10 Questions to Ask an Explainer Video Agency Before Signing a Contract

Introduction

So you’re looking for an explainer video agency and found one by searching on Google or an LLM. The discovery call went well. The portfolio looked strong. The proposal came in roughly where you expected. Now the contract is sitting in your inbox and someone is following up.

This is the moment most buyers rush. They’ve done the surface-level evaluation—watched a few portfolio videos, had one or two conversations—and they’re ready to move. What they haven’t done is ask the questions that reveal how a project actually runs: who writes the script and how good they are at it, what “two revision rounds” means in practice, whether the source files belong to you when it’s over, and what happens when something goes sideways mid-production.

Those questions feel awkward to ask. They can seem like you don’t trust the agency or that you’re being difficult. They’re not. They’re the questions every experienced buyer asks, and any professional agency will answer them directly without flinching.

This post gives you the 10 most important questions to ask an explainer video agency before signing anything—what each question is actually trying to surface, what a good answer sounds like, and what answers should give you pause. At the end, there’s a quick-reference summary you can bring into any vendor conversation.

A note on sourcing: Gisteo is a leading explainer video agency and has been producing videos for over 14 years and 3,000+ projects. We’ve sat on the receiving end of these questions hundreds of times. The answers we give—and the answers we think you should look for—are based on that experience, not on what makes agencies sound good.

Why These Questions Matter More Than the Portfolio

Portfolio review tells you what a studio has produced. It doesn’t tell you what it’s like to work with them, how they handle a brief that evolves mid-project, or whether the video that looked great in their reel was the result of a smooth process or a painful one that took twice as long and cost 30% more than quoted.

The questions below are designed to surface process quality, communication discipline, and commercial transparency—the three things that most reliably predict whether a production engagement goes well. Visual quality is table stakes. These are the differentiators.

Question 1: Can you show me three recent examples that match my specific use case?

Not “can I see your portfolio.” That’s too broad. You want to see work that’s directly relevant to your project—your industry, your audience type, your level of product complexity, your intended placement (website hero vs. sales enablement vs. social).

An explainer video agency with 500 videos in their library has probably produced something close to what you need. The question is whether they surface it proactively or whether their “relevant examples” are actually their most visually impressive work regardless of context.

What you’re testing

Whether the agency understands that relevance matters more than impressiveness. A studio that shows you their flashiest consumer brand work when you’ve described a B2B SaaS product is telling you something important about how they listen.

Gisteo note: With 3,000+ videos across fintech, SaaS, healthcare, professional services, and more, we can almost always find directly relevant examples. When we can’t, we say so and explain why our broader experience still applies. We don’t show you our favorite video and hope it’s close enough.

Question 2: Who actually writes the script, and what is their background?

Script quality is the single biggest determinant of whether an explainer video converts—and it’s the production phase buyers evaluate least carefully before committing. Most explainer video agencies list “scripting” as an included service without specifying who does it or at what level of strategic depth.

There’s a meaningful difference between a junior copywriter who transcribes your feature list into voiceover-friendly sentences and a senior strategist who challenges your brief, sharpens your positioning, and structures the script around a specific conversion moment. Both produce a “script.” They produce very different videos.

What you’re testing

Whether the explainer video agency has genuine scripting capability or is treating it as a commodity deliverable. The answer will also tell you how much creative leadership they’re prepared to exercise on your project—or whether they’re expecting you to do the strategic thinking.

Follow-up questions worth asking

• How many script revision rounds are included, and what defines a revision round vs. a structural change?
• Can I see two or three scripts you’ve written for projects similar to mine—not just the finished videos?
• What happens if I want to substantially change the direction after the script is approved and animation has started?

Question 3: Walk me through your production workflow phase by phase

This question has two purposes. The explicit one is understanding what actually happens between “signed contract” and “final delivery.” The implicit one is assessing whether the agency has a real process or an improvised one.

A professional explainer video agency should be able to describe every phase without hesitation: discovery, script, storyboard, animatic, animation, audio, delivery. They should tell you what the deliverable is at each stage, what approval is required before the next phase begins, and what the typical duration of each phase is.

The phased approval principle

The most important process discipline in explainer video production is phased approval: each stage is signed off before the next begins. This sounds obvious, but many agencies start animating before the storyboard is fully approved—which means structural changes cost 3–5x more in time and money than they would have at the storyboard stage. Ask specifically: “Does animation begin before storyboard approval?”

Question 4: How many revision rounds are included, and what exactly counts as one?

This question prevents the most common source of budget overruns in creative production. “Revision rounds” is a term that sounds clear and means almost nothing without definition.

Some explainer video agencies define a revision round as any feedback submitted at any phase. Others define it as a single consolidated pass of comments on the animation only. Others define it as anything the client asks for, and use “revisions” loosely until someone pushes back. The definition shapes your experience significantly.

What you need to know

• How many rounds at each phase? Revision rounds at the script phase are not the same as revision rounds at the animation phase. Confirm both.
• What’s excluded from the revision count? Factual corrections (wrong logo, typo in on-screen text) should not consume a revision round. Confirm this.
• What constitutes a “structural” change? Adding a new scene, changing the script after animation begins, or reworking the CTA are typically out-of-scope. Know where the line is before you need to cross it.
• What’s the rate for additional rounds if you need them? Get the number upfront. It’s usually $200–$800 per round depending on the phase and scope.

Question 5: What exactly is included in the price—and what isn’t?

Explainer video proposals frequently present a compelling headline number that excludes several line items that are necessary to deliver a complete, usable video. By the time those items are added, the effective price can be 30–60% higher than the initial quote.

This isn’t always bad faith—some agencies genuinely build modular pricing to give clients flexibility. But you need to know what the complete price is before you compare vendors or set a budget.

The standard checklist of potential exclusions

The right comparison approach

Before evaluating price across multiple agencies, build your own complete deliverable list—the final video, aspect ratio variants, a social cut, captions, voiceover, music, and source files if you need them. Apply that list to every proposal. A $4,500 all-in quote is often less expensive than a $3,000 base-plus-add-ons quote, even though it appears higher on the proposal.

Gisteo approach: We ultra-transparent with pricing and build explicit scope into every proposal. You’ll see exactly what’s included and what triggers an additional charge before you sign anything. We’d rather have that conversation upfront than manage a difficult one mid-project.

Question 6: Who owns the final video and the source files?

Ownership and IP rights are almost universally misunderstood in creative production engagements—and almost never discussed until they become a problem. Ask before you sign, not after you’ve paid.

What you should own outright

• The final rendered video file—full ownership, no usage restrictions, no expiration
• The right to use the video across any channel: website, social, paid advertising, sales presentations, events
• The right to adapt or edit the video for other markets or use cases (within the terms of any third-party licenses for music or stock footage)

What to clarify separately

• Source project files: The native After Effects, Vyond, or other project file is often not transferred by default. This matters if you ever want to update the video internally, hand the project to a different studio, or localize it for another market. Ask specifically: “Are source files included, and if not, what do they cost?”
• Template-derived assets: If the studio uses template-based characters or motion presets from platforms like Vyond or Animaker, those assets are licensed to the studio—not to you. You may not be able to reuse or adapt them independently. Ask: “Are the visual assets custom-created for us, or are they licensed from a third-party platform?”
• Music licensing: Most licensed music tracks (from Artlist, Musicbed, AudioJungle) are licensed for specific usage contexts. Confirm that the license covers your intended usage—web only, broadcast, paid advertising, global distribution. Some licenses have geographic or channel restrictions that can create problems later.
• Voiceover usage rights: Professional VO talent typically licenses for specific usage types. Web-only and broadcast are different rights with different fees. Confirm what’s covered before you run a paid campaign featuring the VO.

Question 7: Who will be my day-to-day contact, and who makes creative decisions?

With an explainer video agency of any size, the person who pitches the work is often not the person who produces it (side note: not the case at Gisteo). The senior creative director who showed you their best portfolio work and articulated a compelling vision may hand your project to a junior animator and a project coordinator you’ve never met. This isn’t inherently a problem—but you should know exactly who is responsible for what.

What to ask

• Who is my named point of contact for the duration of the project?
• Who writes the script and who reviews it for quality before I see it?
• Who makes creative decisions on the animation—is there a senior art director or creative lead assigned to my project?
• What is the expected response time for questions or feedback during active production?
• If my point of contact is unavailable (sick, on leave, leaves the company), who takes over and what is the handoff process?

Question 8: What happens if the project scope changes mid-production?

Scope changes in video production are common. Your product launches earlier than expected and the UI shown in the storyboard is already outdated. Legal requests a change to a claim after animation is complete. Your CEO sees the animatic and wants to add a use case that wasn’t in the brief.

How an explainer video agency handles scope changes reveals more about their professionalism than almost anything else. The change order process should be transparent, fair, and documented—not a source of surprise invoices or a reason to deprioritize your project in the queue.

What to understand before signing

• What triggers a change order? Get a clear definition. Typically: any change to the approved script after storyboard sign-off, any new scene added after animation begins, any change that requires re-recording voiceover after the final mix.
• What’s the rate? Change orders should be quoted in writing before work proceeds, not added to a final invoice. Ask what the hourly or per-scene rate is for out-of-scope work.
• What’s the impact on timeline? Every scope change has a timeline implication. A mid-production script change that requires re-recording VO can add one to two weeks to the delivery date. Know this before approving the change.
• Who approves change orders on your side? This is an internal question, but answer it before production starts. Undefined internal authority for scope changes is the most common cause of project overruns.

Question 9: What are your payment terms, and what happens if I’m unhappy with the final result?

Payment structure and satisfaction guarantees are the least-asked and most consequential commercial terms in a video production contract. Understanding them before you sign protects you from the uncomfortable situation of having paid in full for a video you don’t believe in.

Payment structure norms

Standard professional video production uses a staged payment model that aligns financial commitment with production progress:

At Gisteo, we actually give a discount when clients pay upfront. This is not the norm but certainly can make things more efficient, creating a “win-win” situation for our clients and us alike. .

Satisfaction and dispute resolution

• Is there a satisfaction guarantee, and what does it actually mean? “We’re not happy until you’re happy” is a marketing phrase, not a contract term. Ask specifically: what is the defined process if the final video doesn’t meet the approved brief?
• What is the revision process once the project is “complete”? Most agencies allow a defined window for post-delivery changes. Understand what that window is and what it covers.
• Is there a kill fee clause? If you cancel a project mid-production, what do you owe? Standard practice is to pay for work completed to the cancellation point plus a percentage of remaining scope. Understand this before you start.

Question 10: Can you provide a reference from a client with a similar project?

References are underused in creative services procurement. Most buyers look at reviews on Clutch or Google and consider that sufficient. It’s not—aggregated review scores tell you very little about what a specific project engagement was actually like.

A direct reference conversation with a client who commissioned a similar project—similar industry, similar complexity, similar budget—gives you information that no portfolio or proposal can: how the agency handled feedback, whether they hit the timeline, how they responded when something went wrong, and whether the client would hire them again.

How to make references useful

• Ask for a specific reference, not a general one. “Can you connect me with a client who commissioned a [B2B SaaS / motion graphics / similar budget] project in the last 18 months?” Not “do you have any references?”
• Have a structured conversation, not a chat. Ask: Did the project come in on time? On budget? How did the agency handle your feedback? Was there anything that surprised you negatively? Would you hire them again and why?
• Notice how the agency responds to the request. A confident explainer video agency connects you quickly and without conditions. An agency that hedges (“we’d need to check with the client first” and then never follows up) is telling you something about how they manage client relationships.

Gisteo note: We welcome reference requests and can almost always connect you with a client whose project is similar to yours. If you’re evaluating Gisteo against other studios, we’d rather you have a complete picture and make a confident decision—even if that decision isn’t us.

Quick Reference: The 10 Questions at a Glance

Three Bonus Questions Worth Adding for Complex or High-Stakes Projects

B1. Do you have experience with my specific industry or product type?

General video production experience is not the same as experience communicating complex B2B software, regulated financial products, or technical healthcare solutions to specific buyer audiences. If your product requires the studio to understand something non-obvious about your market, ask how they’ve handled comparable complexity before.

B2. What does your pricing look like for ongoing work or a series of videos?

If you’re likely to need more than one video—feature updates, onboarding sequences, social cuts—ask about series pricing or retainer arrangements before signing a single-project contract. Studios that design assets with reuse in mind from the start (custom character rigs, style guides, motion templates) can reduce marginal cost per video by 40–60% across a series. Gisteo offers an Unlimited Yearly plan for clients with ongoing production needs.

B3. How do you handle a project if a key team member leaves during production?

This question sounds pessimistic. It’s actually a test of operational maturity. A well-run studio has documented processes, versioned files, and a team structure that doesn’t make any single project dependent on any single person. If the answer is “that hasn’t happened to us,” push further: “What would you do if it did?”

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it normal to ask an explainer video agency this many questions before signing?

Yes—and any professional agency will expect it. The agencies that push back on detailed pre-contract questions are the ones you should be most cautious about. Due diligence before signing is significantly less expensive than dispute resolution after.

What’s the single most important question to ask?

Question 4—revision scope—prevents the most common and costly mid-project disputes. If you only have time for one conversation, make sure you understand exactly how many revision rounds are included at each phase, what constitutes a round, and what out-of-scope changes cost. That one conversation can save you thousands of dollars and weeks of timeline.

Should I ask all 10 questions on the first call?

No. Spread them across your evaluation process. Questions 1 and 2 belong in the first portfolio review. Questions 3, 4, and 7 belong in the production process discussion. Questions 5, 6, 8, and 9 belong in the proposal review. Question 10 can happen in parallel. Clustering all 10 into one call turns a discovery conversation into an interrogation.

What if an agency refuses to answer some of these questions?

A refusal to answer—as opposed to a frank “we haven’t had to deal with that”—is a significant red flag. Agencies that are confident in their work and their process answer these questions directly. Evasion usually means the honest answer is unflattering.

How do I evaluate agencies if I can’t compare their scripts directly?

Ask them to write a sample hook for your project. Give them your one-paragraph product description and target audience, and ask for a 25–30 word opening line for a 90-second explainer. It’s a low-cost, fast, directly comparable signal of scripting quality. You’ll immediately see which agencies write specifically and which write generically.

Is Gisteo willing to answer all these questions?

Yes, and we welcome them. We’ve structured our process specifically so these answers are clear and consistent. If you’re evaluating Gisteo for an upcoming project, bring this list to the discovery call. We’ll work through it.

Final Thoughts

The contract is the easy part. What’s harder is knowing whether the agency sitting across from you will handle your project with the same quality and discipline they used to pitch it. These ten questions are designed to close that information gap before you’re committed.

The best agencies don’t just tolerate these questions—they appreciate them. A client who arrives with a clear brief, a defined decision-making process, and a realistic understanding of how production works is a client who produces better videos and has better experiences. The pre-contract conversation is where that relationship is established.

If you’re evaluating explainer video agencies for an upcoming project, Gisteo is happy to be part of that conversation. We’ve been producing animated explainer videos for over 14 years and 3,000+ projects. We work with clients from early-stage startups to enterprise brands including Intel, Harvard, and Bills.com. We offer AI Avatar production from around $1,000, AI Cinematic from around $3,500, and traditional custom animation from $3,000 to $8,000+. Check out our AI video production service page for more information.

We’ll answer every question on this list—and we’ll probably ask you a few in return.

If you have an explainer video project you’d like to discuss, don’t hesitate to schedule a free consultation now!