Experts say global spend on cybersecurity is predicted to grow from $200 B in 2022 to $500 B by 2030. That massive growth (a CAGR of 12%) is expected in response to our shift to hybrid work environments, an era of BYOD (bring your own device), hybrid employees operating on insecure wifi networks, and the frailty of the human firewall. Is it any wonder the need for tighter security will grow? So will the need for better cyber security explainer videos.
Implementing all components (hardware, software, and services) involves communication and education, which applies to corporate videos (internal and external facing), online training, and explainer videos. As a voiceover narrator regularly working in this space, I thought breaking down cyber security video voiceover narration and its applications were appropriate.
What is a Cyber Security Explainer Video?
The name of the game is online protection – and cyber security explainer videos are the quick and efficient bursts of knowledge used to explain it. They teach you how to protect yourself against cyber threats in an increasingly murky online world and are typically used instead of commercials or ads. Most cyber security firms create an explainer video as an extended commercial for their product or service and something to keep visitors on a website longer. Explainer videos aim to give the viewer a sense of just how important it is to keep your personal and professional data secure while browsing sites on the web. While many videos come from more extensive security services, there is no shortage of user-generated solutions and malware horror stories on Youtube. Explainers in this field often aim info at buyers of software, SOC (security operation center) teams, and sometimes laypeople.
What Goes Into The Best Cyber Security Videos?
Whenever you see an explainer video for a security service, an animation, or a direct example of how the technology works in real-time, the intent is always to explain how to keep your devices and network safe and your identity.
While many explainer videos offer the viewers expertise on combatting malware, some show the cost of not taking security measures more seriously. Just take a quick look on Youtube, and you’ll find scores of videos from users who’ve been burnt by malware and cyber theft in the past; there are several gamers and content creators who’ve seen firsthand just how devastating cyber attack or doxxing can be.
Smart, precise, problem-solution scripting and brand-specific animations and voiceover work well. The voice style of most of the cybersecurity video narration work I’ve seen (and recorded) falls into three primary tones: confident and edgy, straightforward and accurate, or a little nerdy and quirky.
eLearning and Online Training Programs in the Cyber Security Business
Cyber security training is fast becoming customary in the eLearning world. Threats find large corporations easy targets and can hold companies, educational institutions, government departments, and organizations, hostage if they gain access to data. Every company considers its information assets sensitive, but some industries are more vulnerable to attacks than others. Industries like the military, IT, energy, transportation, and healthcare are investing heavily in defensive assets and ensuring staff is aware and vigilant about security protocols.
Tips for Making Cyber Security Explainer Videos
Start with a rough outline of what story you’re trying to tell. Think about your mission statement and how your service or team can protect against malware.
Whether you’re an existing company that offers anti-malware services or an independent team working to secure funding for an app you want to develop, at some point, you’ll have to explain what you do (and why it’s worth noticing).
Ask yourself these questions before making a cyber security explainer video:
- How does your solution work?
- Why does it work, and what problems does it solve?
- Is it intended for an individual device or an entire network?
- What company or business would benefit the most from your service?
- Is it geared towards businesses and their staff or individuals who went on the wrong site with their computers?
- What message do you want viewers to watch for, and what will it cost them if they don’t use you to their advantage?
Write down your answers and try to fill them out as best you can while adding in new ideas and details about your story as they come to you; think a lot about your intended viewer and why you’re creating this video for them. By doing this, you’ll find your voice as a group or system and have a more concrete external view of the message you want to present to viewers about your service. Once the bones of your explainer video are established, start fleshing them out and build some muscle.
With a precise script in hand, use a script timer to get an idea of how long a voice talent will be when to read aloud. Figure out if you would like your project read at a slow, easy pace with breathing room for visuals, if you want it at an average speaking rate, or if you’re looking for a quick driving read. Beware of reading it yourself. Often non-professionals reading a voiceover script will be very quick for several reasons (nerves, not paying close attention to diction, unsure how/where to land the emphasis on the words). Contact a professional voice artist to estimate the time it will take to turn the audio file around to you, their cost, and ask for a sample read. Give them an idea of the kind of vocal tone you envision and how you want the listener/viewer to feel.
Before contacting your talent, know your process. Is the person who will sign off on your content easy to get along with? Do you have an existing relationship where you know how long it may take to get back to you with edit requests? Ask about their pickup policy and the rate.
Hire a Professional Voice Artist to Narrate Your Cyber Security Content
Once you’ve got a rough outline for the type of message you want to project to viewers, you need to hire a professional voice artist to narrate your content. You or your team (or the client that hired you to create their explainer) might have the critical knowledge needed to make programs work and the ability to erase malicious programs at the click of a button. A professional voice actor who regularly works in the field of security can align with the branding and message of your content but also understand the vocabulary and concepts.
An experienced voice talent knows the difference between a trojan horse and a worm, a breach, and an exploit. They’re comfortable with concepts like rootkits and DDoS and understand what pen-testing is and the manipulative pitfalls of social engineering.
Many companies like to shop around for cyber security and are often most drawn to companies with the most professional quality (and look and sound) to their service.
Match Your Voiceover to the Tone of your Explainer
Considering three things when searching for the right professional voice actor to perform the voiceover narration for your security explainer makes your hunt and match easier. The tone of the brand or company whose story you’re telling, the tone of the message or story you want to tell in the explainer, and the kind of product or asset you’re highlighting.
Top Quality Audio is a Must
Once the performance is considered, ensure the voiceover artist can deliver clear, clean files. Sub-par audio is a bad reflection on your finished product. Like my favorite LA Film School quote says, “poor sound can ruin an otherwise spectacular production.” Pro’s record sound files in 48,000HZ at a bit rate of 24, in mono, and deliver you the option of wav or mp3s.
Professional Voice Talent Completes the Solution
When recording voice over audio for your explainer video, professional voice talent completes the solution that your team brings to the table. They can do more than simply read words strung together in a script. A professional voice actor weaves a story, bringing your ideas to life and helping to connect them to the rest of the world in a way that’s easy for people without the technical knowledge to understand. That’s doubly true for an animated explainer video.
The animation is a great cost-effective tool for your explainer video when you want to add extra depth to show off how your anti-malware system gets the job done. If you’re struggling to come up with ideas, think of movies that dramatically portray a worst-case scenario and go from there. Potential clients and end-users of your service might want to look inside the ways it can monitor for malware from within a website code.
Animated Cyber Security Explainers for Difficult Concepts
Sometimes a potential user needs to see how it might intercept a man-in-the-middle phishing scheme with visual aids to help them understand how important your service is to their website. Use the animation in your videos to guide a viewer to the answer.
Common threats often the subject of explainers include how to deal with malware, ransomware, phishing attacks, spyware, and firmware attacks. And of course, there are the weak points in the human firewall that can make all the difference; knowing how to handle suspicious emails and URLs, being password savvy, understanding the ins and outs of personally identifiable information, and staying on top of backups and updates.
Quickly Convey a Call to Action
With an animated explainer video in the cyber security realm, you can convey the importance of a call to action over a short video and connect with potential customers who might be interested in your service. Using an explainer video, you can quickly tell your target audience everything they need to know about the security that your company can bring them and deliver quick, effective results to your clients over a network of existing services.