Explainer Video Process: A Complete Production Guide

Explainer Video Production Process: What It Is and Why It Matters

Explainer videos are a powerful tool for businesses, providing an engaging and informative medium to convey complex information. The process of partnering with a video company to create an explainer video that’s true to your brand takes time, but the process is highly rewarding — for your business and marketing efforts!

An explainer video can be used across digital channels as a one-of-a-kind asset, delivering immense value again and again. If your business is looking to invest in an explainer video, let’s take a detailed look at the process.

Understanding the Concept of Explainer Videos

An explainer video, as the term suggests, is a short animated or live-action video used for explaining a specific concept, product, or service in an easily digestible format.

Explainer videos work by simplifying complex ideas into easily understandable concepts in a visually engaging manner. Businesses often use them to educate their target audience about their product, missions, or complex business processes. As compared to just reading text, an animated or live-action explainer video can prove to be more effective thanks to its engaging visuals and narration, retaining the viewer’s attention for longer stretches.

CTA: Want to Know More? Explore In-Depth What Explainer Videos Are on Our Blog

The Importance of Explainer Videos in Business and Education

The shift toward the digital landscape has dramatically increased the importance of video content in business and education. Here’s why explainer videos are so invaluable:

• Enhanced Learning: Explainer videos are a proven way to educate audiences in an exciting, engaging manner. Animated explainer videos take advantage of the visual and auditory senses of learners, making difficult topics easier to understand and remember.
• Improved Conversion Rates: Data shows that explainer videos and video marketing help improve sales and increase website traffic. When consumers better understand your products and services, they feel empowered to further explore your brand and all you have to offer.
• Elevated Online Presence: Explainer videos can be easily shared across social media platforms and can significantly enhance your online visibility, driving more traffic to your landing page or website.

Different Types of Explainer Videos

Although all explainer videos are intended to explain a concept, product, or service, the approach varies based on the type. Genres of explainer videos can differ not just based on the animation process but also the content, tone, and purpose. Here, we explore some common types:

• 2D Videos: These videos use two-dimensional graphics, characters, and animations to explain a product, service, or concept. A 2D explainer video from Digital Brew features hand-crafted visuals, concise narration, and sometimes background music to communicate your message in a way that resonates with your customers.
• 3D Videos: 3D explainer videos are a great way to model products and services that demand in-depth explanation. Whether you need 3D modeling or custom texturing, these videos feature your products in a way that’s not possible with 2D animation or live-action. For example, a manufacturing company rolling out a new product model would highly benefit from a 3D video that demonstrates its product in action from different angles.
• Live-Action Explainer Videos: These videos feature real people and are often used to build trust or “humanize” a brand. Your company may invest in a live-action video to feature your staff celebrating a business milestone or to interview happy clients sharing success stories.
• Social Media Videos: A social media explainer video can be 2D, 3D, or live-action. The key for these videos is that they’re designed with platform constraints, audience preferences, and your company’s social media strategy in mind. Oftentimes, an explainer video for social media is shorter than, say, a landing page video, as it’s meant to fit a platform like Instagram or Facebook.

Want to see these different explainer video examples in action? Check out Digital Brew’s impressive portfolio here, or explore a specific industry by discovering what SaaS explainer videos are.

Pre-Production: Laying the Foundation

Before we dive into the step-by-step process of explainer video creation, it’s important to understand the critical pre-production phase — the strategic groundwork that ensures your video is effective from the start.

Pre-production is where we align your video with your brand, messaging, and marketing goals. It’s not just about logistics — it’s about building a creative foundation for success.

Here’s what happens during pre-production:

• Goal Setting: What do you want this video to achieve? Whether it’s increasing conversions, explaining a product feature, or onboarding new users, we define success from the start.
• Audience Research: We take time to understand your target audience — their pain points, preferences, and what motivates them — to ensure the video speaks directly to them.
• Brand Alignment: From tone of voice to visual style, we ensure the video fits seamlessly with your brand’s identity and existing content.
• Creative Strategy: We brainstorm initial ideas, story angles, and formats. This is where early concepting takes shape, often leading into script development and visual direction.
• Timeline Planning: We’ll build a clear roadmap for your project, from scripting to final delivery, so you always know what to expect and when.

By laying a solid foundation in pre-production, we’re able to create explainer videos that don’t just look great — they work great, too.

Steps Involved in the Explainer Video Process

Alright — so you’ve decided an explainer video is just what your company needs. What’s the process from here? When you partner with Digital Brew, we take you through tried-and-true steps that are flexible to your business and incorporate best practices to ensure we exceed expectations.

Here’s a look at our explainer video process:

Creative Brief

First, we gather all the information we need to write your script and put it into a creative brief. This includes details about your brand, services and products, and the direction for your video. Here, we’ll set the tone for your video, whether you want it to lean on humor or stick to a formal voice. Armed with this information, we can write the script.

The creative brief is a collaborative process where we go back and forth with your team to gather feedback and refine the script. We expect you to make plenty of changes to keep our team on track before we take the next step.

Mood Boards and Style Frames

With the script and direction in mind, we’ll send you a mood board, which is a collection of images with different art styles. Pick the ones you like, and we’ll use this feedback to create custom artwork. Then, we create style frames, which involves our illustrators creating three or four video frames with your custom artwork. This shows you what your art will look like and how it’ll be used in your video. As with step one, you’ll have the opportunity to give us feedback so we can perfect the art style exactly as you want it.

Voiceover

With the explainer video script ready, it’s time to consider voiceover. We’ll work with you to decide how you want the voice to sound, and we’ll look into voiceover artists who can deliver what you’re looking for. Or, if you’re more open, we’ll find a range of artists to capture your tone and the script, and you can pick the best fit.

Then, we’ll schedule a recording session with you, the artist, and our team. You can direct the artist in real-time as they read through your video narration as many times as needed to get the sound right.

Storyboard and Animation

With artwork and style frames ready to go, we’ll storyboard your video from beginning to end. This gives you a total overview of how your finished video will look, minus animation. Again, you’ll have the chance to give feedback.

Finally, it’s time for animation! At this point, you should have a clear idea of how your final video will turn out. However, you’ll still be able to make changes at this stage (within limitations). At this point, you can sit back and let our experts finish the explainer video production until we deliver a final product that’s true to your brand. Our goal is for your explainer video to serve as an invaluable asset for your marketing that delivers incredible ROI.

Post-Production: Refining Your Explainer Video

Once your video is fully animated and the visuals are brought to life, it’s time for the finishing touches — the post-production phase. This is where we polish every frame to ensure your explainer video looks and sounds professional, engaging, and totally on-brand.

Here’s what happens during post-production:

• Sound Design: We layer in sound effects and background music to enhance the emotional tone and pacing of your video. Whether it’s upbeat, dramatic, or inspirational, the right audio elevates the viewer experience.
• Editing & Timing Tweaks: Our team fine-tunes every transition and visual cue to make sure the pacing flows naturally. We double-check that the animation syncs perfectly with the voiceover and music.
• Color Correction & Quality Control: We ensure your video looks crisp and vibrant across all platforms. We adjust color, lighting, and visual clarity so your brand stands out, whether on a phone screen or a 4K monitor.
• Final Revisions: You’ll have one last chance to review the full video and request any minor tweaks before final delivery. This ensures your explainer video hits the mark in every way — creatively, strategically, and technically.

The post-production phase is all about elevating your video from “great” to “unforgettable.” By the time we deliver the final cut, your explainer video will be a polished, high-impact asset ready to shine across your website, campaigns, and beyond.

Distributing Your Explainer Video Effectively

Creating a high-quality explainer video is only half the battle — to get the most ROI, you need a solid distribution strategy. When shared intentionally across the right platforms, your explainer video can become one of your most powerful marketing tools.

Here’s how to get your video in front of the right eyes:

• Embed on Key Web Pages: Your homepage, product pages, and landing pages are prime real estate. Placing your video front and center can increase engagement, time on page, and conversions.
• Use in Email Campaigns: Adding video thumbnails to your email campaigns can boost open rates and click-throughs. Whether it’s part of a drip sequence or a sales follow-up, video helps reinforce your message.
• Leverage Social Media: Tailor your video format and length to fit each platform. Post snippets or the full video on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and even TikTok, depending on your audience. Add captions to ensure it’s accessible (and watchable without sound).
• Incorporate Into Ad Campaigns: Pair your explainer video with paid social or PPC campaigns to educate and convert cold leads. Videos often outperform static ads thanks to their visual storytelling power.
• Add to Sales Presentations & Pitches: Whether you’re pitching investors or onboarding a new client, your explainer video can help you clearly and memorably communicate your value.
• Feature at Events and Conferences: Show your video at your booth, during presentations, or in follow-up emails to leave a lasting impression on attendees.

The beauty of an explainer video is its versatility. With the right distribution plan, it can work for you 24/7 — building brand awareness, driving conversions, and educating your audience across every stage of the buyer journey.

Common Mistakes in the Explainer Video Process

Even the most well-intentioned video projects can fall flat if certain pitfalls aren’t avoided. Knowing what not to do is just as important as understanding the right process. Here are some of the most common mistakes businesses make during explainer video production — and how to steer clear of them.

• Skipping the Strategy Phase: Jumping straight into animation without clear goals or audience targeting can lead to a video that looks nice but misses the mark. Always start with a strategy.
• Overloading the Script: Trying to cram in every detail about your product or service can overwhelm viewers. Focus on one clear message and keep your script tight and engaging.
• Forgetting the Audience: It’s easy to get caught up in what you want to say, rather than what your audience needs to hear. Make sure your video speaks their language, addresses their pain points, and leads them to action.
• Underestimating the Importance of Voiceover: A mismatched or low-quality voiceover can make even the best visuals feel off. Invest in professional voice talent that fits your brand tone.
• Neglecting Branding Consistency: If your explainer video doesn’t align with your existing brand colors, typography, and tone, it can feel disconnected. Ensure consistency across the board.
• Skipping the Review Process: Rushing through feedback rounds can result in costly edits later. Take the time to thoroughly review each phase — script, style frames, storyboard, and final cut.
• Not Planning for Distribution: A stunning explainer video won’t get results if it’s buried on a subpage no one visits. Have a clear plan for how, where, and when to share it.

Avoiding these common mistakes helps ensure your explainer video not only looks professional, but actually delivers results — driving awareness, engagement, and conversions.

Why Choose Digital Brew to Create Expainer Videos for Your Brand

If this process sounds like something you’re ready to invest in, look to Digital Brew.

At Digital Brew, we are passionate about creating captivating and effective explainer videos that achieve our client’s goals — wherever they are in their marketing journey. As an Emmy award-winning video production company, our talented in-house team brings decades of experience across 2D and 3D animation, motion graphics, and live action.

We don’t just focus on making beautiful videos; we ensure our videos drive results for your brand. And thanks to our video conversion kits, you have the tools you need to get the most out of your video investment.

Whether your tech company is looking to roll out a new app in a user-friendly way or your healthcare business needs to communicate a new service line to patients, we’ve got the skills to deliver one-of-a-kind explainer videos. Let us help you tell your story.

Contact us today to start brewing your explainer video.

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