AI Short Video Production · Deepege Editorial Team
How to Make a SaaS Explainer Video: Script Template, Length and Cost
A SaaS explainer video is a short video, usually under two minutes, that shows a prospective customer what problem your software solves, how it works in a few steps and what to do next. The ones that do their job keep to one audience and one problem, show the real product, and end with a single call to action such as starting a trial or booking a demo.
Key points (checked October 25, 2026):
- In Wyzowl's 2026 survey, 51% of video marketers said 30 to 60 seconds is the most effective video length, and 71% picked something between 30 seconds and 2 minutes.
- Write the script before you choose a style. A five-part structure (problem, product, how it works, proof, call to action) makes it easier to keep a homepage explainer within 30 to 90 seconds.
- Pick the production style by how often your interface changes: screen recordings go stale with every redesign, while animation and AI avatar narration are easier to update.
- On Clutch's pricing guide, agencies quote $100 to $149 per hour for explainer videos and most projects reviewed on the site cost under $10,000.
- Give the video its own indexable page, captions and chapters, so people can find it in search and skip to the part they need.
What is a SaaS explainer video?
A SaaS explainer video is a marketing video that explains the value of a software product to someone who has not used it yet. It answers three questions in order: what problem does this solve, how does it solve it, and what should I do now. It is shorter and less detailed than a product demo, and it is aimed at prospects rather than existing users.
The difference matters because each format belongs in a different place and needs a different script. The lengths below are our rule of thumb, not survey data:
| Format | Who watches | Typical length | Where it lives | Main goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Explainer video | Prospects who just arrived | 30 seconds to 2 minutes | Homepage, landing pages, ads | Get the viewer to start a trial or book a demo |
| Product demo | Evaluators comparing tools | 3 to 15 minutes | Sales calls, demo pages, YouTube | Show enough detail to shortlist the product |
| Feature or launch video | Existing users and prospects | 30 to 90 seconds | Release notes, email, social | Explain one new capability |
| Tutorial or help video | Customers already using the product | 1 to 5 minutes per task | Help center, onboarding | Help someone finish one task |
Explainer videos are also one of the most common formats companies make. In Wyzowl's State of Video Marketing 2026 survey of 266 respondents, fielded in late 2025, 68% of businesses that use video said they make explainer videos, second only to social media videos at 69%. Wyzowl also sells explainer video production, so read its numbers as a useful survey rather than neutral research.
How long should a SaaS explainer video be?
A SaaS explainer video for a homepage or landing page should usually run 30 to 90 seconds, because that range matches what most marketers report works and leaves room for one problem, three steps and a call to action. Product demos and onboarding videos can run longer because their viewers have already decided to pay attention.
Wyzowl's 2026 survey asked video marketers which length works best:
| Length | Share of marketers who said it works best |
|---|---|
| 30 seconds or less | 20% |
| 30 to 60 seconds | 51% |
| 1 to 2 minutes | 20% |
| 2 to 3 minutes | 5% |
| 3 minutes or more | 4% |
Treat this as a starting point, not a rule. If your product needs more explanation, split it into a 60-second explainer for the homepage and separate feature videos for each workflow, rather than stretching one video to four minutes.
How do you write a SaaS explainer video script?
The fastest way to write a SaaS explainer video script is to fill in five parts in a fixed order: the problem, the product, how it works, proof and the call to action. Write it as spoken words first, read it aloud with a timer, and cut until it fits your target length before anyone designs a single frame.
This is the template we use for a homepage explainer:
| Part | What to say | Share of the runtime | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Problem | One situation your buyer recognizes, in their words | About 15% | Opening with your company name or mission |
| 2. Product | One sentence: what the product is and who it is for | About 10% | Listing every feature in one breath |
| 3. How it works | Three steps, each shown on screen in the real interface | About 45% | Showing menus nobody needs on day one |
| 4. Proof | One fact you can back up: an integration, a customer type, a security standard | About 15% | Unsupported claims such as "the #1 tool" |
| 5. Call to action | One next step and where to click | About 15% | Offering three different next steps |
A few rules make the script easier to produce:
- Write for the ear. Use short sentences, "you" instead of "users," and the words your customers use in sales calls and support tickets.
- Limit "how it works" to three steps. If you cannot show the value in three steps, the video is probably a demo, not an explainer.
- Match every line to a visual. Add a second column to the script for what appears on screen, so nobody has to invent visuals during editing.
- Keep claims checkable. Anything you say about results or security should be something your legal or sales team would put in writing.
If you want a first draft to edit, our free video script generator writes scene-by-scene scripts with a hook, voiceover, on-screen text and a call to action, and the hook generator suggests several opening lines to test.
How do you make a SaaS explainer video step by step?
You make a SaaS explainer video by fixing the goal and audience, writing and timing the script, choosing a production style, building a storyboard, recording narration, producing the visuals and then publishing it with captions on its own page. Changing the script after the visuals are built is the most expensive kind of revision, so lock the script early.
- Set one goal and one audience. For example: "new visitors on the pricing page who manage a support team should start a free trial."
- Collect the inputs. Pull the top three problems from sales calls, the current product screens, brand assets and any claims you are allowed to make.
- Write and time the script with the five-part template above. Get sign-off from product and sales before moving on.
- Choose a style (screen recording, motion graphics, AI avatar or live action) using the comparison in the next section.
- Storyboard every line. A rough frame per sentence is enough to catch screens that no longer exist or steps that need a different visual.
- Record the voiceover. Use a human voice actor or an AI voice; either way, check pronunciation of your product name and every feature name.
- Produce, then review against the script. Check that the interface shown matches the current product and that on-screen text is readable on a phone.
- Publish and measure. Add captions, a thumbnail and chapters, put the video on its own page, and compare trial or demo starts before and after.
Which style should you choose for a SaaS explainer video?
Choose the style for a SaaS explainer video by how often your product changes and how much you need to show the real interface. Screen recordings are the most accurate but go out of date with each redesign; motion graphics and AI avatar narration cost more upfront or look less personal, but they are easier to update.
| Style | Works best when | Update effort when the product changes | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen recording with voiceover | The interface itself is the selling point and you have an editor in-house | High: re-record every changed screen | Cluttered screens, personal data in test accounts |
| Motion graphics or 2D animation | The product is abstract (APIs, security, infrastructure) or the UI changes often | Medium: edit the affected scenes in the source file | Losing the source files if the agency keeps them |
| AI avatar or AI voice narration | You need many versions, languages or frequent updates | Low: edit the script and re-render | Avatars can feel generic; check voice and likeness rights |
| Live action | Trust and people matter more than the interface (founders, customer stories) | High: reshoots | Cost and scheduling of shoot days |
Many teams combine styles: an animated opening for the problem, real screen captures for the three steps and an AI or human voiceover over both. If you need to localize the video later, keep on-screen text out of the footage itself so translators can replace it; our video localization guide explains the subtitles, voiceover and dubbing options.
How much does a SaaS explainer video cost?
A SaaS explainer video costs anywhere from the price of a software subscription, if you make it in-house, to a five-figure agency project. On Clutch's video production pricing guide, updated September 21, 2026, agencies charge $100 to $149 per hour for explainer videos, and most projects reviewed on Clutch cost less than $10,000.
Clutch also reports an average project cost of $42,280.92 and a typical timeline of five months, but that average is pulled up by large productions; it is not a typical price for a 60-second explainer. What actually moves the price:
- Style and length: custom animation and live action take more hours than a screen recording with voiceover.
- Revisions: every round after the storyboard adds hours, which is why locking the script early saves money.
- Versions: each extra aspect ratio, cutdown or language is extra work.
- Location of the team: Clutch lists the same $100 to $149 hourly band for the US, Canada and Australia and $25 to $49 for agencies in India, Ukraine and Mexico.
For line-by-line budgets and how in-house, agency and AI tool costs compare, see our video production cost guide. If you are weighing AI avatar tools for explainer videos, our HeyGen vs Synthesia comparison covers how the two meter usage.
Where should you publish a SaaS explainer video so people find it?
Publish a SaaS explainer video in at least two places: embedded near the top of the page it supports (homepage, product or pricing page) and on its own watch page or YouTube video, because Google's video features need a page whose main purpose is that video.
Google's video SEO best practices say a video must be embedded on an indexed watch page with a valid thumbnail at a stable URL, and that a dedicated watch page for each video is needed to be eligible for features such as video results and key moments. It is fine to embed the same video on your homepage as well.
Three more details help viewers and search engines:
- Captions. The W3C's WCAG 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) criterion asks for captions on all prerecorded audio, including who is speaking and meaningful sound effects.
- Chapters on YouTube. YouTube's video chapters need at least three timestamps in the description, starting at 00:00, with each chapter at least 10 seconds long. Our free YouTube description generator drafts descriptions with chapters.
- A unique title and description for each watch page, written for the problem the video solves rather than the product name alone.
Can AI tools make a SaaS explainer video?
AI tools can make most of a SaaS explainer video today: they can draft the script, generate a voiceover, create an avatar presenter and produce translated versions. What they cannot do is decide which problem to lead with or check that the screens and claims match your current product, so a person still owns the script and the final review.
A practical split is to let AI handle drafts and versions while a person handles accuracy:
| Task | AI is useful for | A person should |
|---|---|---|
| Script | First drafts and alternative hooks | Choose the problem, check every claim |
| Voiceover | Fast drafts and other languages | Check product names and pacing |
| Presenter | Avatar narration that is easy to re-render | Confirm likeness and voice rights |
| Localization | Subtitles and dubbed versions | Review with a native speaker |
Deepege is our own product. It is built for Chinese businesses that publish short product videos to platforms such as Douyin, WeChat Channels and TikTok in several languages, and its pricing page says a conventional video production team is a better fit for a one-off brand film or launch video. For a single homepage explainer, that usually means an agency or an in-house editor; Deepege fits better when you need a steady stream of short cutdowns and language versions afterwards. The free AI voiceover generator can produce a draft narration from your script either way.
How we put this guide together
We reviewed the US top 10 Google results for "saas explainer video" on October 25, 2026, using Semrush data, and wrote this guide to cover the questions those pages leave open: script structure with timings, how to choose a style by update effort, and where to publish. Statistics come from Wyzowl's 2026 survey and Clutch's pricing guide; publishing guidance comes from Google Search Central, YouTube Help and the W3C, all read on October 25, 2026. The script template and style table are our own recommendations, not results from a test. We did not review individual agencies or tools for this guide.
Conclusion
A SaaS explainer video works when it is short, specific and current. Write a five-part script and time it to 30 to 90 seconds, choose the style by how often your product changes, budget by hours and versions rather than by a single headline price, and publish it with captions and chapters on its own page.
FAQ
What is a SaaS explainer video?
A SaaS explainer video is a short marketing video, usually under two minutes, that shows prospects what problem the software solves, how it works in a few steps and what to do next, such as starting a trial or booking a demo.
How long should a SaaS explainer video be?
For a homepage or landing page, usually 30 to 90 seconds. In Wyzowl's 2026 survey, 51% of video marketers said 30 to 60 seconds works best and 71% chose a length between 30 seconds and 2 minutes.
What should a SaaS explainer video script include?
Five parts in order: the problem in the buyer's words, one sentence on what the product is, three steps showing how it works in the real interface, one fact you can back up, and a single call to action.
How much does a SaaS explainer video cost?
It depends on hours, style and versions. Clutch's pricing guide, updated September 21, 2026, lists $100 to $149 per hour for explainer video agencies and says most video projects reviewed on Clutch cost less than $10,000.
Can AI make a SaaS explainer video?
AI tools can draft the script, generate a voiceover, create an avatar presenter and produce translated versions, but a person still needs to choose the problem to lead with and check that every screen and claim matches the current product.