Before we start on why startup videos use narration, let us look at the different ways in which an explainer video communicates with its audience. Explainer videos can be of different types based on the product or the service it is trying to promote and also depends on the type of audience it is talking to. We have ‘cartoon’ animation, white board animation, live action and motion graphics to name a few. So Why most Startup Videos have Narration instead of Characters Speaking?
After choosing the type of video we want, we also decide on how the script has to present the product. The product can be explained through a character that uses or can benefit from the product. Or it could be a video with only music and texts telling the significance of the product. Or it can be a narration explaining what is the product and how good and suitable for it is for the end user. All this depends on how the script has been structured to promote a product.
Involving character and showing the characters using a product goes a long way to make a consumer resonate with it. It can add a bit of humor and personal touch with the audience. The below video is a very good example of using character speaking.
There are some videos that do not need such shenanigans and just plain video with a bit of background music. That is mostly for the product that has its brand stamped in people’s mind clearly already. And all the products wants to do is show off their new features. They would be mostly companies which are famous for its products. They need very little narration or none at all.
And there are videos which have to use narration, especially the start-up kind. A start-up is trying to establish its product with the consumers. We can have characters and make character speak about the product. But that would not be ideal or helpful in every case. A character cannot be made to say what the product does and how good is it, as part of its conversation because that would be TMI. And wouldn’t make the video simple at all, which would be like breaking the first rule of explainer videos. When a start-up is having its video to explain its product, it has to highlight the significance of what it does. That could be anything ranging from ‘easy-to-use’ to ‘culturing 3 times more in a single cycle’. Just imagine the character saying, “Yeah dude, the incubator is 3 times advanced with its economical property a stronghold”. That just doesn’t seem right, does it? Whereas, the strong yet soothing voice saying, “The incubator is 3 times advanced with economical property as stronghold”. I know this is gibberish but the outline of any start-up with its script would have such point that needs to be highlighted.
We need a third party situation here who can directly tell the advantages the characters are getting by using the product. This way the narration gives us a holistic look about it. Imagine the character giving the brief about the product, it would just throw the balance of the video and the engaging part about the video for the viewer becomes difficult. The narration also personally talks to us saying how beneficial the product would be to us. Having narration in a start-up video makes the video crisp, to the point and how it would make lives easier in a directly to the viewers, compared to character speaking, which would mean there are too many elements in the video. This just affects the viewer concentration capacity, since the distraction for a viewer online is pretty high. The below videos clearly show why narration is a good form of communication with the audience, when it comes to start-ups.