Training Video Cost: How Much Does an eLearning Video Cost to Produce?
You’re ready to plan your eLearning video project, but there’s one brick wall standing in your way: video production cost!
Most organizations, without prior knowledge of eLearning videos, have no clue about how to put together a budget.
And honestly, the cost isn’t something to scoff at.
According to the industry reports of Training Magazine, in 2019, most companies spent a whopping $1,286 per learner! In 2023, the numbers are pretty much the same (around $1207 per learner).
So, you need to have a ballpark price for your eLearning video project to understand whether outsourcing training videos is a viable option for your business.
Now, the problem is: the estimates vary significantly!
The best answer you can get is “It depends.” However, you want something more specific to move forward.
Simply put: video production costs per minute often range from $3,000 to $9,000 —which is not only alarmingly expensive, but the huge range makes budgeting impossible.
Before the numbers scare you away, know that there are a lot of variables that move the “video product cost” needle. And we’re going to discuss each of these variables in detail so you know what to expect once you decide to create training videos.
7 Training Video Cost Factors for eLearning
While we’d love to share a flat rate, the standard price for eLearning videos varies greatly depending on what you’d want for your business. That’s why it becomes challenging to provide a video production cost breakdown without knowing the needs of a client.
Also, you can’t judge the cost of your eLearning video project based on what other people paid for theirs.
Here, we’ll talk about the 7 factors that can either increase or decrease video production costs.
1. Share the Workload or Outsource Everything?
Educational video production cost for eLearning also depends on how prepared you are.
Ask yourself these questions to see how prepared you are:
- Are you going to a vendor with learning objectives and goals?
- Do you have a script prepared?
- Do you have an idea about the video length?
- Is there a clear eLearning video concept in place?
- Do you know exactly what you want in the final video? (this reduces revisions and cuts costs)
If the answer is yes, you can expect to pay less.
That’s because you’ve done a lot of the legwork.
If you need help with instructional design and scripting, you may pay more for the extra work. This shouldn’t discourage you from working with your vendor, though.
For instance, people who have very little experience in scripting and storyboarding struggle to understand what should and shouldn’t be in a video. And as video production costs can go up per minute, you need to be careful!
That’s where experienced instruction designers can help.
Also, you can always talk to expert eLearning video production companies to get a specific cost estimate based on your industry.
2. Style of Video
Any top-shelf training video production company has tons of different video styles in its arsenal. Whatever you need, they can provide.
But your needs must align with your budget. Let’s have a look.
Art Style:
Different artistic styles require specialized skills, which means the price varies by video style.
What style do you want?
For example, 3D animation costs more than standard motion graphics. A 3D animated video introduces an extra dimension to the video that requires more work, time, and expertise, so it’s going to cost more to produce. If you want intricate characters, interactions, or scenarios, you can expect to pay more for a higher level of detail.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, whiteboard-style videos are usually simple to put together, so they’re cheaper.
Animation Style:
While there are many different animation styles, the primary ones used for eLearning videos are:
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2D
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3D
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Stop Motion
If the video production company uses 2D animation, you can save some money. But creating a detailed 3D environment from scratch is going to cost you a lot more.
Medium:
Plenty of options to choose from here. These include:
- 2D
- 3D
- Live Action Hybrid
- Stock Footage
- Screencast
Screencast and stock footage are the cheapest options available here. However, the medium you choose should align with the learning objectives that you have in mind.
Understanding the nuances behind an effective training video can help you decide what you want.
3. Type of Training Videos
Training videos must be completely specific to the different needs of an industry. For instance, nurses will probably not require sales enablement training. And the cost for an eLearning video is different from the marketing video production cost.
So, without knowing the ins and outs of your business, you won’t be able to provide clear instructions to the vendor.
And once you have a complete grasp of the nature of your business, you should know what type of training videos you want.
Just to give you a brief idea, here are a few different types of training videos you can choose from:
- Sales Enablement Training video
- Microlearning videos
- Leadership Development videos
- Safety Training videos
- Product Training videos
- Marketing and Communication videos
- Brand Training videos
- Technical Training videos
This list is far from inclusive. You’ll have a lot more options at your disposal once you start collaborating with a top-tier eLearning video production crew.
4. Choose a Provider
Your choice of provider affects the video production cost. In most cases, you’ll choose between:
A freelancer: Freelancers are often the cheapest option but for a reason. There are good freelancers out there, but they aren't always reliable. Plus, if you want to scale video production, it means hiring and managing more freelancers. It's not hands-off.
Internal staff: Internal staff is a great resource, but you don't need to employ five animators to complete one eLearning video series. And you might only need a few training videos for your business. So, even if you hire internal staff, you end up not using these employees at full capacity.
An external agency: More often than not, agencies or video production companies are the most expensive option. And the word "training" is an umbrella term. What you need is a team that specializes in eLearning videos. However, finding a video production company with this specialization is tough. If you hire a generic vendor, you pay through your nose for less-specialized work.
An expert eLearning video production company gives you reputable, professional content that achieves organizational goals—at a price point almost similar to freelancer pricing.
5. What’s Your Vendor’s Process?
Your vendor’s work process also affects the educational video production cost of eLearning videos.
For instance, freelancers might seem like the cheapest option, but if you consider the time it takes for them to create a video and the back and forth to get it right, you’ll realize that you ended up spending more on resources than you’d want.
You want a vendor who has a proven, streamlined approach. This reduces the need for annoying video editing late in the game, saving you more time and money.
If you can get a set quote per video early in the production timeline, it’ll be easier for you to budget. Once the vendor knows what you want, they can provide an accurate quote.
At Ninja Tropic, we move quickly. After the storyboarding stage, we understand what it takes to make these videos. Therefore, we can provide a very accurate quote.
While it might take some time to put together an accurate estimate, this is a flat fee that’s often cheaper than other video production companies.
6. Exclusive or Generic
Whether you look at this blog or simply go through our website, you’ll see that we have a distinct style and color tone. You can have a customized style, avatar, color tone, and voice-over talent that fits your organization’s image.
But exclusivity does increase the video production rates. So, if you want to have a common theme across all your training videos, make sure you have the budget.
7. How Many Videos Do You Need?
The last factor that influences eLearning video production costs is volume. Most eLearning video providers will cut you a better deal on per-video pricing if you order in bulk.
In other words, making more videos = a higher overall cost, but your cost per video is still cheaper. This is ideal if you need to produce videos at scale.
Instead of a video production cost per minute, your vendor should provide a flat-rate price per video at this point. This way, you can see exactly where your money is going.
TL;DR: Tips on How To Get the Most Out of Your Money
Working with a video production company for eLearning tutorials can wear your budget out sooner than you’d think (that is: if you don’t know what you’re doing). So, we’ve prepared a short list of tips you can follow to make sure you get maximum value out of your money!
1- Have a specific learning outcome in mind. It’ll help make communicating with the vendor much easier.
2- Test the waters if you’re not sure. Prepare a small budget and create a few videos to see how it’s going and whether it’s helping your business.
3- Prepare instructional designs beforehand. If you can handle some of the legwork with an in-house team, your overall budget will thank you for it.
4- Go with a less technical video style. 3D animated videos require a lot of work. That’s why you can start out with whiteboards or 2D videos.
5- Be on the lookout for good video production companies. A production company that’s open to suggestions and helps you create high-quality videos at a reasonable price will save you a lot of green!
What Should Your Video Production Budget be?
When it comes to training video production budgets, you’ll find it hard to get specific cost estimates.
And it’s not because the eLearning video production industry is coy. The thing is – there are simply too many factors to account for. In short:
- Script development costs (if you don’t have it ready)
- Pre-production and post-production issues
- Animation styles
- Choice of voice-over talent
And the list can go on.
So, you see, it’s complicated.
However, a professional eLearning solutions team can be of tremendous help if you communicate with them. Instead of spending $3000+ per minute, you can spend as little as $250-$300 per minute.
But to make this work, you need to seriously consider the factors we’ve mentioned already. Going in guns blazing into eLearning video production is going to decimate your company’s financial resources.
Ninja Tropic Pricing
Want to see the Ninja Tropic difference for yourself?
Training video costs for eLearning shouldn’t be outrageously overpriced or complicated. We understand that. Everything we’ve said until now boils down to two key principles:
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Knowing your needs
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Following a proven process
Our signature streamlined process that we’ve used for each and every one of our satisfied clients makes us ideal for businesses who want high-quality eLearning videos at a reasonable price!
Ready to take your educational videos to the next level with simplified pricing? Contact us today!
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Are you aware of the sheer power of engaging eLearning solutions but not sure where to start? Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with a Ninja Tropic expert to analyze your association, university, or enterprise’s content objectives and map out the interactive blueprint to achieve them.
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