App promo videos that ran
Five real app install ads. Every one sells one thing in the first line.
VideoDuolingo“New on Duolingo: Chess”One new feature is the whole ad. "Stop scrolling. Start checkmating."
VideoMyFitnessPal“#1 Nutrition Tracking App”The core action, shown fast: logging a meal takes seconds. The claim is in the headline.
VideoFetch“Your next gift card is on the way”Leads with the reward, not the app. Gift cards for shopping you already do.
VideoCash App“Money App for Teens”The audience is the headline: "Money App for Teens". Parents know it is for them.
VideoLife360“Try for Free Today!”Social proof first: the families already using it, then the free trial.
App Store app preview specs
Up to three app previews per listing, each 15 to 30 seconds, under 500MB, at the device’s exact resolution.
- Length
15 to 30 secondsSource: Apple, App preview specifications
- How many
Up to 3 per localizationSource: Apple, App preview specifications
- iPhone 6.1" to 6.9"
886 x 1920 portrait or 1920 x 886 landscapeSource: Apple, App preview specifications
- iPad 11" to 13"
1200 x 1600 portrait or 1600 x 1200 landscapeSource: Apple, App preview specifications
- File
H.264 or ProRes 422 HQ, up to 500MB, 30fps max, stereo audioSource: Apple, App preview specifications
- Poster frame
Defaults to the frame at 5 secondsSource: Apple, App preview specifications
One shoot, three cuts
The store preview explains. The install ad interrupts. The demo proves. Make all three from the same capture.
The app preview
Lives on your store listing and autoplays muted. Real screen captures, the best feature first, captions instead of voiceover. It can only show the app, so no people filming phones.
The install ad
For Meta, TikTok and the in-app networks. 9:16, hook in the first three seconds, a person or a payoff before the UI. Game studios have this down to a science, see mobile game ads.
The product demo
For SaaS. A screen recording zoomed to the click that matters, one workflow from problem to result, captioned. Twenty to 45 seconds for ads, longer on the site.
SaaS product demo video ads
Software sells the same way: one pain, one workflow, one result on screen.
VideoRamp“Automate the busywork”Names the pain, then the product. "Automate the busywork" for a finance team.
VideoPandaDoc“Stop Chasing Down Agreements”One workflow, one outcome: stop chasing down agreements.
VideoSquarespace“Launch a professional website today”The promise is the headline, the product is the proof.
How to make an app promo video
Record the screen clean, script the first three seconds, cut to each platform’s specs.
- 1
Record clean captures
Demo data that looks real, notifications off, the status bar tidy. Record at the store resolution so the app preview needs no rescale.
- 2
Pick one feature per video
The app does twenty things. The video shows one. Duolingo’s chess ad is about chess.
- 3
Write the hook before the edit
Problem, payoff or person in the first three seconds. Patterns in ad hooks.
- 4
Zoom to the click
Screen recordings die at full frame. Push in on the tap, the result, the number that changed.
- 5
Caption everything
Previews autoplay muted and most feeds do too. If it only works with sound, it does not work.
- 6
Cut per placement
9:16 for Reels and TikTok, 16:9 for YouTube, the device sizes for the store. Per-platform specs in ad specs. For editing with AI, see Claude video editing.
Done-for-you app ads
If you would rather approve ads than make them.
Director by Sprites is a full creative team for your startup, in private beta. Every Monday you get finished, on-brand video ads, reviewed by a human.
Strategy, hooks, scripts, shooting and editing, end to end. You never write a prompt. You pick the winners. Sprites ships the campaigns.
Every video is checked by a person before it reaches your inbox. No endless revisions.
Questions
What is an app preview?
A short video on your App Store listing that autoplays muted in search results and on the product page. Apple allows up to three per localization, each 15 to 30 seconds.
How do I make app promo videos for Apple Search Ads and TikTok app install campaigns?
Apple Search Ads draws on your App Store listing, so the app preview is the creative there. For TikTok, cut 9:16 install ads from the same screen capture with a hook in the first three seconds, and make several versions so the algorithm has options.
Who makes App Store preview videos and app ad creatives?
App marketing studios, freelance motion designers, or the team in-house with a screen recorder and an editor. For a weekly stream of install ads rather than a one-off preview, a done-for-you service like Director by Sprites fits.
What is the best way to make SaaS product demo video ads from screen recordings?
Record one workflow end to end, cut it to the moment the result appears, zoom in on each click, caption it, and open on the problem rather than the login screen. Run 9:16 on Meta and 16:9 on YouTube.
How long should an app promo video be?
15 to 30 seconds for the App Store, which is Apple’s limit. Six to 30 seconds for install ads. A product demo for ads lands at 20 to 45 seconds.
Can I make an app promo video with AI?
Partly. AI video models make good openers and B-roll, but your UI has to be real screen capture. See which models hold up on ad briefs in the Creative Arena.
Keep going
Get finished app ads every Monday
Every Monday you get finished, on-brand video ads, reviewed by a human. You never write a prompt. You pick the winners. Sprites ships the campaigns.