Quick answer: An app promo video turns store visits into installs by proving the app’s core value in under 30 seconds: vertical, captioned, opening on the app mid-action within the first second. The same production powers the App Store preview, the Google Play listing, paid social and the website, but each needs its own export, because Apple’s rules (no hands, no people, exact device resolutions, 15 to 30 seconds) are stricter than everyone else’s. This guide covers the structure, the store rules, the first three seconds, animated versus recorded, how to get every placement from one build, and what it costs.
Why the first three seconds decide the install
Store browsers and feed scrollers decide almost instantly, and in both places the video autoplays muted at a small size. If the first frame could belong to any app, you have already lost the install. Open on the app doing its most impressive thing, mid-flow, with a thumb on screen for scale and a short text overlay saying what is happening. Our launch spot for Opal runs 22 seconds, one message (the screen time you get back), no feature list, and the product is on screen from the first frame. That is the shape.
The 30-second structure
- Hook (0 to 3 seconds): the core action mid-flow. Not a logo, not a splash screen, not a person smiling at a phone.
- Three taps (3 to 20 seconds): the shortest path from open to payoff, with real gestures on real screens and a three-to-six-word caption on every scene.
- Payoff (20 to 27 seconds): the result state. The parking paid, the money arrived, the habit logged.
- Close (27 to 30 seconds): the app name and icon. The store badge or install prompt goes on the social and web versions only; Apple does not allow calls to action inside previews.
Fifteen seconds is one feature; thirty seconds is three. Never more than three. PayByPhone’s video shows a single buried setting (autopay) in four captioned steps because that one setting is what stops parking fines; that is a better promo than a tour of the whole app.
App Store and Google Play rules, briefly
- Apple App Store previews: 15 to 30 seconds; .mov, .m4v or .mp4 in H.264 or ProRes 422 HQ at 30 fps; under 500 MB; exact resolution per device class (1080 x 1920 or 886 x 1920 portrait for current iPhones); footage captured from the device only, so no hands, people, device frames, pricing or “download now” scenes; up to three previews per localisation; autoplays muted, and you choose the poster frame.
- Google Play: a public or unlisted YouTube link rather than an upload; 30 seconds to two minutes accepted but the first 30 seconds do the work because the store autoplays a muted preview; landscape or portrait; no pre-roll ads or age-restricted content; the 1024 x 500 feature graphic doubles as the cover, so design them together.
- Both: portrait-first for phones, real UI, nothing the app does not visibly do. The full technical list and the rejection traps are in App Store preview video specs 2026.
Animated or screen-recorded?
Animated UI recreations stay pixel-perfect across devices, let you tidy the data and smooth the gestures, and survive redesigns because the source files can be updated. Raw recordings are faster and look authentic, but they age the moment the UI changes and they carry every stutter. Most of our app promos are animated from the real interface for the store versions and then dressed up (narration, lifestyle b-roll, a person’s hands) for the social and web versions, where Apple’s restrictions do not apply. The one rule for both: the store version must show the app exactly as it works today.
One production, every placement
Build one vertical master at the highest resolution with captions on a separate layer, then export:
- App Store previews per device class (no hands, no people, no CTA).
- A YouTube upload for Google Play, with the feature graphic as the cover.
- 9:16 ads for Reels, TikTok, Shorts and LinkedIn with narration and a CTA.
- 1:1 or 4:5 feed posts.
- A 6-second bumper for YouTube pre-roll.
- A 16:9 version for the website hero and the press kit.
- A 10-second GIF for the launch email.
That is the model behind our mobile app videos: store preview, ad cuts and web version from a single build for one flat price. The KAKU Finance and Wonderkind case studies show it applied to a multi-currency finance app and a recruitment app.
Measuring whether it worked
Apple’s product page optimisation lets you run the preview against a screenshots-only page; Google Play has store listing experiments. Run the test for two weeks and watch conversion rate from impression to install, not views. A preview built as a trailer with a logo intro frequently loses to good screenshots because its first three seconds show nothing; a preview built around the core action usually wins. For paid social, track cost per install by creative and rotate the three-tap sequence so each ad opens on a different feature.
What an app promo video costs
$1,450 to $8,000 from professional producers in 2026, with agencies at the top of that range. At Motion Graphix an app promo is a flat $1,450 including the script, animation of your real app, a human voice-over for the social and web versions, store-ready exports for every device class, vertical and square cuts, two to three ad clips, thumbnail and feature graphic, source files and 90 days of changes. First draft in 10 to 15 working days; five with rush delivery. The market breakdown is in explainer video cost.
Quick questions
How long should an app promo video be?
15 to 30 seconds for the store (Apple’s hard limit) and for paid social. A 45 to 60 second version can live on the website if the app needs more explanation.
Can I use the same video for the App Store and Google Play?
Same footage, different exports. Apple needs an uploaded file at exact device resolutions with no hands or people; Google wants a YouTube link and allows more freedom.
Does an app preview video increase downloads?
Usually, when it opens on the core action and works on mute. A trailer-style preview with a logo intro can perform worse than screenshots. Test it with the store’s own experiment tools.
Animated or recorded?
Animated from the real interface for the store versions, so it stays sharp and updatable; add narration and lifestyle footage for the social and web versions.
How do we start?
Request a free 10 to 15 second sample built on your app, or see mobile app video production.
