Process
How to Write an Explainer Video Script
An explainer video script is one sentence — who it is for, what changes, why that matters — stretched to 30–90 seconds. Spoken English is about 130–150 words a minute, so a 60-second film is 130–150 words. Write for the ear first, then mark what the picture must show so the voiceover does not narrate the obvious. The working structure is a problem, a change, a proof, and one ask. If the draft is 400 words, you have two scripts. Approve the words before anyone draws.
By Jonathan Maynard, Knowlify Studio
Updated August 26, 2026 · 6 min read
Start with the one sentence
If you cannot say who it is for, what changes, and why that matters in one sentence, the video will ramble. The script is that sentence, stretched to 30–90 seconds. Write the sentence first. If two teams cannot agree on it, do not start drawing.
An explainer video has one job: get a stranger to understand the offer and know what to do next. The one sentence is that job in plain speech. Not a tagline. Not a feature list. A sentence you would say on a call.
A usable sentence names three things:
- Who it is for.
- What is broken today.
- What changes if they switch — and the next step.
If product, sales, and marketing cannot share that sentence, the film will become a compromise tour. Lock the sentence. Then write the script. Style comes after.
Time the voiceover, not the slide deck
Spoken English is roughly 130–150 words per minute. A 60-second film is about 130–150 words. If the draft is 400 words, you do not have a pacing problem. You have two scripts. Time it by reading aloud, not by how many slides you want on screen.
Count words. Then read the draft with a timer. The pictures will not make a 400-word argument feel like a minute. Wyzowl’s 2026 survey found 71% of marketers say videos between 30 seconds and 2 minutes are most effective. We produce most explainers in the 30–90 second slice of that — one claim, not two films glued together.
| Runtime | Spoken words (approx.) | What fits |
|---|---|---|
| 30 seconds | 65–75 | One feature, one reason it exists |
| 60 seconds | 130–150 | Problem, change, proof, one ask |
| 90 seconds | 195–225 | A little more mechanism — still one job |
| 2 minutes+ | 260+ | Usually two scripts. Split them |
If stakeholders keep adding modules, you do not need a longer voiceover. You need a second film, or a page that can hold the list. The script is a time budget. Spend it on the claim.
Write for the ear, then for the picture
Read it out loud. Cut anything you would not say to a smart buyer. Then note what the picture must show so the voiceover does not narrate the obvious. The film should still make sense if you mute it, and still hold if you only hear it.
Voiceover is speech. It is not a slide title read by a narrator. Cut throat-clearing (“in today’s fast-paced world”). Cut claims you cannot point at. Cut the second metaphor.
After the read-aloud works, write a picture column. What must the frame show that the voice will not say? That is direction. If the voice describes a button and the picture shows the same button, you have a radio ad with illustration. Let the picture carry proof. Let the voice carry the argument.
This is the same split we use on SaaS explainer production: UI when the interface is the proof, metaphor when the UI would confuse a stranger. Decide it on the page, not in a style moodboard.
A 60-second script structure
A usable 60-second explainer is a problem, a change, a proof, and one ask. That is about 130–150 spoken words. If a section cannot earn its seconds, cut it. Do not pad with brand language. The structure is the same whether the pictures are characters or product UI.
| Beat | Seconds (approx.) | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Who / problem | 0–15 | Name the viewer and what is broken |
| Change | 15–35 | What the product does that changes the job |
| Proof | 35–50 | One true picture — UI, outcome, or mechanism |
| Ask | 50–60 | One next step. Not three |
Write the four beats as four short paragraphs. Time them. If proof is eating the ask, you are making a demo. If the problem is eating the change, you are making a rant. Move the extra words to the page, or into a product explainer with a tighter claim.
We write this way on every film: script approved before anyone draws, humans directing, most deliveries within 3 days once the brief is clear. The smallest start is one done-for-you video. Book a free 15-minute Video Strategy Audit if you want the one sentence pressure-tested before you draft.
Frequently asked questions
How long should an explainer video script be?
- About 130–150 spoken words for a 60-second film. Time it by reading aloud, not by how many slides you want on screen. If the draft is 400 words, you do not have a pacing problem. You have two scripts hiding in one document.
What is a simple 60-second script structure?
- A problem, a change, a proof, and one ask. That is the whole film. If a section cannot earn its seconds, cut it. Do not pad with brand language. The structure is the same whether the pictures are characters or product UI.
Should I write the script or should the studio?
- We write it. You approve it. If two teams cannot agree on the one sentence — who it is for, what changes, why that matters — do not start drawing. Revisions stay cheap while it is still words.
How do I write for voiceover instead of slides?
- Read it out loud. Cut anything you would not say to a smart buyer. Then note what the picture must show so the voiceover does not narrate the obvious. The film should still make sense muted, and still hold if you only hear it.
When is the script locked?
- Before animation. Drawing first is how you pay to discover the same message twice. Most of our films deliver within 3 days once the brief and script are clear. Humans direct every cut.