Launch video examples, and what makes them work
Watching good launch videos helps, but copying one wholesale rarely works, because the best ones were made for a particular product and a particular audience. The patterns underneath are what transfer. Here are the five kinds of launch video you'll see most, one well-documented example with real numbers, and what the good ones share. If you want to watch finished launch videos made from real product websites, the Teasr gallery has a set.
The documented classic: Dropbox's demo video
Before Dropbox was widely available, Drew Houston made what he described as "a simple three-minute demonstration of the technology", aimed at "a community of technology early adopters". It was posted on Digg and got more than 10,000 Diggs in 24 hours, and in Houston's words, "Our beta waiting list went from 5,000 people to 75,000 people literally overnight" (TechCrunch).
It worked for reasons any small team can copy. It showed the product doing the thing, a file turning up on another computer, instead of describing it. It was made for one specific audience, and it was posted where that audience already spent time. None of that needed a production budget.
1. The reveal
A short, rhythmic cut that builds to the product name, common for consumer hardware and design-led brands. It's memorable when done well, and the risk is style without information, so check that someone can say what the product does after a single viewing.
2. The 30-second walkthrough
The outcome first, then two or three real screens showing how you get there, then the name and address. This is the right default for SaaS, developer tools and most apps, and it's what most launch posts should carry.
3. The before and after
The old way on one side, your way on the other. It works especially well for products that save time, because the difference is visible without explanation: ten clicks become one, a week becomes a minute.
4. The founder story
A founder on camera explaining why they built it. It works because it's personal, which is also why it's best filmed yourself on a phone in good light rather than produced. It pairs well with a short product video in the same post.
5. The feature drop
A short video for one new feature, posted as part of a steady rhythm of releases. Teams that do this well end up with a library of videos and a reason to post every week. See feature announcement videos.
What the good ones have in common
- The product is visible in the first seconds. No long logo sting before anything happens.
- One message. You can repeat it after one viewing.
- It works muted, with the key words on screen.
- It's short. Videos under a minute average a 52% engagement rate in Wistia's data (Wistia).
- It ends where people can act, on the name and the address.
- It's made for the platform. On Product Hunt, for instance, video is a YouTube link in the gallery (Product Hunt Help Center).
How to use examples without copying them
Pick two examples close to your product and audience, watch them with a timer and write down what happens second by second. That gives you a skeleton, and you can map your own product onto it with the launch video script template. If you'd rather start from a finished draft, Teasr makes a walkthrough-style launch video from your website in about 10 minutes, from €19.50, and you can steer it with a note.