How to Make a Product Hunt Launch Video

By Tunora Team. Published 2026-10-22, updated 2026-10-22.

A Product Hunt launch video is the part of your listing that shows the product in motion. If you ship features every few weeks and have no motion designer, you can still make a video that does the job. This guide covers what Product Hunt accepts, how to structure the video, and what to prepare before launch day.

For the wider picture of what a release video is for, start with our SaaS launch video guide.

What Product Hunt accepts for a launch video

Product Hunt's help center and launch guide say little about video, which keeps the rules simple. Here is what the pages state.

• Video is a YouTube link. Product Hunt's help center says that for videos, only YouTube links are supported. Upload the video before your launch, confirm it is not set to private, and paste the full URL, because shortened links will not load (Product Hunt Help Center, How to post a product).
• Video is optional. The launch guide says about 53% of products that reached Product of the Day since 2021 included a video (Product Hunt, Prepare for your Product Hunt launch). That describes what happened, not what will happen to you.
• The gallery needs images. The help center says the gallery needs two or more images before it is viewable, and recommends 1270x760 for gallery images.
• Images and GIFs have a size cap. The launch guide says every image, including GIFs, must be under 3MB. GIFs animate only on hover, not on their own, so pick a first frame you are happy to have shown.
• The thumbnail is square. Product Hunt recommends 240x240.

Those pages give no video length limit and no recommended length. YouTube hosts the file, so YouTube's own rules apply, and the length advice below is ours, not Product Hunt's.

What makes a good Product Hunt launch video

Assume visitors give your listing a few seconds; that is our advice, not a Product Hunt statistic. Your video has one job: show what changes for the customer. A structure that works for a SaaS release has three beats.

Open on the result

Start with the finished state, not your logo. Picture Acme Invoices, an invented invoicing SaaS launching recurring invoices. The first scene is an invoice landing in a client's inbox on the first of the month with nobody touching it. The viewer sees the payoff before they hear a word about how it works.

Show one problem and one fix

Name the pain in a single line, then show the feature solving it on screen. Do not tour the product. Pick the one change this launch is about and show it moving: the button, the setting, the new report.

Close on one action

End on what you want the viewer to do next, such as visiting your site or following the product page. One action only. A closing card with one action is easier to follow than one with three links.

A decision rule for every scene: if a scene does not help the viewer answer "what changed for me", cut it.

Plan for sound off viewing and captions

Assume the video will be watched with the sound off at least some of the time, and write it that way. This is our advice, not a Product Hunt rule. You can still add a voiceover, but the message must survive without it.

• Put the key line of each scene on screen as large, high contrast text.
• Add captions that match the voiceover word for word, so nothing depends on audio. The W3C notes that captions let people who are deaf or hard of hearing watch synchronized media (W3C, Understanding Success Criterion 1.2.2).
• Keep text on screen long enough to read twice. If you cannot read it aloud at a calm pace, it is too fast.
• Leave the first second clean and legible, because it is the first thing a viewer sees.

The same design helps in other places your video will land, such as a feed or an email. Our list of SaaS launch video ideas shows formats that work well without sound.

How long should a Product Hunt video be

Product Hunt sets no length for the video, so choose one for the viewer. As advice, not a rule, aim for 30 to 60 seconds. That is enough to show the problem, the fix and a single call to action without repeating yourself.

If you are tempted to go longer, ask whether each extra scene teaches the viewer something the first ones did not. If not, cut it. Shorter videos are also easier to caption and to re-cut for other channels. Post the version that fits each platform, with captions on, and see how long a launch video should be on each platform.

Product Hunt launch assets to prepare

Gather these before you start filling in the post. Hunting for a file while the page is open is how mistakes get published.

1. Two or more gallery images at 1270x760, each under 3MB.
2. A YouTube link for the video, public and not shortened.
3. A square thumbnail at 240x240, under 3MB.
4. Captions for the video and a text version of the script.
5. A tagline. The launch guide limits it to 60 characters and asks for a very short description with no gimmicks or over the top language.
6. A first comment. The launch guide says 70% of products that achieved Product of the Day, Week or Month included a first comment by the maker, and that it appears right below the gallery. That is what Product Hunt reports, not a promise. Write it before launch day and say what the video shows in one line.
7. Optional, an interactive demo of the product. The help center says a demo from a supported tool can generate a Product Hunt link that you add to the gallery like a YouTube link.

A Product Hunt launch checklist

Use this as a week of work, not a single day.

A week before - Pick the one feature or story the launch is about and write it in a sentence. - Write the script, then storyboard it in plain scenes. - Make the video and the gallery images. - Decide your launch time. The launch guide gives a rule of thumb of 12:01am PST for makers without constraints, and the help center says a scheduled post goes live at 12:01 AM PST.

The day before - Upload the video to YouTube and confirm it is public. - Watch it once on a phone with the sound off. - Check that every image is under 3MB and the gallery has two or more images.

Launch day - Paste the full YouTube URL, not a shortened one. - Open the live page and check that the video loads. - Post your first comment, then reply to comments and note which scenes people mention.

Make the video without a camera or a designer

Some founders stall at the video step because they do not want to be on camera or do not have a designer. For context, the Yum Yum Videos 2026 pricing guide says freelance explainer video projects generally range from USD 1,000 to 5,000, and that a fully custom animated explainer usually takes about 6 to 8 weeks (Yum Yum Videos pricing guide).

Tunora (tunora.app) turns one sentence, a file or a website link into a short launch video with scenes, on-screen text and music. There is no presenter, no recording, no avatar and no lip sync, so the product carries the story. Describe the feature, then watch the video muted, read the on screen text, and cut anything that does not serve the one action you want.

If you need ideas for what the feature story could be, our SaaS launch video guide walks through the parts of a launch video one by one.

Sources

1. How to post a product, Product Hunt Help Center, read 2026-10-22. YouTube links only, not private, full URL; gallery of two or more images at 1270x760; scheduled posts go live at 12:01 AM PST; interactive demo link.
2. Prepare for your Product Hunt launch, Product Hunt, read 2026-10-22. Video optional with the 53% figure; images and GIFs under 3MB; GIFs animate on hover; 240x240 thumbnail; tagline limit of 60 characters; first comment figure of 70%; 12:01am PST rule of thumb.
3. Understanding Success Criterion 1.2.2: Captions (Prerecorded), W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, read 2026-10-22. Captions let people who are deaf or hard of hearing watch synchronized media.
4. How Much Does an Explainer Video Cost in 2026?, Yum Yum Videos (an animation studio, vendor page), read 2026-10-22. Freelance explainer video projects generally range from USD 1,000 to 5,000 and a fully custom animated explainer usually takes about 6 to 8 weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Does Product Hunt require a launch video?

No. The launch guide describes video as optional. What the help center does require is a gallery with two or more images before the post page can be viewed. A gallery of two or more images is one of the requirements, and a video is an addition you can choose to make.

Can I upload an MP4 file straight to Product Hunt?

According to the help center, only YouTube links are supported for video. Upload your file to YouTube first, make sure it is not private, and paste the full URL, because shortened links will not load. Keep each image or GIF under 3MB.

What size should my gallery images be?

Product Hunt recommends 1270x760 for gallery images. The gallery needs two or more images before the post page can be viewed. The square thumbnail is separate, with 240x240 recommended, and every image or GIF must be under 3MB.

Should my Product Hunt launch video have sound?

Plan for it to be watched with the sound off, then add audio as a bonus. This is our advice, not a Product Hunt rule. Put the main message in large on screen text and add captions that match the voiceover. If the video still makes sense when muted, it will work in a feed, on a phone and on your launch page.

Can I make a Product Hunt launch video without being on camera?

Yes. Tunora turns one sentence, a file or a website link into a short launch video with scenes, on-screen text and music, with no presenter, no recording, no avatar and no lip sync. Review it muted, check the captions, and upload it to YouTube before launch day.