The fastest way to tell whether an explainer script will work is to count its words. Voiceover speed is fairly predictable, so the word count tells you how long the video will run, and whether you are trying to say too much.
Key numbers at a glance
The answer: 140 to 160 words per minute
A clear, natural explainer voiceover reads at roughly 140 to 160 words per minute. That matches published speaking rates: the National Center for Voice and Speech puts average American English conversation at about 150 words per minute, and audiobook narrators and radio hosts sit at 150 to 160 (VirtualSpeech). Explainer reads land slightly below the top of that range so each line has room to breathe. Audible’s ACX puts the average narrator at about 9,300 words per hour, roughly 155 words per minute (ACX), and voice-over marketplace Voices.com counts an average of 15 lines in a 60-second spot (Voices.com).
That gives you these budgets:
| Video length | Script length |
|---|---|
| 30 seconds | 70–80 words |
| 45 seconds | 105–120 words |
| 60 seconds | 140–160 words |
| 90 seconds | 210–240 words |
| 2 minutes | 280–320 words |
Midpoints of the ranges in the table, at about 150 words per minute.
Source: National Center for Voice and Speech, via VirtualSpeech
Most marketers aim for the shorter end. In Wyzowl’s 2026 survey, 51% said 30 to 60 seconds is the most effective length for a marketing video, so the 60-second budget below is the one most teams need.
Leave a little room at the start and end for the logo, opening visual and call-to-action screen, where there is often no voiceover.
Want to check your own script? Paste it into the timer below. It counts the words, estimates the run time at the voice pace you choose, and tells you how far over or under your target you are.
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Script timer
Paste your script. We’ll estimate how long the voiceover runs and whether it fits.
A timed 60-second structure
A 60-second structure keeps one idea per section, and shorter holds attention better: across 6.9 million edX video sessions, “shorter videos are much more engaging” (Guo, Kim and Rubin, 2014). Use this as a starting point and adjust it to your product:
| Section | Time | Words | What to say |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Problem | 0:00–0:15 | 30–40 | The pain your best customers feel, in their words |
| 2. Solution | 0:15–0:25 | 20–30 | Introduce your product as the answer, in one sentence |
| 3. How it works | 0:25–0:48 | 50–60 | Three simple steps or benefits, shown with the product |
| 4. Proof | 0:48–0:55 | 15–20 | Who uses it, or a clear before/after |
| 5. Call to action | 0:55–1:00 | 10–15 | One next step: start free, book a demo, join the waitlist |
- Problem 0:00–0:15 30–40 words
- Solution 0:15–0:25 20–30 words
- How it works 0:25–0:48 50–60 words
- Proof 0:48–0:55 15–20 words
- Call to action 0:55–1:00 10–15 words
A timed 90-second structure
With 90 seconds you get room for one more layer of detail, not more features:
- Problem (0:00–0:18, 40–45 words)
- Cost of the problem (0:18–0:28, 20–25 words): what it costs in time, money or stress
- Solution (0:28–0:38, 20–25 words)
- How it works (0:38–1:10, 75–85 words): three steps, each shown on screen
- Proof (1:10–1:22, 25–30 words)
- Call to action (1:22–1:30, 15–20 words)
How to cut a script that runs long
Almost every first draft is too long. Cutting is backed by learning research: Mayer’s coherence principle says people learn better when extraneous words, pictures and sounds are excluded, and his signaling principle says “people learn better when essential words are highlighted,” which is why key phrases often appear as on-screen text (National University of Singapore). These cuts work without losing meaning:
- Remove the feature you love most but buyers ask about least. Keep it for a demo video instead.
- Let visuals do the work. If the screen shows the dashboard, the voiceover doesn’t need to say “here is the dashboard”. Eye-tracking research found that even a talking head “is boring, even for 24 seconds” (Nielsen Norman Group), so give every line something to show.
- Merge sentences that make the same point.
- Swap phrases for words. “In order to” becomes “to”; “a wide range of” becomes “many”.
- Cut company history. Viewers care about their problem, not when you were founded.
Read it aloud before you approve it
Word counts get you close; reading aloud gets you exact. Check that each line also reads well as a caption: 69% of US adults in a Verizon Media and Publicis Media survey said they watch video with the sound off in public (Streaming Media). Read at a relaxed pace with a timer. If you have to rush, the script is too long, and a professional voice actor will either rush too or run over time.
Quick checklist
- Fits the word budget for the target length
- Opens with the viewer’s problem, not your company name
- Mentions no more than three features or steps
- Every line can be shown on screen
- Ends with exactly one call to action
For more on choosing the length itself, read how long a SaaS explainer video should be. If you’d like the script written for you, that is part of every SaaS explainer video project.
Sources
- VirtualSpeech, “Average Speaking Rate and Words per Minute” (citing the National Center for Voice and Speech)
- Wyzowl, State of Video Marketing 2026 (266 respondents)
- ACX (Audible), “How long will my narrated audiobook be?”
- Voices.com, Words to Time Conversion
- Guo, Kim & Rubin, “How Video Production Affects Student Engagement,” L@S 2014 (6.9M edX sessions)
- National University of Singapore, “Mayer’s 12 Principles of Multimedia Instruction” (Mayer, American Psychologist, 2008)
- Nielsen Norman Group, “Talking-Head Video Is Boring Online” (Jakob Nielsen)
- Streaming Media, on the Verizon Media and Publicis Media survey (2019, 5,616 US adults)
