Prompts

Explainer video rough cut prompts

These prompts cut raw footage into an explainer video (45-120s, 5 beats in order), with the pacing and the usual mistakes written in.

By Sulan Zhang, co-founder of Vyra · Updated 2026-09-24

Format: Explainer video
Step: Rough cut
Length: 45-120s
Aspect: 9:16 or 16:9
Platforms: YouTube, TikTok, Reels, Shorts, LinkedIn

Real examples from @sulansart

At a glance


Target length	45-120s
Beat order	0-3s: the question; 3-10s: why it matters to them; 10-80s: the explanation, 3 ideas, one graphic each; 80-95s: the summary in one sentence; 95-100s: what to do with it
Pacing	10-20 seconds per idea, graphic changes with each one
Hook	The question, or a surprising fact
Avoid	Too many ideas; Graphics that decorate instead of explain; No summary

Prompt it in Vyra

Minimal:

Make a 120-second explainer video from these clips. Best takes only.

Standard:

Cut my clips into a 120-second explainer video for TikTok. Follow this order.
- 0-3s: the question
- 3-10s: why it matters to them
- 10-80s: the explanation, 3 ideas, one graphic each
- 80-95s: the summary in one sentence
- 95-100s: what to do with it
Pacing: 10-20 seconds per idea, graphic changes with each one.
Keep the strongest clip or take for each part and cut the rest. No captions or music yet.

Full:

Cut my clips into a 120-second explainer video for TikTok. Follow this order.
- 0-3s: the question
- 3-10s: why it matters to them
- 10-80s: the explanation, 3 ideas, one graphic each
- 80-95s: the summary in one sentence
- 95-100s: what to do with it
Pacing: 10-20 seconds per idea, graphic changes with each one.
Keep the strongest clip or take for each part and cut the rest. No captions or music yet.
Open with this. The question, or a surprising fact.
Avoid these. Too many ideas. Graphics that decorate instead of explain. No summary.
Export 9:16. When you're done, list what you cut with timestamps so I can check.

Why these settings

A numbered beat list gives the agent an order to follow. Leave it out and it picks one for you.
Explainer videos usually run 45-120s on YouTube, TikTok, Reels, Shorts, and LinkedIn.
The pacing line (10-20 seconds per idea, graphic changes with each one) sets how long each clip stays on screen.
The full prompt names the common mistakes up front, so you're less likely to see them in the first cut.
Asking for a list of cuts with timestamps makes the first pass quick to check.

Fixes

Too long. "Cut it to 90 seconds. Drop the weakest part first."
Parts out of order. "Follow the order from my first message exactly."
Wrong clip in a part. "For the 3-10s part, show me other clips I could use, with timestamps."
Something you wanted got cut. "Put back the part where [describe it]." It can find the moment from a description.

FAQ

How long should an explainer video be? Short versions run 45-120s. Put the number in the first sentence of the prompt so the cut is built around it.

Do I need to trim my clips before uploading? No. Upload the raw clips. Vyra transcribes and describes every scene on upload, so it can find the part that fits each beat.