Kim Handysides | Explainer Voice Over
They’re nifty-swifty cool little video bites of “Hello, My name is____” that explain “this is what I do.” Short, snappy, sometimes serious, often fun, explainers are 1-3 minute snippets of cool content that explain something about a product, service, business or idea in general. The explainer voiceover always matches the brand and the message ranging from professional to inspiring to casual. Often chatty and informal they break down the complex into bite sized digestible chunks. Thousands of companies have chosen female voice over actor Kim Handysides to convey their branded message.
Why are explainers so popular?
Over a dozen years ago, every business clamoured to cobble together a website and launch an online presence. Now, companies want video explaining what they do on that website. Ergo, the popularity of explainers. They’re affordable, effective and help your company get noticed. Just like the services of Kim Handysides, as a matter of fact. Pair your tidy visual story nugget with Kim’s voice and you’ve got an attractive, appealing combination.
A Conversational and Accessible Voice for Animated Explainers
Explainer videos look like mini-stories. Most often 90 second movies that are sometimes shot in video, but more often than not, animated in simple cartoon style. They incorporate colorful characters or are drawn in ink before your very eyes on a whiteboard. Great graphic representations of whatever it is that makes you wonderful. The voice over narration is super conversational & accessible so when the new info is slipped in or the solution is presented, it is palatable, thought provoking, entertaining, interesting, and easy to absorb.
To Explain is Human
We do it all the time. Every day. Humans explain things. Maybe you explained how to empty the dishwasher to your kid yesterday, or explained how to make grandma’s spaghetti sauce to your teenager last week. Explaining ideas is simple communication. It’s how we learn. It’s how we explore. The explainer video genre has turned our habit of explaining stuff into a relatively new art form.
Why Explainers Work So Well
Relatively inexpensive, explainer videos stay with your potential customers because they have the two-pronged approach of visual storytelling and engaging audio that resonates with us. Infinitely more entertaining than a talking head or a slideshow of stills laid over no or unprofessional audio narration, explainers draw us in. They enlist our compassion. Incite our passion. Get us to identify with Jane, for example, with the simple words, “Meet Jane.” They introduce tension in the story by revealing Jane’s problem. We become empathetic. The solution offered to Jane is cathartic, and as Jane’s issue is resolved we feel that release of tension too.
Your Message in an Explainer Video
The sweet thing about explainers is that they break down problems and offer solutions while incorporating intentions and goals. They focus in on certain ideas in story form showing how your product/service/business brought great results to your customers and encouraging or persuading people to take action and solve their issues with you too.
The Pivotal Role of Explainer Narrator
Ask any producer of explainers, the emphasis is on the script. And therefore the role of the explainer narrator is pivotal. As in, they carry the core message. Marketers of early explainers realized that flashy visuals without a well thought out story just doesn’t add value. And who presents the script? The narrator. The story teller. The narrator is the actual human interface in the video. That voice and the ability of the actor behind it represents the brand, wraps the viewer in the story and propels them to act (click for more, explore the site, buy a product, call for an appointment, etc). The narrator brings the emotion, adds voice over humor, warmth and personality and elevates the quality of the video. They layer in trust, make the viewer comfortable and identify with the end product.
Explainer Voiceover Styles
The most requested voice over style for explainer videos is the storyteller. The conversational narrator style. The approachable, friendly speaker who draws you in within the first words. There is humility in the read. A bit of depth. A lot of realness. Most (but not all) recipes for a good explainer voiceover narrator call for humor or a subtle wryness. Understatement best delivers your message in this genre.
Explainer Video History Bite
Although explaining has been around for millennia, history of explainer videos were predated by the how-to presentations and emerged in earnest in 2007 with the birth of Twitter. Eager to introduce as many people as possible to their platform and needing a totally approachable way to do it, Common Craft, the creative team for Twitter’s venture launched a how-to video showing folks how to use their new social media platform. In 2009, Dropbox followed suit and the term “explainer” was coined. Since then countless businesses have adopted this platform to describe their companies, products and services in clear and succinct ways.
Click to Hear Kim do Explainers
From financial services and IT products to industrial and health explainers, click any sample of explainer video Kim has done here to see how her voiceovers range from quirky to warm, from low-key to girl-next-door. Download an mp3 from the Demos Bar to share with your client or use as a voice sample or reach out to Kim for a custom sample. She is most probably the American female voice actor you’ve been looking for.
