Mobile App Promo Video Template

When to use this template

Use it for Reels, TikTok, Shorts and Stories posts promoting a new app or a big update. Vertical video fills the phone screen, which is where your audience will install from anyway. For the store listing itself, use the App Store preview template, which follows the stores' stricter rules.

The app promo video maker page explains how device frames and vertical formats work in Spotlight.

The structure explained

1. Hook (0–2s). A short command or question. Viewers decide almost immediately whether to keep watching.
2. Device reveal (2–7s). The app in a phone frame doing its headline action.
3. Core flow (7–15s). An unedited-feeling screen recording from the device.
4. Payoff (15–21s). The result screen: the report, the booking, the finished thing.
5. Features (21–26s). Three or four labels, stacked.
6. End card (26–30s). Name, icon, platforms.

Example voiceover script

1. "Stop losing receipts."
2. "With [Product], just snap it. Done."
3. "Everything's sorted automatically by trip, project or client."
4. "When it's time to claim, export a clean report in seconds."
5. "Works offline, handles any currency, and shares with your accountant."
6. "[Product]. Free on iOS and Android."

Many viewers will watch muted, so the on-screen headlines carry the same message. Burned-in captions help too.

Customising tips

• Record on the device. Use the phone's built-in screen recording, with notifications off and a tidy status bar, then upload the clip.
• Use real data. Fill the app with realistic, fictional content so screens look lived-in.
• Try two hooks. Make two versions with different first lines and see which holds attention better.
• Make a square cut. A 1:1 or 4:5 version works for feeds where 9:16 gets cropped. The social video resizer covers this.

A few mistakes come up again and again with app promos. The first is opening on the logo or a splash screen: nobody scrolling a feed cares about your logo yet, so put the hook and the app in action first. The second is cramming every feature in. A 30-second promo has room for one core flow and one payoff; the feature grid exists so you can mention the rest without showing it. The third is small text. Phone screens recorded at full size look tiny inside a frame, so zoom into the part of the screen that matters and keep captions large.

Finally, think about the sound. Many people will hear the first second only if they tap to unmute, so pick music with a clear start and make sure the voiceover's first line is the same as the on-screen hook.

Scene-by-scene plan

9:16 · about 30s · Kinetic style

1. Text reveal — “Stop losing receipts.”

   Hook in under two seconds. Large type, few words, high contrast.
2. Device mockup — “Snap it. Done.”

   The app on a phone frame doing its main action. The device frame tells viewers instantly this is an app.
3. Video clip — “Sorted by trip, project or client”

   A real screen recording from the phone showing the core flow. Keep it moving.
4. Device mockup — “Export a clean report in seconds”

   The payoff screen. A camera move or zoom into the result keeps energy up.
5. Feature grid — “Offline · Multi-currency · Shared folders”

   Three or four short features. On vertical video, stack them rather than using a wide grid.
6. End card — “[Product] — free on iOS and Android”

   App name, icon and where to get it. Hold for three seconds.

Make this video free