The Ultimate Guide for Creating App Preview Videos
How do you decide which book to buy?
By reading the blurb.
Most authors nowadays publish the first chapter of their book online to excite their readers. This strategy guarantees more purchases.
Pictures sometimes can be highly deceiving and that is why most housing apps offer a 360-degree preview of the property.
More often than not, the trailer is the deciding factor on how many people will flock to the box office.
In a similar fashion, an app preview piques the interest of the users and excites them to install the application.
We have witnessed rapid strides in technology. Every other day a new digital product is launched in the market and people go gaga over it.
The growing rise in consumerism steers the scope of advancements. But it is equally important to note, that consumers are keeping up with the strides in technology- they are well-read, well- informed and always strive to make a conscious decision.
For every product, there are ten other alternatives available in the market, and consumers know, they are the king. So the question is, how do you assure that they will choose your product?
Marketing is a great tool to attract potential customers and a preview video is a great way to market your application. For any app, a preview video should be considered paramount.
Making an app preview is not another step in your app development journey, it should be the core of your marketing strategy.
After all, it is a window of opportunity, your one chance to make a claim and stand out, and who knows it can be your 30 seconds to fame.
What is an App preview?
An app preview is a 30–40 second video which provides an overview of the app, highlights core functionality and showcases a splendid user interface. It narrates a story and provides the user a sense of the journey that they will experience once they download the application.
Depending on the platform and guidelines, there can be a single preview video or 2–3 previews. An app preview plays a defining role and helps the user decide whether or not the app offers sufficient value.
The right preview provides users valuable insights regarding the app, excites them to download it and increases your conversion rates.
Businesses these days rely heavily on apps regardless of the fact that the app is the primary source of revenue or just an extension of the business.
Social media is a powerful tool to find potential customers and keep existing customers updated. A preview video is a promotional asset. If used right, curating the right content for your target audience can help you reach millions of users in one go.
Why is an app preview video so important?
Making a great first impression reaps a lot of benefits. An app preview video introduces your brand, displays the UI, elicits emotions and builds excitement.
It is not mandatory to have an app preview, screenshots of how a user will interact with your app can suffice, but according to a study by StoreMaven, having an app video can increase install rates by 25%.
The primary aim of an app preview is to improve conversion rates and garner loyal users post-install.
Video content has emerged as the most engaging type of content and studies prove that a user’s positive experience with a video ad increases their purchase probabilities by 97% and brand association by 139%.
In a span of 30 seconds, you get a window of opportunity to hold the attention of your target audience as they explore and learn about your application.
App preview has proven to be a powerful user conversion tool. According to the latest marketing statistics by Hubspot, product videos can increase purchases by 144%. In fact, 56 % of all videos published in the last year are less than 2 minutes long and are mostly, explainers, product demos, how-tos, and testimonials. 4 out of 5 consumers believe that product explainer videos and demos are highly helpful.
So, go beyond the normal screenshots, use your creativity and craft a perfect app preview. It may seem like a task, but it’s worth the rewards. Afterall, App preview videos are now part of App store optimization.
For gaming apps, app preview is a powerful tool to showcase the gameplay in the best possible way.
How to craft a perfect app review?
Making a 30 seconds video seems like an easy task, except, it is not. Conveying a story by compiling music, design, animations, graphics and a message, all in less than a minute requires a lot of thought and consideration.
But don’t worry, we have got you covered. Here’s the ultimate step by step guide for making a compelling app review.
1.Convey your value proposition
The first step is identifying the purpose of your application. An app preview must reflect the brand and capture its very essence. It is crucial that your target audience gets a glimpse of the pain points you are addressing and how.
You need to have a clear understanding of your core value propositions. In order to draft a compelling story, prioritize your unique selling points. It is impossible to feature every functionality in less than a minute and ideally, you shouldn’t.
An app preview should be creative and only highlight the key functionalities. It must showcase the users how unique your app is and the value it adds to their life.
Prioritizing functionalities and messages helps in drafting a story and ensures you are telling the right story to your prospective users. So, cut out functionalities that are not visually engaging.
2. Craft a compelling story
After prioritizing your core propositions, you will know which features will make the cut.
The next step is highlighting your key functionalities, arranging them in a sequential order and charting out a meaningful story. Your story should have a context and provide clarity.
Include in-app footage of how the user moves through your app. It displays the app’s interface and maps out the user journey.
Draft an outline or storyboard which traces out a list of scenes that can be combined to bring together a visually rich 30-second experience.
Mapping every little detail and then arranging content in a sequence is a great technique. Communicate your core idea with a compelling story.
Also, it is way better to have a short story that has a clear message than one that is longer but confusing. So, cut out anything that is not needed and you can’t fit in the time frame.
3. Write an AV script to shape your idea
After you have visualized the story, it is time to write an AV script. Improvising the video is a bad idea. So, sit down, and draft an AV script.
An Audiovisual script maps out all sorts of visuals and audio that a user will see and hear, upon interacting with the application. Not only it is easy to understand, it lays down a structure. An AV script helps in tracking timings, transitions, and number of shots. It also eliminates the scope of overlapping.
It is essential to adhere to the time limit and advisable to keep the script 75–80 words short.
An AV script ensures clear communication about the app preview video across team members. Through a well-written script, you can easily map out not only what your users will see and hear but also how the shots transition from one moment to the next.
4. Include Visual Elements
This step is where all the visualizing and writing is materialised into a solid preview. All visual elements- pictures, animations, clips, in-app footage must align with the script.
The preview should document a journey. It should be impressive and highlight how smoothly a user navigates through your app. Background and music are key factors which should be taken into careful consideration. All the elements should follow a chronology.
Refrain from adding any special clips and only document what you are actually going to offer.
It is essential to have a great poster frame for an app preview. A poster frame appears when the preview video does not autoplay. The frame that you choose for your preview should be visually compelling and should capture the essence of your app.
Difference in formats
There are some stark differences between the App Store and Play store previews. For App Store, you have to strictly adhere to Apple guidelines and specifications. You must create “Device-specific” videos for Apple unless they have proportional resolutions. The app preview should mostly include captured footage( screen recordings of your app), and the ideal duration is 15–30s.
For iOS, you can have up to 3 preview videos. While the first video should provide an overview of the app, the latter videos must showcase additional functionality.
For Android, the recommended video length is 30 seconds to 2 minutes maximum.
Preview videos need to be uploaded to YouTube first. Since app preview in Google Play Store is basically a YouTube video, it is in landscape mode.
Tip:
Review other preview videos. This way you will end up finding some that you don’t like and you will know what not to do. Good preview videos can serve as a source of inspiration, even if they don’t belong to your niche.
Demonstrating how a user moves through the actual application rather than showcasing individual features is considered a good approach. It takes the audience on a journey and renders a delightful app experience.
You must ensure that the user understands video content even without sound.
Conclusion:
Video is a creative asset through which users discover and learn more about your application, so use it right.
Making an app preview can seem a little daunting but if you follow these steps, it will become so much simpler. Remember, a preview is a great marketing tool that generates excitement. But you should be able to meet all those expectations with your application.
Craft brilliance in less than a minute with an amazing app preview.
