One minute to find them, one minute to explain them all. And in the brightness bind them.
I don’t need to be a lord of the ring to activate my audience, I need a 1-minute explainer video.
60 seconds are more than enough to deliver a message.
60 seconds are all I need to do it effectively.
When people see that a video lasts one minute only, they do not skip forward or abandon. They think “it’s just a minute,” they relax, listen, and comment.
It’s easier to reproduce the same format when the length is fixed and limited. Less images to produce, less text to add. So I can make more, faster.
Seemingly, if a video lasts 60 seconds, it is easier to calculate retention. It is easier to measure for how long people continue watching.
If I aim to publish a video on social media, such as Facebook, Linkedin, or Twitter, I shall choose a 1:1 format. Yes, a squared format.
The width of a social media feed is fixed, but the height is variable. Therefore, a squared video looks almost twice bigger than rectangle videos.
A bigger video on social media implies more retention, more engagement, in particular from mobile devices.
If I decide to publish your 1-minute explainer on Youtube or Vimeo, it may not look as good as on other platforms. The solution is to produce both a landscape and a squared version. By doing so, though, I will split your video statistics.
One minute videos indicate structure.
I can exploit this structure to build a video series.
Personal portraits work very well as a series, but also interviews, internal communication or product marketing can benefit from this format.
The good news is that I don’t necessarily have to decide right away: I can produce a first prototype and then test reactions.
One minute explainers are very flexible tools of communication.
This structure can really boost awareness if it repeats itself regularly. So I may not be able to appreciate the impact of the format by judging a single example.
One minute explainers is one of several alternatives I can choose from: in order to achieve my communication goals, I need to start making one smart video per month.
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In conclusion, 1-minute explainer videos are simple, give structure, and boost following.
It’s a matter of clarity: I’ll pick a clear objective, work on a definition, find some concrete examples.
I will add subtitles to increase access and share it on as many platforms as possible, including blogs and forums, to see which group or community enjoys my explanation the most.
I’ll make my videos as much accessible as possible with subtitles. Not only for the public that does not speak the same language. Also for those who watch videos with the sound off.
When I manage to explain what I want in 60 seconds, it means that my video works. So, why not push it with paid advertising?
Explainer videos work well on social media, but on my website as well. If the explanation is valuable, other people will share it!
To achieve my communication goals, I have to make videos regularly.
I can sign up for a monthly plan and receive one explainer video per month.
Or I can look for inspiration on this site and do it myself.
