A launch video presents a new product to people who have never heard of it, on the day attention is highest. It has to be ready before the date: with an agency, count four to eight weeks; with software, a few hours are enough, script included.
This guide follows the order of production: structure, script, voice, then publishing on launch day.
Why so many launches ship without a video
The launch date is set, the product changes until the last minute, and the video always comes after everything else. Ordered too late from a studio, at $1,500 to $20,000, it arrives after launch day or shows a screen that no longer exists.
The launch then goes out with a Product Hunt page with no video and a homepage that explains in paragraphs. It is the day the most people discover the product, and the day it is shown worst.
The seven-part structure
A 30 second launch video fits this structure. The timings are guides, to adjust to your product:
- The hook, from the first frame: a question or an image that stops the scroll.
- The problem, in a sentence your customer could say.
- The reveal: the product name and its promise, around the fifth second.
- The demo: two or three key gestures in the real interface.
- The benefit: what the person gains, in time or in money.
- The proof: a true number, or a first customer with their agreement.
- The call to action: the address, and what to do today.
Writing the script
Thirty seconds of voice-over is about 75 words. One idea per sentence, action verbs, no jargon your customer does not use. Read the script aloud with a stopwatch before producing anything.
The full template, sentence by sentence, is in our explainer video script template.
Choosing the voice and the music
The voice carries the energy of the launch: it should be lively, and speak the language of your first market. Check that it pronounces your brand name correctly, since it is the word people will hear most. Generated or recorded voice is covered in AI voice over or voice actor.
The music follows the rhythm of the edit. The high point, the product reveal, should land on a strong beat.
Where to publish the video on launch day
- At the top of your homepage, where visitors land.
- On Product Hunt, in your listing's gallery: the platform only accepts YouTube links for videos, so publish it on YouTube first.
- On LinkedIn, as a video uploaded directly into the post rather than a link, on the company page and the founders' profiles.
- In the email to your waitlist, with an image of the video that links to it.
For existing customers, the launch continues with every new feature: see how to make a feature announcement video. And if you are raising at the same time, the same video adapts into an investor pitch video.
The countdown
Two weeks before: the message and script are approved. One week before: the video is ready, watched on a phone and with the sound off. Three days before: the versions for each channel are ready and the video is on YouTube, unlisted. Launch day: everything goes out in the morning, when your audience is online.
Your launch video with Genmotion.design
Pick the “Present the product” goal and paste your website address. Genmotion.design reads your pages, writes the script following this structure, generates an English or French voice-over, adds music and animates each scene. The video, about 30 seconds long in 16:9, is ready in under an hour: you can remake it the day before if the product changed.
Prices range from a few dozen to a few hundred dollars depending on the plan: one video at a time, or a subscription sized to the number of videos. Access opens first to the first 100 early stage sign-ups.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a launch video be?
30 to 60 seconds. Long enough to show the product in action, short enough to be watched to the end in a feed or on a homepage.
Do you need a video for a Product Hunt launch?
It is not required, but your listing's gallery accepts one, as a YouTube link only. It is often the first thing visitors watch to understand the product.
When should you start the launch video?
With an agency, two months before the date. With software, a week before is enough, which leaves time to remake it if the product changes.
Launch video or full demo?
Both are useful. The launch video makes people want more in 30 seconds; the full demo, a few minutes long, convinces those who already clicked.
In short
A good launch video follows a simple structure, from hook to call to action, with the real interface at its center. Prepared early enough to be ready on launch day and published wherever your audience lands that day, it does the work ten paragraphs never will.
Your SaaS video, ready in under an hour
Paste your website address: script, voice-over, music and animation are made for you. Access opens first to the first 100 sign-ups.
Join the early stage