How long should a launch video be? Numbers from 1,952 films

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The median launch video is 53 seconds long, cuts every 3.5 seconds (16 cuts a minute), opens on the word "Introducing", runs at 120 BPM, has no voiceover and ends on its own name. Those are Refs' measurements of 1,952 launch, teaser and demo films, every one measured by the same pipeline. Use them as a starting point for length and pacing, then match the format you are making.

The numbers (Refs, October 2026)

Measure	Median or share
Length	53 s
Shot length	3.5 s (16 cuts a minute)
Most common first word on screen	"Introducing"
Most common words on screen	"new", then "now"
Where on-screen text sits	dead centre (x 0.50, y 0.50 of the frame)
Most common tempo	120 BPM
End on their own name	about 56%
End on black	about 47%
Have a voiceover	47% (so the median has none)

Method, as Refs publishes it: 1,952 landscape launch, teaser and demo films (16:9, 8–180 s) from X and YouTube; shot boundaries found frame by frame, on-screen text read, tempo and voice measured from the soundtrack; length and shot length are medians, the rest shares of all 1,952 films; measured 13 Oct 2026. Source: Refs, llms.txt.

How long, by format

The average hides the formats. Refs' formulas give measured ranges for each:

Format (Refs formula)	Length	Pace
Dark staged product reveal (teaser)	13–35 s	0–13 cuts/min
Kinetic type announcement (teaser)	14–30 s	uncut to 41 cuts/min
Silent prompt-to-result demo	23–40 s	0–7.3 cuts/min
Delayed hardware reveal (launch)	35–38 s	music-led
Silent UI workflow (launch)	46–90 s	0–12.5 cuts/min
Presenter-led product demo (launch)	49–54 s	17.3–26.7 cuts/min
Commerce suite film (demo)	57–64 s	15.1–18.1 cuts/min
Capability proof montage (teaser)	30–72 s	15.1–48 cuts/min
Fifteen-second service rescue (ad)	15 s, 4–7 shots	12–24 cuts/min

What to do with it

Default to 30–60 s for a launch on X or YouTube; go under 30 s for a teaser and longer only with a presenter or a real workflow to show.
Cut every 2.5–4 s unless the format is a single take or a silent UI workflow, where the interface itself moves.
You don't need a voiceover. Half the films have none; let on-screen words and music carry it, centred and big.
End on your name, held long enough to read, then black.
Pick the music before the cuts: 120 BPM is the most common tempo, and cuts on the grid feel intentional.
Want exact timing? Copy a measured film's cut list with the Refs MCP and build from it.

SaaS launch and demo videos with AI agents

For founders and product teams who launch on X, Product Hunt and the App Store: the launch film, the live demo, the founder video, the app preview and the feature drop, built by Claude Code, Codex or Grok from your real product UI.

Start with the overview: How to make a SaaS launch video with AI

Make

How to make a product launch video: the beat sheet
How to make a launch video from a reference film
Launch video formulas: 28 formats that work
How long should a launch video be? Numbers from 1,952 films (this page)
Launch video examples from 293 brands
How to make an app demo video with AI
How to turn release notes into a changelog video with AI
How to make an explainer video with AI
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