Here’s why an explainer video is worth a thousand pictures

As a voice-over artist, I’ve lent my voice to many explainer videos, or “explainers”. I’ve voiced explainer videos that introduce a company to the world and some that explain the intricacies of a mechanical product. It’s an excellent tool for any business or product but it’s easy to get lost in the visuals. If you’re thinking of getting one, or even if you’re an experienced explainer producer, let me tell you why a voiceover is imperative.

Firstly, let’s answer this crucial question. Without wanting to state the obvious… It explains something. But there is a lot more to it than that. Usually, explainer videos show the consumer how they can benefit by being, or becoming, a customer. More on that later, but explainers can – and typically do – contain many sales techniques. However, at the core, their purpose is to be more informative than a wall of text.

Explainer videos come in many shapes and sizes. Animation, Motion Graphics, Whiteboard, and Live Action are just a few that you may have heard of. They all have their plus points depending on what you’re creating an explainer video for. For example, a Live-Action video or Motion Graphic video would be great to demonstrate how a product works. In contrast, an Animation or Whiteboard explainer video can show a process flow or the benefits of becoming a customer.

Whatever type of video is best for your needs, they will all benefit from a professional voiceover.

Ever heard the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words”? Well, an explainer video is worth a thousand pictures!

The average time someone spends on a website is measured in seconds, not minutes. This gives explainer videos two essential jobs:

1. Provide a lot of information in a friendly and concise way; and
2. Keep potential customers interested enough to stay on your website to learn more.

In a nutshell, your SEO gets people to your website, an Explainer video keeps them there, and a good explainer video significantly increases the chances they turn into a sale.

Not only that, but prospects want critical information right away. Therefore, they are much more likely to watch a video if it’s the first thing they see when they visit your website.

So, if a picture is worth a thousand words, and an explainer is worth a thousand pictures… does that mean a voiceover is worth a thousand explainers? No… but the simple fact is that products rarely sell themselves, no matter how good the visuals or how incredible the music is.

A voiceover adds so much to an explainer video, no matter what style or what you’re explaining. It could be the company’s voice explaining its position in the industry. Or the voice of a character being guided through a process. Whatever you think would be best for your video, a voiceover artist doesn’t just add a little something to your explainer video. They ARE the explainer video. A voiceover should be part of the budget, whatever style you go for.

A usual explainer video will be brief, straight to the point and have the all-important “Call to action” at the end. Left without a guide, users aren’t likely to see the critical call to action. A friendly and engaging voiceover will help get them there, removing any preconceptions they may have before picking up the phone or composing an email to your team.

Adding a voiceover to your explainer video doesn’t just add audio; it also allows you to add subtitles. Usually, video is (or should be) muted by default on a website, meaning visitors have to unmute it to hear the voiceover. By adding subtitles, visitors are MORE likely to unmute the video. Plus, the Google algorithm loves subtitles and text for accessibility reasons.

As explainer videos are so common, it’s likely a professional, and experienced voiceover artist has done their fair share of explainer videos. This knowledge can enhance the script to work better with the visuals and the desired tone.

When you work with a voiceover artist, you can also explain the company’s image and brand. The voiceover artist can use this information to enhance their delivery of the script. This can help ensure the viewer is left with the correct information before taking the next steps.

In some videos, you’ll want your CEO to describe the company ethos, your sales team to sell the benefits, your accounts team to talk the numbers, and your customer care team to answer the questions. A voiceover artist can be all of those voices.

If you’ve hired a company to make the video for you, ask them for a selection of talent that they recommend. If you have an idea of the tone you want for your video, search for voice artists on google and have a listen to a couple of demo reels. You can use an agent or go through a freelance website. Some methods are easier than others, but most clients I deal with prefer to have a direct working relationship with the voice artists, avoiding intermediaries.

As much as I would love to say, “just hire me”, I know my voice isn’t the right fit for every brand and style. Either way, I’m happy to help. I can provide the full voiceover if you like. Or I can provide a quick read to help you get the final script for a more appropriate voice artist.

Drop me an email or call to discuss.

And good luck with your explainer video ????