What is an explainer video?
An explainer video is a short, focused video — usually 30 to 120 seconds — that explains what something is, how it works, or why it matters. The best explainer videos follow a simple arc: name the problem the viewer has, show the solution, and end with a clear next step. Done well, they compress a five-minute conversation into a clip anyone can understand at a glance.
Explainer videos live everywhere that attention is scarce: the hero section of a landing page, the top of a product tour, a paid social ad, a sales email, an onboarding flow, or a pitch deck. Their job is always the same — remove confusion so the viewer says 'ah, I get it' and takes the next step.
Why explainer videos convert
Text asks the reader to do the work of imagining your product. An explainer video does that work for them. That is why landing pages with a short explainer routinely lift conversion — the video answers the silent questions ('what is this? is it for me? what happens if I click?') before the visitor bounces.
Explainer videos also travel well. The same 60-second clip works as a website hero, a YouTube result that ranks for your category, a LinkedIn post, and a reply to a prospect who 'doesn't quite get it yet'. One asset, many jobs.
How to make an explainer video with AI
You do not need a studio. With Whiteboard Video, you start from whatever you already have: a rough prompt, a finished script, a product page URL, a PDF one-pager or a Word doc. The AI reads it, writes a tight explainer script, storyboards it into scenes, generates hand-drawn whiteboard illustrations, and records a natural voiceover.
The result is a finished explainer video you can download in minutes. Want a different hook, a shorter runtime, a new voice or a fresh illustration? Edit and re-render instantly. No timelines, no keyframes, no revisions ping-pong with a freelancer.
Types of explainer video you can create
The tool handles the styles teams ask for most: whiteboard and doodle explainers (hand-drawn, high retention); animated explainer videos (illustrated scenes with motion); SaaS and product explainers (turn features into benefits); and educational explainers (break a concept into steps). You choose the angle; the AI handles the production.
Because you can feed it a document, it is also the fastest way to turn an existing blog post, help article or whitepaper into a video without rewriting the content.
Explainer video cost: AI vs agency
A custom explainer video from an agency typically runs from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars and takes four to eight weeks. Freelance marketplaces are cheaper but slower to coordinate and inconsistent in quality. Both make experimentation painful — every revision costs money and time.
AI collapses that. You can produce, test and iterate explainer videos for a flat low monthly cost, render as many versions as you like, and only scale up when a video is working. For most teams that is the difference between 'one video a year' and 'a video for every feature, campaign and audience'.
Summary
The key points, if you only read one thing on this page:
- What is an explainer video?: An explainer video is a short, focused video — usually 30 to 120 seconds — that explains what something is, how it works, or why it matters.
- Why explainer videos convert: Text asks the reader to do the work of imagining your product.
- How to make an explainer video with AI: You do not need a studio.
- Types of explainer video you can create: The tool handles the styles teams ask for most: whiteboard and doodle explainers (hand-drawn, high retention); animated explainer videos (illustrated scenes with motion);
- Explainer video cost: AI vs agency: A custom explainer video from an agency typically runs from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars and takes four to eight weeks.