This Is How You Should Actually Make Launch Videos

Video Flow

1. 0100:00

   Make frequent demos instead of expensive launches

   Farza’s background spans Buildspace and Hey Clicky, and his current approach treats product communication as ongoing demos rather than rare, highly produced launches. He works backward from what the company can show that week, considering the story, hook and caption while the feature is being built.

2. 0204:34

   A quick Clicky demo becomes a product signal

   A simple office recording of Clicky, an AI teacher, took about five minutes to make and became the starting point for a company. The video’s roughly three million views mattered less than 7,000 downloads and about 100 people who kept using it daily for five days; conversations with those users motivated continued work.

   Clicky
3. 0307:49

   Test the hook and first frame, then script for speech

   The “did my eyes stop?” test checks whether the opening line and image would hold the creator’s attention; a deliberately zoomed-in Xcode screen makes the demo legible while scrolling. For scripted videos, the test is whether the text is enjoyable to read aloud, with the first 10 seconds establishing what is being built and why it matters.

4. 0412:04

   A scripted screen-aware dictation demo succeeds despite doubts

   A screen-aware dictation video starts with an ordinary product claim, then frames the creator’s personal difficulty knowing what to write before demonstrating the feature. Every line was scripted and rehearsed in advance, and a teammate insisted on publishing despite the creator’s doubts; the video reached three million Twitter views.

   Apple Notes
5. 0515:15

   Treat each release as a demo and keep publishing

   A demo should capture the genuine “check this out” moment, with occasional polished launches reserved for especially important work. Older ZipSchool videos drew few reactions, including one with 23 likes, but repeated publishing built skill in talking about products; views are not a prerequisite for treating a new release as a launch.

   ZipSchool
6. 0620:48

   Use a clear hook and learn from short-form examples

   A Clicky video with 21 million Instagram views opens with a specific hook and quickly says who the founder is and what he is building; the same product story can also work as a simple phone recording. Studying Instagram Reels for visual and story templates helps generate ideas, while a recurring “everything we built this week” update gives users an inside view of the team’s work.

   ClickyInstagram Reels
7. 0724:04

   Show the work and get comfortable publishing

   Showing real product work and the team’s process can interest users more than founder lifestyle content, even without a conventional hook. A practical starting point is to record a brief phone video about something interesting from the workday, post it, and keep going through the initial awkwardness.

8. 0829:12

   Track conversions, not just views

   Channels differ in business results: a Twitter video with millions of views produced weak account conversion, while a YouTube video with about 20,000 views converted roughly 20% of viewers to app downloads. Instagram supplied most of Clicky’s traffic, and tracking channel-specific links and downstream actions helps identify which audience actually converts.

   TwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTok+1
9. 0933:34

   Adapt videos to the channel and keep their story moving

   Twitter generally favors horizontal video, so a fast, visually legible screen-drawing demo was made for that feed; the same video also performed strongly on Instagram despite its vertical presentation. In a “no hands” demo, successive beats—playing and lowering music, then opening Stripe—advance the story without requiring cuts.

   StripeSpotify
10. 1038:48

    Build a video team and prioritize audio

    Farza planned a filmmaker among his early hires so someone could turn ongoing company work into coherent videos, while he contributed writing, scripts and music. Screen Studio, Edits, iPhone, Sony FX3, DJI microphones and DaVinci Resolve cover different production needs, but clear audio matters more than elaborate visuals; Free Write is used for drafting video ideas before recording.

    Free WriteScreen StudioEditsiPhone+3
11. 1145:41

    Publish one work-in-progress video each day for 30 days

    For 30 days, record a short daily phone video about what was worked on and post it to a chosen social account, including a new account if that makes starting easier. Review which videos attract viewers and use those results to improve the next ones; the promised milestone of 1,000 views is a prediction, not a guaranteed result.

    InstagramTikTok