How Long Should an Explainer Video Really Be?

When we speak to our clients, we need to know how long they want their ideal explainer video to be before we start a project. Many ask, ‘how long should it be?’ So, lets break it down. 

An explainer video script

An explainer video script is what the voiceover speaks as your video plays, so the script acts as the skeleton of your video. It determines the structure, the content of each scene and how long the explainer video will last.

At Squideo, we work to a specific ratio of words per second, as we understand the optimum pace to get the most engagement. This ensures the voiceover is not too fast and not too slow.

When writing your script, its best to stick a specific structure to ensure you hit all the key points outlined in your brief. An example of this could be: outlining a problem, an introduction to the solution, who you are and what you do, key features, benefits, and a call-to-action.

Hitting all these points can be done in a 60 second video if you don’t go into much detail. If you need to run through each key feature and benefit in intricate detail, you will probably need your explainer video to be closer to the 2 minute mark. 

See the below example of a company explainer video we created for Pagabo. They wanted to run over all the different types of framework they offer, so the explainer video needed to be 2 minutes and 45 seconds.

Play: Video

If you compare this to the explainer video we created for Derricks, they wanted a more comical teaser-style video, which didn't include much information but encouraged the user to get in touch. This didn't need to be any longer than 60 seconds and didn't include any key features or USP's.

Play: Video

Explainer video placement

The placement of a video can also determine its length for you. If you were to feature a video on your website homepage, a brief overview video is recommended to limit the video length, as users are more likely to drop off if they don’t know who you are and what you do. We recommend this type of video to be around 30 – 60 seconds.

If the video is for a landing page, service page or explaining a process, this can be a little longer, as the viewer is more invested in your business, so this could be anywhere from 60 seconds to 120 seconds.

If the video is for an email campaign or social media, we usually recommend a series of shorter videos. Although businesses can leverage social media for sales and marketing, users are typically on there to be entertained, so the interest they have in your business will be significantly lower than if they were to directly come on your website.

If you’re looking to incorporate your video in a sponsored social media post, the social media platform can help to decide how long your video should be due to length limitations of certain video ads. 

Get to the point 

Our main advice for determining your video length is to get to the point. Many clients try to get every single piece of information about the product brand or service in the video, however this then becomes difficult for the viewer to follow as its crammed full of information.

Use the video as a teaser to intrigue the viewer and keep the boring technical things as text in your email, webpage or social media. It also stops you from repeating in text on the page exactly what the video has just told them.

You want your explainer video to contain retainable information, so let it shout about your strongest USP’s, not every single one. 

The explainer video topic

The length of your video also depends on the topic. If its just a teaser to entice the user to find out more about your service, keep this short.

If the video is not for promotional purposes and is to educate the user, don’t be afraid to make your explainer video a lot longer than 120 seconds. An example of this would be an e-learning video, a training video or an explainer video promoting awareness of a subject. 

So, how long should your explainer video really be?

We hope this blog has given you a better insight on how long your explainer video needs to be, but if you're looking for further advice or would like some guidance on explainer video costs, get in touch with the team today or fill out our quick quote form!