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Turn a changelog entry into a 20-second release video
An outline for turning one changelog entry into a short release video: pick the change, write the hook, plan four scenes and export the formats you post to.
MotionVideo team2 min read
Draft: owner to write. This post is an outline. The headings and bullets show what it will cover; the full text comes before launch.
Start with one change, not the whole release
- Pick the one change a user would notice first.
- Write it as a before and an after, one sentence each.
- Leave the rest of the release notes on the changelog page.
Write the hook for the first two seconds
- Lead with what the user can do now, not the internal feature name.
- Keep the on-screen line to about six words so it reads with the sound off.
- A pattern that works for releases: "New:" plus the thing you can now do.
- Example from our Meetbrook sample (an invented product): "New: group booking links."
Plan four scenes for 20 seconds
- Scene 1: the hook, with a "new" tag.
- Scene 2: the change on screen, as a crop of the UI or a short screen recording.
- Scene 3: one or two details that matter, such as who gets it and where to find it.
- Scene 4: an end card with the product name and where to try it.
- Scene length follows the voice line. With no voice, plan for about 2.5 words a second.
Pick formats for where you will post it
- 16:9 for the changelog page and YouTube.
- 1:1 or 4:5 for LinkedIn and X feeds.
- 9:16 for Stories and Reels.
- Check safe zones in each format before you export.
Reuse it
- Embed it at the top of the changelog entry.
- Add it to the in-app announcement.
- Keep the project and duplicate it for the next release.
To add before publishing
- Screenshots of each editor step, once the editor ships in Phase 2.
- A finished sample video at the top of the post.