Product Hunt launch video

Why a video matters on launch day

On launch day, people decide in seconds whether your product is worth a click, an upvote and a comment. Your tagline and gallery images do most of that work, but a static image can't show what it feels like to use the product: the moment a messy task turns into one click, the screen that makes people say "oh, that's clever." A video can.

Product Hunt is candid about this in its own launch guide: about 53% of the products that reached Product of the Day since 2021 included a video, and it says videos "can help depending on what your product is, but aren't always necessary." In other words, a video isn't a requirement, but for a product whose value is in how it works, it's the clearest way to show it.

About 53% of products that reached Product of the Day since 2021 included a video, according to Product Hunt's launch guide.

The same video does more than fill a gallery slot. On launch day you'll share the launch on X, LinkedIn, in communities and with your mailing list, and a short clip of the product in motion travels further in those feeds than a link and a screenshot. After the launch, the 16:9 version can live on your homepage.

What Product Hunt requires for the gallery video

Product Hunt's requirements for launch media are short. These come from its help center and launch guide; check them again before you launch, since they can change.

Product Hunt doesn't set an official length for the video. Our launch videos run up to 60 seconds: long enough to tell one clear story, short enough that people watch to the end. Because only YouTube is accepted, upload it as unlisted a few days before launch and check that the link plays in the launch form.

What makes a good launch video

• The product in the first seconds. Skip the logo intro. Open with the problem your users recognize, or with the result, and get to the interface fast.
• Understandable without sound. Many people browse muted, especially on their phones. The story should hold up with on-screen text and subtitles alone; the voice adds to it.
• Your real interface, not a mockup. People on Product Hunt try the product right after watching. If the video shows screens that don't exist, they notice.
• One idea, not a feature tour. Pick the one thing that makes your product worth trying and build the video around it. The rest goes in your maker comment and gallery images.
• Readable on a phone. Large type, zoomed-in interface, nothing important in tiny details.
• A clear ending. Your name, what it does in one line, and where to try it.

Every video we make starts from a concept drawn from your users' world, not a template, and every claim in the script comes from your own site. That last part matters on launch day: the comments will hold you to what the video says.

What we deliver for a launch

Each format is the same video, recomposed for its frame rather than cropped, with licensed music, a voiceover and subtitles. If you're launching to more than one market, add other languages: each one gets its own voice and a re-render, not a new production. See multilingual product videos.

A project we made for a Product Hunt launch

Duesday is a sample project: a product we invented to show the kind of launch video we make. The concept starts with the chaos freelancers know well and ends on the moment the invoice gets paid.

Timing: when to book relative to your launch date

You get the complete video 24 hours after the 50% deposit and access to your product (a demo account or screenshots). Then come three rounds of revisions. How fast those go depends mostly on how quickly your team sends feedback, so don't book the day before you launch.

1. 1

   A week or more before launch: book

   A short call or a message, a fixed price, the deposit and access to your product. This leaves room for revisions without rushing your team.

2. 2

   Within 24 hours: the full video

   Concept, voice, music and your real interface. Complete, not a draft.

3. 3

   The following days: three rounds of revisions

   Adjust pacing, copy or emphasis. Lock the final cut a few days before launch.

4. 4

   Delivery: every format

   You pay the other 50% and get the final files: 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 and any extra languages.

5. 5

   2–3 days before launch: upload and schedule

   Upload the 16:9 to YouTube as unlisted, paste the full URL into your launch, and schedule the vertical and square cuts for launch day.

Launching sooner than a week out? Tell us your date. The full video still arrives 24 hours after the deposit; what shrinks is the time you have to review it.

Launch video checklist

• The video shows the product in the first few seconds, with no long logo intro.
• It makes sense with the sound off: on-screen text and subtitles carry the story.
• Every screen is your real interface, and every claim matches your site.
• It's under a minute and built around one idea.
• The 16:9 is on YouTube, public or unlisted (not private), and the full URL plays in the launch form.
• You have at least two gallery images at 1270×760 to go alongside it.
• The 9:16 and 1:1 cuts are ready and scheduled for launch-day posts.
• The homepage has the web version of the video, so people who click through see it too.

What it costs

Product videos up to 60 seconds start at USD 200. Two languages are included; the final price depends on formats, extra languages and voices, and you get a fixed quote before anything starts. You pay 50% to begin and 50% when we hand over the final files. Once it's paid in full, the video is yours to use anywhere, with no extra fees. For a breakdown of what drives the price, read what a product video costs.

Not sure yet? Send us your website and we'll make a free 10–15 second teaser with your brand and interface, so you can see our work with your own product before deciding. If you're launching a SaaS, our SaaS product video page covers the homepage side.