Quick Answer: A good explainer video can increase sales, build your brand and improve engagement with your audience. Pricing for a high quality custom video costs between $4,000 to $30,000 depending on the studio you work with, the duration of your video and it’s complexity. Typical timelines are 5-14 weeks depending on the studio, duration of the video and complexity.
Explainers are more than just “cool videos”, they are vital marketing assets that work across your entire funnel to drive conversions. Before you dive in, there are a few core pillars to understand. In this article we will breakdown a few of these core pillars with the aim to help you make the best decision before moving ahead.
Table of Contents
How long does it take to make an explainer video?
How to choose a production studio
How can I make sure my production is a success?
Why get an explainer video?
Explainer videos are a powerful marketing asset that help you make more sales and educate your audience. By combining narrative, design, and motion, they turn complex ideas into something easy to understand and easy to remember.
Here are some ways that they benefit your marketing:
1. Clarify your value proposition
A concise video explains why your product matters. It explains your benefits, how your product works and who it’s for. This helps your sales because people typically only buy something if they understand it.
Tip: How to write an explainer video script
2. Communicate complex ideas quickly
Whether you’re selling software, a technical service, or a new concept, explainers make it easier for your audience to grasp your offering in seconds. Animation and visual storytelling allow you to show processes, systems, and outcomes that would be difficult to explain with text alone.
According to article posted by Speach in 2024, studies have found that the use of visuals can increase information retention by 65%, and viewers retain as much as 95% of a message when watched in a video, compared to only 10% when reading it.
Tip: Explaining complex products with animation
3. Improve your Conversion Rate
Video increases the conversion rate of on your landing pages. And in the hands of your salespeople it can be a powerful tool. By communicating your value prop clearly and removing obstacles to buying, an explainer video is a useful tool in your marketing arsenal. See here for more information.
Pro Tip: Use video across your entire marketing funnel
4. Improve engagement
Video captures attention and gets better engagement than other media. Whether it’s on social media or your homepage, an explainer video helps your audience stay engaged long enough to understand your value.
5. Build trust
A well-crafted explainer signals that you understand your audience and can communicate your offering with confidence.
Clear, structured messaging, combined with professional visuals, helps create a strong first impression and supports decision-making.
6. Create a reusable, long-term asset
Explainer videos aren’t limited to one use. They can be adapted and reused across multiple channels, including social media, email campaigns, presentations, and paid ads. This makes them a versatile asset that continues to deliver value over time.
Tip: How to repurpose video content
Ways to make an explainer
You can create an explainer video in 2 main ways. They can be either (i) custom-crafted, or made using (ii) automated or semi-automated tools (e.g. WYSIWYG tools). Option (i) videos are typically made by a studio whereas (ii) can be done by yourself (though you can also use a studio). There are AI tools available and these mainly fall into category (ii) but can also be used as a component of (i). Currently the AI tools available, as of 2026 anyway, don’t allow you to craft a brand-ready video of a high quality from start to finish. That’s mainly because the output is not editable to allow you to express the exact visuals and story flow needed.
What option is best for you? Option (i) is best if you need a custom, professional result while option (ii) is best if your budget is constrained and you’re willing to get your hands dirty with the tools.
Explainer video pricing
If you go out for quotes you’ll encounter a wide range of prices, currently around $3,000 to $30,000 depending on the studio. Why is this range so big? The level of creative input can vary between studios and the location of the studio is also a big factor, i.e. studios located in developed countries with high labor costs are more expensive. At Piehole.TV we’re in the $5,000 to $13,000 range depending on video style and duration. For more detailed discussions around pricing in general, you can have a look are our article on explainer video costs.
How long does it take to make an explainer video?
At most studios you’re looking at a few weeks production time, typically 5 – 14 weeks for a custom 60-90s animated explainer video. The timeline is usually shorter for quick-turn simple jobs but can be longer for more complex work, e.g. frame by frame animation or complex 3D. What goes into that timeline? It will include scripting, storyboarding, illustration, animation and sound. When you factor in revision rounds at each step, you can see that the timeline gets filled up quickly. You can read more about explainer video timelines in our article here.
What’s the process?
Most studios follow a process that is similar on the surface but there are nuances. A typical process involves staged deliverables with sign-off at each step before moving to the next. Steps include: scripting, styling, voice casting, storyboarding, artwork creation, animation and sound design. There are revision rounds at each step – typically 2 rounds depending on the studio. Below is a video explaining our process.
What styles are available?
The creative variety is infinite! But broad categories include 2D character animation, 2D motion graphic style animation and also mixed media styles that may use footage. Check out our ultimate list of explainer video styles here.
To give you a flavor of typical styles, here are a few examples below. This first example is an explainer video in 2D character animation style.
And here below is an example that uses moving graphics rather than characters – sometimes referred to as ‘motion graphic’ style’.
Finally, here below is a mixed media video that combines footage with animation. For these types of videos the footage may be custom-filmed or stock footage can be used.
How to choose a production studio
To decide which studio to use, you should consider their capability and reliability. To assess capability, you should review the studio’s portfolio of work, e.g. on their website, Youtube and Vimeo. Ask them to see examples in your industry. Try to assess their track record. It’s not just about the nice art, it’s about finding a team that will understand your business goals.
The question of reliability is very under-valued. We know because we get to fix a lot of projects that went wrong elsewhere! Does your studio consistently make good videos or do they only have a 1-hit wonder in their portfolio? Do they have the depth of experience (and deep enough pockets) to rebound if things go wrong? Or will they walk away as soon as the finances on the project get iffy? A more established studio with a reputation to uphold can be a safer bet (Ok so we’re biased but there it is!).
How can I make sure my production is a success?
Once you’ve chosen a studio and are up-and-running, there are some things you can do to help make the project a success.
1. Take briefing seriously
Most studios will ask you to fill out a briefing document. Make sure your team is aligned on the goals of the video and the positioning of your product, e.g. the core benefits. A good studio will help tease these out but it’s still important to get consensus on your goals. One pitfall to avoid is delegating the brief and script sign-offs on your end to a junior or new staff member without alignment with senior management – this can lead to unnecessary problems to resolve later in the process.
2. Go for awesome
The best way to get want you want is to actually ask for it. Tell your studio you want something amazing and tell them what counts as amazing for you. A good studio will ask you at briefing stage about what would make this project a success for you. Creatives love to work on exciting projects… so tell them you want something good.
3. Avoid having too many cooks
Decide beforehand about who in your team will have sign-off rights for reviews and who will just comment. This prevents conflicting feedback and unnecessary back-and-forth. Depending on your organization it can be helpful to have separate people responsible for artwork sign-offs and messaging signoffs.
4. Involve key stakeholders early
CEOs jumping in late are the #1 cause of disruption to video projects! In video production, each step builds on the previous steps and so making late changes to signed off scripts and storyboards can have real impacts on timelines and costs. When signing off on key steps, tell your stakeholders that this is their moment to give their input, rather than later.
Deciding on the Optimal Length
How long should your explainer video be? For a website or landing page, 60 to 90 seconds is the “Goldilocks” zone but 120 seconds is fine too. Attention tends to dip after about 2 minutes. When looking at social media, “Micro-Explainers” (15 – 30 seconds) are the way to go for stopping the scroll.
Read more in our article on video durations here.
Revision Management
During the process you’ll be asked to review work. You should expect to be making around 2 revision rounds at each stage of the process. Many studios will cap it at 2 rounds, but there are also studios who offer unlimited revision rounds. Regardless, to keep the project running smoothly you should ensure your feedback is consolidated and clear.
Maximizing Your Investment
A high-quality explainer video is an investment that can continue creating value long after launch. When approached strategically, one video can support a much wider range of marketing efforts across your business.
The strongest explainer projects are often designed with long-term use in mind. A single video can be adapted into social clips, paid ads, website visuals, presentation content, trade show material, and email campaigns, helping your team get more reach and flexibility from the original production.
Alongside the final video, productions also often create valuable supporting assets such as illustrations, icons, animations, and design elements that can continue supporting future marketing and content creation.
With a clear rollout strategy and strong messaging at the core, an explainer video becomes more than just a launch asset. It becomes a long-term communication tool that continues supporting brand awareness, marketing, sales, and customer education over time.
Bottom line:
The effort that goes into an explainer video becomes far more valuable when the project is approached as a long-term communication investment rather than a once-off piece of content.
FAQ’s
Explainer video pricing can vary significantly depending on style, duration, and production complexity. A professionally produced explainer video typically ranges from $4,000 to $30,000+ depending on the studio you use and factors like custom illustration, 3D animation, scripting requirements, and turnaround time all influencing the final cost.
For most websites and landing pages, 60 – 90 seconds is considered the ideal range. This gives enough time to communicate the core message while keeping attention high. Shorter versions are often created for social media, paid ads, or email campaigns.
A professional explainer video usually takes between 5 and 14 weeks to complete depending on your studio and factors like the duration of the video, style, complexity and number of revision rounds. It also depends a lot on how quickly you can give feedback during the process.
Yes. Many explainer videos can be updated in the future, especially if they are built with modular scenes and editable project files. Common updates include UI changes, new branding, updated messaging, or new calls-to-action.
Most projects include: creative briefing, scripting, visual direction or styleframes, storyboarding, illustration/design, animation, voiceover, sound design and revision rounds. Some studios may also assist with strategy, distribution planning, or versioning for different platforms.
The best style for your video depends highly on your brand, audience, and message. For example, character animation can work well for storytelling and emotional engagement whereas a ‘motion graphic’ style works well for complex tech and SaaS products. A good studio should help guide this decision based on your goals.
Explainer videos are commonly used across: homepages / landing pages, sales presentations, trade shows, email campaigns, social media, paid advertising as well as onboarding flows. Many companies also create shorter cutdowns from the main video for additional campaign content.
It is important to look for a studio with strong communication, a consistent portfolio, a clear process, and experience in your industry.
Summary
Buying an explainer video is a significant step, but asking the right questions upfront ensures you aren’t just buying a video, you’re hiring a 24/7 salesperson. A great explainer simplifies your value proposition in seconds, reduces bounce rates, and guides prospects through your sales funnel faster than text ever could.
Ready to make the right move? Talk to our team TODAY!
