Questions to ask before commissioning an explainer

The difference between a great explainer video and a forgettable one often hinges on what you ask before you hand over the brief. A producer who gives you vague reassurances or dodges specifics is signalling trouble ahead. The right questions—and the answers you get—will tell you whether someone understands your problem, respects your timeline, and knows how to deliver something actually useful.

When you're evaluating a producer, you're really checking three things: do they grasp what you're trying to explain, do they have a process that lets you steer the work, and will they defend clarity over flash. The questions below help you spot each one.

Questions that reveal process and realism

Start with "Walk me through how you'd approach my brief." A producer should describe something like: understand the core audience and their pain point, identify the one or two key things you need them to grasp, then build the script around that. If they jump straight to visuals or assume they already know what to show, that's a flag. They should ask you questions back—about who watches, what happens after they see it, what you're asking them to do next.

Ask "Who writes the script and how much control do I have?" Some producers write in-house; others bring in a specialist. Either can work, but you need to know if you're in the room workshopping the words, approving drafts before animation starts, or getting a finished script you can't reshape. A good answer sounds like: "You approve the script in writing before we animate. We iterate until you're happy." An evasive one sounds like: "We have a proven formula" or "Trust the process."

Then ask "How do you handle feedback on the draft or rough cut?" This matters more than you'd think. Some producers cap revisions; some build them in. You should understand upfront how many rounds of changes are included and what happens if you want something significant reworked. A straightforward answer might be: "We include two rounds of revisions on the rough cut. If you spot something structural, we talk through it as a change to scope." Dodging this question is a warning sign.

Ask about their timeline: "How long from approved script to delivery, and what's your turnaround on feedback?" Producers who quote a single number without conditions are glossing over reality. A better answer factors in your approval speed: "Eight weeks from script sign-off, assuming you turn around feedback within five working days." That's honest. If they're slow to respond to your questions during pitch, they'll be slower during the job.

Questions that test clarity thinking

Ask "Tell me about a time when you simplified something complex—what did you leave out and why?" This separates producers who think about audience comprehension from those who think about making nice animations. A good answer names something specific (tax filing, blockchain, insurance claims) and explains what detail they chose not to include and why. "We removed the regulatory step because the audience doesn't need to know it to understand the core mechanism." A weak answer is: "I just made it look simple" or "We animated it well so people understand."

Ask "What happens if my product is hard to explain?" A producer worth hiring doesn't pretend it's not hard—they say something like: "We spend time in discovery to find the angle or analogy that makes it click. That might mean a longer script or a different structure than a simpler product. We'll talk through whether the scope shifts." Someone who says "No problem, we'll make it simple" doesn't yet understand the job.

Finally, ask "What's your take on our competitor's explainer?" or "Show me an explainer you think is really effective and why." This reveals whether they're thinking critically about what works. A thoughtful answer picks apart what the script does well or what the visuals land on. A weak answer is just aesthetic: "It looks great" or "The animation is smooth." Animation quality is a baseline, not the point.

You're not interviewing them to be your friend. You're hiring someone to translate something confusing into something your audience actually grasps. The questions above help you spot the producers who take that seriously. When you're ready to start conversations with someone who can articulate a real process, Strove lets you browse, compare, and message verified animation producers who specialize in explainers.