Quick answer: An app promo video turns store visits into installs by proving the app’s core value in under 30 seconds, vertical, captioned, and built for the first 3 seconds. The same cut powers your App Store preview, Play Store listing and paid social creative.
The 3-second rule
Store browsers and feed scrollers decide almost instantly. Open on the app doing its most impressive thing, not on a logo animation. If the first frame could belong to any app, you have already lost the install.
Store requirements worth knowing
- App Store previews: 15 to 30 seconds, captured-from-device look, autoplay muted in search results, the first poster frame matters as much as the video.
- Google Play: a YouTube-hosted promo on your listing, 30 seconds to 2 minutes accepted, but the shorter end converts browsing traffic better.
- Both stores: portrait-first for phones, show real UI, avoid claiming features the app does not visibly perform.
The tap-by-tap structure
- Hook (0-3s): the core action mid-flow, thumb on screen.
- Three taps (3-20s): the shortest path from open to payoff, real gestures, real screens.
- Payoff + badge (20-30s): the result state, then the store badge or install prompt.
One production, every placement
A vertical master recut as 9:16 ads, 1:1 feed posts, store previews and a 6 second bumper covers your whole acquisition funnel from one build, the exact model of our one-production system. See it applied in our KAKU Finance and Wonderkind case studies.
FAQ
Animated or screen-recorded? Animated UI recreations stay pixel-perfect across devices and survive redesigns; raw recordings age fast. Most of our app promos are animated for exactly this reason.
How much does an app promo cost? Packages start at $1,485 with every format included, full breakdown in the cost guide.
Ready to lift installs? Start with mobile app video production or get a free custom sample built on your app.
