Critical mistakes to avoid when making your first explainer video

First explainer video mistakes

Last Updated on March 13, 2024

What do the best explainer videos have in common? For starters, they all describe the topic in the most straightforward and concise way. They also do this in a very quick and entertaining way. Best of all, amazing explainer videos convert. So, how can you make a high-converting explainer video that meets these criteria while avoiding crucial mistakes that will cost you time, money, and maybe parts of your sanity? It’s simple, just follow the below explainer video best practices to develop the video which helps in growing your business. 

Not Researching Your Target Audience

The internet may be a global market, but you don’t need everyone to see your videos. In fact, this would only be a waste. You only need the people who are genuinely interested in what you’re showing. This way, more of them are likely to convert.

So, how do you do this?

Simple! By finding out as much as you can about your target audience. 

Let’s put this into perspective. We’ll say that you’re creating an explainer video about a new, advanced bookkeeping software. Who is going to watch every single second of this video? Accountants and bookkeepers , or teenagers who are really into Fortnite?

Accountants and bookkeepers of course. So, by knowing your audience, you will be able to target their biggest problems in the video, showing them exactly how this new software can make their lives much better, easier, and stress-free.

Thinking That the Message Is All That Matters

What you say in your explainer video is very important. It’s probably the most important part. However, that’s nothing without a high-quality video with good animations and smooth transitions. 

Without this, your video can just be a person talking in front of a camera. Not very entertaining, right?

With that in mind, having a professionally crafted video with animations will be a game changer. 

Tip: You have two options when it comes to this: Do it yourself using an explainer video software or get help from experienced professionals.

Using software will be somewhat cheaper. But, it’s very difficult to do it yourself like this. You have to write the script by yourself, spend countless hours on the animations, record the voice, add effects, and edit it all together.

But if you outsource the entire project to a service that has decades of experience with this, such as mypromovideos, you will at least be guaranteed a high-quality explainer video that’s significantly more likely to achieve great results.

Using Your Phone or a Bad Mic for the Voice Over

Can you imagine watching an explainer video where:

  • You can’t hear half of the words clearly
  • There’s background noise eating away at your eardrums
  • The volume is inconsistent and gets really loud or quiet at certain points

After experiencing all of that, what is the first thing most people will associate this video with?

The answer: a bad product or service that’s clearly not worth hearing about in this explainer video.

In reality, the product or service being explained might be amazing. But, you blew it by having unprofessional and bad audio quality.

Based on this, hopefully you can understand how important this feature is. It should never be overlooked. So, don’t record the voice over on your phone. You can purchase or rent a high-quality microphone for voice overs.

Or, you can hire a professional company that offers the highest possible quality regarding all elements of an explainer video, not just the voice over.

Learn more: How to find a voice over for an explainer video

Not Using Music in the Background

You may think that this is a less important feature that’s okay not to include from time to time. The truth is, background music can turn even the most boring explainer video into an entertaining one. It can be the one missing piece that entices your viewers to make it until the end of your video. 

So, if it can do all that, why not just take a few extra minutes and find a good track to implement in your video? Even though that’s a fantastic option, professional explainer video companies can create original music from scratch. It’s not always necessary but it can add a unique touch.

The most important thing to remember here is that you shouldn’t use tracks that have copyright. You can easily find royalty free music on websites like Envato, the Free Music Archive, and many more.

Lastly, if you’re having trouble finding a good tune, a great idea is to listen to explainer video background music on other videos you find online. This often helps creators to imagine what type of song would work in their own videos.

Talking Only About Features and Benefits

You may have heard that talking about the benefits first and the features later is the best way to get your viewer’s attention. This may be effective, but there’s a much better way to do this. 

You must create a story that relates highly to your target audience. It should entice them to hear every single word in your video and imagine themselves in that situation. 

If you achieve this, then whatever you say next will resonate with them. Any feature or benefit you talk about will sound like the best thing they’ve heard in their life.

This part should be handled in the script-writing stage. If you can’t write a script like this yourself, it’s best to hire an experienced scriptwriter copywriter. Someone with these skills is highly educated on how to sell, and not just talk about features and benefits with no context.

Mypromovideos takes care of this part for you as well. With some of the most experienced writers in this industry, you’re guaranteed a script that will get viewers interested in your video and the product you’re presenting.

Summary

Making an effective explainer video is difficult, but it’s not impossible. It just takes a bit of time to learn the ropes and test to find out what works. In any case, you can always seek help from experts and eliminate all the doubts in your mind regarding whether or not you have a great explainer video.

Picture of Anil Kumar
Anil Kumar
Producing B2B video content is hard. We help technology firms build brands and win more customers through our videos.

Award-Winning full-service video production company. 

We’re dedicated to bringing your video ideas to life with our expertise. Get in touch with us to create an amazing video for your business.

Mypromovideos Team
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