On launch day, the same video works in three places: at the top of your Product Hunt page, in the LinkedIn feeds of your founders and first customers, and at the top of your site. The message is the same, but each place has its constraints. A video designed for only one of them works poorly in the other two.
We did this work for two SaaS products, Abrège, which summarises WhatsApp voice notes, and NotionScheduler, which posts to social networks from Notion. Here is what we took from it.
What the video must get across in one minute
Someone who discovers your product on Product Hunt or LinkedIn gives you a few seconds, then a minute if they are hooked. In that minute, they must understand four things, in this order:
- The problem, as they live it. Not "content management is complex", but the concrete situation they recognise.
- The product at work, on that exact problem. You see the interface doing the job.
- What removes the doubts: nothing to install, works with what they already use, a reassuring limit.
- The offer and the address: what they can try, at what price, where.
For Abrège, the problem fits in one image: a seven-minute voice note nobody has time for. For NotionScheduler, it is an idea: your posts already live in your Notion calendar, so why copy them elsewhere? In both cases, the problem comes before the product's name.
The first ten seconds
This is where the video is won or lost. On LinkedIn, it starts on its own, without sound, between other posts. On Product Hunt, it is one thumbnail among the day's other launches.
- Start with the problem, not your logo. A five-second brand intro is five seconds of scrolling past.
- One line on screen, readable in a second. "Another 7-minute voice note?" says it all, without sound.
- Movement straight away. The first frame should already move: that is what stops the thumb.
- The product's name before the twentieth second, so people know what this is about.
Show the product, do not describe it
The temptation at launch is the full tour: every feature, every screen. Do the opposite. Pick the action that solves the problem you opened with and show it up close: one click, one result.
Show the interface as it is, but simplified: remove the menus that do not matter, zoom on the area that does, slow down the key moment. For NotionScheduler, we animated the interface at 60 frames per second so every screen movement stays sharp, even full screen.
Made to be watched without sound
In a LinkedIn feed, videos start muted. A launch video must therefore make sense without sound:
- the message goes through on-screen text, not only the voice-over;
- subtitles are planned from the script, not added at the end;
- music and sound design reward those who turn the sound on, but do not carry the meaning.
Product Hunt: the constraints to know
Product Hunt does not host your video. A few rules to know before launch day:
- A YouTube link only, the full address, not a shortened link.
- The video public or unlisted, never private, or it will not show.
- It takes the first slot of the gallery, ahead of your images. The gallery also needs at least two images to display.
- In 16:9, between 30 and 60 seconds.
- Online a week before launch, to check how it displays without stress.
LinkedIn: the feed has its own rules
- Upload the video file directly, not a YouTube link: LinkedIn favours videos uploaded to the platform.
- Add a subtitle file (SRT) when publishing, on top of the on-screen text.
- Prefer a square or vertical version for the feed: it takes up more of the screen than a 16:9 video, especially on mobile.
- Choose the cover image, the one shown before playback: a readable line beats a logo.
Your site: the video that confirms
On your site, visitors are already interested: they came to look. The video can take a little more time, up to 90 seconds, to show more of the product and answer a buyer's questions.
Two precautions: a sharp poster image before playback, and a player that only loads on click, so the page stays fast. A short silent looping excerpt can also bring the header to life, with the full version one click away.
One video, several cuts
The launch video is produced once, but it comes in versions:
| Where | Format | Length | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product Hunt | 16:9, YouTube link | 30 to 60 s | Optional, subtitles advised |
| LinkedIn feed | Square or vertical, uploaded file | 30 to 60 s | Muted at first, subtitles essential |
| Your site | 16:9, player on click | 60 to 90 s | Voice-over and music |
| Email or meeting | Link to the video's page | 60 to 90 s | Voice-over and music |
The square and vertical versions are part of the "social media versions" add-on, priced on our pricing page.
The schedule
Count back from launch day. Our presentation video is delivered in 28 days, and the video must be online a week before launch. Start production at least five weeks ahead, a little more if your interface is still moving: the script and storyboard get approved while the product settles, and animation is done on the final screens.
In short
A good launch video states the problem before the product, shows one action up close, makes sense without sound and comes in a version for each channel. The rest is scheduling. For the big picture, read our guide to corporate motion design video, or configure your video to see its price right away.
