Problem, mechanism, proof
Weak explainers list features. Strong ones follow a simple arc. Problem: the cost of the status quo, in the buyer's own words, for one audience. Mechanism: the single idea that explains how the product solves it, shown rather than asserted. Proof: the real product doing the job, plus evidence the buyer can check, such as a named integration, a certification the company actually holds or a customer quote used with permission. Then one call to action. A film that tries to serve buyers, end users and investors at once convinces none of them.
Script to the clock
Voice-over runs comfortably at about 150 words per minute, which makes a 60-second explainer roughly 150 words and a 90-second one about 225. Technical terms, product names and numbers need more time, and visual transitions need pauses. Write to the clock before generating anything, and read the script aloud against a timer. Leave headroom if the film will be localised: many languages need more words than English for the same idea, and dubbed timing must still match the picture. A script that only fits at a rushed pace in English will not fit in German or French.
Show the real interface
B2B buyers see the real product in a demo or trial soon after watching the film. If the explainer shows a cleaner dashboard, a feature still on the roadmap or data that could never appear together, the gap becomes a trust problem and can become a misleading-advertising one. Use real screen captures or faithful rebuilds of the current interface, filled with realistic invented sample data rather than a customer's. Zoom into the part of the screen that matters, because a full dashboard at phone size is unreadable, and remove any personal data before it reaches the edit.
Updating when the product changes
SaaS interfaces change often, and an explainer showing last year's navigation quietly undermines every sales call. Plan for change from the start: keep interface captures, voice-over and on-screen text on separate layers, tie each scene to the product area it shows, and review the film at every major release. Regenerate the changed scenes, not the whole film. With Synthetic White, the edit happens in the video editor, voice-over and dubbing cover 30 languages with timing preserved, and each change goes through approvals with an audit trail, so the version in circulation is the one that was signed off.
Updated 25 September 2026