Product explainer video services: how to choose the right provider

I need a product explainer for a new tool. It should explain one thing in 60 seconds and work on the homepage and LinkedIn.

That is a solid brief. It says the job, the length, and the places the film must live. That saves time later.

What should product explainer video services actually do?

They should turn one hard idea into one clear story. Not five. One.

A good provider will choose the main problem the video solves. If your product handles onboarding, billing, and reporting, the film still needs one lane.

Most product explainers work best at 30 to 90 seconds. Thirty seconds is tight. Sixty to ninety gives room for a simple setup and a clean ending.

• Show the problem in plain words.
• Show the product or process.
• Show what changes for the viewer.
• End with one next step.

The film should match where people watch it. A homepage film can move a little slower. A sales-call film should get to the point faster. A paid ad needs to work even sooner.

Explainer video without an agency: the whole job, on your kitchen table is useful if you want a smaller setup.

How do you know if you need a provider or a freelancer?

Choose a provider when you want one place for writing, motion, voice, music, and review. Choose a freelancer when you already have the script, the look, and someone on your team to manage handoffs.

For product explainers, the workflow matters as much as the price. Someone still has to shape the script, pace the motion, record the voice, and check the cut.

Ask who writes the script. Ask who approves it. Ask who handles revisions, voice recording, and final delivery. If the answer sounds fuzzy, keep looking.

For a small team, the real cost is often the time spent chasing versions. A steady provider should cut that down.

Some teams want one person. Others want a full team. Either can work, but the job should have one owner.

What should you send before work starts?

Send one sentence that says what the viewer should understand or do. That sentence is the spine of the job.

Then send anything that helps the provider move faster. A product page. A rough script. A Word file. A PDF. Notes from sales or support. A messy document is fine if it is honest.

If you already have a website, that can be enough to start. Nine can start from a sentence, a script, a document, a template, a voice recording, or a website address. Paste the web address on the front page, and it reads the colours, lettering, and words of that site.

Also tell them who the film is for, the one pain point to focus on, and where the film will live. Homepage, demo call, email, trade show screen, or LinkedIn. Those are different jobs.

If your script is still rough, start here: A film from a script or a document.

What format should you ask for?

Ask for the shape that matches the watch place. Wide, tall, or square. That is not a design quirk. It is the difference between a film that fits and one that gets cropped badly.

If the same story must live in several places, ask for more than one shape. That is common. It is also easier than forcing one export to do every job.

Nine makes films in wide, tall, and square shapes, so one film can fit a site, a phone, and a feed. If you want to see how a film can sit on a brand site, look at Ruter: T-bane, people who walk like people, a spec film made from a website alone.

How long should the script be?

A short script still needs a clear shape. Start with the problem, move to the fix, then land on the next step.

A 30 second film needs a very tight script. A 60 to 90 second film gives room for a simple setup and one proof point. If you keep adding features, the script starts to wobble.

Read it out loud. If you run out of breath, the viewer may run out of patience.

Cut any sentence that repeats another sentence. Product explainers get weak when they explain the same point twice.

What should you check before you approve the final cut?

Check the first five seconds first. That is where many viewers decide to stay or leave.

Then watch for four things: the words on screen, the pace, the music, and the ending. If the ending is weak, the whole film can miss the point.

Make sure the film starts where you want and ends where you want. A lot of good cuts go wrong at the last line.

Ask for a review link with pinned notes if the provider offers it. With Nine, a client can watch through a private review link with no account and leave notes on moments.

How much back and forth is normal?

Plan for at least one round on the script and one round on the cut. That is normal for a clean project.

You may need more rounds if the product is complex or the message is fuzzy. The fix is usually a better brief, not a longer thread of comments.

The best notes are specific. Say, “Change the second sentence.” Say, “Slow the middle.” Say, “Use the version that ends with the trial invite.” Vague notes waste time.

One person should own the final call. Otherwise the script gets edited by committee, which is how a 60 second video turns into a tired 90 second one.

What should you ask before you hire anyone?

Ask who writes the script and who signs off on it. Ask what happens if the product changes during the project. Ask whether you can get the film in the shape you need. Ask how you will review the cut.

Also ask for the delivery files you actually need. A web player is one thing. A file for your site is another. If you need a transparent version to place over your own footage or page, ask for that early.

Ask how revisions work, too. You want to know who owns approval, what counts as a change, and when the final file is ready.

If you want to see what Nine actually is, What is Nine (nine.film)? The film studio, not the 2009 film says it plainly.

What does a good first brief look like?

Keep it to five parts: what the product is, who it is for, what problem it solves, where the film will live, and what you want the viewer to do next.

That is enough to start a clean script. You do not need a novel. You need a decision.

• Product: a team inbox tool
• Audience: small support teams
• Problem: requests arrive in too many places
• Placement: homepage and LinkedIn
• Goal: book a demo

That kind of brief helps a provider say yes, no, or “we need one more sentence.” That is useful. It means they are paying attention.

On Nine, every article idea box can be opened as a filled-in starting point for a film. If you have a rough angle, you can start there and keep moving.

Vits: The Boss says, if your script needs a map, it is not a short film yet.