This is the order we follow for our own launches.
1. Decide where it will play
The same video doesn't do the same job everywhere:
- App Store preview: 15–30 seconds, footage from the app only, 886 × 1920. The rules are in our App Store app preview specs guide.
- Instagram Reels and TikTok: vertical 9:16, mostly watched muted, so captions are a must.
- Website hero: 16:9 or wider, a silent 10–15 second loop.
- Product Hunt and YouTube: 16:9, 45–90 seconds, a voiceover can work.
Pick one first. Trying to make a single video that suits all of them gives you something that suits none. Once the scenes are built, though, exporting them again at other sizes is easy.
2. Write the script on one sheet
It doesn't need to be long. Three lines will do:
- The problem or the promise. "See all your bills on one screen."
- Two or three moments that show it. Add a bill, check the chart, set a reminder.
- The close. The app's name and where to get it.
Each scene should show one thing. Squeeze three features into one scene and viewers notice none of them.
3. Record a clean screen
Nothing affects the result more.
- Clean the status bar: 9:41, full battery, no notifications. The Xcode simulator and Android's demo mode both do this.
- Use realistic content. Empty lists and "test test" make the whole video look cheap.
- Tap slowly and deliberately, a bit slower than real use, so the viewer's eye can follow.
- Record each scene separately. Cutting scenes out of one long take is harder.
4. Put the recording inside a device
A raw screen recording looks flat. Play the same recording on a turning iPhone or an opening MacBook and suddenly it looks like a product video.
In Mockup Center you drag the recording onto the device's screen and pick a ready animation: the device turns, moves closer or slides into view. Animations line up on a timeline, each starting where the last one ended, and you trim a clip by dragging its edge.
One tip: don't overdo the motion. A phone that spins for the whole video is tiring. A moving opening followed by scenes where the device holds still and the screen does the talking works better.
5. Add captions
Most social video is watched without sound. Give each scene a short caption, six or seven words at most, in the top third of the frame where it won't cover the device. It has to be readable on a phone; if it looks too big on your monitor, it's probably right.
6. Music and sound
Pick royalty-free music and cut the scene changes to the beat. If you add a voiceover, keep it short. It works on YouTube and Product Hunt, much less on Reels.
If the video is going to the App Store, the audio has to be stereo. Mono gets rejected.
7. Export at the right size
- Reels, TikTok, Shorts: 1080 × 1920, MP4.
- Website and YouTube: 1920 × 1080 or 3840 × 2160, MP4.
- App Store preview: 886 × 1920, up to 30 fps.
- Going into another editor: transparent ProRes 4444, so the device arrives without a background and sits on top of any shot.
Mockup Center exports up to 8K, and you can take vertical and horizontal versions from the same project.
Things to avoid
- A logo animation in the first second. People scroll away before they know what they're watching.
- Making it long. What you can't say in 30 seconds won't land in 90 either.
- More than one message. A separate short video per feature often does better.
