How to Choose an Explainer Video Company: 12 Questions

Most explainer video companies look good on their homepage. The reel is polished, the logos are impressive and the call to action is friendly. What the homepage won’t show you is how they write, how they handle feedback, what’s really in the quote and who owns the film at the end.

Those are the things that decide whether your project goes smoothly. This guide gives you 12 questions to ask any explainer video company before you sign, what a good answer sounds like, the red flags to listen for and a simple way to compare proposals side by side. We’ve included how we’d answer each one ourselves, so you can hold us to the same standard.

How to choose an explainer video company at a glance

To choose an explainer video company, define the video's job first, then ask every shortlisted studio the same 12 questions about proof, people, script, process, revisions, reviews, price, timeline, rights, deliverables and fit. Pick the one that answers plainly and in writing, not the one with the flashiest reel or the lowest headline price.

Ask about	Good sign
Past work	Full films like yours
Advice and team	Tailored pick, named people
Script and process	Your sign-off at each stage
Revisions and reviews	Set rounds, one review per stage
Price and timeline	Inclusions and dates in writing
Rights and files	You own it, all files listed
Honesty	Says so if it’s not right

Before you contact anyone: write down the video’s job

You’ll judge every company more fairly if they all start from the same brief. Before your first call, write three or four lines covering:

• Who it's for. The viewer, what they already know and what’s stopping them from buying.
• What it has to explain. The one idea the film must land.
• What they should do next. Book a demo, start a trial, call sales, understand a process.
• Where it will play. Homepage, paid social, sales emails, an event screen. This affects length, formats and whether it must work with the sound off.
• Your budget range and deadline. Even a rough range saves everyone time.

Now every recommendation a studio makes can be tested against that job. If they suggest a three-minute character film for a 30-second paid social slot, you’ll spot it straight away. If you’re not sure what kind of video you need yet, our explainer video guide covers types, styles, length and cost.

Questions 1 to 3: proof and people

1. Can you show finished films for a product like mine?

A showreel tells you a studio can make nice-looking frames. A finished film tells you whether they can explain something. Ask for two or three complete films for a similar audience, industry or level of complexity, and watch them with the sound on.

As you watch, check whether you can tell who the film is for, what the product does and what the viewer should do next. If you can’t, your buyers won’t either. Our explainer video examples break down 30 films by style and explain why each one works, which is a useful yardstick for any portfolio.

2. What would you recommend for us, and why?

A good studio doesn’t just ask which style you want. It recommends one and explains why: 2D character animation for a human story, motion graphics for software, 3D for a device you need to show inside and out, a short cut for paid social.

Listen for reasons tied to your audience and your channel. If every answer sounds like the same package, you’re buying a template.

3. Who will actually work on my project?

Ask who your day-to-day contact is, who writes the script, who leads the design and who signs off the work internally. You want a named producer and a team of writers, designers and animators, not a single person juggling everything or a project that gets passed to whoever is free.

This matters most when something goes wrong. A clear team with a producer in charge can absorb a sick day or a change of plan. A single point of failure can’t.

Questions 4 to 7: script, process and feedback

4. Who writes the script, and do I approve it before animation?

The script is the foundation of the whole film. Ask whether a writer works on your project, how they learn your product and whether you approve every word before anything is drawn.

The answer you want is a clear yes. Changing a sentence in a script takes minutes. Changing it after animation can mean a new voiceover and re-animated scenes. Our guide on how to write a video script shows what a strong explainer script looks like.

5. What are the stages of your process?

Ask the studio to walk you through its process from the first call to the final files. A professional answer names each stage and what you sign off at each one, something like:

1. Discovery. A kick-off meeting and a written creative brief.
2. Script. Voiceover and on-screen text, approved before any visuals.
3. Storyboard and style frames. A frame-by-frame plan and finished-look stills.
4. Voiceover and music. Casting, recording and licensed music.
5. Animation. A full draft cut for your review.
6. Delivery. The final master and every agreed version.

If the answer is “send us your brief and we’ll send you the video”, the studio is asking you to take a lot on trust. We walk through each of our stages in detail in our explainer video production process guide, and what a good storyboard review looks like in our explainer video storyboard guide.

6. How many revision rounds are included, and at which stages?

Get a specific number and ask where each round sits. Rounds tied to stages (script, storyboard, animation) protect you, because big changes happen early, when they’re cheap.

Be wary of “unlimited revisions”. It sounds generous, but it often means there’s no defined process, and the cost turns up later as delays or extra invoices. Also ask what counts as a round and what happens if you need one more.

7. How do you handle feedback from several stakeholders?

Most B2B films go past marketing, product, sales and often legal, compliance or clinical reviewers. Ask how the studio collects that feedback and when reviewers should see the work.

A good answer is one consolidated set of notes per round, from one person on your side, with the specialist reviewers brought in at the script stage rather than at the final cut. If you’re in healthcare, finance or another regulated field, ask whether they’ve worked through that kind of review before.

Questions 8 to 10: price, timeline and rights

8. What exactly is included in the price?

Two quotes for “an explainer video” can cover very different work. Ask for a written list of what’s included and what isn’t:

• Discovery and the creative brief
• Scriptwriting
• Storyboard and style frames
• Professional voiceover, and in which languages
• Licensed music and sound design
• Animation in the agreed style
• Revision rounds
• Cutdowns, aspect ratios and a captions file

Then compare the lists, not just the totals. A cheap quote that leaves out the script or the voiceover isn’t cheaper. For a full breakdown of what moves the price, see our guide to how much an explainer video costs.

9. How long will it take, and when will I get it?

Ask for a dated schedule, not a best-case guess, and ask which dates depend on your feedback. Every stage waits on your sign-off, so your own review time is part of the timeline.

If you have a launch or an event, say so on the first call. A studio that knows the deadline can plan around it. One that hears about it in week four can’t.

10. Who owns the finished film?

You should own the rights to the finished film and be able to use it anywhere you need it: your website, ads, events and sales decks. Get this in writing.

While you’re on the subject, ask about the parts around the film. Is the music licensed for paid ads? Are the editable project files part of the deal, or a separate line? Neither answer is wrong, but you want to know before you sign, not when you need an edit a year later.

Questions 11 and 12: deliverables and fit

11. What files and versions will I get?

One video file is rarely enough. A homepage film, a paid social cut and a sales-deck version may need different lengths and aspect ratios. Ask for a list of every file you’ll receive: the master, any cutdowns, square or vertical versions, language versions and a captions file.

Plan these up front. They’re far easier to build in at the start than to add at the end. If you’re weighing up length, our guide to how long an explainer video should be helps.

12. Will you tell me if an explainer isn’t the right fit?

This is the question that tells you most about a studio’s honesty. Sometimes you need a product demo, a tutorial or a live-action shoot rather than an animated explainer. Sometimes your positioning isn’t settled enough to film yet.

A good company will say so, even when it means a smaller job or no job. If every answer is yes, be careful.

Red flags to watch for

Whatever the studio’s size or price, these are worth walking away from:

• No written quote before you’re asked for payment details.
• No script sign-off before animation starts.
• "Unlimited revisions" with no stages or definition.
• Only a showreel, with no complete films to watch.
• No named people, or a team that changes every time you call.
• Vague answers on rights or on what the files include.
• Results they can't show you, such as big conversion claims with no detail behind them.
• Pressure to decide quickly with a discount that expires today.

How to compare explainer video companies side by side

Shortlist two or three companies and check each one against the same criteria after the first call:

What to check	Good sign
Past films	Complete, similar work
Advice and team	Reasoned pick, named people
Script	You approve before animation
Process and revisions	Written stages, set rounds
Price and timeline	Inclusions and dates in writing
Rights and files	You own it, all files listed

The company that answers most of these plainly, in writing, is usually the safer choice, even if it isn’t the cheapest. If you’re also weighing a freelancer or a template tool against a studio, our explainer video company page compares the three routes.

How Animation Explainers answers the 12 questions

Here’s how we’d answer the same questions, so you can compare us like anyone else. First, a short look at how a project runs with us.

• Proof. Our portfolio is organised by industry, and on the first call we’ll share the films closest to your product.
• Recommendation. We suggest a style and length for your audience and channel, and explain why.
• People. A producer-led team of writers, designers and animators works on every project.
• Script. We write it, and you approve every word before anything is drawn.
• Process. Six stages, from a 60-minute kick-off meeting to delivery, with your sign-off at each one.
• Revisions. Three rounds are included, one at each creative stage: script, storyboard and animation.
• Reviews. One consolidated round per stage. Legal, clinical or engineering reviewers are welcome, ideally from the script stage.
• Price. Studio projects typically sit in the $6,000 to $35,000 and beyond band, quoted against your brief.
• Timeline. A typical 60 to 90 second explainer takes about 4 to 6 weeks. We confirm the dates at kickoff.
• Rights. You fully own the rights to the finished film.
• Deliverables. The final master, every agreed cutdown and version, and a captions file.
• Fit. If you need a demo, a tutorial or a live-action shoot rather than an explainer, we’ll say so on the first call.

Here’s a finished film from our work on a complex security product, the kind of brief where the script and the reviews matter most.

What does an explainer video company cost?

Prices vary widely because studios include different things. Studio projects at Animation Explainers typically cost $6,000 to $35,000 and beyond. Length, style, complexity, the number of versions and the review layers move the quote more than anything else. Compare quotes on what they include, using question 8, rather than on the total alone. Our cost guide has the full breakdown.

Ready to put us to the test?

Bring the 12 questions to your first call with us. Browse our portfolio first if you’d like, then contact us and book a meeting from that page.

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