Explainer Video Length: One Script, Three Versions

You sit down to order a video and the first question stops you cold. How long should it be? Every studio page says a different number, and every one of them sounds certain.

Here is what most of those pages leave out. Explainer video length is not one decision. It is three, and a single script can cover all three if you write it the right way.

This guide gives you the timing maths, a seconds budget for every part of your script, a step by step way to cut a long script down, a second by second example for three kinds of business, and honest prices for short versus long. By the end you will know exactly how many words to hand over.

Write one 60-second master script of about 150 words, then cut it. A 30-second version suits ads and social feeds, 60 seconds suits your homepage, and 90 seconds suits a service that needs teaching. One script, three versions, so you never have to pick a single length and hope.

Why does one explainer video length rarely fit every place you post?

One length rarely fits everywhere because each place gives you a different amount of patience. A stranger scrolling a feed decides in about a second. Someone already reading your homepage has chosen to be there.

Yum Yum Videos splits it cleanly in its 2026 guide to short versus long explainers. Thirty to 45 seconds suits awareness campaigns and ads. Sixty to 90 seconds suits your website and your sales conversations.

Most finished videos sit in that upper band. According to Knowlify's 2026 guide to making an explainer video, most explainers run 60 to 90 seconds, which is roughly 150 to 225 words of voiceover.

So the smart move is not picking a winner. The smart move is writing a 60-second master script and treating the shorter and longer versions as cuts of it.

A master script is the full version of your message, written once, with the parts in a fixed order. Every other version is that script with pieces removed or expanded.

Need an explainer video? Get a 30-second explainer for $297 → We write the script, record the voiceover and animate it, delivered in 7 days.

How do you time a script with a stopwatch before you pay for anything?

Read your script out loud at your normal speaking pace and time it on your phone. Then count the words and check the two numbers agree with each other.

The word count is the part you can trust. Breadnbeyond's guide to 60-second scripts puts a voiceover at about 150 spoken words per minute, which makes a 60-second script roughly 140 to 160 words.

Your explainer video length is set by that word count, not by how long the script looks on the page.

That gives you a division you can do in your head. Divide your word count by 2.5 and you get the seconds. A 75-word script lands near 30 seconds. A 225-word script lands near 90.

Two things eat seconds that your word count never shows. Your logo end card needs a moment on screen, and the small pauses between scenes add up.

So aim slightly under. If your 30-second cut reads at 28 seconds out loud, you are in good shape.

How many seconds should each part of your script get?

At 60 seconds, a script that works gives about 18 seconds to the problem, 24 seconds to the solution, 12 seconds to proof and 6 seconds to the call to action. A call to action (CTA) is the line that tells the viewer what to do next.

Those shares come from a tested structure. Biteable's explainer video script template keeps four parts: hook, problem, solution and call to action. Content Beta's 60-second script guide splits the time Problem 30%, Solution 40%, Proof 20%, Action 10%.

Put those percentages against the clock and you get a budget you can write to. Your hook lives inside the first seconds of the problem, not outside it.

Print that table and write straight into it. Most scripts that run long are carrying two problems instead of one.

How do you cut a 60-second script down to 30 seconds?

Cut proof and detail first, and keep the hook, one problem, one promise and one instruction. You are removing 75 words, which is half your script, so trimming a word here and there will not get you there.

Step 1: Keep your opening line exactly as it is

Your first line earned the attention, so copy it across untouched. Rewriting the hook for the short cut is the most common way a good video goes flat.

Step 2: Cut down to one problem and one customer

Pick the single problem your best customer would nod at, and delete the others. A 30-second cut that speaks to one person beats a cut that waves at four.

Step 3: Turn your proof into one line

Replace the proof section with a single fact you can stand behind, such as years in business or number of jobs done. Long credibility lists belong in the 60 and 90 second versions.

Step 4: Shorten the call to action to one instruction

Give the viewer one action in about eight words, such as "Call us today for a free quote". Two choices in a 30-second cut splits attention and wins neither.

Step 5: Re-time the cut and read it to someone outside your business

Read the finished cut aloud to a friend or family member and time it again. If they cannot repeat what you do afterwards, the cut lost something it needed.

What gets lost when you trim a video to 30 seconds?

A 30-second cut loses proof, objection handling and any second service you offer. That is a fair trade for an ad and a bad trade for a page where someone is deciding whether to trust you with money.

Three things get cut in practice. Your credibility list shrinks to one fact. The "what if" worries go unanswered. Anything you offer beyond the main service disappears.

So keep the short cut for cold traffic, and send the 60 or 90 second version to anyone who has already asked you a question.

Whatever you cut, four things must survive:

• What you do, in plain words
• Who you do it for
• One reason to believe you
• One thing to do next

Where should each cut go: ad, homepage or sales email?

Send the 30-second cut to paid ads and social feeds, the 60-second master to your homepage and sales emails, and the 90-second version to the service page that needs the most explaining. That mapping follows the patience rule from earlier.

Most feeds start muted, so add captions to the 30-second cut before you spend a penny on ads. Our guide to where to place an explainer video so it converts goes deeper on the page positions.

Vertical and square framing matter as much as seconds. Ask for the 30-second cut in a square or vertical shape, and keep the 60-second master wide for your website.

Want something bigger? Book a free 30-minute video call → We plan your custom video with you and send a fixed quote within 24 hours.

Second-by-second: a dentist, a plumber and a med spa

Here is the same 30-second budget filled in three ways. Each one uses 9 seconds of problem, 12 of solution, 6 of proof and 3 of action.

A dental practice. Seconds 0 to 9 name the fear of a first visit after years away. Seconds 9 to 21 walk through the calm first appointment, with no lecture. Seconds 21 to 27 give one fact, such as the years the practice has served the town, and the last 3 seconds ask for a booking.

A plumber. Seconds 0 to 9 show the burst pipe at 11pm and the panic that comes with it. Seconds 9 to 21 show the callout, the fixed price and the clean-up. Seconds 21 to 27 name the number of local jobs done. The last 3 seconds give the phone number.

A med spa. Seconds 0 to 9 name the worry of looking overdone. Seconds 9 to 21 show the consultation and the gradual result. Seconds 21 to 27 name the qualification of the person holding the needle, and the last 3 seconds offer the free consultation.

Notice what none of them do. None of them list every treatment, and none open with the business name.

Is a 30-second video cheaper than a 60-second one?

A 30-second video usually costs less than a 60-second one, but far less than half. Scripting, storyboarding, voice booking and revisions take nearly the same work at either length, so only the animation time really shrinks.

Studio quotes show the pattern. Vidico's 2026 cost guide puts a 60-second custom animated explainer from a North American studio at $5,000 to $10,000, with premium 3D or character work above that. Creamy Animation's 2026 pricing guide puts AI-assisted studio work at around $1,500 to $4,000 to start.

The honest read is that halving the seconds does not halve the invoice. Explainer video length moves the animation bill, not the script and design bill.

Ask any company for both numbers in writing before you sign.

How do you brief a video company so you get every cut you need?

Ask for the master version and the cuts in the same brief, before work starts. Adding a 30-second cut later is a new job for most studios, and you pay again.

Six lines to put in your email:

• The master length you want, in seconds
• The extra cuts you want, with their seconds
• Aspect ratios for each cut, wide for web, square or vertical for feeds
• Captions burned in on the short cut
• Who owns the final files
• How many revision rounds are included

Getting this right matters because video does pay for most businesses that use it. According to Levitate Media's 2026 roundup of video conversion statistics, citing Wyzowl's 2026 State of Video Marketing survey, 82% of video marketers report a positive return on video.

Write the script before you shop, and the quotes get easier to compare. Our walkthrough on how to write an explainer video script that sells gives you the words to start with.

If your business needs something larger than a standard package, a custom video starts from $1,299 and is planned on a free 30-minute call with a fixed quote sent within 24 hours.

Frequently asked questions

How many words is a 90-second script?

About 225 words, using 150 spoken words per minute. Keep it nearer 210 if your video has several scene changes, because the pauses between scenes eat time that the word count does not show.

Can I add seconds to a finished video later?

Adding seconds means new voiceover and new animation, so most companies treat it as a fresh job. Cutting is cheap, adding is not, which is why the 60-second master is the version worth ordering first.

Does a 15-second version work for anything?

Fifteen seconds works for a reminder, not an explanation. Use it for retargeting people who already saw the longer video, with one line and one instruction, and keep the real explaining in the 30 and 60 second versions.

Should the call to action change between versions?

Yes. Ads suit a soft ask such as "See how it works", while the homepage version suits a direct ask such as "Book your free quote". Same script, different last five words.

How many revision rounds do I need to get the timing right?

Two rounds covers most timing fixes: one on the script before recording, one on the finished video. Our own 30-second explainer comes with 3 revision rounds and a money-back guarantee.

The short version

Explainer video length is not a single choice you have to get right first time. Write one 60-second master script of about 150 words, then cut a 30-second version for ads and expand to 90 seconds for the page that needs teaching.

Use the seconds budget: 30% problem, 40% solution, 20% proof, 10% action. Time the script yourself with a stopwatch, divide your words by 2.5, and aim a little under your target.

Send the short cut to cold traffic and the longer versions to people who already asked you a question. Ask for every cut in the first brief, not after.

Your goal is not the perfect length. It is one clear message that fits wherever your customers happen to be looking.

Ready to get your own video made? Order a 30-second explainer for $297 and have it in 7 days, or book a free call if you want a custom video from $1,299.

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