Short answer: most launch videos cost $8k-15k and take 2-4 weeks. The full range runs from about $8k up to around $40k. Two things set the price: what you ask for, and who you hire.
What actually drives the price
Two things. The scope of the video, and the solution you choose.
Scope is the simple one. A 30-second video with no sound and no voiceover costs far less than a typical launch video. A two-minute video that's filmed, with motion on top, music and sound effects, can cost double or triple.
The second one is fit. Some studios only work with Series C companies and don't take seed or pre-seed startups at all. Others are built for seed and Series A. Seed companies have less to spend, and studios built for them price for that. Find the one that matches your stage.
Freelancer, production house or studio
Freelancer. A great way to solve one specific problem at a lower price. Most freelancers go deep on one craft: script, visuals, animation or sound. Bring the story, the script, your branding and a set of references, and a freelancer can turn that into a decent video. The story is still on you.
Production house. These are film people. Lighting, sound, shooting, editing. If your idea needs a real shoot, they're built for it. Launch video storytelling - the hook, the sequence, what makes it travel - is a different skill. If your story doesn't need filming, there's little reason to pay for a crew.
Studio. For most funded AI startups, this is the one. Story, script, design, motion and sound under one roof, without paying for a shoot. Pick a studio whose portfolio matches your goal. Want to go viral? Check that their videos do. Want the brand to look sharp? Look for that. Everyone is fighting for attention in the feed right now, and that's what a good studio is built for.
What's included in ours
Everything from zero to 100. You bring your brand and whatever assets you have. If you've got lines you want in or ideas you want to land, great. If not, that's fine. We shape the story around your brand and tone.
We start from bare storytelling, with no script. Then we write the script and layer our visual ideas into it. Then style frames, then a full storyboard of the sequence. Then voiceover, sound design, music, subtitles, and cuts for each social platform and screen.
For us, a 60-80 second video with no filming usually lands around $10-12k.
What costs extra
Extra means something outside the agreed scope.
- Longer runtime. We agree on 60 seconds, the script grows to 90 through additions. The price goes up.
- Filming. We make product-led, brand-led and founder-led videos. Founder-led is a talking head with motion on top, and it needs a shoot - in your office if it can work like a studio, or a rented studio wherever you are. Filming has its own crew.
- Extra cuts. Included in our bigger packages. Added to a smaller package later, they're extra.
- Landing page. Some founders need one for an event or a feature launch, so we offer it. It's separate. The video is always the main job.
Where founders waste money, or save it wrongly
Wasting it: making a launch video before you know your brand and your message. Things change fast. A few weeks or months later you see your business much more clearly. You look back at the video and it isn't your brand anymore. Or another founder points it out. Now you can't share it anywhere. Be involved from start to finish, and make sure it's on brand in every sense.
Saving it wrongly: not spending on how you look. Sales comes first, I get it. But once your product and sales process work, how you look is your marketing. A very cheap or AI-made video makes your company look cheap. You save a bit, and the value of your company goes down fast.
How to budget it against your round
There's no ratio. Raising $10M doesn't mean $1,000 on video, and raising $100M doesn't mean $10,000. But there is a range: roughly $8-10k at the bottom, up to around $40k at the top.
Where you land depends on how your marketing works. Some AI startups make video their main channel. They put real thought into the story and collaborations, make commercials that don't feel like TV ads, and close with an offer for people who comment. For them, the bigger spend makes sense. It's how they market, and the videos go viral.
Others just need a proper launch video. Not fancy, but done right. That's usually $10-15k.
Proof: Corti's launch video - "It ran the conference circuit, and held up for a public launch later." - Ryan Ackell, Growth Lead at Corti
Got a launch coming? Tell us the date and we'll scope it with you.