Explainer Videos: How to Unique-ify your SaaS Startup by Explaining Your Magic

Different Types of Explainer Videos

Here’s a breakdown of different explainer video formats that SaaS companies can consider, each suited to different goals and budgets.

Type of Explainer Video Description Pros Cons Example Use Case
Animated Visual animations for abstract concepts Customizable, engaging Can be costly Dropbox’s animated explainer
Live Action Real people showcasing the product Builds authenticity Requires more planning Zendesk’s real-world scenarios
Screen Capture Recording of product interface Shows interface directly Limited visual engagement Software walkthroughs

 

 

Your team breathes it, which is amazing, but can the people you want to help pick up on it? In the first 90 seconds, do they know it? Now, if you are in the SaaS industry, I know that it can often be difficult to get across big ideas within the confines of a single page, and the attention span of your customer is likely less than 3 seconds. This is where explainer videos enter the game.

So in this post, we share some maxims for making explainer videos that maximize traction for SaaS and tech startups, from how to write the message to the type of style to inject a little bit of humor to maintain the fun. In each section, we give maxims, insights from the pros, and examples from the real world to help light the way.

The Importance of Explainer Videos to SaaS in 2025

In the competitive SaaS circumstances, explainer videos are a full-on need technology these days. An engaging video can best demonstrate the need and rationale of your solution to potential customers, who will be presented with exciting new platforms every day; new platforms on which you have to convince them your solution matters and it is the most straightforward way for them to get things done. With the expectations of clarity, speed, and innovation being a factor of SaaS, the need for explainer videos has risen to be the preferred form of educating your audience.

 

For instance: Insight: By 2025, 9 in 10 SaaS product buyers will aim to consume product information via brief visualizations instead of lengthy text reads.

 

A good explainer video is usually less than a couple of minutes long, presents an actual solution and a call to action in a polished and memorable manner. Here are the specific reasons explainer videos are an essential part of a SaaS startup:

Engagement Enhancement: Video is the most engaging form of content, above all other text and image formats, allowing you to capture or keep viewer interest.

SaaS usually has many goings on and may come with some very niche functionalities. Videos do this quickly to avoid viewer confusion.

Retention of Users: Watching a message helps remember 95% of the content while people keep only 10% of what they read and Video can be one of the strongest formats to educate your users about your product.

Rise of the SaaS Explainer Video — Case Studies of Leading Startups

So let us take a few of the bigger names out there to help demonstrate what could be done with a simplified explainer video. Now, with that in mind, let us see how some SaaS companies are using explainer videos to describe complex ideas and reach their users.

Dropbox

Dropbox introduced itself through a very simple, animated explainer video that explained its core idea—cloud-based file storage—via elevator pitch-style class animation. With an abstract concept that could have easily been lost in translation Dropbox was able to dominate the market with their simple visuals and clear narration giving the people what they want — more Dropbox.

Slack

Slack was simple and witty in its explainer video and the message clear from the introduction: be the one stop shop for team communication. Slack showed its worth by solving actual pain points and using its humor to attract users who may not even know they need Slack until they saw it in use.

Zendesk

Zendesk decided to keep it real by showing relatable examples of customer support problems and how its product could help solve them. By making use of a live-action style that was as authentic as it was comedic, Zendesk engaged users emotionally to prove to them how their product might benefit their businesses.

Marketing Expert Quote: Explainer videos make the abstract concrete. So, it goes like making users realize how software is an key part of their workflow.”

Top Maxims For Making Explainer Videos That Pack A Punch

Here are some go-to maxims for making that explainer video one that inspires intrigue, then action. All a tip is centered around a thing that helps make things more clear, engaging or easier to remember.

Keep It Concise: 1-2 Minutes

Because viewers have about the same attention span as a gnat, keep the video less than 60 to 90 seconds. Keep it to the necessities: the problem, the solution, the call to action.

Emphasize a Problem-Solution Scaffolding

The best way to connect with the audiences is to frame a problem they are aware of and then show how you are the solution to that problem. Start with the problem they have, then explain how your product or service can overcome it.

Speak Fewer Jargons, Make it Simple

Your product may need a few technical details, but minimize jargon, as much as possible. Use Simple Language — Using simple and straightforward language makes your video accessible to everyone, not just a specific area of the population.

Use Visual Storytelling

Should let your visuals speak for themselves. Interactive visuals, for example, allow end-users to explore the breadth of a complex SaaS product in an entertaining yet effective manner. Here animation and illustration work especially well because they abstract away complexity.

Invest in a quality audio book and narration

Bad audio is the biggest distractor. For instance, a lively and approachable voice will be appropriate if you want a compatibility between the tone of your brand and that of the narrator, contrastively, a smooth and authoritative voice will be great if you want to go the clear-cut, no-nonsense route.

Types of Explainer Videos

So here is a list of all the explainer video formats that SaaS companies can opt for depending on the aim and budget.

Explainer Video TypeExplainationBenefitsDownsidesExample scenarioAnimatedVisuals improve abstract ideasCan be customized, engagingProbably expensiveDropbox animated explainerLive ActionReal people demonstrate productAuthenticityRequires planning out Zendesk real world scenariosScreen CaptureRecording your screen to show interfaceDirectly displays interfaceVisual engaging video software walkthrough

Making use of Humor In SaaS Explainer Videos

If you can sprinkle some humor along the way, viewers will be more inclined to stay until the end. So, here are the 13 different varieties of voyage and how it can be performed based on the type for an effective SaaS explainer video:

3) Physical Voyage: A Grounded Approach Some simple, exaggerated animations can hammer home the user’s pain points adding a bit of physical humor to the process.

Self-Deprecating Humor — make your SaaS relatable by embracing its “nerdy” bits with gentle humor

When crazy preposterousness is enriching: Throw in an absurdity that pokes fun at your audience and a weird product use case that keeps the viewer on their toes with the continuous surprise element.

  • Dark Humor: Acceptable to Bring in Some Humor as Long as You are Grounded in Reality About Things Your SaaS Can Fix, with Some Sarcastic levity
  • Satirical: Light-heartedly expose the habits, old or new, that permeate the industry your product is addressing.
  • Observational Humor: When users see “I see you” satire of a common frustration your SaaS addresses.
  • Anecdotal Voyage — Construct a short, relatable story that reflects the user vistas.
  • Dry Wit:Minimize the advantages, with a clever twist, so that the users themselves get the joke.
  • The best character-based voyage always has strong character to help lead the user through the video.
  • Improv Voyage: To make a “reality,” cement the deal with spontaneous, actual-life examples.

Tech Props: Icons and other elements in the visuals make it funny and memorable.

Straight-laced but silly Deadpan Voyage: Display features with no effort shown other than a comedic element

Clever/related wordplay: Some clever wordplay or puns related to SaaS never hurt when trying to lighten the mood.

 

“Humor has a great way of appealing to connecting people to the brand”

Explainer Videos: Answering the Most Common Questions Tech Startups Have FAQs

Including frequently asked questions in your video strategy is necessary. Below are the best-known questions of SaaS startups on explainer video.

SaaS explainer video ideal length 1.

Perfect for SaaS audience: 60 to 90 seconds

What amount a SaaS startup should invest in explainer videos?

Costs vary but plan on spending enough for quality animation and narration. Even cheaper options will work with good messaging.

  1. What is the best format for SaaS explainer videos?

Animation is great for converting complex products and live action builds credibility.

Why Humor Helps Explainer Videos

Humor creates a lasting impression in the viewer’s mind and makes the brand sound convincing and relatable, particularly for complex products.

How Explainer Videos Increase Conversions for SaaS Products

Through solving pain points and simplifying complex solutions, explainer videos help build trust, which translates to conversion.

This article lists 8 explainer video ideas to keep your production as low-cost as possible.
  • Startups on a budget can still produce high-quality explainer videos. Some of the more affordable options include the following ones:
  • Animation software: You can use easy-to-use, inexpensive DIY (do-it-yourself) animation software from companies like Animaker and Biteable to create animations.
  • Freelance Talent: Upwork and Fiverr have plenty of talented animators or video editors to turn to that won’t break the bank.
  • Repackage Old Content: Transform previous slides or demonstrations into explainer videos with a bit of editing and a voiceover.
  • Tip in an Example: Start with the most essential, use the simplest tools, and skip design and/or new resources if you’re low on money at the moment. Remember, clarity beats fancy production, any day.

Final Call to Action: Get Started on Your SaaS Explainer Video

An effective explainer video could be the gap between your product and your buyers. With clear messaging, an appropriate voice, and a sprinkle of character, you can make an explainer video that both informs and engages. Whether you do it on a budget or go all the way with a studio production, it’s high time you get started on your explainer video: the more you are clear about your product the more it resonates with your users.