An explainer video describes a service, product, or concept, or outlines how to perform a specific task. These videos typically last between 30 seconds and a few minutes and are often featured on high-traffic landing pages, social media platforms, or YouTube. Explainer videos can take various forms, such as product demos, educational content, or brand introductions. They answer key questions like:
- How does this product or service solve my problem?
- Why and how should I use it?
Benefits of Explainer Videos
Explainer videos offer numerous advantages, including:
- Increased engagement: Video content is more engaging than text and conveys information more quickly.
- Immediate attention: Viewers are drawn in immediately by visuals and audio.
- Shareability: Videos are easily shareable across social media and other platforms.
- Simplified messaging: Complex points can be broken down into simple, easy-to-understand visuals and audio.
- Higher conversion rates: Visitors who watch explainer videos are more likely to convert into paying customers.
The Importance of Voice in Explainer Videos
Adding a voice to your explainer video enhances engagement by guiding the audience, giving depth to your narrative, and adding personality. A well-chosen voice helps viewers connect emotionally with your message, making it more memorable and easier to understand. Without the right voice, even the most visually stunning video can fall flat.
The voice in your explainer video should:
- Be tailored to your target demographic.
- Help the audience retain and understand information.
- Serve as a compelling storyteller, turning your message into something memorable.
For example, a warm, reassuring voice can make dry financial information more engaging, while a bold, confident tone can create excitement around a new product.
Successful brands have used distinct tones in their explainer videos:
- Dollar Shave Club: Confident and bold.
- Dropbox: Warm and friendly.
- Slack: Light-hearted, trustworthy, and relatable.
For most “how-to” videos, you’ll want a professional tone that offers clear direction to the audience.
Choosing Between Human and AI Voices
When creating an explainer video, you have two main options for voice-over: professional human voiceover artists or AI voices. Below, we explore the pros and cons of each.
1. Using a Professional Human Voiceover in Your Explainer Video
Voiceover artists are trained professionals who specialize in delivering high-quality audio performances. They bring emotional depth and authenticity to your video, making it easier to forge a connection with your audience.
Benefits of using a human voice:
- Stronger emotional connection with listeners.
- Ability to convey complex emotions through tone, inflection, and humor.
- High-quality, natural delivery.
Human voiceovers are typically more expensive but also more experienced. Therefore, you should compare quotes and choose carefully based on your:
- Audience and brand voice
- Desired accent, dialect, language, age, and gender
- Tone, speed, and pacing
It’s crucial to listen to sample recordings before committing to a voiceover artist. Consistency is key, so ensure that the voice you choose can represent your brand over time. Also, be clear about your vision and provide detailed instructions, while allowing the artist some creative freedom to bring your message to life.
One of our clients – Sufio, is an excellent example of a brand fully incorporating multi-lingual professional voice overs in their videos:
2. Using AI Voices
AI-generated voices have come a long way in recent years. Many platforms now offer high-quality, natural-sounding AI voices that can effectively convey your message. AI voices are here to stay, however they are nowehe near replacing humans just yet.
Benefits of using AI voices:
- Cost-effective: AI voice-over is often more affordable than hiring a human voice-over artist.
- Efficient: Faster turnaround times for creating voice-overs.
- Customizable: Choose from a wide range of languages, accents, and tones to match your brand’s personality.
AI voices are created using text-to-speech software, which converts your written script into audio. This method allows for quick adjustments and consistent narration. However, just like with human voices, you’ll need to choose an AI voice that:
- Matches your brand personality.
- Resonates with your target audience.
- Complements the visuals in your video.
Additionally, consider the tone of your script. Is your style formal or informal? Does your video aim to inform, educate, or persuade? Think about how you want your audience to feel after watching the video and what action you want them to take. AI voices are not a great choice where you want to showcase personality, emotion and warmth.
Final Thoughts
Both human and AI voices have their place in explainer videos, and the choice ultimately depends on your budget, timeline, and specific brand needs. A carefully chosen voice can elevate your explainer video, making it more engaging, memorable, and effective.
Voice Your Explainer Video with Music Radio Creative
At Music Radio Creative, we’re proud to be the world’s largest human first voiceover agency. If you need a human voice for your explainer video, we can help as part of our creative audio branding services for corporate clients. Our team includes a wide range of professionally trained voiceover artists who can deliver recordings within 24 hours. We also offer script writing support to ensure your message is clear and compelling.
Browse our extensive lineup, ask us any questions, and enjoy transparent pricing with no hidden fees and fast, reliable delivery.
Prefer to use AI voices? We offer a diverse range of high-quality, natural-sounding AI voices in various languages and styles. Save time and benefit from consistent narration with our text-to-speech solutions tailored to your brand.
Get in touch today to discuss your project, place an order, or learn more.
