Updated October 2026 · 9 min read
Quick answer: a good explainer video script has five parts — hook (1 sentence), problem (2–3 sentences), solution (2–3 sentences), how it works (3 short steps) and a call to action (1 sentence). At about 150 spoken words per minute, a 60-second explainer is 140–160 words and a 90-second explainer is 210–230 words.
The explainer video script template
Copy this, fill in the brackets, and read it out loud with a timer.
[HOOK — 1 sentence, ~15 words, 0:00–0:06]
Ever [frustrating situation your audience knows]?
[PROBLEM — 2–3 sentences, ~35 words, 0:06–0:20]
[Who] struggle with [problem]. It costs them [time / money / stress], and [current workaround] doesn't fix it.
[SOLUTION — 2–3 sentences, ~30 words, 0:20–0:32]
Meet [product / idea]. It [main benefit in plain words] — so you can [outcome].
[HOW IT WORKS — 3 steps, ~50 words, 0:32–0:52]
First, [step 1]. Then, [step 2]. Finally, [step 3]. That's it.
[CALL TO ACTION — 1 sentence, ~15 words, 0:52–1:00]
[Try it free / Book a demo / Learn more] at [website].
Total ≈ 145 words ≈ 60 seconds. For 90 seconds, add a benefits section (2–3 benefits, ~60 words) before the call to action.
Word counts by video length
| Length | Words | Scenes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 seconds | 70–80 | 4–6 | Ads, social media |
| 60 seconds | 140–160 | 7–10 | Homepage, product explainer |
| 90 seconds | 210–230 | 10–14 | SaaS, B2B, more complex products |
| 2–3 minutes | 300–450 | 15–25 | Training, education, tutorials |
Sample explainer video scripts
Example 1: Product explainer (60 s)
Ever bought a plant that died in two weeks?
Most people overwater or underwater, because every plant needs something different — and nobody remembers which is which.
Meet SproutSense: a tiny sensor that tells you exactly when each plant needs water.
Push it into the soil. Connect it to the app. Get a nudge on your phone when it's time to water — and how much.
No more guessing, no more dead plants.
Get SproutSense today at sproutsense.example.
Example 2: SaaS explainer (90 s, B2B)
Your team spends Friday afternoons chasing timesheets.
Managers send reminders, people guess their hours, and payroll fixes the mistakes on Monday. It's slow, it's error-prone, and everyone hates it.
TimeLoop tracks time automatically from the tools your team already uses — calendar, email and project boards.
First, connect your tools in two clicks. Then, TimeLoop suggests each person's timesheet. Finally, they approve it in ten seconds.
Managers get accurate reports, payroll gets clean data, and your team gets Friday afternoon back.
Start your free 14-day trial at timeloop.example.
Example 3: Training / onboarding (2 min, excerpt)
Every refund you process correctly keeps a customer coming back.
Here's how to do it in under two minutes.
Step one: ask for the receipt or look up the order by phone number.
Step two: check the return date. Items can be refunded within 30 days.
Step three: choose the original payment method and confirm the amount with the customer.
Common mistake: refunding to a different card. If the customer asks, call your supervisor.
Recap: find the order, check the date, refund to the original payment. Done.
Example 4: Educational explainer (60 s)
Where does the water in a puddle go?
It doesn't vanish — it starts a journey called the water cycle.
The sun warms the water and it evaporates, rising as invisible vapour.
High in the sky the vapour cools and condenses into tiny droplets, which form clouds.
When droplets join and get heavy, they fall as rain or snow — precipitation.
The water collects in rivers, lakes and oceans… and the journey starts again.
8 rules for a great explainer script
- Lead with the viewer's problem, not your company.
- One idea per sentence, one sentence or two per scene.
- Write for the ear: short words, contractions, no jargon.
- Benefits over features: say what changes for the viewer.
- Show, don't list: every sentence should be something you can draw.
- Use "you" — talk to one person.
- Read it out loud with a timer and cut anything you stumble on.
- One call to action — don't offer three choices.
Turn your script into a video
Once the script is done, you don't need an animator. Paste it into Whiteboard Video and every sentence becomes a hand-drawn scene with a natural voiceover. Don't have a script yet? Describe your product or upload a PDF and AI writes one using this structure — then you edit it. You can also storyboard first with our explainer video storyboard guide.
Every account starts free: 1 AI-generated video, plus 5 free Studio videos every day where you write the script and add your own pictures or free stock photos. No credit card.
Summary
- Structure: hook → problem → solution → how it works → call to action.
- 60 seconds ≈ 150 words; 90 seconds ≈ 220 words.
- Write for the ear, one idea per scene, benefits over features.
- Paste the finished script into an AI whiteboard video maker to get a narrated video in minutes.