How to make an animated explainer video with AI
An explainer video is a short video that shows how a product, service or process works, usually in one to two minutes: the problem, how you solve it, the steps and the result. They're the video you put on a homepage, in a sales email, at the top of an onboarding flow or in front of a class.
Animated explainers used to mean a scriptwriter, an illustrator, a motion designer and a few weeks. With Animatid's explainer video maker you describe what you're explaining and who it's for, and Animatid AI writes the script, structures the story and animates every scene with icons, diagrams and your numbers, in your brand. This guide walks through the structure that makes explainers work, how to brief one, script lengths, voice-over, examples and costs.
What makes a good explainer video
Good explainers are clear before they're clever. They have a few things in common:
- One audience. Written for a specific viewer ("freelancers who hate bookkeeping"), not everyone.
- One problem. The video opens on a pain the viewer recognizes in the first few seconds.
- Three to five steps. Enough to show how it works; more than that and people stop following.
- Concrete outcomes. "Tax-ready in ten minutes" beats "save time".
- A single next step. One call to action at the end, said and shown.
Animatid AI follows this structure by default when you use the explainer template: hook, problem, solution, steps, result, call to action. It keeps each scene to one idea and uses icons, numbered steps and simple diagrams so viewers can follow without sound.
The explainer video structure (with timings)
Here is a typical 60-second explainer broken down by scene. Animatid AI adjusts the timing to your length and, if there's a voice-over, to the narration.
| Part | Time | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Hook | 0 to 5s | A question or a striking fact that names the viewer's problem |
| Problem | 5 to 15s | What goes wrong today and why it matters |
| Solution | 15 to 22s | Your product or idea in one sentence, with your logo |
| How it works | 22 to 45s | Three or four numbered steps, one per scene, each with an icon or screenshot |
| Result | 45 to 53s | The outcome in numbers or a short customer quote |
| Call to action | 53 to 60s | What to do next, shown on screen and said by the narrator |
How to make an explainer video with Animatid
- 1Say what you're explaining and who it's for
Fill in the form on this page: the topic, the audience, the problem it solves and the main steps or features. Keep the steps short, one line each.
- 2Pick the format and length
Landscape 16:9 at 60 to 90 seconds suits websites, YouTube and sales decks. A vertical 30 to 45 second cut works for social.
- 3Add your brand and visuals
Attach your logo and, if you have them, product screenshots or photos. Apply a brand kit to use your fonts and colors. Animatid adds icons and stock visuals where you don't.
- 4Decide on a voice-over
Explainers work best narrated. Turn on an AI voice-over and let Animatid AI write the script for your length, paste your own, or upload a recording. See the AI voice-over video tool for voices.
- 5Create, review and refine
Animatid AI plans the storyboard, designs each scene, checks its frames and renders. Then refine by chat: "make step two clearer", "use our screenshot here", "slow down the ending".
- 6Download and publish
Download the MP4 in 1080p and put it on your homepage, in onboarding emails, on YouTube or in your next presentation.
How to brief an explainer (with examples)
The form asks for the essentials, but the quality of the explainer depends on how specific you are. A few lines on each field is plenty.
Topic: How Penny sorts your expenses automatically Audience: Freelancers who hate bookkeeping Problem: Receipts pile up and tax time takes a whole weekend. Steps: Connect your bank. Penny sorts every expense. Export a tax-ready report. CTA: Try Penny free
Topic: How our home cleaning subscription works Audience: Busy parents in Denver Problem: Finding a reliable cleaner takes weeks of calls and no-shows. Steps: Book online in two minutes. The same vetted cleaner every visit. Pause or skip any time. CTA: Book your first clean at sparkle.co
Topic: How compound interest works Audience: High school students Problem: Saving feels pointless when the amounts are small. Steps: You earn interest on your savings. Next year, you earn interest on the interest too. Over 30 years, it snowballs. CTA: Start saving with our class calculator
How long should an explainer video be?
Most explainers land between 60 and 90 seconds. Shorter versions work for social and ads; longer ones make sense for training or detailed products. A narrator speaks at about 2.5 words per second, so the script length follows from the video length:
| Length | Script length | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 30 seconds | About 70 words | Social posts, ads, a teaser of the full explainer |
| 60 seconds | About 140 words | Homepages, product pages, sales emails |
| 90 seconds | About 210 words | Products with several steps, onboarding |
| 2 minutes | About 280 words | Training, education, detailed walkthroughs |
If you paste your own script, Animatid reads it word for word, a little faster if needed to fit the length you picked, and tells you if it's far too long. If you leave it empty, Animatid AI writes a script that fits.
Choosing a visual style
Animatid explainers are built from designed scenes rather than stock character animation: bold type, numbered steps, icons and simple illustrations, charts for your numbers, and your screenshots or photos when you have them. That keeps them clean, current and on brand.
Ways to steer the look
- Tone: calm for finance, health and B2B; energetic for consumer apps; premium for high-end services; playful for kids and lifestyle brands.
- Brand kit: your colors, fonts and logo on every scene.
- Your visuals: attach product screenshots and Animatid AI shows them in clean frames with smooth camera moves.
- A style reference: upload a video whose look you love, or paste a YouTube link, and Animatid AI follows its layout, type, motion and pacing with your content.
- Your own past video: use one of your finished videos as the template to keep a series consistent.
Read more about the techniques behind it in our guide to motion graphics, or generate standalone animated infographics with the motion graphics generator.
Where explainer videos work best
A 60-second explainer above the fold answers "what is this?" faster than paragraphs of copy.
Show new users the first three things to do, step by step, inside your welcome email or app.
Send a short explainer before or after a call so buyers can share it with their team.
Replace a long help article with a 45-second how-to that customers actually watch.
Explain a concept, a policy or a process with animated steps and numbers.
Explain a new strategy, product or result clearly in under two minutes.
A fill-in-the-blanks explainer script
If you'd like to write the narration yourself, this 60-second template follows the structure above. Replace the brackets, read it aloud once, and paste it into the script field. Each line becomes roughly one scene.
[Audience], [the problem, in their words]? You're not alone. [Why the problem happens, or what it costs them]. Meet [product]: [what it does, in one sentence]. Here's how it works. First, [step one]. Then, [step two]. And finally, [step three]. That's it. [The result, with a number if you have one]. [Short proof: a customer count, a rating or a quote]. [Call to action], at [URL].
Write the problem in the viewer's words
The opening line does most of the work. "Tired of losing a weekend to receipts?" pulls in the right viewer; "Introducing an innovative expense management platform" loses them. Use the phrases your customers use in support tickets, reviews and sales calls.
Make each step an action
Steps read best as short imperatives the viewer can picture: "Connect your bank", "Pick a time", "Get your report". Avoid steps that describe your technology instead of what the viewer does.
Common explainer video mistakes (and how to avoid them)
- Starting with the company. Nobody cares who you are until they know you can solve their problem. Lead with the problem; the logo can wait for the solution scene.
- Explaining every feature. An explainer is not a feature tour. Pick the three or four steps that matter for a first-time viewer and leave the rest for your docs.
- Jargon. If your audience wouldn't say it out loud, don't put it in the script. "Sync" is fine for software buyers; "bi-directional data orchestration" isn't.
- Too much text on screen. On-screen words should reinforce the narration, not repeat it in full. Five to eight words per scene is plenty.
- No clear ending. If the video ends on the logo, viewers don't know what to do. End on the action and say it.
- One video for every audience. A 90-second explainer for your homepage and a 30-second cut for social are different videos. Make the cut from Design Studio once the main one is right.
How much does an explainer video cost?
Agency explainers commonly cost thousands of dollars per minute and take weeks; freelancers are cheaper but still take days. With Animatid you pay per video in credits: one credit for every 20 seconds started, so a 60-second explainer is 3 credits, or 5 with an AI voice-over. There's no subscription, credits never expire, and your first video is free.
For a full breakdown of agency, freelancer and AI prices, read how much an explainer video costs. Current credit prices are on the pricing section.
Tips for explainer videos that people finish
- Write for silent viewing too. Many people watch without sound; Animatid puts the key words on screen in every scene.
- Show, then tell. A screenshot of the feature beats a description of it. Attach real screenshots when you have them.
- Cut a step rather than rushing. If there are six steps, merge them into four. Viewers remember three or four.
- Use one number per scene. "3x faster" lands; a slide with four stats doesn't.
- Make a short cut for social. Ask Design Studio to "make a 30-second vertical version" once the main explainer is right.
- End on the action, not the logo. The last thing on screen should be what viewers do next.