Is It Worth Spending Your Marketing Budget on an Explainer Video for a Landing Page?

Short answer: sometimes yes, sometimes absolutely not. And anyone telling you otherwise is either overselling you… or already cashed your check.

Longer answer: explainer videos can be one of the highest-ROI tools on a landing page when they’re solving the right problem for the right audience at the right moment. When they’re not, they’re just an expensive vibe.

Let’s break this down because if you’re asking this question, you’re probably staring at a budget spreadsheet thinking:

“Are we about to spend five figures on a cartoon that doesn’t move the needle?”

That’s a healthy instinct.

TL;DR:

Explainer videos are worth the budget when they reduce confusion, improve conversion confidence, or shorten the sales cycle. They fail when used to “add polish” instead of clarity. Most effective landing-page explainers cost $6k–$18k and pay off when paired with strong positioning.

First: What an Explainer Video Is Actually Supposed to Do

An explainer video is not:

• A brand anthem

• A product demo

• A hype reel

• A creative flex

• A substitute for bad copy

A landing-page explainer video has one job:

Reduce friction so the right people understand what you do fast and feel confident taking the next step.

That’s it.
If your video isn’t doing that, it’s just decoration.

When an Explainer Video Is Worth the Budget

We’ve seen explainer videos work best when at least one of these is true:

1. Your Offering Is Hard to Explain in One Sentence

If your product or service involves:

• Multiple steps

• Abstract value (software, platforms, systems, services)

• A new or unfamiliar category

…then yes, animation earns its keep.

Animation lets you show systems, flows, cause-and-effect, and “invisible” processes that text, photos, and even humans on camera struggle with.

2. Your Landing Page Is Losing People Before They Scroll

If your analytics show:

• High bounce rates

• Low time on page

• Visitors dropping before the CTA

A well-placed explainer video can act like a friendly human standing at the door saying, “Hey! Here’s what this is and why it might matter to you.”

3. Your Sales Team Keeps Explaining the Same Thing Over and Over

You'll need to read in between the lines and ask around to get a straight answer.
Sometimes a Sales team doesn't want to be replaced by a great working video.

But if your team constantly answers:

• “So… what do you actually do?”

• “How is this different?”

• “Why would we need this?”

An explainer video acts as a pre-sales filter.

When an Explainer Video Is Not Worth It

Let’s. Save. You. Some. Money.

You probably should not invest in an explainer video if:

• Your offer is already obvious (simple e-commerce, single-feature tools)

• Your landing page problem is actually weak positioning, you need a copywriter

• You’re trying to fix low traffic with a video (it won’t, that's SEO)

• You want “something cool” but don’t have a clear conversion goal

Animation won't rescue your unclear strategy.
We'll just be animating the confusion. And we don't want to do that either.

“But Did It Actually Deliver Results for You?”

Yes. Also no. Check out our Explainer Services to watch some examples.

We have to be honest.

We’ve worked on explainer videos that:

• Increased conversion rates by 15–40%

• Reduced sales cycle length

• Improved lead quality

• Became the most-watched asset on their site

We’ve also seen videos fail when:

• The script tried to say everything

• The audience wasn’t clearly defined

• The landing page CTA was complex

• Stakeholders optimized for internal approvals instead of audience clarity

The strategy behind the video is the lever.

How Much Does an Explainer Video Actually Cost?

Here’s where the internet gets weird. Hold on to your pants.

You’ll see:

• $500 DIY tools

• $2,000 overseas studios

• $10,000–$30,000 boutique teams

• $50,000+ agencies

At Open Pixel Studios, most landing-page explainer videos land between:

$6,000 - $18,000

Visit our Pricing page or our Budget Calculator to figure out your budgets early.

That range depends on:

• Length (usually 60–90 seconds)

• Style (Read about why Style Drives Costs)

• Strategy Depth (script + messaging vs. “here’s a script, animate it”)

• Revision Complexity

• Level of polish required for brand trust

If someone quotes you very low, ask what’s missing.
If someone quotes you very high, ask what problem they’re solving beyond the video.

The Real ROI Question You Should Be Asking

Instead of:

“Is an explainer video worth it?”

Ask:

“What is this video replacing or improving?”

Examples:

• Is it replacing long blocks of text?

• Is it improving lead quality?

• Is it reducing sales calls spent educating?

• Is it increasing confidence for hesitant buyers?

If you can’t answer that, pause and reevaluate.

Learn about calculating the ROI of an animated video.

What Actually Makes an Explainer Video Convert

Based on real projects, not LinkedIn Socials hype:

1. Audience clarity beats visual flair

2. Script > Animation (always)

3. One Visual Idea Per Sentence

4. Clear Next Step (Not just “learn more”)

5. Placement Matters (above the fold is not always best)

The best explainer videos feel less like marketing and more like:

“Oh. That finally makes sense.”

So… Should You Do One?

Here’s the takeaway:

• If your landing page struggles with clarity, consider it.

• If your sales team repeats explanations, consider it.

• If your budget is tight but your message is fuzzy, fix the message first.

• If you want a magic bullet, close this tab.

Explainer videos amplify strategy.

Our Bias (Because Transparency Matters)

Yes, we make explainer videos.

We also tell people not to make them when it’s the wrong move.
Because nothing kills trust faster than an expensive asset that doesn’t earn its keep.

If you’re curious whether an explainer video would actually help your landing page, that conversation usually starts before animation, and sometimes ends with a completely different recommendation.

Which, honestly, is how it should be.

Written by the team at Open Pixel Studios, an animation studio specializing in explainer videos, motion graphics, and clarity-driven storytelling for B2B and mission-driven organizations.