Explainer Video Company: Scripts Built to Work With the Sound Off and the Screen Off

Updated November 2026 · Written and maintained by the Progression Agency strategy team

Plenty of explainers say their most important line only in on screen text. Someone watching with the sound off needs captions, and someone listening without seeing the screen needs the price and the steps spoken aloud. The W3C’s accessibility criteria cover both: captions for prerecorded audio at Level A and audio description for prerecorded video at Level AA. An explainer video company that writes for both from the first draft avoids a second edit later. The finished video also needs a watch page, a stable thumbnail and a supported file so Google can index it. Progression’s team is based in New York and makes explainers for businesses across the US.

An explainer whose price only existed on screen

A hypothetical scheduling app released a 75 second explainer. Music played under it while the price, the length of the free trial and three sign up steps appeared only as captions burned into the picture.

Nothing was added to the picture in the revision. The words moved into the voice, so the same facts reached someone who could not look at the screen.

Why does a viewer miss text that is on screen?

Because many people watch with the sound off and others listen without looking. A script that works only one way loses whoever is on the other.

What an explainer video company writes before anything moves

The script comes first, and it settles most of what the video will do. The table lists each piece with what it settles and the check before approval.

Scripts that say what the screen shows

A script that says what the picture shows is a script that works with the screen off. Where a chart appears, the voice names the number. Where a button is pressed, the voice names the button.

Captions as a file, not only burned into the picture

A captions file can be turned on, turned off, translated and indexed. Text burned into the picture can do none of those, so spoken words go into a file and on screen text is kept for emphasis.

• Write the message before the script.
• Say every price, number and step aloud.
• Keep a captions file for each language.
• Test a cut with the sound off, then with the screen off.

Captions and audio description rules in plain terms

The W3C’s WCAG 2.2 sets two criteria that matter most for an explainer. Success Criterion 1.2.2, at Level A, asks for captions on all prerecorded audio content in synchronized media, except when the media is a media alternative for text and is clearly labeled as such.

Success Criterion 1.2.5, at Level AA, asks for audio description for all prerecorded video content in synchronized media. Audio description augments the audio with information about actions, characters, scene changes and on screen text that are important and are not described or spoken in the main sound track.

The W3C adds a note: if all of the important information in the video track is already conveyed in the audio track, no additional audio description is necessary. That is why a script where the voice carries every fact does double duty. These criteria are not a guarantee of compliance, and questions about a legal duty belong with counsel.

Does every explainer need a separate described version?

Not when the voice already says everything important that the picture shows. Write the voice to do that and the question mostly answers itself.

A watch page Google can index

For a video to be eligible to be discovered and indexed, the watch page must be indexed, the video must be embedded on it, and the video must have a valid thumbnail at a stable URL. Google can process file types including MP4, MOV, WebM and M4V.

• Embed the video on a page that Google can index.
• Do not hide the video behind other elements.
• Use one unique and stable thumbnail URL for each video.
• Use a supported file type.

Some CDNs use quickly expiring URLs, and if a thumbnail address changes too often Google may not be able to index the video. Google suggests a dedicated watch page for each video where it makes sense for the business. For channel wide work, see video SEO.

Is an indexed page enough?

No. An indexed watch page does not by itself mean the video will be indexed, so the embed, the thumbnail and the file type matter as well.

Animated explainer video company work or live action

An animated explainer video company and a live action crew follow the same script plan. Animation explains better when the subject is software, a process or something that cannot be filmed, and an animation explainer video company earns the choice there. People on camera explain better when the point is trust, as with a service.

• Choose animation for software, processes and ideas.
• Choose live action for trust, people and places.
• Keep one script whichever is chosen.
• Mix the two only when the storyboard plans it.

Animation production is covered on 2D animation studio, and live action on video production services.

Which costs less, animation or live action?

Neither is always cheaper. Cost follows length, scenes, characters and locations, which the proposal scopes.

Explainer video creation company work for software launches

A software launch is the common case for an explainer. The plain advice is one explainer for each main task, captions in every language you sell in, and the price spoken only when it is stable.

• Make one explainer for each main task.
• Caption every language you sell in.
• Speak the price only if it will not change soon.
• Update the video when the interface changes.

An explainer that shows an old screen does more harm than none. A short list of the screens it shows tells you when to update it.

How often should a software explainer be updated?

When the interface it shows changes in a way a viewer would notice.

What explainer videos cost

Published US price bands for a 60 to 90 second explainer run from $3,000 to $25,000 per video. A company explainer video lands inside that spread depending on length, style and the work around the script.

Progression does not publish a price. Pricing depends on scope, is subject to change and is set in the written proposal. An explainer video production company quotes per script, and the proposal states what each part covers.

Why is the band so wide?

Because length, style and production choices differ. Two videos of the same length can need very different work.

Homepage, sales emails and ads: placing the explainer

Where the video appears changes how it is built. A homepage hero with captions on by default, a sales email that links to the watch page, and a short ad cut each need their own edit of the same script.

• Turn captions on by default on the homepage.
• Link sales emails to the watch page, not a file.
• Cut short versions for ads from the same master.
• Put the main fact in the first few seconds.

For distribution and campaigns, see video marketing agency.

Should the video start by itself?

Only if it is muted and captioned. Auto-starting sound surprises people.

What to have ready for the script call

Six things shape the script, and bringing them early shortens the planning.

• The one problem the product solves.
• Who watches.
• The three facts a viewer must remember.
• Price and offer, if stable.
• Brand assets.
• Where the video will live.

What if we cannot narrow it to three facts?

Then the script call starts there. Cutting the list is the most useful hour of the project.

From message to watch page

The sequence is short, and each step feeds the next.

Which step should be checked twice?

The captions. They are read closely and a wrong word is noticed.

Voice, tone and pace

The voice carries the facts, so it carries the video. Tone sets how the brand sounds, and pace sets how much a viewer can hold.

• Choose the voice before final animation.
• Leave short pauses after key facts.
• Say numbers in the way people say them.
• Read the script aloud before recording.

A voice that races through the price is no better than one that skips it.

Can the voice be a member of our team?

Yes, if the recording is clean. A trained voice is the other option, and the proposal covers either.

Captions and languages

Captions are timed to the final voice, and each language is its own file. Keep line lengths short enough to read at speed.

• Time captions to the final audio.
• Keep each caption to a readable length.
• Provide a separate file for each language.
• Read the captions on a phone before approval.

Translating a script changes its length, so layouts are checked in each language.

Do captions need to match the words exactly?

They should carry every spoken word, with speaker changes and important sounds marked where they matter.

Frequently asked questions