Toast’s seamless UX while adding context to the different offerings being explained.
6. Elevations Credit Union
This whiteboard explainer video from Elevations Credit Union does a fantastic job of explaining and simplifying a novel and somewhat complicated problem. The aim is to educate homeowners and business owners about how Elevations Credit Union can help them save on energy costs and ultimately convert them to the service.
Given the difficulty of explaining this concept, such as the different cost percentages and the many ways that Elevations Credit Union can help consumers, the whiteboard approach works well to help make the information more digestible.
7. Honda x SiriusXM
This screencast explainer video from Honda and SiriusXM features the user interface found in modern Honda vehicles. It aims to show the benefits of having SiriusXM compatibility in your vehicle as well as how to set it up.
Given the how-to aspect of this video, the screencast format works well to make the process more understandable and approachable for consumers.
8. SurveyMonkey Academy
This live-action SurveyMonkey explainer video educates consumers about SurveyMonkey Academy. It aims to communicate the many benefits of this offering, such as how to craft better surveys and get the most out of data.
The live-action format makes the information more accessible while allowing for more fun elements, such as the confetti dropping from above, to help foster a connection with viewers.
9. Zocdoc
This Zocdoc animation explainer video utilizes engaging animation to explain its offerings. This video aims to educate customers about how Zocdoc works and how it can make consumers’ lives easier by making it less difficult to find and book appointments with medical providers.
The animation format works extremely well for this explainer video by emphasizing customer paint points and effectively displaying how Zocdocs can fix consumers’ problems.
10. The Farmer’s Dog
This live-action explainer video from The Farmer’s Dog shows the negative aspects of kibble, one of the most popular forms of dog food. The video aims to show dog owners how fresh, not crunchy dog food — such as that offered by The Farmer’s Dog — is superior to kibble.
This video makes great use of the live-action format by displaying negative visuals of kibble, positive visuals of The Farmer’s Dog offerings, and clear benefits of this superior type of dog food.
11. Headspace
This explainer video produced by Headspace features high-quality animated visuals of characters and situations related to sleep. Its main goal is to promote and educate audiences about Headspace’s offerings related to sleep.
The animated format works perfectly for this video. The high-quality animations expertly portray various sleep-related situations and the benefits of using the Headspace app.
The best tool for creating explainer videos
While you could start from scratch and meticulously craft every minor detail of your explainer video, HeyGen is here to simplify the process so you can focus on your ideas rather than the painstaking process of creating videos.
HeyGen harnesses the extraordinary power of AI to provide a simple-to-use tool for making professional-grade explainer videos. Use it to create live-action videos featuring fully interactive AI avatars or screencast videos and product explainer videos for marketing.
Choose from more than 250+ AI avatars or make a custom one for yourself or your business. Record your own voice or choose from one on the HeyGen platform, and then select a template to start creating a video in seconds, not hours.
Some of HeyGen’s amazing benefits include:
- Beginner friendly
- Custom avatar creation
- One-Click video translation into 170+ languages and dialects
- Hundreds of templates
What’s more, this tool is so simple to use that even those who have never dipped their toes into video creation and editing can seamlessly navigate Hey Gen.
To make a video with HeyGen, you’ll follow these simple, user-first steps:
- Start with a template
- Write a script
- Create an avatar
- Choose the language and accent
- Add visual elements
- Review and edit the video
Leverage HeyGen for explainer video creation
Whether you’re trying to grow your reach as an influencer or propel your business’s offerings to new audiences, HeyGen is the perfect software to craft unique and unforgettable explainer videos. With its easy-to-navigate interface and amazing AI-powered capabilities, this tool is perfect regardless of your business’s size.
Start giving your business the reach it deserves and use HeyGen to create explainer videos that will resonate with audiences.
Explainer video FAQ
Given the broad nature of explainer videos and the main topics they can cover, chances are you have some specific queries. Here are some commonly asked questions about explainer videos.
How long should an explainer video be?
While the exact length of an explainer video will vary depending on the platform it's intended for and the specific concept it's conveying, it’s best to keep explainer videos. However, a good goal for an explainer video is anywhere from 60 to 90 seconds.
How much does a 1-minute explainer video cost?
There are many factors that will affect the price of an explainer video, such as the format and your ability to write, film, and edit. However, many businesses spend $500-$1,000 to create a 1-minute explainer video.
How do I make explainer videos?
While you can write, film, animate, and edit explainer videos on your own — or hire explainer video companies to complete these tasks — tools like HeyGen can radically simplify the process of creating AI explainer videos.
