Product Teaser Video: How to Tease a Software Launch

Teaser vs trailer vs launch video: what's the difference?

	Job	Typical length	Ends with
Teaser	Build curiosity; reveal a little	10–40 s	A date, or "join the waitlist"
Trailer	A fuller preview of what's coming	1–3 min	A date
Launch video	Show it working; get people to try it	30–90 s	"Try it now" and a URL

Teaser and trailer definitions from Vimeo; launch video length from our study of 150 top Product Hunt launches (median 78 s).

How long should a product teaser be?

Vendors suggest anywhere from 3 to 30 seconds (Vimeo) and there's no study behind any of it, so let the platform decide. For ads, LinkedIn recommends 15 to 30 seconds (LinkedIn) and X recommends 15 seconds or less (X). For a YouTube or website teaser, 20 to 40 seconds gives room for a hook, a glimpse and a date.

What does a real software teaser campaign look like?

Raycast's 2026 relaunch is one well-documented example, from its own YouTube channel:

Dec 18, 2025 · Teaser"New Raycast. Coming 2026": 39 seconds, about 116,000 views. A glimpse of a new interface and a year.
Feb 26, 2026 · Date reveal"The new Raycast is coming in…": a 5-minute sneak peek with the release date, about 90,000 views.
May 14, 2026 · Launch"It's out": 2 minutes 41 seconds, about 59,000 views.

That's 147 days from teaser to launch. It's one company's cadence, not a rule. What transfers is the shape: a short teaser with no date, a longer reveal with the date, then the launch video. View counts are from YouTube on November 2, 2026.

How do you make a product teaser video?

Decide what to hold backPick one thing to reveal (a mood, a single feature, the name) and keep the rest for launch day.
Open on a hookThe first second has to stop the scroll: a striking frame, a question or a familiar frustration.
Show a glimpseOne real moment of the product, cropped or quick, enough to prove it exists.
End on a date or a place"Coming March 4" or "Join the waitlist", with the URL on screen.
Cut it per platform16:9 for YouTube and your site, 9:16 for Shorts, Reels and TikTok, with captions.

Where should you post a teaser?

X and LinkedIn, as a native upload, with the waitlist link in the post.
Your waitlist page, so people who arrive from the post see it again.
Your Product Hunt forum thread. Coming Soon pages were retired in 2025, so the teaser now belongs on your own channels and in the pre-launch forum thread.
Shorts, Reels and TikTok, as a vertical cut.

The teaser earns attention; the launch video converts it. nod makes the full launch video from your product page, ready for launch day.

Product teaser video FAQ

What is a product teaser video?

A short video that builds curiosity about a product before it launches, revealing just enough to make people want more. Vimeo describes a teaser as short and mood-driven, building curiosity without revealing much, while a trailer is longer and more complete (Vimeo).

How long should a teaser video be?

Usually 10 to 40 seconds. Vimeo says most promo and teaser videos run 3 to 30 seconds, and Raycast's "Coming 2026" teaser ran 39 seconds. For ads, LinkedIn recommends 15 to 30 seconds and X 15 seconds or less (LinkedIn, X).

What is the difference between a teaser and a launch video?

A teaser holds things back: a mood, a glimpse, a date. A launch video shows the product working and asks people to try it now. Most launches use both: a teaser weeks before, then the full launch video on the day.

When should you post a product teaser?

There's no reliable data on the ideal gap. Post it once you can name a date or open a waitlist, so the curiosity has somewhere to go. Product Hunt lets you schedule a launch up to a month ahead, which gives a natural teaser window (Product Hunt).

Product teaser video how to tease a software launch