Playbook

Practical playbook for AI‑powered explainer videos

Produce publishable explainer videos faster and with consistent messaging. This guide maps a brief to a finished asset with reusable prompt clusters, storyboard templates, voice & localization pipelines, and quality gates that reduce rework.

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Overview

What this playbook delivers

A compact, production-ready playbook focused on repeatability and quality control. Use it to produce single explainer videos or scale variant sets (lengths, languages, aspect ratios) without vendor lock-in.

Prompt clusters for scripts, storyboards, TTS-ready narration, localization and A/B variants
Fillable 6-frame storyboard template with on-screen copy and timing
A production checklist and quality gates (tone, pace, lip-sync, contrast, captions)
A repurposing plan to convert the master asset into short clips, thumbnails, and SEO-ready uploads

Checklist

Quick-start checklist — first pass to publishable

Follow these checkpoints on your first project to move from brief to publishable file with minimal rework.

Define target audience, primary CTA, and one concrete example to illustrate benefit.
Generate a 60‑second script using the script prompt cluster and lock tone before visuals.
Produce a 6‑frame storyboard with timecodes and on-screen captions.
Select a TTS voice or voice clone and generate narration with TTS-optimized script.
Assemble assets in your editor, run the quality gates, export variants, and add captions.
Upload to your hosting platform and tag events for view and CTA tracking.

Prompts

Prompt clusters you can reuse

Copy and adapt these prompt templates to generate consistent scripts, storyboards and test variants across projects.

60‑second explainer script

Problem → solution → 3-step demo → concrete example → CTA. Use a single tone.

Prompt: "Write a 60‑second explainer script for [product] aimed at [audience]. Start with a one‑line hook, state the customer problem, show the solution in 3 steps, include a single concrete example and end with a clear CTA. Tone: [friendly|authoritative|playful]."

Length adaptation

Produce 30/90/180-second variants while preserving core message and CTA.

Prompt: "Adapt the following script to a [30/90/180] second format while preserving the core message and CTA: [paste original script]."

Shot list & storyboard frames

Turn a script into a timed, frame-by-frame shot list for editors and animators.

Prompt: "From this script, produce a shot list of 6 frames with timecodes, visual actions, on‑screen text, and suggested B‑roll/style: [paste script]."

TTS narration & voice selection

Create TTS-optimized narration and recommend voice styles for A/B testing.

TTS prompt: "Generate a narration file script optimized for TTS (natural pauses, parenthetical direction for emphasis, phonetic spellings for brand names): [paste script]."
Voice selection prompt: "Recommend 3 voice styles (age, gender, pacing, examples) for this script and note when to use each for A/B testing."

Localization and compliance

Preserve CTA intent and tone while localizing scripts for new markets.

Prompt: "Localize this script for [locale] while preserving CTA intent and brand tone. Provide glossary entries for branded terms and 3 alternative idiomatic lines for review."
Accessibility prompt: "List captions, audio descriptions, reading speed, color contrast and trademark calls to action to verify before publish for [market]."

Template

Fillable storyboard: 6 frames (template)

Use this compact storyboard to align script, visuals and on-screen text before editors start animating.

Frame 1 (0–7s): Hook — short on-screen headline, one-line narration hook, visual: product-in-context hero frame.
Frame 2 (7–15s): Problem — on-screen caption ≤12 words, visual: frustrated user or metric callout.
Frame 3 (15–25s): Solution step 1 — quick visual demo, overlay CTA microcopy.
Frame 4 (25–40s): Solution steps 2–3 — split-screen or sequential micro-demos with on-screen bullets.
Frame 5 (40–50s): Concrete example — short testimonial or data moment, keep narration tight.
Frame 6 (50–60s): CTA & next step — clear CTA line, thumbnail suggestion for social share.

Production pipeline

Voice, localization and variant pipeline

A repeatable pipeline reduces errors when producing multi-length and multi-language variants.

Script → TTS-optimized narration: apply the TTS narration prompt, confirm phonetic spellings for brand names.
Voice selection: pick primary and two A/B voices and label them in your asset manager.
Generate localized scripts with glossary entries and three alternative idioms for review.
Record or synthesize narration, run quick lip-sync and timing checks against storyboard timecodes.
Export separate audio stems for narration, music, and SFX to ease editor workflows.

Quality control

Production checklist & quality gates

Define specific, non-ambiguous checks to reduce iteration between teams.

Tone lock: confirm voice tone matches approved script sample before visuals.
Reading time & pacing: ensure narration aligns with storyboard timecodes ±200ms where lip-sync matters.
Lip-sync & mouth shapes: flag any close-up speaking shots for manual review.
Contrast & legibility: verify on-screen copy meets WCAG contrast guidance for primary markets.
Captions & audio descriptions: include transcripts and at least one audio description track if required by market.
Asset licensing: log license source and usage rights for any generated or stock asset before export.

Launch & iterate

Distribution, tracking and repurposing

Publish in multiple aspect ratios and track a small set of KPIs to inform creative iteration.

Export master edits: landscape (16:9), vertical (9:16), square (1:1) and short social cuts.
Thumbnail & title plan: use the thumbnail prompt cluster to test high-CTR images and copy.
Analytics spec: track view-through rate, retention by segment and CTA clicks; apply consistent event naming.
Repurposing plan: list assets to create from the master (15s social, 30s demo, FAQ clip, audio ad, blog excerpt).

FAQ

How fast can I produce a publishable explainer video with an AI-assisted workflow?

Speed depends on clarity of the brief and the level of human review. For a straightforward 60‑second explainer with a predefined template, teams can move from brief to first publishable draft within a single production day if scripts and assets are approved up front. Plan additional time for localization, voice approvals and platform-specific edits.

What legal and licensing checks are needed for AI voices and stock assets?

Record the source and license for every voice and stock asset. For third-party voice cloning or TTS, confirm commercial usage rights and any speaker consent requirements. Maintain a simple asset registry that lists provider, license type, permitted uses, and retention policy before publishing.

How do I keep brand tone consistent across generated scripts and voices?

Create a short tone style sheet with example lines, prohibited phrases, and a small glossary of branded terms. Use that sheet as part of the script-generation prompt and require a tone lock check before approving visuals.

Which formats and aspect ratios should I create for cross-platform publishing?

Start with three exports: landscape (16:9) for web and product pages, square (1:1) for feed placements, and vertical (9:16) for short-form platforms and stories. Export short-form edits (15s, 30s) from the master timeline to match platform attention spans.

How can I validate accuracy and avoid hallucination in product demos?

Keep demo steps concrete and testable. Use a verification pass where a product SME follows the narrated steps while screen-recording or confirming UI state. For any generative visuals, label placeholders and replace them with screen captures or approved mockups before publish.

What are practical steps to localize explainer videos for new markets?

Localize scripts with a glossary and three idiomatic alternatives for review. Generate localized narration or TTS, then re-time the storyboard to the new reading speed. Run a market review for idioms, compliance, and branded phrase handling before publishing.

How do I set quality gates to reduce rework between script, voice and edit?

Define binary checks with owners: tone locked by content lead, narration approved by voice owner, storyboard approved by design lead, and a QA checklist run by editorial before export. Make each gate pass/no-pass and document required fixes.

What metadata and captions improve discoverability and accessibility?

Publish with a plain-language title, descriptive summary, full transcript, time-coded captions, and relevant tags. Include localized captions and translated descriptions for multi-market variants to improve search and accessibility.

How should I A/B test creative variants and measure success metrics?

Test headline/hook and thumbnail first for CTR, then run variant tests on short retention windows (first 15 seconds) for view-through metrics. Use consistent event names for CTA clicks and segment retention by traffic source for actionable comparisons.

Which parts of production are safe to fully automate and which need human review?

Automate repeatable tasks: first-draft scripts, draft storyboards, TTS generation, and cropping exports. Reserve human review for brand tone approval, final voice approvals, lip-sync-sensitive scenes, and legal licensing checks.

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