- One viewer, one problem, one next move
- Writing the script before touching visuals
- Choosing a look: characters, whiteboard, motion graphics or a presenter
- Six stages from blank page to published explainer
- Five explainer makers compared
- AI presenters and the YouTube disclosure rule
- My verdict on where to begin
- Frequently asked questions
Define one audience and one action, write a short script that states the problem and the fix, and pick a visual style that suits the message. Build it from a template or a prompt in a video tool, add a voiceover and captions, then publish where your customers already are and measure what they do next.
An explainer video is a sales conversation you only have to film once. That's the good news. The bad news is that most of them fail before anyone opens a video tool, because they try to explain the whole product to everyone at once.
So this guide starts with the thinking, moves on to the build, and finishes with one rule that catches people out if they use AI presenters on YouTube.
One viewer, one problem, one next move
Before anything else, write down three things: who's watching, the single problem they've got, and the single action you want them to take when the video ends. Explainers fail when they try to cover everything. If you've got three audiences, you've got three videos, not one long one.
Two of the makers below help at this stage. One has an AI scriptwriter built in, and Animaker lets you describe your idea in plain language in a short guided conversation and refine it with the AI.
Writing the script before touching visuals
Keep the structure simple: the problem, your answer in plain words, how it works in two or three beats, then the call to action. The script drives every later choice, from style to voice to length, so get it right first. Read it aloud. If you stumble over a sentence, your viewer will too.
Choosing a look: characters, whiteboard, motion graphics or a presenter
Match the style to how serious or friendly the topic is, and to how often you'll need to update the video. Animated characters feel warm and work well for consumer products. Whiteboard suits step-by-step processes. Motion graphics carry data and product screens. An AI presenter is the quickest to update when your offer changes, because you edit text rather than redraw scenes.
Six stages from blank page to published explainer
- Fix the audience, problem and action. Covered above. Don't skip it.
- Write the script. Problem, answer, how it works, call to action.
- Pick the style that suits the topic and your update schedule.
- Build from a template, or paste in your script, document, PowerPoint or a prompt and let the tool draft scenes. Then replace placeholder text with your own words and brand elements. Starting from a draft is faster than a blank timeline.
- Add a voiceover or text to speech, and captions. Check how it pronounces your product and people's names, because mispronounced names undermine trust, and many viewers watch without sound. Then export, or publish by link or embed.
- Place it where the question gets asked, such as a landing page or a help article, and track whether viewers take the action. An explainer is judged by what people do next.
Five explainer makers compared
| Tool | What it does | Stands out for |
|---|---|---|
| Synthesia | Turns a prompt, document, PowerPoint or link into a video with AI avatars and voiceovers; publishes by link, embed or SCORM and translates into 140+ languages | Video from a document or URL, with analytics on who watches |
| Powtoon | Branded explainer, whiteboard, infographic and screen-recorded videos from templates, with doc-to-video and text to speech | An AI scriptwriter plus hundreds of templates |
| Vyond | Animated videos from templates, a script, a prompt, PowerPoint or PDF, with text to speech and AI avatars | Vyond Turbo, its prompt-driven way to create video |
| Animaker | Explainer, training, promo and onboarding videos from an idea or prompt, with an AI script generator and translation into 100+ languages | Describe the idea in plain language and refine it with the AI |
| Renderforest | Explainer templates and toolkits in whiteboard, 3D and other styles, alongside an AI video generator and voice tools | Several explainer styles in one platform |
Only Powtoon states a free plan, and as of Nov 2026 it comes with limits: premium templates, AI features and full HD exports need an upgrade. For a longer shortlist, see our pick of animated explainer video makers, and if the whiteboard look suits you, there's a separate guide to whiteboard animation software. If you're weighing up AI presenters, our list of other AI avatar video platforms is worth a look.
AI presenters and the YouTube disclosure rule
If your explainer uses an AI presenter or AI-generated scenes and you upload it to YouTube, check the disclosure rule first. YouTube Help's page on disclosing use of generative AI content says creators must disclose AI-generated or altered content that seems realistic, such as making a real person appear to say something they didn't, or generating a realistic scene that didn't happen. The disclosure is made during upload.
Clearly unrealistic animation doesn't need it, and neither does using AI to help write your script or outline. So a cartoon explainer drafted with an AI scriptwriter needs no label, while a lifelike presenter who looks like a real member of your team is the case to flag.
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My verdict on where to begin
Write the script before you choose a tool, and keep it to one problem and one action. Then pick the style that you can update without pain, because an explainer that goes out of date is worse than none. Any of the five makers above can carry a good script. None of them can rescue a muddled one.
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Frequently asked questions
How long should a business explainer video be?
There's no single right length. Keep it to one problem and one action, and it'll naturally stay short.
Do I need to be able to animate to make one?
No. Template and prompt-based makers build videos from scripts or prompts, and AI presenter tools turn a document or link into a video.
Can I turn a PowerPoint or document into an explainer video?
Yes. Several makers convert documents, PowerPoints or PDFs into video, including Vyond with its PowerPoint to Video and PDF to Video options.
Can I make the video in several languages?
Synthesia states translation into 140+ languages, and Animaker states translation into 100+ languages.
Must I tell viewers my explainer is AI-made?
On YouTube you must disclose realistic AI-generated or altered content when uploading. Clearly unrealistic animation and AI help with scripts don't need disclosure.
