TL;DR
A product launch video package costs £10,000–£80,000 in the UK in 2026, depending on whether you are buying a single hero film or a full campaign set. A standalone hero film (2–3 minutes, one shoot day, standard post) sits at £12,000–£28,000. A complete launch package — hero film, teaser, and 3–5 social cuts — runs £25,000–£65,000. The most common mistake is commissioning a single hero asset and discovering after launch that you needed the teaser and social content from day one. Shoot everything in one production window. Here is what each format costs, how the 5-week process works, and what the numbers look like across SaaS, hardware, DTC, and fashion sectors.
What a product launch video package actually includes
The term "product launch video" is used to describe anywhere from a 30-second Instagram reel to a 4-minute cinematic film. Before budgeting, define the deliverable set. The standard professional package in 2026 has three tiers:
Hero film — the anchor asset
2–3 minutes for SaaS and B2B, 1.5–2.5 minutes for consumer and DTC, 60–90 seconds for fashion. Shot cinematically, designed to live on the homepage, the product page, and as a YouTube/LinkedIn mid-roll. This is the asset that communicates what the product is, why it matters, and who it is for. Budget: £12,000–£35,000 for UK production.
Teaser — the pre-launch asset
20–40 seconds of intrigue before full release. Cut from hero footage (no additional shoot needed if planned at brief stage) or shot as a separate teaser-first format (product in silhouette, abstracted visuals, minimal information). When cut from hero footage, the teaser costs £1,500–£3,500 in additional editorial time. When shot separately, add £3,000–£8,000 for a half-day shoot with targeted footage capture.
Social mix — the distribution asset
3–6 cuts in varying formats for paid and organic social: 9:16 vertical for Instagram/TikTok/YouTube Shorts (30–60 seconds), 1:1 square for LinkedIn and Meta feed (30–45 seconds), and 16:9 horizontal story cuts (15–30 seconds). Each social cut costs £600–£1,800 in edit time when cut from existing footage. Captions, subtitle burns, and platform-specific sound design (audio hooks in the first 3 seconds) are standard additions at £400–£900 per cut.
2026 UK pricing by deliverable set
| Package | Budget | Shoot days | Deliverables | Typical client |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hero only | £12K–£28K | 1–2 | 1 hero film 2–3 min | Seed/Series A SaaS, hardware MVP |
| Hero + teaser | £16K–£38K | 1–2 | Hero + 30 sec teaser | Series B product refresh, DTC launch |
| Full launch package | £28K–£55K | 2–3 | Hero + teaser + 3–5 social cuts | Funded scale-up, consumer brand launch |
| Campaign set | £45K–£80K | 3–5 | All above + paid ad versions + cutdowns | PE-backed brand, retail distribution launch |
All figures are UK production costs in sterling, including full post-production, sound design, and library music licence. Bespoke music composition adds £3,000–£12,000. Broadcast rights (TV, cinema, OOH) add 25–50% to base figures. International shoots add 20–35% for travel, logistics, and location coordination.
The 5-week launch video process
- Week 1 — Discovery and treatment. Brief interrogation: What is the single thing the viewer must feel by the end? Who is the primary viewer (decision-maker, consumer, press)? What is the launch window and where does this asset sit in the launch sequence (before embargo lift, at launch, post-launch evergreen)? The director produces a written treatment: narrative approach, visual references, tone, structure. This takes 2–3 days and is the cheapest round of changes you will ever make. Change the approach here, not in the edit suite.
- Week 2 — Pre-production. Location scouting and booking, casting (on-screen talent, real users, or professional actors), shoot scheduling, prop and product styling, camera and lighting package confirmation, crew contracting. If the product is not yet available in final form — common for hardware launches shooting under NDA 4–8 weeks ahead of release — confirm with the director what "hero shots" can be done and what needs a product hand-off date.
- Week 3–4 — Production. Shoot days: typically 1–2 days for a hero + teaser package, 2–3 days for a full campaign set. Product hero shots (macro, motion, table-top) are usually day 1; talent-led and location scenes are day 2. For SaaS, this means screen recordings and UI captures are planned in advance and delivered as .mov files for compositing in post — they are rarely shot live on a monitor on set.
- Week 4–5 — Post-production, round 1. Offline edit (40–80 hours depending on scope). Client sees a rough cut at picture lock stage — structure, story logic, pacing. Music temp track in place. This is the critical review: changes at offline stage cost editorial time. Changes after colour and sound lock cost 3–5× more.
- Week 5+ — Finishing and delivery. Colour grade (10–20 hours in DaVinci Resolve), sound design and mix (8–14 hours), motion graphics (lower thirds, logo animation, typography), music licensing confirmation. Social cutdowns are typically delivered in the same week as the hero film. Captions (SRT/VTT) delivered with all files. Master files: ProRes 4444 or DNxHR, plus H.264/H.265 web delivery at platform-specified bitrates.
Cost and format by sector
SaaS / software (£12K–£45K)
The challenge in SaaS is communicating software in a visual medium. The worst SaaS launch videos are screen-recordings with voiceover. The best ones never show the UI at all — they show the problem, the human moment of relief when it is solved, and a brief product glimpse as context. Budget of £20,000–£35,000 produces a strong mid-market SaaS launch film. Key cost driver: whether you need motion graphics to illustrate product concepts. A data visualisation or animated diagram adds £3,000–£8,000 per sequence.
Hardware / physical product (£18K–£55K)
Hardware shoots are more expensive because the product is the star and it must look extraordinary. Table-top photography rigs, macro lens setups, motion control (Ronin, Flair, or Bolt robot arms for high-end) add £2,000–£8,000/day. Products that are not yet in final production finish (pre-release units, prototypes) require careful direction to manage what is and isn't shown. A two-day hardware shoot with product hero shots, lifestyle scenes, and table-top macros produces enough material for a hero film, teaser, and 4 social cuts.
DTC / consumer (£15K–£45K)
DTC launch videos live or die on casting and location. The product must appear in the hands of real-looking people in believable environments — not polished models in white studios. Budget breakdown for a mid-range DTC launch at £25,000: 1.5 shoot days (£12,000 crew and locations), casting of 3 non-professional talent (£2,500 including buyout), post-production (£8,000 edit, grade, sound), social cutdowns × 4 (£4,500 including captions). Music and contingency: £2,000.
Fashion (£20K–£65K)
Fashion launch films are the most production-intensive per minute of finished content. Lighting and set design consume a higher share of budget than in any other category. A fashion product launch film (90 seconds hero, 30 seconds teaser, 3 social cuts) at £35,000 would allocate: £8,000 director and DP, £5,000 lighting and grip, £6,000 styling, hair and makeup, £4,000 cast, £2,500 location, £8,000 post, £3,000 music and sound design. At £55,000, you add a second location day, a larger cast, and motion control for product close-ups.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average cost of a product launch video in the UK in 2026?
A hero-only launch film costs £12,000–£28,000. A full package (hero + teaser + social cuts) runs £28,000–£55,000. Campaign sets for PE-backed or retail launches reach £45,000–£80,000. Entry level for a single-day shoot with basic post is £10,000–£14,000.
Do I need a teaser if I have a hero film?
For any launch with a pre-release window of more than 2 weeks, yes. A teaser generates search and social interest before the full film is available and drives email capture for "watch first" campaigns. When planned at brief stage, the teaser is cut from hero footage at £1,500–£3,500 in additional editorial time — one of the best-value assets in the launch pack.
Can I shoot the hero film and social content in the same shoot days?
Yes, and you should. Planning social ratios (9:16, 1:1) from the shoot day — not retrospectively from a hero film edit — is significantly cheaper. A cinematographer who knows they need vertical social content will deliberately capture it during the shoot. Retrofitting vertical cuts from horizontal footage adds £800–£2,000 in editorial time and produces worse results.
How far in advance should I commission a product launch video?
8 weeks minimum for a mid-range package. 5 weeks is achievable but adds 20–30% in rush premiums. 10–12 weeks is comfortable for a campaign set with multiple deliverables. If your product launch date is fixed, work backwards from delivery date, allow 2 weeks for post-production, add shoot days, and you have your commission deadline.
What if my product isn't finalised when we need to shoot?
Common for hardware and SaaS. Solutions: shoot concept footage (people, environments, problem-statement narrative) without showing the product in detail; use pre-production renders or CAD imagery composited in post (add £4,000–£10,000 for 3D asset work); shoot hero product shots from a final-unit photography session separately from the main shoot. Agree the plan at brief stage — discovering this problem on shoot day causes reshoots that cost more than the original shoot.
What usage rights should a product launch video include?
Standard: web, owned social channels, and paid social (LinkedIn, Meta, YouTube pre-roll) in perpetuity. If you plan broadcast (TV, BVOD, streaming pre-roll) or cinema, negotiate upfront — retroactive broadcast rights cost 25–50% of the original production fee. If talent (professional actors or brand ambassadors) appear, their usage contract governs territorial and channel rights separately from the production agreement.
How many social cuts do I actually need at launch?
3–5 is the working consensus for a digital-first launch: one 60-second awareness cut (LinkedIn/YouTube), one 30-second conversion cut (Meta/Instagram), one 15-second hook (TikTok/Reels/YouTube Shorts), one silent-loop version for website hero background (8–15 seconds), and optionally one testimonial/social proof cut once early users are available. Planning these from the brief rather than the edit saves 30–40% in social cut costs.