What You Should Know About Cryptocurrency Explainer Videos

No matter what you’re promoting, a new coin, a trading platform, a crypto wallet, etc. a cryptocurrency explainer video or an ICO explainer video will give the perfect introduction to your project and serve as the ultimate elevator pitch. Despite market volatility, there’s always demand for a quality crypto product. This means a good video is your opportunity to take advantage of this demand and stand out from every other crypto project out there.

Since you clicked on this blog, I’ll assume you already know what cryptocurrency and ICOs are. If not, this and this explain the two pretty well. The following paragraphs will outline everything you’ll want to know if you’re considering an explainer video for your crypto project. And we’ll start by outlining…

What a cryptocurrency explainer video can do for you

In short, it will do what any good quality explainer video can do for your business. Click here to get a full rundown of all the explainer video benefits. As for the benefits that are specific to cryptocurrency, they are as follows.

You’ll make a clear and concise elevator pitch to your audience

A lot of people find crypto confusing. Unless your audience is made up of 100% crypto die-hards, your sales pitch will need to be so well crafted that the average joe can understand it. Even when they’re only half paying attention. 

The unclear and lengthy messaging that crypto projects can have, especially if the audience is non-tech-savvy, might be their biggest problem. For crypto to succeed it needs to be easily understood by more than just the die-hards. From casual enthusiasts in Ohio to students in Jakarta. And if there’s any way that’s going to happen it’s with the help of good quality, clear, concise messaging from a crypto/ICO explainer video.

You’ll build trust

Right now, the crypto and ICO industry is still a bit of a wild west. There are a lot of scams and snake oil salesmen out there. That should change in the years to come. But for now, every crypto project needs to wrestle with the issue that any prospect will - and should - have their guard up.

A well-produced, good-quality cryptocurrency explainer video or ICO explainer video will show your prospects that you’re legitimate and that you mean business. A good quality crypto project is likely to invest in a good video. On the other hand, a questionable pump and dump scheme may be less likely to invest in quality marketing materials. Or at least that is the likely perception.

I’m sure there are plenty of scammy crypto projects out there which invest plenty of time and money in good-quality explainer videos. So a cryptocurrency explainer video isn’t a foolproof way of convincing your audience you’re trustworthy. But put it this way, without a good video, it’s one more reason for your prospects to have doubts over your legitimacy. 

Your crypto project will be more human and tangible 

Cryptocurrency and ICO explainer videos are usually the first and often only time you can speak to your audience using audio. It’s a chance to bring your message to life on screen and go one step further from written text. 

Crypto is a world away from selling physical products like groceries or clothes. Ultimately it’s just numbers, code, and slightly abstract ideas. But with a cryptocurrency explainer video, you can deliver the audio-visual communication necessary for making your project feel as familiar, human, and tangible as possible.

You’ll maximize the hype

For better or worse, the crypto and ICO scene is laden with hype. Quite understandable; this is a new, world-changing technology. It’s full of speculation and many crypto projects have earned their successes through generating the right P.R. 

Easily consumable and sharable media (i.e., a video) is hype’s best friend. A good video is one of the best ways of going viral and it’s one of the first things a journalist will want to share. Shure, you can generate hype with anything: a tweet a blog etc. But a good video is one of the most reliable ways of doing so.

A good crypto/ICO explainer video is important if you’re looking to raise funds with investors

Asking people for money is hard. Asking them for lots of money, even harder. Asking them for lots of money when your project is in a risky industry, VERY VERY HARD. 

But making your would-be investors’ lives easier with a well-crafted cryptocurrency explainer video that simplifies and hammers home your sales pitch will make them much more inclined to give you money. It’s that simple.

Here are some cryptocurrency explainer video best practices

Explainer videos can come in several forms. One common form is the top of funnel sales pitch. This acts as your audience’s introduction to your project and should, ideally, persuade them to start using your product. Another form is an educational explainer video. These are less salesy and more focused on delivering information about a topic. Sometimes they may not even have a CTA.

Crypto makes good use of both and whilst this blog is taking both into account, these best practices are much more relevant to sales pitch style explainer videos. I thought it would be better to focus on those since they are more directly tied to results.

Use traditional sales pitch techniques

If you’re trying to get your audience interested in your product and persuade them it’s what they need, a sprinkling of sales wizardry will go a long way. This will typically involve some or most of the following. Addressing the audience’s problem. A demo of how your crypto product solves your audience’s problem. Why you’re better than the alternative. If possible, any social proof you have earned so far – reviews, impressive stats, etc. And of course, a CTA.

Focus on the hype 

The crypto industry is about dreaming big, and it’s safe to say that anyone who’s into crypto will be optimistic and excited about the future to some degree. Your crypto project isn’t a new banking app or a piece of insurance. It’s a revolutionary technology that’s going to change the world. So make sure your cryptocurrency explainer video reminds people of that. 

What does that look like in practice? One technique you might want to consider is incorporating a little future pacing into your script. Derived from NLP, future pacing is the act of getting someone to imagine what a future life situation of theirs might look like. For example, if you’re promoting a new cryptocurrency that can be easily used via a browser extension, you might describe how that could make a customer’s typical day easier.

Whatever claim you’re making, try and ensure you back it up with some kind of proof whenever possible. Testimonials, stats, awards, etc. can all make your claims more believable. 

One last but small point is to make your video as sharable as possible if you can. Make sure you host it on a platform that makes sharing easy and/or place share icons near your video when you can.

But don’t make it feel too good to be true

Related to the above point, this should be somewhat obvious. With a world-changing technology, there will always be the temptation to get over-excited and make bold statements and predictions. But just because you’re believing it, doesn’t mean your audience will. All good sales messages need to appeal to the skeptic. And, as mentioned, social proof and other supporting data will be the best way of achieving this.  

Make it as distinctive as possible

There is a danger within the crypto space, for projects to feel a little samey. Many cryptocurrency explainer videos will be for either a cryptocurrency, a trading platform, an exchange, or a wallet. And whilst each have their own characteristics, these types of products will still be quite similar; all cryptocurrencies can feel like just another asset to be traded, all wallets ultimately do the same thing, etc.

As mentioned, you should always outline why your product is better than the alternative. But you should also support that with a distinctive look and feel. Some videos for tech products can be a little similar. The two videos below are by no means bad, but you’re a crypto project. You can do something more exciting.

And then the last thing you want to do is fall into what this video is parodying.

Is this for techie crypto heads and investors, or regular people?

This isn’t a strict rule but on the whole, most cryptocurrency marketing strategies will be talking to two general groups. The serious enthusiasts or regular people. Make sure you a) know who you’re talking to (i.e. the first rule of marketing) and b) only use messaging that will appeal to that audience. Take a look at these two videos.

One isn’t aimed at a mass market. The other is a Super Bowl commercial. The first one is outlining various technicalities, features, and benefits. The second one barely mentions the product at all. Instead, it uses comedy and storytelling to get people interested. Figure out where on the techie-regular person spectrum you are and keep that front of mind when writing your cryptocurrency explainer video script. 

About length

Whilst many explainer video guidelines will tell you to keep things around 1-2 minutes, I would say that the length question is a little more complicated. Yes, if you make your video short people are more likely to watch to the end. BUT if you make your video interesting enough people will happily watch for longer than two minutes. I cover the length debate in detail in this blog. For now, though, consider the following. 

Make your video as long as it needs to be in order to communicate your product’s benefits, outline why it’s different from the competition, and get your audience excited. And make sure you end your video before it gets boring. If that needs more than two minutes, then feel free to go for longer. 

Here are some of the best cryptocurrency explainer videos

The following cryptocurrency explainer videos are great examples of videos I’ve seen in the cryptocurrency space. I’ve kept things broad by not just including videos for cryptocurrencies. We’ve got videos for wallets, trading platforms, etc. 

Tezos

Really clear and simple outlining of the Tezos benefits. This video also makes great use of 3D with the block imagery and a distinctive look and feel.  

Ripple

The first thing that I love about this is how it visually weaves its name in: the rippling lines are a feature that runs all the way through. I also really like its promise of “it will do for money what the internet did for information” followed by its uplifting explanation of how it will do that.

Dai

Brilliant look and feel here. Not only is the graphic design distinctive and original, but the animation is expertly crafted. Every motion and transition has that extra flourish that only a skilled motion designer is able to execute. 

Solana

A great lesson in getting the visuals to generate a sense of hype. These visuals are so energetic and mental that I almost feel excited about this project with the sound off. The hypey visuals are also balanced out with a very nice and clear explanation of the problem that Solana solves and what its unique selling points are.

Xangle

The way this video addresses and describes the problem the target audience faces is super engaging. A less accomplished cryptocurrency explainer video might rush through this information but this one takes its time and makes sure the audience has a full overview of the problem before presenting Xangle as the solution. 

Goodbit

Here’s a fantastic example of an explainer video that targets regular people who aren’t as clued up as your typical crypto head. Given this audience, it does a great job of addressing and explaining a complex topic and making crypto seem much less intimidating. 

LunarCrush

Meridian

Firstly, this is a great way of doing 3D animation on a budget. Given the fixed angles and how the movements are simpler than most 3D animation, it’s unlikely to match 3D’s typical cost. Plus, it still retains the same impressive look and feel that 3D cryptocurrency explainer videos have.

What I find most impressive though, is the demo of the concept behind this video. It’s super clear and simple, making the way Meridian works very easy to grasp. Plus, it’s got the entertainment factor – which makes it all the more engaging.

CoinTickr

To finish things off I thought I’d include a piece of physical cryptocurrency tech. Yes, slightly pushing the definition of what we’re defining as a cryptocurrency explainer video here but it is for the crypto industry so it should still be helpful.

Since this is a physical product, the creators have very wisely decided to set this video in the real world and shoot it live-action. It makes pretty much the entire video a very persuasive product demo. Nice.

Final thoughts

Many of the cryptocurrency explainer videos we just saw have a pretty out there and original look and feel. Line up those crypto explainer videos against your typical SaaS or cloud computing video and they’ll certainly be the more visually interesting within the world of tech explainers. 

This is because, unlike other technologies, crypto is in an early phase and needs to make a big bold statement if it’s going to succeed. This statement needs to be made both with visuals and via well-crafted messaging.

If your crypto project is ready to start making the big bold statement it needs to and take its next step on its journey then click below and book a meeting with me, Bullseye Motion’s creative director. Having written for several crypto and blockchain projects over the years there should be more than a few ways we can make a video that takes your crypto project to the moon.

P.S. all comments and feedback on this blog are appreciated! If there’s any way you think it could be improved, then feel free to shout and I’ll see if I can work them into a redraft. xx