Explainer Video Scripts: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet

So you want to make an explainer video? One of those videos that explains what your product or service does and why people ought to buy it? We’re seeing them everywhere, nearly every website is utilising this tactic and companies are hoping that they will boost their conversion rate…sound familiar?

The reality is most explainer videos won’t boost your conversion rate or make you money. It isn’t because the idea sucks, but it’s because you are likely to take the wrong approach during the planning stage.

But let’s not dwell on the negatives, here’s how you can create an explainer video that’ll convert:

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SCRIPT, NOT THE VIDEO

The most important part of a video is the script. Whether you have a high quality video or a mediocre one, if the script isn’t good, it won’t convert well.

Think about it from a viewers perspective. We’ve all seen explainer videos, if the voiceover is saying things that don’t resonate with you, don’t make sense or isn’t the advice you were after…You would switch off straight away. Every. Single. Word. In your script has to have a purpose and meaning to the viewer.

The first lines of your script need to ‘hook’ the viewer in. By grabbing the viewer’s attention early on, you’re ensuring they are invested in what you’re about to explain to them and that they actually care about your message. You’ll need to address the problems they are having straight up and how you’re going to provide the solution to this problem with your product or service.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED BEFORE YOU CAN WRITE A SCRIPT

Before you start writing your script, you need to survey your audience. You can use services like Typeform to ask your potential customers questions such as:

• What’s the number 1 reason that you would  buy this product or service?
• What’s are the main things that might stop you from buying this product or service?
• Is there anything that is confusing or that requires clarification about this product/service?
• What problem do you believe that  we can  help you solve?

By getting the answers to the above questions as well as other questions you may have, you’ll get a better understanding of what’s stopping people from purchasing. It could be that they don’t understand what you do or how easy your product is to use. Knowing what all their concerns are will help you create a better script.

HOW TO WRITE AN EXPLAINER VIDEO SCRIPT

Now that you have all of your potential customers’ objections, you can start writing your script. When you are writing it, you need to answer all of those objections, or at least the important ones. You don’t want to create a script that is longer than 2-3 minutes. If it becomes too long, you’ll start to lose people.

• The ‘hook’ – the beginning of your script needs to force the viewer to sit up and pay attention. You only have a few seconds to do this, so make it short and make it powerful. You should address the problem/s that the viewer is facing at the beginning, which triggers them to engage and encourages them to stay tuned.

• Create a transition – use common phrasing that your potential customers gave you during the survey to talk about specific problems they are experiencing. Then go into why you created your product or service.

1. Show off your features – videos are visual for a reason. Show off your product or service. When showing it off, make sure you explain how specific features solve specific problems your potential customers are experiencing.
2. Tell people to sign up or buy – after you explain what your product or service does, you have to tell people to sign up or buy it. During this process, you need to answer any customer objections or concerns they have about signing up or buying.
3. Use proof elements to seal the deal – make sure you tell people to sign up or buy from you, while visually showing proof elements. For example; include testimonials of current or past clients or customers to help build trust.

Your script won’t be perfect at first, and it will take a few revisions before you get it just right. When you are writing it, keep in mind that 120-150 words roughly translate into a minute of video. Ideally, you want to keep your video to less than 2 minutes.

Spend your time writing your script well enough to bring to a video production company and spend money on quality video… Don’t waste thousands of dollars on videos that won’t convert well.

Remember, the most important part of an explainer video isn’t the video… it’s the script.