SaaS Explainer Video Template: Copy the Script and Storyboard

A PostHog Session Replay explainer can start with one concrete problem: a checkout bug report with no steps, browser details, or context to reproduce it. That single situation gives the video a clearer opening than a list of product features.

A SaaS explainer video template turns one audience problem into a script, storyboard, and call to action. Fill in the audience, pain, workaround, product URL, workflow, outcome, and proof. Then choose which moments need real product screens and which are easier to explain with motion graphics.

We use the template as a production brief, not a promise that every draft is ready to publish. It gives us a focused story to test against the actual product, a scene plan to guide capture, and a way to adapt one central message for different destinations.

A SaaS explainer video template you can copy

Start with these details before drafting lines or choosing a visual style:

• Audience: [role and situation]
• Pain: [one specific problem they face]
• Current workaround: [how they handle it now]
• Product: [name, category, and product URL]
• Key workflow: [two or three actions that address the pain]
• Outcome: [what becomes easier or clearer]
• Proof: [a supported product detail, customer quote, or verified result]
• One CTA: [the next action, such as “Explore Session Replay”]

Prompt for a first draft: “Write a [duration]-second SaaS explainer for [audience] who struggle with [pain] and currently [workaround]. Use [product URL] for product and brand details. Introduce [product] and show the workflow in [two or three] steps: [steps]. Describe the outcome as [outcome]. Support it with this evidence: [proof]. Close with one CTA: [CTA]. Suggest one visual for each beat. Use real product UI for [workflow or screen] and simple motion graphics for [abstract idea]. Do not add product features, customer results, or claims that are not in this brief.”

A product URL can supply public-facing language and visual cues, but it cannot establish a customer result that the page does not state. If the important workflow sits behind a login, include real screenshots or a screen recording. We can also start with a product link in Velos and refine the generated video by describing an edit or clicking a word to rewrite script text.

The story arc: problem, product, outcome

A concise explainer usually moves from a recognizable problem to the product workflow, then to an outcome and one next action. Hera’s template names five script beats: identify the audience and painful workflow, show why the workaround fails, reveal the product steps, add proof or a before-and-after, and end with the next action. It gives a 30–60-second duration range and lists 16:9, 1:1, and 9:16 as destination formats.

That structure works because the viewer can connect the product to a need before judging its features. One specific customer problem is stronger than a broad list of benefits: each later scene can answer “How does this help with that problem?” If a feature does not serve the problem or explain the outcome, it probably does not belong in this video.

For example, the supplied ngram PostHog Session Replay template opens on an engineer receiving a bug report without enough context to reproduce the issue. It then shows recording activity, filtering sessions, and replaying the relevant moment. That is a clear story because the product actions directly address the opening problem; “powerful analytics for modern teams” would not give those actions the same purpose.

A 60-second SaaS explainer script, beat by beat

Sixty seconds is a useful planning target, not a fixed requirement. Hera’s template covers 30–60 seconds, while ngram’s PostHog example is written for 30 seconds. We can shorten or expand a script depending on how much context the viewer needs and how quickly the UI can be understood.

Here is a worked script for PostHog Session Replay, using the problem and product details in ngram’s example. The proof beat names specific product data rather than repeating the promised benefit.

The evidence is a concrete product detail, not a customer outcome or independent performance claim. If you have a substantiated customer result, use it instead—or add it only when you can support it. We would not replace missing proof with a vague line such as “Get better insights.”

What to show in each scene

Match each sentence to a visual that helps viewers understand it. For the PostHog script, that means making the missing context visible before showing how the replay workflow provides it.

• Hook and problem: Show a bug ticket with the missing details called out: no reproduction steps, browser, or logs. Keep the screen simple enough to scan quickly.
• Product reveal: Cut to the real product UI as the narration names Session Replay. Frame the relevant interface area large enough to read.
• Workflow: Show filtering recordings, opening a session, and jumping to a moment on the timeline. Use a restrained highlight or zoom to direct attention, not unrelated dashboard shots.
• Evidence: Pair the spoken list of recorded events with the relevant UI or concise labels. Avoid filling the screen with tiny text.
• Final frame: Hold on a clean brand-and-CTA frame. The product name and one action should be easy to understand without competing messages.

We use motion graphics when they clarify an idea that is difficult to capture directly, such as a system flow or a before-and-after. For a real software workflow, a screen recording usually earns more trust than a decorative approximation of the interface.

Real product screens or motion graphics?

Choose based on what the viewer must understand. Real UI is the stronger choice when the interface or sequence of actions is the value proposition: a viewer can see where an action happens and what the product returns. Motion graphics are useful for abstract concepts, transitions, and explanations that would otherwise require several complicated screens.

We recommend showing the real workflow when the interface is the value proposition, and using graphics to frame—not replace—it. Velos reads website screens, colours, fonts, and logos to create a branded video. For screens behind a login, users can sign in or upload screenshots. Its product demo video maker comparison covers another practical consideration: how much control you need over a product demonstration.

Adapt the template for your video’s destination

Keep the central story, but adjust the amount of setup, the crop, and the CTA for where people will watch. A homepage explainer can take time to establish the problem; a social teaser needs to make its point quickly; a sales share should focus on the workflow relevant to that conversation.

Velos offers a practical set of starting formats: a 16:9 walkthrough of about 30 seconds, a 9:16 vertical teaser of about 25 seconds, and a 1:1 square ad of about 18 seconds. These are Velos video types, not universal rules for every platform. It can also export 16:9, 9:16, and 1:1 from one video, so we review every crop rather than assuming the interface will remain legible automatically.

For a product-link UGC ad, Velos can use a creator’s script and voice with real product imagery. Its faceless UGC ads take approximately five minutes and include word-by-word captions, music, and an end card with the product price. That format is different from a narrated walkthrough, so choose it when the creator-style ad is the right story—not just because it is another available output.

Common template mistakes to avoid

A clean outline does not prevent a video from becoming hard to follow. Before production, we check for these common problems:

• Feature dumping: Keep the features that explain the central workflow; remove the rest.
• Unclear audience: Replace “teams” with a role and situation, such as a product marketer preparing a launch.
• Slow branded intro: Start with the customer’s problem rather than a long logo animation.
• Unsupported claims: Use only results, customer quotes, and guarantees you can substantiate.
• Too many steps: Keep the workflow to the shortest sequence that makes the value clear. Hera’s example uses three product steps, while ngram’s PostHog prompt asks for two or three; neither makes three a universal limit.
• Unreadable UI: Zoom or crop around the relevant control instead of showing a full desktop at a tiny scale.
• Competing CTAs: Choose one action, such as “Explore the product” or “Book a demo,” rather than asking for both.

From first draft to finished video

We treat a first cut as a way to find gaps in the story, not as a reason to skip review. Check the product name, feature wording, screens, brand colours, and every claim against what the product actually shows. Then revise the script so every spoken line has a visual counterpart and every visual supports the same customer problem.

A practical run-through with Velos starts with a public product URL. Velos takes about four minutes to produce a first cut; a team can start with a 16:9 walkthrough of about 30 seconds, then review whether the actual screens demonstrate the workflow clearly. Choose from six voice options for voiceover, and use music created for the video or one of four moods. These choices help us shape a draft without changing the facts the script needs to convey.

Before publishing, watch the video once with sound off, then review every exported format. Check that captions, UI details, and the CTA remain legible in landscape, square, and vertical crops. A useful next step is to share the finished version with someone who matches the intended audience and ask what problem they think the product solves; if their answer differs from the script, revise before publishing.

Quick answers to common questions

What should a SaaS explainer video include? One audience, one customer problem, the product workflow, a supported outcome or proof point, and one CTA.

How long should it be? Use the time needed to make the workflow clear. Hera’s template spans 30–60 seconds, while Velos offers several product-video formats with different approximate durations.

Should it show the product UI? Yes, when the interface or workflow is the product’s value proposition. Use motion graphics for concepts that are difficult to demonstrate on screen.

How do we write the script? Fill in the brief above, draft one problem-to-product-to-outcome story, then check every claim against product facts and available evidence.

Can we make one from a website? Yes. A product URL can supply public product and brand details; add screen recordings or screenshots for important areas the public page cannot show.