What should a launch video include?

A hook, the product name and promise, real product footage, a short summary of benefits, and one call to action, with captions so it works muted.

How far before launch should the video be finished?

Aim to have a final cut at least three days before launch, leaving time for feedback, fixes and the vertical and square versions.

What is the most common launch video mistake?

Unreadable product footage: full screens shown at small sizes. Zoom into the part of the screen that matters.

Do I need different versions for each platform?

Usually three: a 16:9 master, a 9:16 vertical cut and a 1:1 or 4:5 feed cut, plus a short 15–30 second version.

Guide

The Launch Video Checklist: Every Check Before You Publish

Use this checklist from the first brief to launch day. It is grouped by stage, so you can work through it top to bottom and catch the small problems (unreadable UI, a missing URL, a caption typo) that make a launch video look rushed.

Updated 15 October 2026 · 7 min read

Quick answerBefore you publish, check that the video has one audience and one message, shows the real product within ten seconds, is readable on a phone, works on mute with captions, has balanced audio, ends with one clear call to action, and is exported in the right aspect ratio for each platform.

How to use this checklist

A launch video rarely fails for one big reason. It fails because of a dozen small ones: a hook that takes too long, a screen nobody can read, a URL on screen for one second. This checklist is grouped by stage. Work through each group before moving to the next; it is much cheaper to fix a script than to re-record footage, and much cheaper to fix footage than to re-edit.

If you are launching on Product Hunt, pair this with the Product Hunt launch checklist, which covers the wider launch.

1. Strategy (before anything else)

☐ You can name the one audience this video is for.
☐ You can state the one thing they should remember, in a sentence.
☐ You know where it will be shown first (Product Hunt, homepage, social, sales email).
☐ You have chosen a master length (usually 45–60 seconds) and the cut-downs you will need.
☐ You have picked one call to action: start free, book a demo, join the waitlist, or upvote.
☐ You know the launch date and have worked back at least a week for the video.

2. Script

☐ The hook names a specific problem or outcome in under ten words.
☐ The product name and one-line promise appear within the first ten seconds.
☐ The reveal line matches your tagline on your website and launch page.
☐ Every demo line maps to a screen you can actually show.
☐ The script fits the length (roughly 130–160 spoken words a minute, aim lower).
☐ There are no abstract buzzwords where a concrete detail would do.
☐ Any proof (quotes, logos, numbers) is real, sourced and approved.
☐ You have read it aloud and cut anything you stumbled over.

Need a starting point? Use the launch video script template.

3. Footage

☐ You are recording in a demo account with realistic, fictional data.
☐ No real customer names, emails or personal data are visible.
☐ No API keys, tokens or internal URLs appear anywhere.
☐ The browser window is a consistent size, with bookmarks and stray extensions hidden.
☐ Notifications are off on every device you record.
☐ Each flow is recorded as a separate, short clip.
☐ The cursor moves slowly and pauses before clicks.
☐ The UI in the footage matches what will be live on launch day.
☐ You have desktop and mobile screenshots for cut-downs.

4. Editing

☐ Something moves on screen in the first second.
☐ Real product footage appears within the first ten seconds.
☐ Every important UI element is readable on a phone screen (zoom in).
☐ Highlights show the viewer where to look on busy screens.
☐ Cursor movement is smooth and clicks are visible.
☐ Each scene has a short on-screen headline.
☐ Fonts, colours and transitions are consistent and on brand.
☐ Scenes vary in length; nothing static lingers.
☐ Any sped-up footage is labelled.
☐ The end card shows the name, URL and call to action for at least three seconds.

5. Audio

☐ The voiceover is clear, unhurried and free of background noise.
☐ Music sits under the voice and dips when someone speaks.
☐ Sound effects (clicks, whooshes) are subtle and support the action.
☐ Loudness is normalised for social (commonly around -14 LUFS).
☐ You have licences for any music you did not create.
☐ You have listened on laptop speakers and on headphones.

6. Captions and accessibility

☐ Captions are burned in for social versions.
☐ An .srt caption file is ready for YouTube and LinkedIn.
☐ Captions have been proofread, especially product names.
☐ Text has enough contrast against its background.
☐ Nothing flashes rapidly.
☐ The video makes sense with the sound off (watch it muted once).

7. Export

☐ Master exported as 1080p MP4 in 16:9.
☐ Vertical (9:16) and square or portrait (1:1 or 4:5) versions are reframed, not just cropped.
☐ Short cut (15–30s) made for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
☐ File names are clear (product-launch-16x9-v3.mp4).
☐ Platform-specific limits checked for each destination.
☐ A thumbnail or poster frame looks good as a still image.

Our launch video length by platform guide lists recommended lengths and ratios.

8. Launch day

☐ Uploaded to YouTube (unlisted is fine) if your launch page needs a link.
☐ Native uploads ready for X, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok (native video usually plays better than links).
☐ Embedded on your landing page or changelog.
☐ Post copy written for each platform, with the URL.
☐ A teammate has watched the final files on a phone.
☐ You know who is replying to comments and when.

The single most useful check: watch the final video once on your phone, muted, at the size it will appear in a feed. Most remaining problems become obvious.

The five checks people skip most

If you only have time for a few, these catch the most common problems:

The phone test. Watch on a phone at feed size. If you cannot read the UI, zoom in further.
The mute test. Watch with the sound off. If the story disappears, add headlines and captions.
The stranger test. Show it to someone who has never seen the product and ask them what it does. If they cannot say, fix the hook and reveal.
The data test. Pause on every frame of product footage and look for real names, emails, keys or embarrassing test data.
The end-card test. Can a viewer read and remember your URL before the video ends? If not, hold the end card longer.

Each takes a couple of minutes. Together they catch most of the problems that make a launch video look rushed.

Who should review the video

Get at least two kinds of reviewer before publishing. Someone on the team who knows the product checks accuracy: are the screens current, are the claims true, is the feature named correctly? Someone outside the team checks clarity: do they understand what it is and what to do next? Ask both for their single biggest note rather than a long list, and fix those first.

Saving time on the checklist

Many of these checks are about the same few things: readable UI, consistent styling, captions and correct formats. A purpose-built tool handles a lot of them by default. Cadenzova Spotlight adds zoom-to-region focus, highlights and smoothed cursor paths to your recordings, burns in captions and creates an .srt file, normalises loudness for social, and exports the same project in 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 and 4:5. You still need to make the strategic decisions and check the result yourself. See auto captions for product videos for details.