You've built a brilliant SaaS product. But here's the problem: it's complicated. It lives in dashboards, handles data, and solves problems that take paragraphs to explain. Your potential customers could spend twenty minutes on your website and still not quite get what you do. A SaaS explainer video fixes that in 90 seconds flat.
The SaaS Communication Challenge
Software products face a unique hurdle. Unlike physical goods you can hold and examine, SaaS lives in the abstract: data flows, user interfaces, and backend processes that aren't exactly thrilling dinner conversation. The language around these products tends to be technical, wordy, and (let's be honest) not particularly sexy unless you're already in that world.
This creates a real barrier. Your product might solve a genuine problem brilliantly, but if prospects can't quickly grasp what you do, they'll move on. They don't have time to wade through feature lists and technical specifications. They need to understand your value proposition fast.
A software explainer video cuts through this complexity. It takes all that technical detail and distils it into something visual, immediate, and easy to understand. Where text struggles to convey process and benefit simultaneously, video shows both at once.
One Product, Many Stages
Whether you're bootstrapping an MVP or scaling a Series A-funded platform, there's a place for SaaS explainer videos in your journey. The needs differ, but the principle remains: clear communication wins customers.
In the early stages, a short, simple video serves as proof of concept. It helps you test messaging, attract early adopters, and give investors a quick way to understand your vision without wading through a 40-page deck. VCs might look at a hundred propositions in a day; your video gives them the shortcut they're looking for.
As you grow, your explainer video becomes a flagship marketing asset. It sits on your homepage, warms up prospects before sales calls, and gives your entire team a consistent way to talk about what you offer. Some brands use it at the top of the funnel as the first thing visitors see. Others, like legal tech platform Cheers Contracts, place it mid-funnel as a consideration piece, giving interested prospects the deeper understanding they need to move forward.
The Pitfalls Founders Fall Into
When it comes to SaaS marketing videos, founders typically stumble in one of two directions; both cost time, money, or credibility.
The first pitfall is self-serving. Facing a tight budget, founders turn to off-the-shelf tools and try to create something themselves. The problem? They're marketers or developers, not video producers. They don't understand structure, pacing, or how to visualise complex concepts effectively. The result is a video that looks cheap and fails to communicate clearly.
The second pitfall swings the opposite way: going straight to a big agency and blowing the budget on an elaborate production that the business doesn't yet need. Early-stage startups don't require cinematic masterpieces. They need clear, professional communication at a price that makes sense for where they are.
The sweet spot sits between these extremes: premium quality without the premium price tag, built by people who understand how to explain software products specifically.
When Messaging Gets Scattered
Take Cheers Contracts as an example. They're simplifying the legal process so agencies and companies can handle contracts without expensive lawyers. The platform can generate thousands of different documents. When they came to us, their messaging was scattered: here, there, everywhere across the site.
An explainer video gave them a single, cohesive piece of content that encapsulates everything they do. Complex legal processes, distilled into a clear narrative that prospects can watch once and understand immediately. They now use it as a mid-funnel validation piece: visitors who've seen social content or ads can click through and get the full picture in under two minutes.
That's the real value of SaaS explainer videos. Not just explaining features, but bringing together a dispersed message into something unified and compelling.
The Immersion Problem
Here's something that often gets overlooked: someone can spend a long time on your website, reading every page, and still not have a deep understanding of what your SaaS product actually does. Text struggles to convey process. Static images can't show interaction. Feature lists don't communicate benefit.
Video solves the immersion problem. In 90 seconds, prospects can see your product in action, understand the workflow, and grasp why it matters to them. They arrive at the end of your video already warmed up: ready to book a demo or start a trial, rather than still trying to piece together what you offer.
This matters for your sales cycle too. When prospects understand your value before they speak to your team, conversations become about fit rather than explanation. Your sales team spends less time on basics and more time closing.
Ready to Explain Your Product?
At Xplnr, we've spent years understanding what makes SaaS products click with their audiences. We've distilled that knowledge into a streamlined product that matches every stage of your journey, from MVP to market leader.
Our eight-point script model tells your story clearly and effectively. Our bold, glossy design system makes your brand shine. And our fixed pricing means you know exactly what you're getting, without agency surprises. No jargon, no filler: just beautifully designed videos that show the world exactly what you solve.
