Developer Tool Launch Video Template

When to use this template

Use it for launches on Product Hunt, Hacker News-style communities, X, your README or docs homepage. Developer audiences reward clarity and punish fluff, so the template puts code on screen within five seconds and keeps the voiceover factual.

The structure explained

1. Problem (0–5s). One line, in the terms your users would search for.
2. Install (5–12s). The command typed in a terminal.
3. Code (12–22s). The minimum code to get value, zoomed and legible.
4. Result (22–36s). It running for real.
5. Before and after (36–44s). The workflow you replace.
6. How it works (44–50s). One diagram.
7. Facts (50–55s). Licence, languages, hosting, pricing model.
8. Close (55–60s). Install command and docs URL.

Example voiceover script

1. "Shipping a feature flag shouldn't need a config server or a redeploy."
2. "Install [Product] with one command."
3. "Wrap your feature in three lines of code."
4. "Now flip it from the dashboard, and your app updates in real time."
5. "Before, that was a code change, a review and a deploy. Now it's a toggle."
6. "Under the hood, the SDK keeps a local copy of your flags and syncs changes as they happen."
7. "It's open source, has typed SDKs, and you can self-host or use our cloud."
8. "npm install [product]. Docs at docs.[product].dev."

Customising tips

• Clean your environment. Hide personal paths, tokens and unrelated tabs before recording. Never record real secrets.
• Use the typing animation for commands rather than recording your own typing; it is tidier and easier to retime.
• Keep the voice neutral. A calm, plain read works better for developers than an energetic one.
• Make a silent version for your README, with captions or headlines carrying the story.
• Match the docs. Use the exact code from your quick-start guide, so anyone who pauses the video and copies it gets a working result.
• Show an error state if your tool is good at them. Helpful error messages are a feature developers notice.

One last check: watch the finished video on a phone. If you cannot read the code, zoom in further or show fewer lines. Developers will often watch your launch video on a phone while scrolling, then open the docs on a laptop later.

See screen recording to launch video for how Spotlight turns raw terminal and editor recordings into scenes with zooms and highlights.

Scene-by-scene plan

16:9 · about 60s · Precision style

1. Text reveal — “Feature flags without a config server.”

   The problem and promise in developer language. Specific beats clever.
2. UI demo — “npm install [product]”

   The typing animation in a terminal. Instant credibility: it is real, and it is one line.
3. Screenshot — “Three lines to your first flag”

   The code. Zoom into the region so it is readable on a phone; keep syntax highlighting.
4. Walkthrough — “Flip it live from the dashboard”

   The result: the dashboard toggle and the app responding. Real recording, minimal cuts.
5. Comparison — “Before: redeploy. After: one toggle.”

   Old workflow vs new. Compare steps, not invented benchmarks.
6. Slide — “How it works”

   A simple architecture diagram for the viewers who want to know what runs where.
7. Feature grid — “Open source · Typed SDKs · Self-host or cloud”

   The facts developers check first: licence, languages, hosting.
8. End card — “npm install [product] · docs.[product].dev”

   End on the install command and the docs, not a sales line.

Make this video free