Guides · · Maxwell Prehoda
12 Product Launch Video Examples From 2024 to 2026, and the Format Behind Each
A product launch video has to do three things in under a minute: show the thing, say why it matters now, and tell people where to get it. The 10 launches below, from Apple's iPhone Duo and BUCK's Claude Opus 4.6 film to Linear, Arc, Raycast and a Coinbase card, each pick a different format to do that, and each is labelled with the kind of launch it suits.
Every video is on the company's or studio's own channel, and lengths, dates and descriptions come from those uploads. The last two entries are ours: launch-film styles built as code, so you can put your own product in them.
1. Apple iPhone Duo product film: Best for hardware reveals with one hero object
Platform: YouTube, 66 seconds, plus a 24-minute recap
Apple's 66-second film for iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone, has a title that is also the script: "The largest display of any iPhone. Foldable. Posable. And durable." It had passed 1.8 million views within two months. Alongside it Apple posted "Everything announced about the first foldable iPhone", a 24-minute recap cut from the event, which has more views still.
That pairing is the lesson. The short film is for everyone who will never watch a keynote; the recap is for people who want the details. Apple ran the same pattern for the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6, whose 53-second film passed 16 million views in days.
Watch out for: Apple's films lean on years of brand recognition and a huge media budget. The structure transfers (one object, a few words, long holds); the production values usually do not.
Everything announced (YouTube) ↗14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 (YouTube) ↗
2. Claude Opus 4.6 launch film by BUCK: Best for AI model launches with nothing physical to show
Platform: Vimeo, 39 seconds
BUCK partnered with Anthropic on the launch of Claude Opus 4.6 in February 2026, handling strategy, creative direction and production. The studio's own summary is short: they helped bring the launch to life "with a killer drum solo".
Model launches are hard to film because the product is a capability, not an object. A short, rhythmic brand film gives the launch a mood and a moment people share, while benchmarks and examples live in the blog post next to it.
Watch out for: A mood film cannot carry the claims. Pair it with concrete examples of what the model does, or viewers will remember the drums and not the product.
3. Notion AI sizzle by BUCK: Best for giving an AI feature a character
Platform: Vimeo, 81 seconds
BUCK worked with Notion's in-house creative team to bring the Notion AI assistant character to life, evolving it from a simple drawing into a fluid, dynamic character for an experience used by millions of people.
A character gives an invisible feature a face people recognise in ads, onboarding and the product itself. If your AI feature already has an icon or mascot, a launch is the moment to make it move.
Watch out for: A character has to work at tiny sizes inside the product, not just full screen in a film. Design the smallest version first.
4. Introducing Linear Agent: Best for B2B launches that open on a thesis
Platform: YouTube, 55 seconds
Linear's 55-second launch opens on an argument rather than a feature: as execution speeds up, the bottleneck in product development shifts to judgment, deciding what to build and where time, attention and tokens should go. Then it makes the case that the workspace already holds the context to make those calls, and introduces the agent that reads it. It has more than 27,000 views.
A thesis-first launch tells buyers why the product exists before it shows what it does. That matters most in crowded categories, where every competitor's feature list looks the same.
Watch out for: Keep the thesis to one or two sentences. Past that, it becomes a manifesto and the product arrives too late.
5. Linear customer films: INSPECT, After the IDE, Faster Than Sound: Best for launches told through a customer's story
Platform: YouTube, 4 to 6 minute short films
In 2026 Linear released a run of short documentaries alongside its feature videos: INSPECT, about Ramp's own coding agent "now writing three out of every four PRs"; After the IDE, about Coinbase building software with agents; and Faster Than Sound, about how Boom Supersonic builds with Linear. Each links to a customer story on Linear's site.
A customer film launches a way of working rather than a feature, and the customer's name does the persuading. It is the format to pick when the change you are selling is cultural as much as technical.
Watch out for: Documentaries depend on customer access and legal sign-off, and they take months. Start the relationship long before the launch date.
6. Arc Search: "Who are the Beatles?" and the CBS spot: Best for consumer apps launching with humour
Platform: YouTube, 53 and 64 seconds
The Browser Company launched Arc Search with comedy. "Who are the Beatles?" imagines an Arc Search ad from 1961 and has more than 127,000 views. Its first TV spot, "SF Party", aired nationally on CBS in July 2024, and CEO Josh Miller posted a breakdown of the ideas hidden in the commercial the same day. For the Call Arc feature, the team made a short film called The Worst Thing that Could Happen at the End of a Perfect Second Date.
Humour makes a launch shareable, and a period or genre parody gives you a ready-made structure. The founder breakdown is a smart second asset: it turns one ad into a behind-the-scenes story for the people who already follow the company.
Watch out for: Comedy that needs the product explained afterwards has failed. Test the joke on someone outside the company and make sure they can say what the app does.
"SF Party" CBS spot (YouTube) ↗CEO breakdown of the spot (YouTube) ↗
8. Raycast 2.0: "It's out": Best for major version launches with a content stack
Platform: YouTube, 2 min 41 s
Raycast launched its 2.0 release with a video titled simply "It's out", and the description lays out the whole launch stack: the download, a new manual, a blog post about the release, and a technical deep dive into how it was built. In September it followed with "102 Things You Can Do With Raycast 2.0", a chaptered speed run of the features.
A big launch is a set of assets, not one video: a short film that makes the moment, docs for users, a blog for press and a technical post for developers. Plan them together so each links to the others.
Watch out for: "It's out" works for a product with a waiting audience. A new company needs the video itself to explain what is out and for whom.
9. Raycast Primary Keyboard for iOS: Best for demo-led launches for power users
Platform: YouTube, 5 min 56 s
Released on 29 October 2026, this launch is a walkthrough rather than a film: the Raycast keyboard for iOS can now be your primary keyboard, with autocorrect, emoji and swipe typing plus snippet expansion, AI commands and dictation. It passed 248,000 views within days, far more than most of the channel's videos.
For tools bought by power users, a long, concrete demo can outperform a polished trailer, because the audience wants to see exactly how it works before they switch.
Watch out for: Long demo launches need a strong first ten seconds. Show the most surprising capability first, then explain the setup.
10. Coinbase CB1 card launch by Tendril: Best for fintech cards and premium physical products
Platform: Vimeo, 34 seconds, CG
A teaser for Coinbase's first credit card, unveiled at the company's annual summit. Tendril built it around the idea of "Made by Metal", showing off the card's weight and texture with what the studio calls "a little material ASMR" and Coinbase's signature blue as a flourish.
Tendril did the same job for Wealthsimple's card in a 9-second CG film plus a library of stills for the rest of the campaign. A card is a flat rectangle; the craft is in light, material and sound, which is why short CG films beat photography here.
Watch out for: Material close-ups only work with accurate finishes. Get physical samples or exact specs from the manufacturer, or the film promises a card customers will not receive.
11. Our Keynote Product Reveal (Studio): Best for device and app reveals on a dark stage
Platform: Motions Animation Studio, prompt is CC0 Ours
A device built in three.js rises out of total darkness while a softbox reflection glides along its titanium edge, then a giant, quiet headline lands. Long lens, one light, long holds: the keynote reveal treats a product like a sculpture on a stage.
Describe your product in the Animation Studio, set the headline, tune the timing on the timeline and export MP4 for social or HTML for a launch page. Our post on making a product launch video with AI walks through the full process.
Watch out for: A built model is a stand-in. For hardware, swap in your real CAD or product renders before launch day.
12. Our Dark UI Precision Glow (Studio): Best for developer and productivity tool launches
Platform: Motions Animation Studio, prompt is CC0 Ours
A dark-mode work tool drawn in hairlines and quiet radial glows: issue rows populate, a command menu opens, a command is typed and runs, then the headline and wordmark land. The motion is short and exact, with no bounce, because the product promises speed.
It is the look of keyboard-first productivity software, made editable: swap in your rows, your command and your wordmark, then export. For more launch-style pieces, browse the inspiration board.
Watch out for: This aesthetic is common in developer tools. Your own interface and copy are what make it yours.
How to choose a launch video format
The format follows from what you are launching and who is waiting for it.
Match it to what you are launching
A physical product needs the object on screen: Apple's iPhone Duo film, Tendril's Coinbase card. A capability with nothing to film needs a mood or a character: BUCK's Claude Opus 4.6 and Notion AI. A new way of working needs a thesis or a customer: Linear Agent and Linear's customer films. A requested feature needs a 40-second clip: Dia's sidebar.
Match it to who is waiting
Existing fans want details and can sit through a long demo (Raycast's keyboard walkthrough). New audiences need a short film that explains what it is in seconds (Apple's 53 and 66 second films). Consumers respond to humour (Arc Search); B2B buyers respond to proof (Linear's customer films). Most launches need one short film plus one longer asset.
Match it to the launch stack
Plan the video with everything around it: the blog post, docs, a changelog entry, cut-downs for social, and a still for the press. Raycast's "It's out" description links four assets; Apple posts a film and a recap; Arc posted the CEO's breakdown the same day as the ad. The video is the headline; the stack is the story.
Plan your launch video this week
Write the title first, the way Apple does: three to six words that say what it is. Then decide the format from the list above, and storyboard the first five seconds, because that is where most viewers decide to keep watching.
If you want a launch film without a studio budget, describe it in the Studio: Claude draws the scenes, choreographs the motion and checks every frame, and you can tune it on the timeline and export MP4, GIF, HTML or React.
Make a 20-second launch film for [product], launching [date]. Open on the product (or its key screen) in the first 2 seconds, then three beats: what it is, the one thing it does better, where to get it. Dark stage, one light, [brand colour] as the only accent, headline in [font] under 6 words per beat, ease-out entrances of 0.6s and holds of at least 3 seconds. End on the logo and URL for 2 seconds. If the viewer prefers reduced motion, use cross-fades instead of camera moves.
Common questions
How long should a product launch video be?
The hero film is usually 30 to 90 seconds: Apple's run 53 and 66 seconds, Linear Agent 55, BUCK's Claude Opus 4.6 film 39. Longer formats, such as demos, recaps and customer films, work as second assets for people who want more.
What makes a good product launch video?
The product on screen early, one clear reason it matters now, a title that says what it is, and a clear place to get it. The best launches also come with a stack: a blog post, docs, short cut-downs and a longer demo.
Should a SaaS launch video show the UI?
Usually yes, at least once, because buyers want to know it is real. Mood films and characters (BUCK's work for Anthropic and Notion) work alongside UI demos, not instead of them.
How do you make a product launch video on a small budget?
Pick a format that does not need a crew: a screen-based feature drop like Dia's sidebar clip, a founder walkthrough, or a short motion graphics film built from your UI. Our Studio builds launch scenes as code you can edit and export.
Where should I post a launch video?
Your own site and changelog first, then YouTube for search, then cut-downs for X, LinkedIn and Instagram. Upload natively to each platform rather than sharing links, and add captions, because most social video plays without sound.