How to Storify your Explainer Video Script & Build Trust?

Jul 26, 2019 7:43:49 AM

Just like heavy discounts can’t save a bad product, amazing animation can’t save an explainer video that has a weak script.

Writing a script for an explainer video can be difficult.

But what if I told you that there’s a formula that can help?

Think about all of the explainer videos you’ve ever liked. All of them have used this formula.

Ever stopped to think why you’ve loved those videos?

It was the story.

Storytelling is what it all boils down to.

 

And we’re going to help you do it the right way with a framework.

Framework That Transforms Your Explainer Video Script

Your script’s success depends on how well it is able to tell a story. And every story has a structure. This is where the four-step framework comes in.

Without further ado, here’s the framework that can completely transform your explainer video script into a great story:

  • Attention
  • Interest
  • Desire
  • Action

Before we discuss each step in detail, let’s look at an animated video and see how the script falls in this framework.

Consider this Google Bigquery Video:


The video begins with a hook that lasts for the first five seconds.

This is the Attention section of the AIDA framework.

captured (3)-1

In this hook, Google directly talks to the people who are either using big data solutions or are planning to use them.

This serves two purposes.

Firstly, people who aren’t planning to use big data solutions wouldn’t watch further.

This helps in ensuring that only the relevant audience watches the video.

Secondly, it connects with the audience.

This sets the foundation for building trust since the audience now feels that you know them. Largely, however, building trust is left for the next stage, Interest.

In this video, Google talks about the various problems you would face while handling the complexity of the gigantic amounts of data (or big data).

However, the core problem that is talked about in the video is the complexity of big data.

captured (1)-1

This problem is the biggest problem faced by the target audience (that Google can solve with their product).

By doing this, you build trust as the audience sees you as someone who knows them.

Now is the best time for you to introduce your solution—which is what Google did in the video.

This is the Desire section of the AIDA framework.

A good explainer video would take this opportunity to address problems, give a plan, and show the transformation it brings.

Google has done all three in this video.

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Finally, it is time to give the audience an action to perform.

In this case, Google asks the audience to head over to the Big Query landing page.

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See how the script fits into the framework? Let’s dig deeper into it:

Grab Attention Right From the Beginning

Attention is scarce in the online world, and everyone is fighting for it.

If you aren’t grabbing attention quickly, you’re risking viewers hopping on to other videos.

Look at the video we just discussed.

By saying, “with Big Data, we’ve come to expect big responsibility”, Google hooks the relevant audience to the video.

It made the target audience go, “THIS IS SO ME!”

Relatability is one of the major factors affecting the interest of the audience in your video.

So, you have their attention. Now what?

Hold the Audience's Interest

Regardless of how intrigued your customers are initially if they don’t find value in what you’re saying, they WILL move away.

You’ve faced a lot of competition to get the viewer to stick around for the first few seconds, you DESERVE their viewership for the rest of the video.

To ensure that, you need to keep them hooked.

You need to hold their interest until the end of the video.

The best way to do so is by talking about the problems they face.

captured (3)-1

Let them know that you understand them well.

This is where your industry knowledge comes in.

Your products and services revolve around solving problems faced by your customers, so this part should come naturally to you.

There is, however, something that you need to be careful about.

You need to focus on their biggest pain point, regardless of how many problems your product or service solves.

The intensity/tension of the problem area should rise in an upward graph until the viewer feels they absolutely NEED a solution.

In the video we discussed above, the problem that the product was trying to solve was complexity of handling Big Data.

And the script ensured that the audience believes that Google knows exactly what the audience is going through by talking about multiple issues that the problem raises.

So, you have their attention and trust. All that’s left now is to give them the perfect solution.

Address Their Desire With The Perfect Solution

Now is the time to give them an offer they can’t refuse.

They know that you’re fully aware of their problems. They trust you.

If you can give them the solution that can solve the biggest problem they’re facing right now, nothing can stop them from converting.

You’ve already established the problem in the previous section.

All you need to do now is to show them a utopian future that can be a reality with the help of your solution.

You can see how Google addressed the core problem as well as issues surrounding it in the video.

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They also gave the audience a plan which gave them a better understanding of the solution.

It doesn’t stop there.

Google went ahead and showed them the transformation that their solution would provide.

 

Leave Them With an Action to Perform

Now that the audience is spell-bound by your solution, they would want to buy it or start talking to you.

But how do they do it?

This is a question you need to answer in this part of the explainer video.

Don’t leave it for the viewer to figure out for themselves.

As a marketer, it is your job to reduce friction as much as possible.

Tell them to give you a call, or visit a landing page etc.

captured (5)-1

You’ve guided them throughout the video, so why leave them on their own here and confuse?

Give them an action to perform.

In this video, the call to action was to visit a landing page.

The Mighty Explainer Video Script Template for Beginners

Here’s a template you can use to see how your script fits into the AIDA framework:

STRUCTURE

SCRIPT

AIDA


HOOK

 


ATTENTION


PROBLEM

 

INTEREST


INTRO TO BRAND/SOLUTION

   

SOLUTION/ EXPLANATION

 


DESIRE


CTA

 


ACTION


Wondering how to use it?

Fret not, we’ll discuss some of the best explainer videos we’ve come across and find out how their scripts fit into this table.

Starting from scratch? Here are 10 simple steps you can follow to create your own explainer video script.

Explainer Video Script That Expresses Empathy Builds Trust!

If your explainer video can hit the right notes, your customer starts talking.

But for that, you need the audience to trust you.

You need to write your video script in such a way that it expresses empathy. It is only when your audience believes that you understand them well.

Let’s look at how the following videos express empathy:

Axway - IT Services Infographic Video Script

 


STRUCTURE


SCRIPT


AIDA

HOOK


Given a choice to build your dream IT infrastructure from scratch, you probably wouldn’t stick with what you have today.

ATTENTION

PROBLEM


You would choose modern technologies to propel your business forward like APIs that free data trapped in legacy systems to create new digital experiences, content collaboration that’s safe, secure, and user-friendly, and manage file transfer that makes life easier for your partners and internal teams.

And you wouldn’t be alone. In a recent global survey of senior IT decision-makers, 92% said legacy systems are holding their businesses back.

INTEREST


INTRO TO BRAND/SOLUTION


So how do you move forward, modernize IT, bridge the gap between old and new?

 

SOLUTION EXPLANATION


This transformation isn’t about an all-out move toward cloud or a radical rip-and-replace. It’s about continuous improvements that can start small and deliver big benefits fast.

DESIRE


CTA


Learn how with Axway!


ACTION


The video starts with a statement that resonates with the audience. This grabs their attention and compels them to watch the video further.

It then builds and holds the interest of the audience, lamenting the problem at hand, by talking about what the dream IT infrastructure would be like. After that, it talks about the solution giving the audience a plan.

Finally, the video ends with a strong CTA.

Google BigQuery - Product Explainer Video Script

 


STRUCTURE


SCRIPT


AIDA


HOOK


With big data, we have come to expect big responsibility.


ATTENTION

PROBLEM

In order to handle the complexity of today's data you need to spend a lot on the hardware, plan ahead for the scalability and pour hours into the system architecture. It's no joke, and this just gets you up and running.

You still need someone; no a team to make sure everything is running smoothly. And even after all that headache running queries can still take anywhere from minutes to hours and mistakes can be costly.

Wouldn't you rather focus on finding insights from your data than developing infrastructure around it?

INTEREST

INTRO TO BRAND/SOLUTION


Google BigQuery is a fully managed data warehouse that removes setup hassles and runs queries rocket fast.

Fast enough to analyze terabytes of data in seconds and petabytes in minutes.

 

SOLUTION EXPLANATION


Google big query works on a pay as you go basis, you only pay for the bytes you process.

What if you really have a big query it's simple we'll spin up an entire data warehouse to quickly process it for you.

Just sit back and let us handle the scaling.

Google Big query encrypts, replicates, and deploys your data across multiple data centers for maximum durability and service uptime.

With just a couple of clicks, you control where you store your data.

Sharing and collaboration are easy as well, you decide who can access your data.

And because you can handle standard SQL queries anyone can get involved.

Plus Google Big query integrates with google cloud products and other software.

So you can readily load, process and make interactive visualizations of your data.

Its never been easier to process massive data sets and find insights fast with google big query.

DESIRE


CTA


Head to cloud.google.com/bigquery


ACTION


By saying, “with Big Data, we’ve come to expect big responsibility”, Google hooks the relevant audience to the video.

It then talks about their biggest problem in detail before moving on to giving them the perfect solution. The solution has an action plan and shows the great transformation that would happen if they go for the product.

Finally, the video ends with a CTA leading them to the Big Query landing page.

Animated Video Script for M&M Financials

 


STRUCTURE


SCRIPT


AIDA

HOOK


1. We bought a business that had a pending IRS payroll debt which we figured we could handle until we approached the IRS.
2. I had several years of tax returns that had not been filed so the IRS was constantly on my back.
3. After years of being a successful and respected company, we found ourselves at a predicament.

ATTENTION

PROBLEM


1. Not only were they hostile but also demanded a huge downpayment backed up by equally hefty monthly payments.
2. The stress was unbelievable and because I have high blood pressure, my health took a hit.
3. The IRS was literally knocking at my door.

INTEREST

INTRO TO BRAND/SOLUTION


3. And so many companies offered to help but M&M was different.

2. They were the only ones who could calm my nerves and patiently walk me through the process.

 

SOLUTION EXPLANATION


2. M&M Financials is a top financial consulting company. They do their homework and they take excellent care of you. No push, no shove, no guilt. Just facts.
1. Their expertise got us through very difficult times. It has now been years since we first contacted them and we’re still in business.
3. I finally have the monkey off my back and my health is improving. It’s a great feeling to know that someone out there is willing to help, you know, someone who really cares.

DESIRE


CTA


(on-screen CTA)


ACTION

 

This video is tricky to understand and put into the structure since it has three narratives going on simultaneously. However, it is easy to see how every narrative has a well-defined structure.

It starts with a hook that grabs attention by talking about the reason they had a problem. After that, it moves on to the problem statement which makes the audience relate to the narrative.

Once the trust of the audience is gained, it moves on to talking about how M&M Financials helped them to overcome their problems. It finally shows the company's logo with various ways to reach out to them.

You are now ready to write a killer video script that is engaging!

Have a better explainer video script template? Have trouble with fitting a video into the structure?

Let us know in the comments below, we would love help [for free]!

 

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