SaaS Explainer Videos: Examples and a Practical Planning Guide

Asana’s first-use video covers Workspaces, Projects, and Tasks in two minutes; Astronomer’s “What is Astronomer?” was made in vertical format for social viewers new to the company. Those examples solve different viewer problems, so choosing the right format matters more than copying a familiar style.

SaaS explainer videos show what software does, who it helps, and why it matters. They can use animation, real product screens, or a combination. A useful explainer makes one product idea clear and gives viewers a next step; a product demo spends more time showing how a workflow works.

This guide compares examples by audience and purpose, then turns those lessons into a practical screen-led plan. You’ll learn how to choose a format, select the product details worth showing, and adapt the core story for a homepage, onboarding, or social post without treating one unchanged edit as right for every placement.

What should a SaaS explainer video help viewers understand?

A SaaS explainer video is a short video that shows what software does, who it helps, and why it matters. It connects a product to a need or task, then makes the product’s value easier to grasp. The viewer should come away knowing why the software may be relevant and what to do next.

There is no required visual style. Animation can make an abstract process visible; real product screens can show what using the software looks like; and a hybrid can introduce a concept before grounding it in the interface. The format is defined by the explanation it delivers, not by whether it uses motion graphics, a screen recording, or both.

That distinction separates an explainer from nearby kinds of video. A brand film may establish a mood without teaching much about the product. A feature clip may show a control without explaining who needs it. An explainer connects the product to a viewer’s situation, making the reason to care and the product’s role understandable.

Slack’s getting-started guide offers a clear example of that explanatory connection. It describes project conversations scattered across email threads, then presents channels as a shared, searchable place for teamwork. The linked video is introduced as going deeper into why channels are a better way to work. (Slack’s guide for people new to the product)

An explainer does not need to show every feature. It should make one central idea understandable enough for viewers to decide whether to learn more. A company might explain how its workflow connects several steps, or show the outcome a team gets from using a particular capability. How much detail to include depends on what viewers already know and what they need to understand next.

For software, a real interface can make an explanation specific. Velos reads a website’s screens, colours, fonts, and logos to create a branded video. Users can also sign in or upload screenshots to show product screens that sit behind a login. That gives teams a way to include recognizable product imagery without making the whole video a detailed interface walkthrough.

Explainer video or product demo: decide what the viewer needs

Both formats can show software, but they answer different questions. An explainer leads with a need and the value the product offers: “Why should I care?” A demo spends more time on the interface and workflow: “How does this work?” Some videos combine the two, but the viewer’s question should determine which job leads.

Slack’s getting-started resource frames its linked video around why channels are a better way to work. The surrounding explanation describes the problem—conversations spread across email threads—and the benefit of a shared place to find files, decisions, and project history. That is an explainer-led message: the value is the point, rather than a sequence of detailed interface instructions.

Asana’s “How To Use Asana: A 2-Minute Video” is more explicitly instructional. The company describes it as an introduction for people using Asana for the first time, covering Workspaces, Projects, and Tasks. Its text-only account also describes creating and editing tasks and assigning them to coworkers. The page is dated May 4, 2011, and an editor’s note from March 2017 points readers to newer “How to Asana” videos. Treat it as a historical example of a concise first-use walkthrough, not as a current benchmark for Asana’s video approach. (Asana’s two-minute introduction)

Calendly’s official page describes its offer as a product tour, invites visitors to “Take a product tour,” and says they can see how to easily schedule meetings with anyone. It also describes exploring scheduling setup, integrations, routing, and automations, and says Calendly is trusted by over 20M people. That page is useful for understanding the tour’s audience and stated scope; it does not establish the tour’s visual construction or precise scene sequence. (Calendly’s product tour)

Use the distinction as an editing choice, not a rigid rule. If a homepage visitor first needs to understand why a product exists, give the need and outcome priority before showing the interface. If an interested prospect understands the value but is unsure how to complete a task, focus on the steps. When both questions matter, establish the payoff and then show only the actions that make it credible.

SaaS explainer video examples, chosen by audience and purpose

Examples are most useful when we study what they help viewers understand, rather than treating any one video as a template. The set below spans onboarding, product education, a broad product advertisement, and social introduction. For each, consider the viewer, the product detail that appears in the account of the video, and a lesson you can apply.

• Slack: make a familiar work problem the entry point. Slack’s getting-started guide is for people new to Slack and invites them to share it with teammates. It describes project conversations scattered across email threads, then explains how channels can keep information in one searchable place. The guide says its linked video goes deeper into why channels are a better way to work. Transferable lesson: begin with a recognizable situation, then explain the product concept that addresses it. The lesson is in the framing; the guide does not describe the linked video’s visual treatment.

• Asana: orient first-time users around basic concepts. Asana describes its 2011 video as a two-minute introduction for people using the product for the first time. It covers Workspaces, Projects, and Tasks, with its text account describing task creation, assignment, editing, and My Tasks. The page also connects the product to time spent in meetings, status emails, and tracking down updates. Transferable lesson: pair an everyday frustration with a small, understandable set of product concepts. Because the page directs readers to newer videos in a 2017 note, use this example for its first-use teaching structure, not as a current style reference.

• Wix: show a person updating a real website. Wix’s official page presents its 2019 Big Game ad as a product video featuring Karlie Kloss updating her website. It highlights Pro Gallery and SEO Wiz, including the latter’s step-by-step guide to optimizing a site for search engines. Wix’s CMO described the company’s campaigns as a mixture of product, personality, and narrative for customers. Transferable lesson: a person doing a recognizable task can put capabilities in context. The specific ad demonstrates website updates and professional features, rather than spelling out a particular audience problem. (Wix’s announcement and official 2019 ad)

• Astronomer: introduce a company and product to social viewers. Astronomer’s official year-in-review identifies “What is Astronomer?” as an in-house explainer released in July 2025. It describes the video as a high-level overview of Astronomer and Airflow for uninitiated viewers newly interested in the company, made in vertical format for social use and sharing. Transferable lesson: when the audience is new, establish what the company and product are before expecting viewers to follow detailed workflows. (Astronomer’s year-in-review)

• Calendly: set a clear promise for a product tour. Calendly’s demo page addresses people exploring its scheduling tool. It describes learning to set up meeting scheduling and exploring integrations, routing, and automations, and gives the value statement “See how you can easily schedule meetings with anyone.” Transferable lesson: put the product’s core promise in plain language, then make the tour’s scope apparent. The page calls this a product tour; it should not be used as evidence for an undocumented animation, screen treatment, or scene order.

The examples show that “SaaS video” can mean a problem-led explanation, first-use education, a product advertisement, a social introduction, or a product tour. Choose an example whose viewer and job resemble yours. For more brand examples and the lessons their choices offer, read our SaaS explainer video examples guide.

Choose a visual approach that makes the product easier to understand

The right style depends on what the viewer needs to picture: an abstract idea, a real workflow, or both. Animation, real interface footage, simplified UI motion, and hybrid treatments each help with a different explanation problem. Start with the information the audience needs, then choose the lightest visual approach that makes it clear.

Use animation when an interface cannot show the central idea by itself. For example, a system that coordinates information across several services may need a visual explanation of how information moves before a product screen can show where a user manages it. The animation explains the concept; the screen makes the product tangible. This is a planning example, not a claim about any of the cited companies’ video techniques.

Use real product screens when viewers need to understand what they can do. Asana’s historical first-use video is described as covering Workspaces, Projects, and Tasks, and the page’s text account describes creating, editing, and assigning tasks. Those product concepts illustrate the kind of detail a newcomer might need to see when learning a workflow. The page does not specify whether the video uses live interface footage, animation, or a mix, so the useful lesson is its instructional scope—not a presumed screen style.

Simplified UI motion is a production choice for reducing distraction while preserving a real workflow. A close crop, a short highlight, or a pause on a relevant panel can direct attention to the important control. Slack’s guide explains channels as a shared, searchable place for project conversations; a team making its own channel explainer could focus on the channel and the information it brings together rather than trying to show every part of a workspace. That is a proposed approach, not a description of Slack’s linked video.

A hybrid approach is useful when a viewer needs a mental model and product evidence. One possible sequence is to explain the user’s challenge with a simple visual, then show the relevant interface where the product addresses it. Wix’s ad is a reminder that a product can also be shown through a person carrying out a task: its page says Karlie Kloss updates her website and highlights Pro Gallery and SEO Wiz. The transferable point is to relate the feature to an action, without assuming a particular animation or interface treatment.

What makes an explainer clear and persuasive?

A strong explainer helps the intended viewer recognize a need, understand one central product promise, see evidence in the product, and know what to do next. Those elements work together. A striking animation cannot compensate for an unclear audience, and a detailed interface tour can lose viewers if the reason for showing it is missing.

Name the audience and the problem

Slack’s getting-started guide is aimed at people new to the product and their teammates. Its problem is specific: project or topic conversations scattered across email threads. The guide connects channels to outcomes that matter in that context, including easier access to files and decisions and retained history for new joiners. That is more concrete than describing Slack only as a communication platform.

Asana’s page gives another form of problem framing: time spent in meetings, writing status emails, tracking down updates, and doing “work about work.” When you plan your own opening, use a problem your intended viewer can identify in their daily work. Avoid beginning with a category label or a list of product capabilities before the viewer knows why those details matter.

Give the story one central promise

Calendly’s demo page states a direct promise: “See how you can easily schedule meetings with anyone.” It then offers viewers a way to explore related product areas, including integrations, routing, and automations. For an explainer, that distinction is useful: supporting capabilities can provide evidence without each becoming a separate headline.

Write the central promise in one sentence before you plan the scenes. Then check whether every scene explains the need, demonstrates the promise, or leads to the next step. If a scene does none of those things, it may belong in a separate product demo or follow-up video. That decision is more useful than trying to fit every feature into one edit.

Reveal enough product to make the promise believable

The product should appear at the point where it answers the viewer’s next question: “How does this help?” Asana’s introduction provides basic product concepts and actions for first-time users. For a new user, those details are more helpful than an unsupported claim that the product will make work easier; a screen or action can give the broad promise something concrete to mean.

The right amount of detail changes with the audience. Astronomer’s social explainer is described as a high-level introduction for viewers newly interested in the company, while Calendly’s product tour invites viewers to explore how scheduling and related areas work. One starts with orientation; the other offers product exploration. Your video should make the same choice intentionally.

Finish with one appropriate next step

A clear ending points to one action that fits the viewer’s stage. Calendly’s demo page uses “Take a product tour.” Slack’s getting-started guide suggests creating a channel for a key project or topic. Those are distinct actions for distinct contexts, but both give the audience a specific next move rather than several competing requests.

For a homepage, the next step might be to explore the product or start a trial. In onboarding, it may be to create a first project or complete a setup step. Keep the on-screen and spoken calls to action aligned, so the audience does not have to choose between two different instructions.

Plan SaaS explainer videos around the product screens that prove the point

A practical plan starts with the audience and ends with a reviewable edit. Below is a five-beat structure we use as a planning tool, not a prescribed runtime: opening need, consequence, product reveal, outcome, and next step. Each beat has a job, so the video can stay focused even when the product has many capabilities.

1. Set the audience and placement

Write down who will see the video and where. A homepage visitor may be encountering the product for the first time; a signed-in user may already understand the broad promise and need help with one action. Placement determines how much context to provide and what counts as a useful next step.

Choose one primary audience for the first version. If buyers, admins, and end users have different questions, a single video may not answer all of them well. You can retain the same central product idea while making separate versions for viewers with different knowledge or responsibilities.

2. State one user problem and the change the product makes

Write a before-and-after in two plain sentences. For a project-planning tool, a specific version might be: “A team’s launch tasks and decisions are split across separate conversations. The team can use a shared project to see assigned tasks and their status together.” This is a planning example; replace it with a problem and outcome your product actually supports.

The second sentence should not promise more than your screens can demonstrate. If the claim depends on several independent workflows, narrow it to one. A video about assigning and tracking launch tasks is easier to follow than a video that also tries to explain reporting, permissions, integrations, and company-wide planning.

3. Pick the smallest useful set of screens

List the product actions needed to make the before-and-after credible, then capture only those screens in story order. For the project-planning example, the relevant sequence could be opening the project, showing a task with an owner, and showing where its status appears. That three-screen plan is an editorial example, not a universal requirement; choose the screens that demonstrate your product’s actual workflow.

Use realistic sample content and check legibility at the size where the video will appear. Remove personal or confidential information from screenshots, and avoid showing menus or controls that do not support the story. If the product screens are behind a login, Velos users can sign in or upload screenshots to include them.

4. Apply branding and sound without obscuring the interface

Once the story and screens are selected, decide what should carry the brand: colours, fonts, logo, captions, and music. Velos reads website screens, colours, fonts, and logos to create a branded video. It creates music for a video or lets users choose from four moods, so teams can select a sound direction that supports the message rather than relying on a generic voiceover-only edit.

Here is a worked planning example using a project-planning SaaS site. Start with its website link and choose the launch-task story above; if the task view is behind a login, sign in or provide a screenshot. The planned video moves from split conversations to a shared project, shows the task and its owner, then closes with an invitation to explore the workflow. Velos can use the website’s visual identity and the supplied product imagery in a branded first cut. The exact scene design depends on the selected inputs and edit; the example describes a workflow to plan, not a claim about a particular finished Velos output.

Velos takes about 4 minutes to produce a first cut. Use that cut as a starting point for review: check that the product details are accurate, the interface remains readable, the story supports the claim, and the ending points to the intended action. The time to generate a first cut is not a substitute for checking product accuracy and message fit.

5. Choose a call to action and review against the brief

Select one action that matches the placement. A homepage video can lead to a product tour or trial; an onboarding video can point to the next setup task. Make sure the CTA follows naturally from what the video has shown. If the video promises a look at a workflow, a product-tour invitation is more consistent than an unrelated request to follow a social account.

Before publishing, review the video against a short checklist:

• Can the intended viewer recognize the problem in the opening?
• Does the product reveal demonstrate the central promise accurately?
• Are the labels and important interface details readable in the chosen frame?
• Does the music support the tone without competing with the explanation?
• Is there one clear next step that suits the placement?

For a fill-in outline and scene plan, use our SaaS explainer video template. If you are comparing production workflows, our guide to choosing a SaaS explainer video maker covers tool selection.

Adapt the core story for homepage, onboarding, and social

One central product story can support several placements, but the edit should change with the viewer’s context. Homepage visitors need orientation; new users need a useful action; social viewers need to understand the subject without relying on surrounding page copy. Keep the central promise consistent and change the opening, amount of product detail, framing, and CTA as needed.

Homepage: establish relevance before adding detail

A homepage visitor may not yet know whether the product is for them. Start with the audience and a recognizable need, introduce the product’s role, and show enough interface to make the promise tangible. Avoid turning the opening video into a full tour before the visitor has decided to learn more.

Choose a next step that suits exploration. Calendly’s demo page, for example, invites visitors to “Take a product tour” and explains the scheduling value before listing areas to explore. That is a useful distinction for homepage planning: the opening can make the product’s purpose clear, while a tour can handle more detail.

Onboarding: focus on the next useful action

After signup, broad positioning is less useful than helping someone move forward. Choose one task, show where to begin, and make clear what happens next. Leave out capabilities that do not help the user complete that task.

Slack’s getting-started guide places its linked video in a context for people new to the product and their teammates. The guide’s channel advice connects the feature to bringing project conversations together and making information easier to find. That is the kind of practical connection an onboarding video can make: explain why an action matters while showing how the user can take it. For more guidance on that use case, read our guide to customer onboarding videos.

Social: make the context clear in the video itself

A social viewer may see the video without the surrounding product page. Open with a clear problem, question, or outcome; keep the product explanation focused; and make the next step understandable without relying on a long setup. A vertical frame can suit a mobile feed, but changing the frame alone does not make a homepage edit fit social. Rework the opening, crop, captions, and ending for that context.

Astronomer describes “What is Astronomer?” as a vertical social explainer for viewers newly interested in the company, with a high-level overview of Astronomer and Airflow. That is an example of treating social as an introduction, rather than compressing a detailed onboarding lesson into a smaller frame.

Plan cutdowns around parts of the story that can stand alone: the need, the product reveal, or one outcome. Then review each version in its actual placement to make sure the message and CTA still make sense. Velos exports 16:9, 9:16, and 1:1 formats from one video; those options support different frames, while the content can still be adapted to each placement’s purpose.

FAQ

When should we switch from an explainer to a product demo?

Switch when the viewer already understands why the product matters but still needs to judge how a task works. For example, a broad explanation of why channels keep project discussions together can lead to a separate walkthrough of creating a channel and organizing its work. Keeping the workflow separate lets the explainer stay focused on the product’s value.

What if our product screens are still changing?

Use screens that accurately represent the workflow at the time you publish, and avoid making temporary interface labels the centre of the story. If a screen changes, update the relevant segment or capture a replacement. For onboarding content, make a review part of the release process so instructions continue to match the product users see.

How much does a SaaS explainer video cost?

The cost depends on the production approach, scope, and who makes the video; a single price cannot be stated for every team from these examples. Compare proposals using the same brief: audience, placement, number of versions, whether product screens or animation are required, and what revisions are included. That makes the estimates easier to evaluate against the work you actually need.

Can the same core video serve buyers and new users?

The same product promise can inform both, but buyers and new users usually need different supporting detail. A buyer may need the problem, outcome, and a reason to explore further; a new user may need a specific action shown in sequence. Keep the central idea consistent and make separate edits when the audience’s next question changes.