And why SaaS and health tech teams use them to explain what they do
If you’ve landed here, someone has probably told you that you need an explainer video. Your marketing lead. Your investors. That competitor whose homepage suddenly looks a lot slicker than yours.
Fair enough. But what actually is one? And is it worth it for you?
We make explainer videos for businesses, councils and healthcare organisations across the UK from our Liverpool studio, so here’s the straight answer.
So, what is an explainer video?
An explainer video is a short video, usually 60 to 90 seconds, that explains what your product, service or idea does and why it matters to the person watching.
That’s it. No sizzle reel, no jargon, no talking heads reading a script. One clear message, told well.
A good one does three things. We call them the three Es:
🧠 It engages. People actually want to watch it, and keep watching.
💡 It educates. Viewers come away understanding what you do and why it’s valuable.
🎯 It empowers. They know what to do next, and they’re more likely to do it.
Most explainer videos are animated, and ours always are. Animation can show things a camera can’t: software that’s still being built, what happens inside the body, or how ten departments fit together. It’s also easy to update when your product changes, with no reshoots.
Why do explainer videos work so well?
People take in stories faster than feature lists. An explainer video takes something that would need a 20-slide deck and turns it into a minute and a half people will actually watch.
They work because they:
Turn a complicated offer into a simple story
Hook attention in the first few seconds
Explain complex ideas without dumbing them down
Build trust by showing, not just telling
Give viewers a clear next step
Where would you use one?
Almost anywhere you currently have to explain yourself:
Your homepage, so visitors get it in seconds
Sales calls and demos, to set the scene before you go into detail
Onboarding, so new customers or staff get up to speed without a training session
LinkedIn, ads and events, cut down into shorter clips
The best ones do several of these jobs at once.
Who uses explainer videos?
Mostly organisations with something that’s hard to explain in a sentence. That’s why we focus on a few sectors in particular.
💻 SaaS and software
Software that does a lot is hard to demo without losing people. Avensure needed one video for PeopleCloud, their HR and health and safety platform, that could win new customers and onboard existing ones. We made a fast-paced product tour that does both. See the PeopleCloud video.
🏥 Health tech and healthcare
Patients, clinicians and buyers all need to understand how a treatment, app or service works, quickly and calmly. Animation shows the process clearly, without cameras in clinical settings. We’ve made animated videos for organisations including Pfizer, Roche and the NHS.
🏛️ Councils, universities and charities
Explainer videos aren’t only for selling. Brent Council used one to help staff across the organisation understand a new, resident-led way of delivering services, moving the message out of policy language and into something human. See Radical Place Leadership.
Types of explainer video
Most explainer videos fall into one of four types:
Product explainers. Show what your product does and why it matters, for your homepage, ads and sales calls. See our Avensure PeopleCloud video.
Onboarding and training videos. Get new users or staff up to speed without a 40-page manual.
Internal change films. Explain a new way of working to your own people, like our film for Brent Council.
Research and public sector explainers. Make complex research, services or policy easy for anyone to follow.
What goes into making one?
Every project follows the same path, with your feedback at each stage:
Kick-off: we get to know your audience, goals and message
Concept: we nail the script and storyboard before anything is drawn
Illustration: you see exactly how it’ll look, frame by frame
Voiceover: a professional voice brings the script to life
Animation: everything moves, and music and sound effects go in
Quick answers
How long should an explainer video be?
60 to 90 seconds suits most. Long enough to explain, short enough to hold attention. Product tours and onboarding videos can run longer.
How much does one cost?
Most of ours cost between £1,000 and £4,000, depending on length, style and how much custom illustration is involved.
How long does it take?
Typically 4 to 6 weeks from kick-off to delivery, with regular updates throughout.
Animation or live action?
Live action is great for showing real people and places. Animation wins when you need to explain something abstract, invisible or still being built. Here’s what animation can do that filming can’t.
The short version
An explainer video is a short, clear video that explains what you do and why it matters. Your elevator pitch, sales rep and trainer, rolled into one.
If your audience doesn’t get it, they won’t buy into it. Whether you’re selling software, improving patient care or changing how a council works, an explainer video helps people understand you, trust you and act.
👉 Got something that needs explaining? Get a free quote and we’ll come back to you within 24 hours.
Keep reading: How to choose the right animation style and The art of the storyboard.
