Explainer Video Creation

TL;DR

What it is: Explainer video creation involves producing short videos (typically 30 seconds to 3 minutes) that break down complex ideas, products, or services into easily digestible visual content. You combine visuals, narration, music, and sometimes animation to communicate messages clearly and engagingly.

What you'll do:

• Interpret or write scripts that simplify complex concepts
• Create storyboards visualizing how information will be presented
• Produce visuals through animation, motion graphics, or video editing
• Synchronize voiceover, music, and visual elements
• Revise based on client feedback and deliver final videos

Time to learn: 2-4 months to create competent explainer videos with 1-2 hours of daily practice. Professional-level work with polished execution and efficient workflows takes 6-12 months of consistent practice and real project experience.

What you need: Computer with adequate processing power, video creation software (options range from beginner-friendly tools like Animaker or Canva to professional tools like After Effects or Premiere Pro), basic understanding of visual communication, and audio editing capabilities.

What This Actually Is

Explainer video creation is the process of producing short-form videos designed to communicate information clearly and memorably. These videos take complex ideas, products, services, or processes and translate them into visual narratives that viewers can understand quickly.

This isn't just video editing or pure animation. It's a hybrid discipline combining scriptwriting, visual design, animation or video production, sound design, and strategic communication. You might create 2D animated characters walking through a software tutorial, motion graphics showing how a service works, live-action footage with text overlays explaining a process, or mixed-media pieces combining multiple techniques.

The format appears everywhere in modern marketing and communication. SaaS companies use explainer videos on landing pages to demonstrate features. Educational platforms create them for course content. Nonprofits produce them for fundraising campaigns. Startups include them in pitch decks. Marketing agencies build them for client campaigns. The common thread is simplification-taking something potentially confusing and making it clear within 60-180 seconds.

The work requires understanding both the technical production process and the communication principles that make videos effective. You're not just making videos that look good. You're creating videos that achieve specific goals: converting website visitors, teaching concepts, changing behaviors, or driving actions.

What You'll Actually Do

Explainer video production follows a structured workflow, though specifics vary based on project type and client needs.

Script development or interpretation begins every project. Some clients provide finished scripts while others need help creating them. You'll analyze the core message that needs communication, identify the target audience and appropriate tone, break complex information into sequential steps or sections, and determine optimal video length for the content and platform. Even with client-provided scripts, you'll often suggest revisions for better visual translation.

Storyboarding and visual planning translates scripts into visual sequences. You create frame-by-frame layouts showing what appears on screen during each script section, decide on visual style (animated characters, abstract shapes, icons, live footage), plan transitions between scenes and ideas, and identify where text, graphics, or special emphasis should appear. Storyboards serve as blueprints that get client approval before production begins.

Asset creation and sourcing involves gathering or producing all visual elements. Depending on your style and tools, you might create custom illustrations or animations, source stock graphics, video clips, or photos, design characters or icons specific to the project, or build motion graphics templates for efficiency. Some creators develop libraries of reusable assets while others prefer custom work for each project.

Animation and video production is where storyboards become actual video. For animated explainers, you'll animate characters, objects, or graphics according to your storyboard, time movements to match script pacing, add text overlays or callouts at appropriate moments, and create transitions between scenes. For live-action or mixed-media explainers, you might edit existing footage, add motion graphics or animations over video, incorporate screen recordings for software demos, and blend multiple visual elements cohesively.

Voiceover and audio integration brings scripts to life. You'll work with client-provided voiceover files or coordinate voice talent, synchronize narration precisely with visual elements, select and add background music that supports without overwhelming, include sound effects where appropriate for emphasis, and balance all audio elements for clear, professional output.

Revision and refinement happens after presenting initial drafts. Clients request timing adjustments, visual changes, different music choices, script modifications requiring re-timing, and format variations for different platforms. Managing revisions professionally while protecting your time requires clear contracts and communication.

Delivery and optimization completes projects. You export videos in required formats and resolutions, optimize file sizes for different platforms (web, social media, presentations), provide variations if needed (different lengths, with/without captions), and sometimes assist with upload or implementation.

The technical process varies significantly based on your chosen tools and specialization. Someone creating whiteboard-style animations works differently than someone producing motion graphics, but the underlying workflow-script to storyboard to production to refinement-remains consistent.

Skills You Need

Visual storytelling and communication forms the core competency. You need the ability to translate abstract concepts into concrete visual representations, understanding of pacing and information hierarchy, sense of which ideas require illustration versus relying on narration, and knowledge of how to guide viewer attention through composition and movement.

Scriptwriting or script interpretation helps you work efficiently. This includes breaking complex information into digestible segments, writing or revising scripts for visual medium (not just written communication), identifying the core message within dense information, and determining appropriate tone for target audiences.

Video production or animation skills depend on your chosen approach. For animated explainers, you need competency with animation software (After Effects, Animaker, Vyond, or similar), understanding of animation principles like timing and easing, ability to create or manipulate graphics and characters, and knowledge of keyframing and motion design. For live-action explainers, you need video editing skills, ability to work with footage and screen recordings, understanding of composition and shot selection, and capability to integrate graphics with video footage.

Audio editing and integration matters even if you don't record voiceovers. You need basic audio editing for trimming and synchronization, understanding of audio levels and mixing, ability to select appropriate music that enhances without distracting, and knowledge of various audio formats and export settings.

Design sensibility elevates your work beyond technical competence. This includes color theory for creating cohesive visual palettes, typography knowledge for readable, effective text, understanding of visual hierarchy and composition, and awareness of current design trends and aesthetics.

Project management and communication separate successful freelancers from struggling ones. You'll need ability to interpret client needs and ask clarifying questions, skill at managing expectations about timelines and deliverables, capacity to provide and incorporate feedback professionally, and organizational systems for handling multiple projects simultaneously.

Technical troubleshooting helps when software or systems don't cooperate. Understanding render settings and export options, file format knowledge for different platforms, problem-solving when assets don't import or work correctly, and basic understanding of video codecs and compression are all valuable.

You don't need expertise in all areas immediately. Many successful explainer video creators specialize in particular styles (only animation, or only live-action with graphics) and develop depth in their chosen approach rather than trying to master everything.

Getting Started

Start by choosing your production approach and tools. Research different explainer video styles by watching examples from companies, observing which styles appeal to you and match your existing skills, and considering which approach aligns with your budget and technical comfort.

Software selection matters significantly. Beginner-friendly options like Canva, Animaker, or Powtoon offer templates and drag-and-drop interfaces with lower learning curves. They work well for starting out but have limitations for advanced work. Professional tools like Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, or Final Cut Pro offer much more capability but require steeper learning investment. You can use free or trial versions initially, then invest once you confirm the work suits you and you're generating income.

Learn your chosen tools systematically. Search YouTube for tutorials specific to your software and explainer video style. Start with the basics: interface navigation, importing assets, working with timelines, and basic animation or editing. Progress to intermediate skills like audio synchronization, transitions, and effects. Create simple 15-30 second practice videos to reinforce learning.

Study successful explainer videos in your target niche. Companies often showcase their explainer videos prominently on homepages. Analyze what makes them effective: how they structure information, their pacing and timing, visual choices for different concepts, use of text versus narration, and how they maintain engagement. Watch multiple times, focusing on different elements each viewing.

Create practice projects using existing scripts or concepts. Find company websites with text-heavy product descriptions and transform them into short explainer videos. Take complex Wikipedia articles and create simplified visual explanations. This practice develops your ability to distill and visualize information without needing original client briefs.

Build an initial portfolio with 3-5 diverse examples demonstrating your capabilities. Include different subject matters (tech product, service explanation, process visualization, educational concept). If possible, show different styles or approaches. These samples become your primary tool for attracting initial clients.

Understand pricing structures before taking client work. Research what other creators with similar experience charge on freelance platforms. Consider your production time honestly and calculate minimum rates that make projects viable. You'll adjust pricing as you gain experience and efficiency, but starting with realistic numbers prevents unsustainable underpricing.

Set up efficient workflows early. Develop folder systems for organizing project assets, create templates for common project types, build checklists for production steps, and establish processes for client communication and revision management.

Note: Platforms may charge fees or commissions. We don't track specific rates as they change frequently. Check each platform's current pricing before signing up.

Income Reality

Explainer video income varies significantly based on video length, complexity, style, experience level, and whether you work through platforms or with direct clients.

Project-based pricing is standard for explainer videos. Simple 30-60 second animated explainers using templates and existing scripts typically range from $500-$1,500. Mid-complexity 60-90 second videos with custom graphics, storyboarding, and moderate revisions run $1,500-$3,500. Complex 90-180 second productions with custom animation, script development, professional voiceover coordination, and extensive revision rounds can reach $3,500-$8,000 or more.

What different work types pay varies by industry and client size. Social media explainers for small businesses often pay $500-$1,500 for 30-60 second videos. SaaS companies explaining product features typically pay $2,000-$5,000 for 60-120 second videos. Corporate training and internal communication videos range from $1,500-$4,000 depending on complexity. Marketing agency work for client campaigns often pays $3,000-$7,000+ as agencies mark up your work for their clients. Educational content for online courses or platforms ranges from $800-$3,000 per video depending on length and requirements.

Freelance platform rates typically run lower than direct client work. Beginners on Fiverr start at $100-$400 for basic videos to build portfolios and gather reviews. Established freelancers with strong ratings charge $800-$2,500 per project on platforms. Top-rated specialists can command $3,000+ but platform competition creates downward pricing pressure compared to direct clients.

Monthly income depends on project volume and available time. Part-time creators completing 1-2 projects monthly might earn $1,000-$3,000. Active freelancers handling 3-5 projects of varying complexity can earn $3,000-$8,000 monthly. Full-time creators with efficient workflows and steady client pipelines report $6,000-$12,000+ monthly, particularly when working primarily with direct clients or agencies rather than exclusively through freelance platforms.

Hourly rate equivalents reveal profitability. Beginners might spend 15-25 hours producing a 60-second video, resulting in effective hourly rates of $20-$40 if the project pays $500. Experienced creators complete similar work in 6-10 hours, yielding $75-$150 per hour for comparable projects. Efficiency improvements through templates, asset libraries, and refined workflows directly impact earning potential.

Factors affecting rates include portfolio quality showing range and professional execution, testimonials and ratings from previous clients, production speed without quality sacrifice, ability to handle full-service work (scripting, voiceover coordination, multiple formats), specialization in particular industries or video styles, and whether clients find you through low-bid platforms or value-focused channels.

Add-on services increase project value. Offering scriptwriting adds $200-$800 to base video costs depending on complexity. Professional voiceover coordination or recording adds $150-$500. Creating multiple format versions (social media cuts, different aspect ratios) adds $100-$300. Providing captions or subtitles adds $50-$200. These services transform $1,500 base projects into $2,500+ packages.

Retainer arrangements with clients needing regular content provide income stability. A company might retain you for $2,000-$5,000 monthly for 2-4 videos. These arrangements offer predictable income and deeper client relationships but require reliable production capacity.

Income typically starts lower during portfolio building and skill development. As you complete projects, refine your process, and demonstrate reliability, you can raise rates and pursue better-paying opportunities that value quality and service over lowest price.

Where to Find Work

Freelance marketplaces provide the most accessible entry point for new explainer video creators. Fiverr hosts substantial demand with creators reporting hundreds or thousands of completed explainer video orders. Upwork lists corporate clients, agencies, and startups seeking video services. Freelancer and PeoplePerHour also feature regular opportunities. These platforms help you build portfolios, gather reviews, and develop working rhythms even if platform rates run lower than direct client work.

Direct outreach to businesses becomes increasingly important as your portfolio strengthens. SaaS and tech companies consistently need product explainers and feature demos. Marketing and creative agencies require video production for client campaigns. E-learning and online course platforms need educational content. Startups want pitch videos and landing page content. Research companies whose existing videos could be improved or who lack video content entirely, then send targeted outreach with relevant portfolio examples.

Industry-specific opportunities exist across sectors. Healthcare and medical companies need patient education videos. Financial services want to explain complex products simply. Real estate agencies use property and process explainers. Nonprofits create fundraising and awareness content. Manufacturing companies explain technical products or processes. Specializing in particular industries helps you develop expertise and become the go-to creator for that niche.

Content creators and influencers represent an growing market. YouTube creators hire video producers for channel content. Instagram and TikTok influencers want polished explainer content. Podcasters repurpose audio into visual explainers. Online educators need course content produced. These clients often need ongoing work rather than one-off projects.

Video production and creative marketplaces beyond general freelance platforms sometimes feature opportunities. ProductionHub serves the professional video production industry. Behance showcases creative work and attracts inquiries, though it's more portfolio platform than job board. Dribbble similarly functions as portfolio showcase with occasional client connections.

Networking in business and marketing communities generates referrals and repeat clients. Join online communities, forums, and social media groups where your target clients gather. Participate genuinely without constant self-promotion. Share knowledge about video marketing, visual communication, and content strategy. Helpful participation leads to inquiries when members need video services.

Social media presence serves double duty as portfolio and marketing channel. Share behind-the-scenes content showing your process. Post finished work with permission. Create educational content about video marketing or visual storytelling. Consistent, valuable content attracts potential clients and demonstrates your expertise.

Cold outreach strategies work with proper targeting and personalization. Identify companies using outdated or ineffective explainer videos. Find businesses that would benefit from video content but don't currently use it. Send brief, personalized messages explaining specifically how your work addresses their communication needs, with links to relevant portfolio examples that match their industry or style.

Most successful creators combine multiple approaches. Maintain platform profiles for steady smaller projects while actively pursuing higher-paying direct clients. This combination provides base income during slower periods while you develop better-paying, longer-term client relationships.

Common Challenges

Client underestimation of production time creates frequent friction. Clients see a 90-second video and don't grasp the 15-30 hours spent on scripting, storyboarding, asset creation, animation, sound design, revisions, and rendering. This disconnect leads to unrealistic deadline expectations or resistance to appropriate pricing. You must educate clients professionally about production realities without seeming defensive.

Scope creep during projects happens when clients expand requirements without acknowledging additional work. They approve storyboards then request completely different visual approaches. They want to add scenes or extend length mid-production. They provide new information requiring script changes after animation begins. Clear contracts defining deliverables and revision limits help but don't prevent all expansion.

Script quality from clients varies dramatically. Some provide tight, visual-friendly scripts perfect for production. Others send rambling documents, technical specifications, or marketing copy not designed for video. Poor scripts require extensive editing or rewriting, work that wasn't anticipated in your quote. Establishing clear script requirements upfront helps but doesn't always prevent issues.

Voiceover coordination complications arise when clients don't provide finished audio. They expect you to arrange voice talent but don't understand typical costs. They record narration themselves with poor audio quality or problematic pacing. They request voiceover changes after synchronization is complete, requiring complete re-timing of visual elements. Clearly defining voiceover processes and responsibilities before starting prevents most problems.

Revision management without contract protection can destroy project profitability. Clients requesting unlimited revisions or major changes beyond agreed scope. The line between "revision" and "new requirement" isn't always clear. Without explicit contracts limiting revision rounds and defining what constitutes new work, projects can extend indefinitely. Establish and communicate these boundaries professionally from the start.

Software and technical limitations frustrate when clients want results your tools can't easily achieve. Template-based tools offer efficiency but constrain custom approaches. Export settings might not match all client platform requirements perfectly. Render times slow iterations on complex animations. Working within technical constraints while meeting client expectations requires clear communication about what's feasible.

Competitive pricing pressure especially on freelance platforms keeps rates lower than direct work. Thousands of creators offer similar services at various price points. Clients filter searches by cost rather than quality. Building reputation and reviews takes time, during which you compete against aggressive low-pricing. Differentiating on value rather than price requires strong portfolios and communication skills.

Staying current with trends and tools demands ongoing learning. Video styles, design aesthetics, and platform requirements evolve constantly. New software releases change workflows. What looked modern last year might appear dated now. Continuous skill development is necessary but takes time away from billable work.

Managing variable income challenges freelancers. Project-based work creates busy periods followed by gaps. Client approval delays pause production without pausing expenses. Building steady client relationships or diversifying income sources mitigates feast-famine cycles but takes time to establish.

Tips That Actually Help

Invest heavily in storyboarding before production regardless of whether clients request it. Detailed storyboards showing planned visuals, timing, and flow prevent wasted production time going wrong directions. They make client feedback more concrete and specific. They help you identify problems before investing hours in animation or editing. Even rough storyboards significantly improve final results and reduce revisions.

Create and maintain asset libraries for faster production and distinctive style. Build collections of characters, icons, graphics, transitions, and music that you use across projects. Organize assets by category for quick access. Having pre-prepared, customizable elements speeds production dramatically and helps develop visual consistency clients recognize as your style.

Develop project templates and timing guides for common video lengths. Create 30-second, 60-second, and 90-second timeline templates with standard pacing, section breaks, and transitions. These templates provide starting frameworks you customize for specific projects rather than building from scratch each time. Templates dramatically improve efficiency and consistency.

Establish clear script requirements before production begins. Never start serious animation or production without final, approved scripts. Define what "final" means (no changes after approval, one revision round allowed, etc.). Make script approval a formal project milestone with client sign-off. Changing scripts mid-production destroys timelines and profitability.

Build comprehensive client questionnaires gathering critical information upfront. Include questions about target audience, video purpose and goals, tone and style preferences, brand guidelines, revision expectations, voiceover status (provided, needs recording, budget for voice talent), deadline requirements, and distribution platforms. Questionnaires demonstrate professionalism while preventing assumptions causing problems later.

Define revision scope explicitly in contracts. Specify what's included (typically 2-3 revision rounds addressing execution, not changing direction). Clarify what constitutes revision versus new work. State clearly that major direction changes, script modifications, or added length incur additional costs. This protects your time while giving clients reasonable feedback opportunities.

Use timing markers and audio waveforms when synchronizing visuals to voiceover. Mark exact timestamps where key concepts appear in narration. Plan major visual transitions at these markers. Use your software's audio waveform display to see exactly where words and pauses occur. Systematic synchronization produces professional results compared to timing by feel.

Communicate progress at defined milestones rather than going dark during production. Share approved storyboards before animating. Send work-in-progress clips at 50% completion. Present near-final drafts before final rendering. Regular updates build client confidence, catch misunderstandings early, and prevent surprise objections at delivery.

Study successful examples in your target industries. If pursuing SaaS clients, analyze top software companies' explainer videos. For educational clients, examine effective educational content. Understanding what resonates with specific audiences improves your client-facing work and helps you speak knowledgeably during project discussions.

Price for your actual efficiency level. If projects take you twice as long as experienced creators, don't drastically underprice to compete. Either build skills to increase speed, or charge rates making your current timeframe sustainable. Racing to the bottom on price while working slowly creates unsustainable, unprofitable work that burns you out.

Learning Timeline Reality

First 1-2 months cover fundamentals if you practice 1-2 hours daily. You'll learn your chosen software's interface and basic functions, understand how to import and arrange assets on timelines, grasp basic animation or editing principles, practice audio synchronization with simple projects, and complete several 15-30 second practice videos. Your output won't be portfolio-quality but you'll understand basic workflows.

Months 2-4 develop project completion capability with continued practice. You'll create complete 45-60 second explainer videos from simple concepts, storyboard projects before production, synchronize visuals with voiceover effectively, understand pacing for viewer comprehension, and build 2-4 practice pieces showing different topics or styles. Your work becomes technically competent though not yet sophisticated or highly polished.

Months 4-8 build portfolio-worthy work and refined skills. You'll handle more complex scripts with multiple concepts or sections, develop smoother animation and more engaging visual flow, create effective storyboards that clients understand, complete 4-6 diverse portfolio pieces demonstrating range, and pursue entry-level freelance work with realistic pricing. You understand full project workflows from concept to delivery.

Months 8-12 establish professional capabilities and improved efficiency. You'll recognize patterns in different project types and develop standard approaches, build reusable asset libraries speeding production, handle client communication and revision management effectively, complete projects faster while maintaining or improving quality, and work with direct clients beyond just platform work. Your hourly rate equivalent improves as production speed increases.

Beyond 12 months involves specialization and style development through continued project work. You might focus on particular industries building specialized knowledge, develop distinctive visual styles clients recognize, handle increasingly complex or longer videos, establish ongoing client relationships with retainer arrangements, and potentially expand into related services like full video marketing or content strategy.

Production speed improvements dramatically impact earning potential. Early projects might require 20-30 hours for 60-second videos. After several months of consistent work, similar projects take 10-15 hours. Experienced creators complete routine explainers in 6-10 hours. This efficiency gain either allows more monthly projects or enables pursuing complex, higher-paying work requiring additional time.

Practice consistency trumps total elapsed time. Daily 1-2 hour sessions develop skills faster than weekly marathon sessions. Regular practice maintains momentum, ingrains workflows, and builds muscle memory. Sporadic work requires re-learning steps each session and slows overall progress.

The timeline assumes independent learning through tutorials, practice projects, and studying professional examples. Formal courses might accelerate some aspects but won't eliminate the need for hands-on project practice building speed, efficiency, and judgment that only comes from completing actual work.

Is This For You?

Explainer video creation suits people with specific interests, skills, and working styles more than others.

This work fits you if you enjoy visual problem-solving and translating complex ideas into simple visuals, appreciate combining multiple disciplines (writing, design, animation, audio), like remote work with flexible scheduling control, can handle repetitive technical tasks while maintaining quality focus, want to work across diverse industries and topics, prefer project-based work with clear deliverables and endpoints, and enjoy seeing your work directly impact client communication and business goals.

This probably isn't for you if you need constant artistic freedom without client constraints, dislike technical software learning and troubleshooting, prefer collaborative team environments over largely solo work, want guaranteed stable income without project acquisition effort, get frustrated by client feedback requiring revisions, or need fast project turnaround without detailed, time-intensive production.

Consider carefully whether you have the discipline for self-directed client acquisition and project management, the communication skills for interpreting client needs and managing expectations, the patience for detail-oriented, sometimes tedious production work, the financial buffer to handle variable income while building skills and clientele, and genuine interest in communication and visual storytelling rather than purely seeking remote work.

The explainer video market has substantial and growing demand as video content dominates online marketing and communication. However, competition exists at all price points. Success depends more on reliability, communication, efficient production, and effective client management than pure technical skill. You're competing on service quality, professionalism, and results as much as video production capability.

Work-life flexibility is a significant advantage. You control your schedule, location, and project volume. However, this freedom requires self-discipline for maintaining productivity and managing your client pipeline. Client deadlines create time pressure, but you decide which projects to accept and when to work. Some people thrive with this autonomy while others struggle without external structure.

Test your interest before investing heavily in expensive software. Use free or trial versions of tools to create several practice videos. Watch tutorials and attempt to recreate examples you find. If the process feels engaging and you can envision doing it regularly for income, explainer video creation might be viable. If production feels tedious or frustrating even during initial learning, explore other opportunities better matching your preferences and strengths.