We might not always think about the almost mind-boggling combination of cables, satellites and wireless signals when we’re streaming that show on Netflix, but they are there making the whole thing possible. In the same way, when we watch an explainer video and connect with its characters or messages, a script might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But it is there, and it’s the glue that makes the whole video possible.

For this reason, creating a strong script is vital to the success of animated explainer videos. As much as the visuals and onscreen elements of an explainer video, the script should be a carefully considered work of art in itself.

The importance of an explainer video script

We’ll get into the details later on, but it’s safe to say that scripts are essential to the explainer video production process. You could also ask how important an engine is in a car, because they serve the same purpose. They drive the project forward and keep it on track, making sure your vision is brought to the screen in the way you wanted and achieves what you set out to achieve. Also like an engine, it is at the centre of the production, with lots of moving parts that need to be in harmony if you want to achieve the best results.

Do the groundwork

There are some vital things to consider and plan before you even think about putting pen to paper or typing that first word.

• The bigger picture - this is the first part of the planning, deciding how this video will fit in with the rest of your marketing. It might be a stand-alone video, or a part of a new series, but it might also become part of an existing campaign.

• Goals - building on this are the goals of the video itself. Deciding these is important because they set the scene for every other aspect of the explainer video. At this stage, it is important to make sure everyone involved is on the same page. If everyone isn’t in agreement, it may at best cause a delay or at worst jeopardise the project and cost extra money.

• Message and content - when the goals have been set, you can think about the message you want to share and the content you want to include. It helps to consider the call to action or take away you want to leave viewers with as you think about your message and content.

• How do you want to frame the problem and your solution? - what you decide here will define the direction and flow of your explainer video.

Think about your audience, constantly

Considering your audience is a key ingredient of a good explainer video script and plays a part in every aspect, from the earliest planning to the final steps in its production. By putting your audience at the heart of decisions about tone, the choice of language and references, and even the length of a script, you can make your explainer video feel relevant and relatable at every level. This builds a connection with your audience right from the start, giving your message the best chance of staying with them, inspiring them to follow its call to action.

Pick the right story structure or narrative

Storytelling is an incredible way of sharing information and messages in a way that not only stays with people, but makes people care and connect. Our brains are wired for storytelling and are expertly equipped to unpack the meanings and messages within them. It’s why a PowerPoint presentation can feel endless, while an explainer video feels engaging and even entertaining to watch - it’s messages firmly lodged in your brain.

But, like the crowded breakfast cereal aisle at the supermarket, storytelling is far from a single thing and has many flavours. The right choice will depend on your message, product, service and industry history, but some of the options include:

• The three-act structure - this is a mainstay of Hollywood films, and is more than just a beginning, middle and end. Act 1 sets the scene and includes an inciting incident, act 2 builds to a confrontation and act 3 sees the solutions. This can be used to talk about a topic or issue, or as a way of framing your product or service.

• The hero’s journey - developed by Joseph Campbell, the hero’s journey takes this narrative to another level. It has a lot of stages, explained here, and while its use in books and films often sees it bring to a life a quest, it can be a great structure for explainer videos that share the history and journey of an organisation, brand or key individual.

• The ‘overcoming the monster’ narrative - this is another classic storytelling structure. Starting with the anticipation stage, it then goes through the dream stage, frustration stage, nightmare stage before concluding with the thrilling escape or death of the monster. At first glance, this might sound a bit dramatic for an explainer video, but it is the perfect narrative to choose if you or your organisation have a revolutionary idea or approach and are ready to shake an industry up.

Of course, if your explainer video is a how-to video, is focused on explaining an idea in detail or introducing a product then narratives like these can be less appropriate. There are narratives that are more suited to explainer videos, all making space in their conclusion for calls to action.

• SHARES - setting, hindrance, action, results, evaluation and suggested actions. Establishing a setting allows you to resonate with a problem and an audience as you feel their pain and provide a solution.

• PARLAS - problem, action, result, learning, application and suggested actions. This is a good structure to choose if you are sharing research or reports and want to make key findings and outcomes widely available.

• CHARQES - context, hindrance, action, results quantified, evaluation and suggested actions. Do you need to pitch to the board or a potential client? A narrative like this establishes the problem, the solution and then backs that up with data.

• CCARLS - context, action, result, lesson and suggested actions. Another good narrative for sharing research, this can focus your explainer video on takeaways and calls to action

This website goes into more detail on these structures, and they are all worth considering if your need is more focused on covering key details and information.

Write with visuals in mind

Once you have chosen your narrative and worked out how your message will play out within it, it’s finally time to start writing! We recommend writing 140 words per minute of video for a natural delivery, and as you write those words, write them with the visual element in mind. Scripts inspire visuals in two ways and your words can appear in the scenes, props and illustrations used or as onscreen text.

Visual ideas inspired by the script

This happens a lot when the video you are making is an animated explainer video, or whiteboard animation. Given the creative freedom offered by these mediums, a team of creatives will read your explainer video script and create visual narratives and visual metaphors that reflect your words. They will draw on the language and tone in your script, as well as from what has been discussed in creative meetings or shared in supporting documents.

Deliberate planning

This method suits live action explainer videos better, and involves writing with specific locations or props in mind, which can be realised on set. Live action videos can be enhanced with illustrations and animations, and these can also be planned during the scripting stage when taking this approach.

We have written in more detail about different types of explainer videos here.

Land your message well with the right ending

As your explainer video script reaches its conclusion, it’s important to end it well. Why waste all the engagement and connection you have built! A good ending can cement what you’ve said and inspire the audience to interact with you in another way, while not ending explainer videos in a way that ties everything together like this can greatly reduce the impact and success of your video. There are two main types of ending an explainer video can take once the narrative has run its course.

A takeaway message

If your film focuses on raising awareness about an issue or is intended just to introduce people to an idea or concept, then end with a clear takeaway message and leave people with the key points clear in their mind, ready to think about further and share with others. This is one example of an explainer video that does this. Made for CIRAD, it shares information about their research practices.

A call to action

The alternative to a takeaway message is a clear instruction. This can work well for explainer videos sharing research and those explaining or promoting products. Whether you’re inviting someone to contact you, download a document or attend an event, calls to action build on all the hard work you have put into your video and move its impact forwards on to future actions. This whiteboard animation for the Institute of Civil Engineers does this, promoting the Brunel lecture series and encouraging people to attend.

Run it through the tick list

It’s an exciting moment to see your explainer video script there, finished, ready and waiting to become the foundation of a video that will take your message far and wide. It just has one more challenge, can it survive the tick list? Does it do everything you set out to achieve at the beginning? Does it:

• achieve your goals?

• frame your message well?

• speak to and connect with your audience?

• get across the problem and the solution?

• use the right narrative?

• have the right tone and energy?

• end well and give viewers what they need for any next steps?

We’re sure it will, but it’s always good to double check!

We cannot express the importance of a script enough; they allow explainer videos to be amazing communication tools that share information, messages and make the complex and dry engaging. We hope what we have shared helps you to write amazing scripts that celebrate and share your message with your audience and beyond.

As a whiteboard animation production company, we know the power of a good script and work with a team of professional script writers to ensure every explainer video we make is of the highest quality from start to finish. Our creative teams turn these scripts into visual stories in a process we call a ‘swarm’, which is hive of creativity and ideas.

If you have a message or information you would like to turn into a whiteboard animation explainer video, we’d love to talk to you! Book a discovery call today!