Simplify product explainers for clarity: Start with a buyer’s question: ‘What does this do?’; Translate technical terms into everyday actions and outcomes; Show each claim with a clear visual that matches the narration
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Writing a product explainer without jargon

Turn product terminology into a clear buyer question, accurate spoken explanation and visual proof without losing important limits.

Strategy Desk · · 3 min read

Write a product explainer around the question a buyer is trying to answer. Name the action or benefit in ordinary words, show how it works, and state any conditions that affect the result. Keep a technical term when the audience needs it to choose or use the product, and explain it at first use.

Key guidelines from Australian regulatory and style sources

  • ACCC guideline on claimsAvoid false or misleading claims; back all promises with evidence and clear conditions.
  • Australian Government Plain Language StandardUse clear, simple language that people can understand the first time they read it.
  • W3C Accessibility GuidelinesEnsure audio descriptions and visual content work together to convey meaning accurately.

Start with a buyer question

A feature list gives the writer plenty to say but little reason for the viewer to follow. Start with one question: What does this do? How would I use it? What must be in place first? If the proposed video answers several unrelated questions, choose one for this script.

Write a plain answer before an opening line. For a hypothetical booking tool: “A customer chooses an available appointment, and your team sees the request in one place.” That describes an action and outcome. It does not claim the tool prevents missed appointments or works with every calendar; those claims would need evidence and qualifications.

Translate the action, not just the word

Look for terms that name an internal process rather than something a customer can picture. “Automated workflow” could mean a form sends a request to a staff inbox or confirms a booking without staff action. Those are different behaviours. Ask the product owner what happens, then write the behaviour the product actually provides.

Keep necessary technical labels when the viewer must recognise them on screen or in a purchase decision. Explain what each label does and state any prerequisite. Expanding an acronym does little good if the full phrase is equally unfamiliar.

Edit in three passes:

  1. Mark the terms.Identify product language, abbreviations and claims about outcomes.
  2. Define the action.Get an approved explanation rather than guessing from a term’s usual meaning.
  3. Read aloud.If the next action remains unclear, make the sentence more concrete.

Make the picture support the sentence

Pair each claim with an image that clarifies it. If the narration says a request appears in a dashboard, show the relevant request and identify its status. If the screen cannot show that state, narrow the claim or choose another example. An animation should not imply a result the product does not deliver.

Name essential controls and outcomes in the narration. “Choose the available time and select Confirm” can be understood without relying on a pointing gesture. Allow space in the visual plan for the result and for any condition that limits the claim.

Check the claim and the explanation

Have the product owner verify the described behaviour, supported users and prerequisites. Ask someone less familiar with the product to explain what they understand from the script, then revise any ambiguous line. Compare the opening promise with the closing action: the viewer should be able to tell what the product does in this situation, what the video shows it doing and what they still need to check.

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