Quick Answer
To make an explainer video, define one core message, write a tight 60 to 90 second script, choose a style, then produce and narrate it. Knowlify is the fastest path: self-serve in minutes or done-for-you in 72 hours.
To make an explainer video, define one core message and audience, write a tight 60 to 90 second script from content you already have, choose a visual style, then produce and narrate it. Knowlify is the fastest path: generate it yourself in minutes with the self-serve platform, or let Knowlify Studio write, animate, and deliver a finished video for you.
This is a how-to guide to the real production process, not a tool ranking. If you want to compare options first, see our roundup of the best AI explainer video makers, or jump straight to the explainer video maker to try the self-serve workflow. Below, we walk through every step and where Knowlify fits.
"96% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service"
Ways to Make an Explainer Video, Compared
There is no single right way to make an explainer video. The best method depends on your budget, timeline, and how much polish you need. Here is an honest comparison of the five common paths.
| Method | Cost | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Write/animate it yourself (DIY tools) | Free to ~$50/mo | Days to weeks | Hobby projects, one-off internal clips |
| Freelancer | From ~$500 | 1 to 3 weeks | Single videos with a specific look |
| Traditional agency | From ~$5,000 | 4 to 8 weeks | High-stakes brand or campaign films |
| AI self-serve (Knowlify) | Free to start | Minutes | Teams turning existing docs into video fast |
| Done-for-you (Knowlify Studio) | From ~$1,000 | ~72 hours | Polished video without the agency price |
DIY tools give you full control but cost the most in time, and the learning curve is real. Freelancers and agencies deliver quality but charge for it and move on a multi-week timeline. The self-serve platform turns documents you already have into a narrated, animated video in minutes. Knowlify Studio sits in between: a done-for-you service that writes, animates, and delivers a finished video in about 72 hours, roughly 4x cheaper than a traditional production studio.
How to Make an Explainer Video, Step by Step
The production process is the same whether you do it yourself or hand it off. Understanding each step helps you brief a team well and judge the result. Here are the five steps, from idea to published video.
Step 1: Define one core message and audience
Before you write a word, decide the single thing the video must communicate and who it is for. A good explainer answers one question for one audience: how your product solves a specific problem, how a process works, or why a concept matters. Trying to cover everything is the most common reason explainers fail. Write your core message in a single sentence, name the audience (prospects, new hires, patients, customers), and define the one action you want viewers to take afterward.
Step 2: Write or generate a tight script
Most explainer videos run 60 to 90 seconds, which is roughly 150 to 225 words. Lead with the viewer's problem, show how the solution works, and close with one clear call to action. Keep sentences short and conversational, because the script is read aloud. If you already have the source material (a product spec, a help doc, a slide deck, a Google Doc), you do not have to start from a blank page: Knowlify reads your existing documents and generates a structured script and storyboard automatically, which you then tighten. A focused first draft beats a long one you have to cut later.
Step 3: Choose a style and format
Style sets the tone and the budget. The common formats are animated (the most flexible and on-brand for software, processes, and concepts), live-action (best when a real product or person needs to be on screen), screen recording (ideal for software walkthroughs), and presenter or avatar (good for direct, talking-head delivery). Match the style to your message and brand: a playful animated explainer suits a consumer app, while a clean, restrained look fits enterprise or healthcare. Knowlify offers 40-plus animation styles and pulls your brand colors and logo automatically, so the output looks like you without a designer.
Step 4: Produce the video and add voiceover
This is where the script becomes a video, and where the method you chose in the comparison above matters most. The done-for-you path: hand your goal and source material to Knowlify Studio and a finished, human-reviewed, narrated video comes back in about 72 hours. The self-serve path: upload your document or paste a prompt into the platform, review the generated storyboard, and edit by chatting in plain language ("shorten the intro," "use a warmer tone in scene three"). Either way, voiceover is generated automatically, so you do not need to book a studio or a voice actor. If you go fully DIY in another tool, you will assemble scenes manually and record or generate narration separately.
Step 5: Review and publish
Watch the full video as your audience would, ideally with one or two people who match it. Check that the core message lands in the first 10 seconds, the pacing is not rushed, the audio is clear, and the call to action is unmistakable. Make final edits (in Knowlify, that is another quick chat-and-re-render, not a full re-production), then export the MP4 or share a link. Drop it on your landing page, in your LMS, in onboarding emails, or across social. Document in, explainer video out.
Knowlify Studio delivers finished video in as little as 72 hours, about 4x cheaper than a traditional production studio, across the 200,000+ videos produced on the platform.
A traditional agency is still the right call for a flagship brand film or a campaign that demands a fully bespoke creative concept. For nearly everything else (product explainers, training, onboarding, how-tos, and the volume of video most teams actually need) a self-serve or done-for-you AI workflow gets you there faster and for far less. Book a demo to see which path fits, or start free and make your first video today. For broader context on hiring out video work, see our guide to corporate video production.
FAQ
How long should an explainer video be?
Aim for 60 to 90 seconds. That is long enough to set up a problem, show the solution, and land a call to action, but short enough to hold attention. Viewer drop-off rises sharply past the two-minute mark. For complex topics, make a series of short videos rather than one long one, since each can target a single idea.
How much does it cost to make an explainer video?
It ranges widely. DIY tools run from free to about $50 a month, freelancers start around $500, and traditional agencies typically start at $5,000 and climb with length and polish. Knowlify's self-serve platform is free to start, and Knowlify Studio's done-for-you service starts around $1,000, roughly 4x cheaper than a comparable production studio.
Can AI make an explainer video?
Yes. AI platforms like Knowlify turn documents (PDFs, PowerPoint, Google Docs, Word) or a plain prompt into a narrated, animated explainer video automatically, handling scripting, scene design, and voiceover. You review a storyboard and refine it by chatting in plain language. This produces a finished video in minutes for self-serve, or about 72 hours for a human-reviewed Knowlify Studio video.
What makes a good explainer video?
A good explainer video communicates one clear message to one audience, opens with the viewer's problem rather than your features, and ends with a single call to action. Keep it tight (60 to 90 seconds), use a conversational script written for the ear, and match the visual style to your brand and topic. Clarity beats production budget every time.