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Perplexity
GeminiYou spent $2,000 on an explainer video. But no one’s using it.
It’s sitting on your homepage, maybe tucked inside a sales deck. But it never made it to your onboarding flow, social posts, or customer success emails.
This isn’t just a distribution issue. It’s a “content debt” issue. Content debt happens when you invest time and money into creative assets only for them to be underused, misaligned, or outdated in six months.
And one of the biggest culprits? A vague creative brief.
At Content Beta, we’ve produced over 200+ explainer videos for B2B companies in SaaS, cybersecurity, fintech, and healthcare. The smoothest projects – the ones with fewer revisions and faster turnaround all had one thing in common: a well-aligned creative brief.
Sometimes, even a great brief isn’t enough. That’s why we built a safeguard into our process every explainer video project starts with a frame-by-frame storyboard. Before anyone animates a thing. It reduces misinterpretation, shortens feedback loops, and forces early alignment.
[Frame-by-Frame Storyboard]
[Final Video for Drugbank based on the storyboard]
Because when explainer video briefs are vague, the feedback sounds like this:
- → “Let’s start afresh.”
- → “This isn’t what I imagined.”
- → “I can tell when I see the final video.”
If you’ve been through those painful revision loops, this post is for you. Whether you’re outsourcing for the first time or working with multiple vendors, here’s a step-by-step method to write explainer video briefs that needs fewer revisions. Plus, you will be able to proudly use the final video everywhere to start conversations, warm up cold leads, or explain your product in seconds increasing the long-term value of the asset.
We create strategic design assets for 200+ B2B & SaaS companies.
Sales presentations, Marketing collateral, Website graphics, Ads Creative and more.
Step 1: Define the Video Goal, Not Just the Topic
🚫 “We need a product explainer.”
✅ “We want to show how our AI scheduling tool reduces re-schedules by 60%.”
Clarity at this stage sets the tone for script, tone, visuals, and CTA. Don’t just state what the video is about define why you’re making it.
Ask this first:
- → Who is this for? (new users, prospects, internal teams)
- → Where will it be used? (homepage, onboarding, social)
- → What do you want the viewer to do after watching?
- → What’s the one thing this video should do?
- → Help users activate a feature?
- → Increase demo signups?
Be specific. Avoid multiple conflicting goals. If you need multiple goals, consider breaking the project into shorter, purpose-built videos.
Bonus tip: Include the funnel stage (awareness, consideration, onboarding, etc.) so your team or agency can frame the tone and CTA accordingly.
Here is how our Request Intake form looks like:
Step 2: Define the Viewer, Not Just the Persona
Creative teams don’t need a detailed ICP deck. They need an answer to:
- → What does the viewer already know about your product?
- → What mental objections are they carrying?
- → What’s confusing to them?
Here’s how we think about this at Content Beta: If your viewer is a “cold prospect,” your script should educate. If they’re mid-funnel, it should clarify. If they’re post-sale, it should train or excite.
Step 3: List 3 Things the Viewer Should Know After Watching
Don’t let the script wander. Anchor it with a short list:
- → What exactly do we want the viewer to understand?
- → What should they feel?
- → What should they do next?
For example, in a recent explainer we produced for a compliance SaaS product, the three takeaways were:
- Your existing audit tools are manual and slow.
- This tool automates 80% of your prep work.
- Book a free 30-minute walkthrough to see it in action.
Simple. Friction-free. Focused.
Step 4: Share the 'Must Show' Product Sections
Many clients forget this: your product doesn’t need to be shown end-to-end. You only need to show what supports the narrative.
Add screen recordings, mockups, or even timestamped Loom walkthroughs of:
- → Flows that reflect your video goal
- → Any UI that’s especially intuitive or visually appealing
- → Interactions that differentiate you from competitors
At Content Beta, we have started asking for:
- → One “Hero Use Case”
- → One “Key Differentiator”
- → One “Common Workflow”
With just these 3 visuals, most stories become easier to visualize. A typical 60-second explainer video uses 130 words.
Step 5: Clarify the Message, Tone, and Style (With References)
This section removes ambiguity. Most internal delays come from unclear expectations around tone and visual style.
Here’s what to include:
- → Message: What’s the big idea? What makes it relevant now?
- → Tone: Formal, friendly, quirky, high-trust, no-fluff?
- → Style: 2D animation, product screenshots, character-led, fast-cut visuals?
Pro tip 1: Share 1–2 video links that “feel right.” At Content Beta, this helps us align the first storyboard draft almost perfectly.
Pro tip 2: Avoid overused AI words in your scripts:
- ✅ Mention: Product jargon to use or avoid
- ✅ Mention: Must-have phrases (e.g. “unified dashboard,” “auto-synced reports”)
- ✅ Clarify: Preferred pronunciation (esp. for acronyms or brand terms)
- 🚫 Avoid: AI-heavy words such as in today’s fast paced world, resonate, game changer, boost
Step 6: Share Raw Materials Early
Include anything that can accelerate production:
- → Brand Guidelines & “soft” preferences (the unwritten rules)
- → Logo files, brand guide, font preferences
- → Product screenshots or a working demo link
- → Recent slide decks, sales emails, or positioning docs
We once saved 3 days on a project just because the client dropped a recent Loom video walking through their feature update. Even a rough reference helps set the right direction.
Step 7: Set Guardrails (Length, Budget, Timeline)
Creative flexibility is good. But mention the final mile specs to avoid unnecessary to and fro communication later. Think:
- → Ideal video length (e.g., 60 – 90 seconds max)
- → Preferred aspect ratio (16:9, 1:1, 9:16)
- → Timeline expectations (launch date? event date?)
- → Budget or number of revision rounds allowed
- → AI or Human voiceover? Voiceover preferences – e.g., non-salesy female tone
- → Others – Subtitles? YouTube Thumbnail?
This section also helps align internal stakeholders who might otherwise ask for extra versions or format tweaks late in the process.
Creative Brief from Client:
Step 8: Define Success (How Will You Measure It?)
Creative teams want to know what success looks like.
- → What metrics will you track?
- → Higher demo conversion?
- → Faster onboarding?
- → Fewer questions for Sales or CS?
✅ When we worked with a healthtech company, success wasn’t “Did people watch it?”
It was: “Did this reduce the time it takes our sales engineers to explain the product by at least 30 seconds?”
✅ A fintech client put it this way: “If this video can replace a 15-slide deck and cut two follow-up calls, it’s working.”
That’s measurable. That’s useful. And that’s what makes the brief worth it. Here is a review that made our day –
Stuck with Canva templates & handshake stock photos to tell your Brand Story?
BONUS: Explainer Video Briefing - a Technical Checklist
Here’s a Technical Explainer Video Brief Checklist specifically for companies clients who want to get granular about animation, visuals, and layout decisions. This checklist reflects what video producers actually need to know upfront –
| Category | What to Specify (in the Brief) |
|---|---|
| Animation Style | 2D animation, 3D, motion graphics, kinetic typography, mixed media, stop motion |
| Visual Treatment | Character-based, icon-led, abstract graphics, or actual product UI-focused visuals |
| UI Approach | Show actual UI (recorded screens)? Or simplified UI mockups/animations? |
| Brand Colors | Attach brand style guide or Hex codes |
| Typography Style | Preferred font family and usage (serif/sans-serif, weight for headlines vs body) |
| Logo Usage | Include intro/outro logo reveal? If yes, specify static vs animated logo preference |
| CTA Format | Should the CTA be visual only (button/text)? Include voiceovers? Add a QR code or URL? |
| Customer Testimonials | Include text pull quotes, video clips, or voice snippets? Mention tone and relevance |
| Statistical Proof | Any industry stats to be used visually? Source links? Include citations in the script? |
| Background Music | Corporate, upbeat, chill, orchestral? Should the music be soft or drive emotion? |
| Voiceover | Gender, accent (US/UK/Neutral), tone (friendly, instructional, corporate, warm) |
| Sound Effects (SFX) | Needed? E.g., swoosh sounds, transition audio effects |
| Subtitles | Need it hardcoded in the video or separate file (SRT/VTT)? |
| Thumbnail Design | Should we create a YouTube/social-ready thumbnail with CTA and product branding? |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 (YouTube/web), 1:1 (LinkedIn), 9:16 (Stories/Reels)? |
| Localized Versions | Need versions in other languages or regions? Subtitle or VO-based? |
| Scene/Section Length | Any preference for pacing? E.g., “Don’t stay on a single scene for more than 6 seconds” |
| Do Not Use | Specific words, colors, transitions, or visuals that are off-brand or discouraged |
Top 5 Things That Go Wrong Without a Clear Brief
Most explainer video production executions are about unclear handoffs, fuzzy responsibilities, and missing direction all of which trace back to the brief.
These usually show up when frustrated marketers often burned by past experiences with agencies or freelancers come to us with tight timelines and unclear expectations.
1. Scope Creep / Shifting Goal Posts
The video starts as a product overview. Midway, someone adds “also show onboarding” and “maybe include customer use cases too.” Without a clearly defined outcome, the ask keeps growing.
Who should’ve done what?
- → The project owner defines the one job the video should do
- → Internal stakeholders agree on what’s not included
- → The brief sets boundaries the creative team can push against
However, at Content Beta, we understand that scope changes are natural in creative projects. Ideas evolve as we build. That’s why we offer unlimited revisions at every stage. And if there’s any cost impact, we share it upfront before starting not after. No surprises, no last-minute charges.
2. Late Delivery
No timeline was locked. The brief didn’t mention key events or internal launch dates. Now, it’s stuck in limbo waiting for someone to approve “just one more round.”
Who should’ve done what?
- → The requester shares the timeline and key dates
- → The stakeholder team confirms availability for review
- → The creative team plans around known constraints (planned leaves)
3. Long Feedback Loops
Feedback comes in from Slack, email, Zoom, and DMs with no final say. So the project keeps circling with no clear next step.
Who should’ve done what?
- → The brief identifies who gives feedback and who makes decisions
- → The internal team sets a limit on how many rounds are allowed
- → The project owner aligns the group on what’s being prioritized (e.g. message > motion)
4. Misunderstood Product
The animator thought “dashboard” meant analytics. You meant workflow builder. The draft script misses the core value prop because the context was never shared.
Who should’ve done what?
- → The product owner supplies a 2–3 line summary
- → The marketer provides a Loom or walkthrough of the flow
- → The creative team confirms the interpretation before scripting
5. Missed Review Comments
The client shared 17 edit notes. Two minor ones got missed now it’s “We thought this was already fixed.” It’s not about effort it’s about attention to detail.
Who should’ve done what?
- → The project owner consolidates feedback in one place (Notion, Google Doc, etc.)
- → The creative team tracks revisions line by line
- → Final approval is done by the designated sign-off person not the group chat
If no one owns consolidation, everyone assumes someone else will do it. The brief should spell that out. That’s why every account at Content Beta has a Dedicated Creative Director and Project Manager — to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.
Payoff of Getting the Explainer Video Brief Right
The video actually gets used. It becomes part of your onboarding, product marketing, and sales toolkit not just a “nice-to-have” stuck on a landing page.
It’s faster to produce, easier to review, and more aligned with what your team actually needs.
We’ve seen this play out across hundreds of projects.
- ✅ The more aligned the brief, the smoother the feedback.
- ✅ The fewer the revisions, the higher the likelihood of reuse.
Use this post as your next explainer video checklist. Or grab our plug-and-play brief template and share it with your team.
If your creative brief is clear, your video won’t just get made — it’ll get used.
We create strategic design assets for 200+ B2B & SaaS companies.
Sales presentations, Marketing collateral, Website graphics, Ads Creative and more.
