How to Storify your Explainer Video Script & Build Trust?

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 Big query Video:

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

This is the Attention section of the AIDA framework.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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