Quick answer: A good explainer video RFP is two pages, not twenty. It states the one job the video must do, who watches it and where, the budget range, the deadline, and the five or six questions that actually separate studios: who writes the script, how many revision rounds, who owns the source files, what the first draft date is, what happens if the script is wrong, and what the price includes. Below is the template we wish every buyer sent us, followed by the answers that should make you walk away.
Why most video RFPs produce bad proposals
Studios receive RFPs that describe the company in three pages and the video in three lines. The result is six proposals that each guess at a different video, priced from $3,000 to $40,000, and a buyer comparing things that are not comparable. The fix is to over-specify the outcome and under-specify the execution. Tell studios what the video must achieve and who it must convince, and let them propose how. If you also need to understand pricing before you send anything, read how much an explainer video costs first so your budget line is realistic.
The template
Section 1: The job (one paragraph)
“We need a 60 to 90 second video for the homepage and paid social that makes a [buyer role] at a [company type] understand what [product] does and book a demo. Success is a higher demo-request rate from the homepage; the current rate is [x] percent.” If you cannot write this paragraph, you are not ready to brief anyone. Our explainer video brief guide walks through it.
Section 2: Audience and placement
- Primary viewer (role, seniority, what they already know)
- Where it plays: homepage hero, ads, sales emails, app store, onboarding
- Sound on or off by default in each placement (this changes the script)
- Languages or regions needed now or within a year
Section 3: Constraints
- Budget range (give a range; “TBD” guarantees padded quotes)
- Hard deadline and the reason for it (launch, event, campaign)
- Brand assets available: guidelines, product screens, existing illustrations
- Decision-makers and the approval process on your side
Section 4: Deliverables you expect
List them so every proposal prices the same scope: master video in 16:9 at 4K, vertical and square cuts, two or three 15 to 30 second ad clips, captions file, custom thumbnail, source files, music licence. Our flat $1,450 price includes all of these; many studios quote the master only and add the rest later.
Section 5: The questions that matter (ask these, skip the rest)
- Who writes the script, and what is it based on? Good answer: a named writer, working from a call with your team and your sales materials. Weak answer: “you provide the script” or “our AI drafts it”.
- How many revision rounds are included at each stage, and what does an extra round cost? Good answer: two rounds at script, storyboard and animation, with the price of a third stated up front.
- When is the first draft delivered, and what does “draft” mean? Good answer: a date, and a definition (full animation with scratch voice, for example). Weak answer: “typically four to six weeks”.
- Who owns the final video and the source files? Good answer: you own both, delivered at the end. Weak answer: a licence to use the finished file only. See who owns your explainer video.
- Is the voice-over human or synthetic, and is it included? Good answer: a professional human voice, included, with accent and gender options.
- What happens if we do not like the script? Good answer: the deposit is refunded or the project pauses. Weak answer: silence.
- Show three videos for products like ours and tell us what each one achieved. Portfolio quality is table stakes. Results are the signal.
- Who will we actually talk to during production? If it is an account manager relaying messages to an animator you never meet, expect slower rounds.
Section 6: How you will decide
State your weighting. For example: relevance of portfolio 30 percent, clarity of process and timeline 25 percent, price against scope 25 percent, communication quality during the RFP 20 percent. That last one matters: a studio that takes nine days to answer an RFP will take nine days to answer a revision note.
Red flags in the responses
- A price with no scope list underneath it.
- “Unlimited revisions.” Nobody offers this honestly; it means the timeline is also unlimited.
- No first-draft date, only a total duration.
- Portfolio pieces that are all for other agencies or white-label work.
- Pressure to sign before you have seen a script sample or a process document. Our ten questions to ask a video studio covers the follow-up conversation.
A shortcut
If you are a SaaS team buying one video, you may not need an RFP at all. Ask two or three studios for a free sample built around your product, compare the samples, and pick the one that understood you fastest. We make a free 10 to 15 second sample for exactly this reason. It answers most of Section 5 in a way a proposal never can.
Quick questions
How long should an explainer video RFP be?
Two pages. One for the job, audience, constraints and deliverables; one for your questions and decision criteria.
Should I include the budget?
Yes, as a range. It filters out studios that cannot work at your level and stops the ones that can from guessing high.
How many studios should I send it to?
Three to five. More than that and you will not read the responses properly.
Is there a free template file?
Copy the six sections above into a document and fill them in; it will take under an hour. If you would rather talk it through, book a 15-minute call and we will help you scope it even if you do not hire us.
