App Preview Videos: Showcase Your Product Like a Pro

Learn how to make app preview videos to showcase your iOS app on App Store. App preview video sizes, resolutions, and guidelines are explained.
App Preview Videos: Showcase Your Product Like a Pro
With millions of mobile applications available on the major app storefronts, improving your product’s visibility is paramount for most app dev teams. Why? Because if your product is easily findable, its conversion gets a significant boost. In this piece, we’ll guide you through the basics of creating top-notch iOS app preview videos and thus, bolstering your top app download statistics in particular and mobile marketing efforts in general.

Preview clips are the best choice for responsive applications, paid startups, and mobile gaming products specifically. With regard to the paid software, people rarely buy before they test-drive. A video presentation is a publisher’s chance to grant their app users this opportunity — and transform leads into regularly paying customers.

The iOS app preview is represented by a 30-sec-max clip that’s aimed at letting your potential consumers in on your product’s perks. You get to post up to 3 clips, but the best strategy is to create one app preview video presentation of top-level quality. To succeed in this respect, you need to comply with certain tips and rules. Stay tuned for more information.

How to Create App Store Preview Video

When polishing all the components of your App Store listing, every element is crucial. Find outstanding App Store Tips for App and Mobile Game Icon, Screenshots, and Videos in the corresponding article of our blog. You don’t have to post a preview clip, that’s a fact. But if you do (and if you excel in your strategy), your impactful multimedia content is sure to aid you in bolstering your performance and conversion — something that is sure to take your revenue and overall success to the next level.
Wondering how to make an app preview video that will send a powerful message about your software to your target audience? Here are some vital tips to make the most of:
1
Don’t beat around the bush. Emphasize your product’s ultimate mission in the first few moments of your clip. People don’t like watching lengthy vids until the end these days, so what makes you think they’ll even make attempts to ‘watch between the lines?’ With that said, cut straight to the chase from the very first seconds of your clip presentation and then provide less crucial details. Don’t forget about the video autoplay feature. It helps the most impressive intros grab users’ attention as they browse.
2
Provide actual footage of your startup. Apple won’t allow you to post any clips that contain footage created outside of your product. With that said, opt for screen recording instead of a top-level commercial. If your application has just been created, this golden rule is a particular must-follow. You don’t want to risk your freshly crafted content getting rejected because of not adhering to Apple’s policies.
3
Make the preview clip understandable in silence. A lot of your consumers will play the vid with their smartphones on mute. Therefore, you need to ensure that they get the full picture without having to turn on the sound. Infuse it with entertaining textual slogans if this resonates with your vision.
4
Take screen sizes into account. Your target consumers will watch your presentation clip on a slew of screens, including the smallest ones. Consider this aspect when you film and edit your motion picture content. If what you show in your clip is too tiny, zooming in in advance is a must.
5
Grab this splendid opportunity to make a difference. Ultimately, learning how to create an app video preview for the App Store will aid you in making the motional-picture presentation of your product truly shine. Yes, screenshots and other creatives matter a lot, too. But they are static and not as powerful as videos in terms of effective mobile promotion.

App Preview Video Size & Other Rules

In order to have your presentation clip confirmed by Apple, you need to follow the tech giant’s rules. For instance, you are allowed to upload up to 3 clips per location via App Store Connect. Upon the launch of a new app version, the preview clip receives approval, along with your product and metadata.

If you’re wondering about the most common app preview guidelines, find the outline of the basics below:
  • the length of your video should be limited to 30 secs;
  • your app preview video sizes shouldn’t exceed 500 MB;
  • the following formats should be used: .mov, .m4v, and .mp4;
  • resolution should be gadget-focused (portrait or landscape);
  • concentrate on utilizing screen captures;
  • based on the popular gaming app preview video examples, it’s best to concentrate on gameplay scenes rather than cutscenes.
Sadly, there’s a multitude of App Store preview dimensions you should be aware of. If you post one clip, it will not return smooth play across all Apple gadgets. With that said, posting vids with different resolutions for different gadgets is a great solution. Yes, App Store preview video dimensions vary from one gadget to another. But you won’t have to generate clips for every existing iOS device.

Generally, you’ll most likely have to work up 3 videos: one clip for all common tech behemoth’s smartphones, one for iPhone X, and one for iPads. For more information on this, please refer to the company’s official technical specs and guidelines. If you’re interested in reading about Google Play Visuals Optimization: Icon, Screenshots, and Videos, there’s a blog post about it on our website.

Best App Preview Videos: Pros & Cons

Creating an eye-catching, sleek, and overall awesome app preview video is sure to enhance your product’s exposure and findability in the App Store. As a result, it will significantly strengthen your app ranking. However, working up a fantastic app preview video comes with certain drawbacks, as well. We’ll dwell upon it in this section of the post.

Here’s why creating a worthy app video presentation is good for you:

  • motion picture content is effective by default: no wonder YouTube is one of the most popular sites these days;
  • your target consumers prefer watching clips to reading text or viewing pictures;
  • app preview clips magnify app downloads and user involvement;
  • they aid you in rising over your competition;
  • these videos allow you to let your target consumers in on your product in the fastest and most effective way possible;
  • a solid video presentation helps your potential clients make knowledgeable decisions and thus prevents multiple uninstalls.
At the end of the day, the importance of creating a presentation clip to potentially boost your product’s success shouldn’t be underestimated. Now, switching to the potential drawbacks of this aspect, we’ve rounded them up below:

  • making a stellar app preview costs a lot of money;
  • the endeavor is very challenging: it involves lots of creativity, hard work, and precious time;
  • you will most likely have to create new app preview clips as time goes by: mobile marketing trends are highly changeable;
  • following Apple’s rules in terms of App Store preview video resolution and other crucial criteria is definitely no bed of roses;
  • poor-quality clips scare your potential consumers away and pull your reputation down.
Yes, sorting out a top-of-the-line app preview video is very complicated both tech- and Apple guideline-wise. Competition is fierce, so, naturally, convincing people to download your app requires heaps of time, persistence, and skills. However, chances are your smart investments will pay off in the long run — while skyrocketing your product to stardom along the way.
To Sum Up: Plan Ahead & Act Smart
Now that you’re familiar with the fundamentals of creating an effective app preview clip, it’s time to decide how you’ll approach the issue. In the majority of cases, app creators turn to professional help when it comes to creating wow-worthy app preview vids. It’s not going to be cheap. But time is money, and it’s solely up to you to decide. So, if you don’t want to spend months of your time delving deep into the topic, just hire a brilliant outsourcing team that will create a fantastic presentation for you.

Cutting to the chase, if you want to make a truly influential, eye-catching, and rank-boosting preview video for your product, plan the endeavor well in advance. Do you have enough resources for this? Will you turn to professional assistance? Do you have a visual idea of your future app preview video? Are you ready to change the clip once the trends fluctuate? If you have answers to all these questions at the planning stage, you’re a major step closer to your ultimate goal.