An explainer earns its length by teaching one thing clearly. AI can draw it, voice it and animate it; what it needs from you is the idea broken into steps and the facts you can stand behind. make.ad has two explainer styles: a whiteboard that draws itself as the narrator talks, and a 3D cutaway that shows the inside of the problem.
01Whiteboard or cutaway?
| Whiteboard explainer | How it works (cutaway) | |
|---|---|---|
| Looks like | Black marker drawings on a white board, one accent colour at most | Clean 3D illustration with cross-sections and labelled parts |
| Best for | Ideas, processes, software, services | Physical products whose benefit happens out of sight |
| Structure | One idea per scene: the problem, why it happens, how the product fixes it | The problem inside, its cause step by step, the product doing its job, the result |
| Examples | Whiteboard workflow | How it works workflow |
02Break it into three ideas
Before writing, list the three things someone needs to understand to want your product. Usually: what goes wrong, why it goes wrong, and what changes with the product. Each idea becomes a scene; anything that is not one of the three comes out.
Say the cause before the cure. A viewer who understands why the problem happens is more likely to believe the fix.
03Briefs to copy
Replace each part in brackets. Keep the instruction about the board: without it, scenes drift into painted rooms.
Example
Whiteboard: A whiteboard explainer for [PRODUCT]: one idea per scene, each drawn in black marker on the white board (never a painted room), the drawing building as the narrator explains [THE PROBLEM], [WHY IT HAPPENS] and [HOW PRODUCT FIXES IT], ending on [WHAT TO DO NEXT]. Cutaway: Explain how [PRODUCT] works for [WHO IT IS FOR]. Show the problem inside [THE BODY / THE HOME / THE DEVICE] as a cutaway, its cause one step at a time, then a cutaway of [PRODUCT] doing its job, and the result. Use only what is true: [YOUR VERIFIED FACTS]. End on [WHAT TO DO NEXT].
04Make it, step by step
- Open the workflow (whiteboard or how it works) and start from its brief, or open the brief form with a narrator as the sound.
- Paste your facts into the brief. Put anything you cannot claim on the brand’s never-claim list.
- Pick a narrator: each voice on the form can be played before you choose.
- Approve the world it is drawn in, then the explanation. Check every fact, not just the wording.
- Approve the drawings before they are animated, then download the finished video with captions on.
05Keep it accurate
Explainers are where AI is most tempted to fill gaps with confident nonsense. Give the facts yourself, and review the script for anything you did not write. For health, money or safety, have someone who knows the subject read it before it goes out.
Questions
- How long should an explainer ad be?
- As long as three ideas take to say clearly, and no longer. For a feed ad that is often under a minute. The narrator’s read sets the length, and each scene is cut to its words.
- Can I use my own script?
- Yes. Paste it as your own script; every word is kept, and the script stage plans a drawing for each part.
- Can the narrator speak another language?
- Yes. Pick the language on the brief form; the script is written and read in it.
Try it in your workspace
Put the next step into practice with your own brand and references.
Open make.ad