Explainer Video Revisions: How Many Rounds Should You Get?

James Crawford

Published September 21, 202610 min readUpdated September 21, 2026

You get the first cut of your explainer video, and one line makes you wince. The voice says "affordable" when you meant "fair". The logo looks squashed. Can you ask for a fix, or did you just use up your only chance? The answer depends on how many explainer video revisions your company promised, and whether they wrote it down. This guide shows you what a revision round covers, where each round belongs, how to spend them well, and what happens if you want more.

A good explainer video company should include at least three revision rounds, written into the quote, and spread across the script and the finished animation. Three rounds lets you fix the words first, then the pacing, then small visual details. If you want more changes after that, expect to pay per extra round or agree a new brief.

What are explainer video revisions, and what is a round?

A revision round is one batch of written feedback that you send once, and the studio applies in one pass. Explainer video revisions are the changes you ask for inside those rounds, like a new word in the script or a different color on a button.

The word "round" matters more than most owners think. If you send five emails with one note each, some studios count that as five rounds. If you send one list with five notes, that is one round.

So a round is not a single change. It is a single hand-off of every change you want at that moment.

Most of the feedback lands on the script. A simple explainer script has four parts, according to Biteable's explainer script template: a hook, the problem, your solution, and a call to action. A call to action (CTA) is the line that tells the viewer what to do next, like "Book online today".

When you review, check each of those four parts in turn. That habit alone cuts the number of rounds you need.

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 many revision rounds should an explainer video company include?

An explainer video company should include at least three revision rounds for a short video, and the number should appear in writing before you pay. Three rounds gives you room to fix the message, then the timing, then the small details, without the project dragging on.

Why three and not one? One round leaves no margin. If the studio misreads your first note, you have nothing left to fix the fix.

Why not ten? A short video has few moving parts. According to HubSpot's 2026 marketing statistics, citing Wyzowl, 51% of people say 30 to 60 seconds is the best length for a video, and 91% said under two minutes. A 30-second video has maybe six or seven scenes. Three good rounds cover that.

What matters most is that the count is clear. "Revisions included" with no number is a promise you can't check.

For reference, our 30-second explainer is $297. That price includes the script, a human voiceover, the animation, 3 revision rounds and a money-back guarantee, delivered in 7 days.

Which stage should each round of changes happen at?

Each round of changes should happen at the stage where the change is cheapest: words at the script stage, look and feel at the storyboard stage, and timing and small details once the animation is done. The later a change comes, the more work it undoes.

Here is how the stages compare.

Stage	Easy to change now	Costly to change later
Script	Any word, the order of points, the offer, the call to action	After the voice is recorded, each new word means a new recording
Voiceover	Tone, speed, how a name is said	After animation, the scenes are timed to the voice, so a new take shifts every scene
Storyboard (the sketch of each scene)	Which scene shows what, colors, characters	After animation, a new scene means drawing and moving it from scratch
Final animation	Text on screen, a color, the logo size, music volume	Very little is left after this, so big changes here often mean a new video

A storyboard is a set of rough drawings, one per scene, that shows what the viewer will see while the voice speaks. If your company shares one, our guide on how to review and approve an explainer video storyboard walks you through it in twenty minutes.

Script length is worth checking early too. Breadnbeyond suggests planning on about 150 spoken words per minute, so a 60-second script runs about 140 to 160 words. A 30-second script is about half that.

If you add two sentences in the last round, the video either gets longer or the voice has to speed up. Both are fixes you should make while it is still just words on a page.

What counts as a revision and what counts as a new video?

A revision is a change that keeps the same message, audience and length, such as swapping a word, a color or a line of on-screen text. A new video is a change to who the video is for, what it sells, or how long it runs.

The line between the two is where most arguments with studios start. This table shows where it usually falls.

Change you ask for	Usually a revision?	Why
Fix a word or a phone number	Yes	Same scene, same timing
Change the brand color on a button	Yes	A small visual tweak
Make the voice slower or warmer	Yes, if asked at the voice stage	A re-record at the right stage is normal
Swap the music track	Usually yes	Music sits under the scenes
Add a new service to the script after animation	Often no	New words need new voice and new scenes
Change the video from 30 to 60 seconds	No	That is a different video
Aim it at a new audience, like landlords instead of homeowners	No	The whole script changes

If you are not sure which side a change falls on, ask before you send it. A good studio will tell you straight away and won't charge you for asking.

How to spend three revision rounds without wasting one

You spend three revision rounds well by giving one clear, complete list of notes each time, from one person, at the right stage. Here is a simple routine that works for a busy owner.

Time is the real limit for most owners. According to Vidico's 2026 video marketing statistics, citing Wyzowl, 33% of marketers say lack of time is their top barrier to video marketing. So block 30 minutes for each review and do it in one sitting.

Step 1: Pick one person to sign off

Choose one person in your business who has the final say on every round. If your partner, your office manager and your sales lead all send notes, you will burn a round settling their differences.

Step 2: Read the script out loud

Read the script aloud, at a normal pace, before you send any notes. Clunky lines and hard words jump out when you hear them, and a voice actor will hit the same bumps.

Step 3: Put every note into one list

Collect all your notes into one numbered list and send it once. Name the scene or line for each note, like "Scene 3, second sentence".

Step 4: Say what is wrong, not only how it feels

Tell the studio what to change and why, not just that something "feels off". "Say 24-hour service, because that is why people call us" gives the studio something to act on.

Step 5: Save the last round for polish

Use round three for small fixes only, like a spelling, a color or the logo size. If you still want big changes by then, the problem is usually the brief, so talk to the studio before you send notes.

A plumbing script line through three rounds

The easiest way to see how rounds work is to follow one line. Here is an example of how the opening hook for a local plumbing business might change across three rounds. It is an illustration, not a real client.

First draft: "Plumbing problems can happen to anyone, at any time."

That line is true, but it is flat. No viewer feels anything.

Round 1 note: "Open with the moment the pipe bursts. Mention our 24-hour service."

After round 1: "Water on the kitchen floor at 2 a.m.? We pick up the phone, day or night."

That is much closer. The owner hears it read aloud and spots one issue.

Round 2 note: "Say the town name so locals know we're nearby."

After round 2: "Water on the kitchen floor at 2 a.m.? Riverside's plumbers pick up the phone, day or night."

Round 3 note: "On screen, make the phone number bigger in the last scene."

Round three touches no words at all. That is the sign of a well-run project: the script is locked, and the last round is only polish.

Notice what the owner did not do. They didn't rewrite the whole script in round two, and they didn't add a new service in round three.

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What happens if you want more changes than the package includes?

If you want more changes than your package includes, you usually have three choices: pay for an extra round, make small text changes yourself where the video lives, or agree a new brief for a new video. Which one fits depends on how big the change is.

An extra paid round suits a small fix after your rounds are used up. Ask for the price of an extra round in writing before the project starts, so it is never a surprise.

Some fixes don't need the studio at all. If the change is a phone number or an offer that changes each month, put that on the web page next to the video, not inside it. Then you can update it yourself for free.

A new brief suits a big change, like a new service or a new audience. It is not a failure. It means the first video did its job and your business moved on.

The cost of extra rounds matters more on bigger budgets. According to Vidico's 2026 cost guide, a 60-second custom animated explainer from a North American studio typically costs $5,000 to $10,000. Yum Yum Videos puts the full range at about $99 for DIY tools up to $50,000 or more for enterprise brand films in 2026.

At the top of that range, one extra round can cost more than a whole short video from a budget studio. So the revision policy is part of the price, not a footnote.

Red flags in a revision policy

A policy on explainer video revisions is a red flag when it is vague, when it has no stages, or when it lets you change nothing until the animation is done. Here is a short checklist to run before you sign.

"Unlimited revisions" with no mention of stages or what counts as a change.
"Minor changes only" with no example of what minor means.
No chance to approve the script before animation starts.
No price for an extra round, written anywhere.
Rounds counted per email, not per batch of notes.

These matter because a sloppy final video costs you trust. Vidico's 2026 statistics, citing Wyzowl, found that 87% of consumers say video quality affects how much they trust a brand. A clear revision policy is how you protect that quality.

If you're comparing companies, our list of questions to ask an explainer video company before you hire covers revisions alongside price, voice and ownership.

Frequently asked questions

Are unlimited revisions a good sign?

Unlimited revisions are not always a good sign. A studio offering them often limits what counts as a revision, or slows down after a few rounds. A clear, written number of rounds tied to each stage is usually easier to hold a studio to.

Can I change the voiceover after it is recorded?

You can change a voiceover after it is recorded, but it takes a new recording. If the animation is already timed to the old take, the scenes may need to move too. Ask for voice changes before animation starts.

Do revisions add time to delivery?

Revisions can add time to delivery, mostly while the studio waits for your notes. Sending one full list within a day or two of each draft keeps the schedule on track.

Can I send feedback by phone instead of in writing?

You can talk feedback through by phone, but always follow up with a written list. A written list means nothing gets lost, and both sides agree on what one round included.

The short version

Explainer video revisions work best when you know the number up front, and use each round at the right stage. Three written rounds is a fair floor for a short video. Spend the first on the script, the second on the voice and pacing, and the last on small visual details.

Send one list of notes per round, from one person, and name the scene for every note. Keep changing facts like phone numbers and monthly offers on the web page, not in the video. If you want more changes than your package covers, ask for the price of an extra round before you start, or treat a big change as a new brief.

Your goal is a video you are proud to put on your homepage, made without surprise bills. If you want a short one done for you, our 30-second explainer includes 3 revision rounds for $297, and bigger projects start at $1,299 with a fixed quote.

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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