You cut one launch video. Then you post it to four platforms that disagree about everything: aspect ratios, max lengths, file sizes, even whether you can upload a file at all. This page is the reference: the 2026 specs for X, LinkedIn, Product Hunt and YouTube, with one usage tip per platform.
One caveat up front: platforms change limits without announcing it. Everything below was verified in mid-2026. If a number is load-bearing for you (an ad buy, a paid placement) confirm it against the current platform docs before you render.
The short version: one master file covers every launch surface. Render 15 seconds at 1920x1080 (16:9), MP4 with H.264, designed to read in total silence, with the hook landing inside the first three seconds. X, LinkedIn and YouTube all accept that file natively, and Product Hunt takes a public YouTube link in the first gallery slot rather than an upload. ShipTeaser renders exactly that master format, plus 1:1 and 9:16 cuts, from a product URL in about two minutes.
X (Twitter)
- Aspect ratios: 16:9, 1:1 and 9:16 all render in-feed; anything between 1:3 and 3:1 is accepted.
- Resolution: 1280×720 minimum; upload 1920×1080 for crisp playback.
- Max length: 2 minutes 20 seconds is the long-documented free limit, though X has been quietly raising it for some accounts (reports of ~10 minutes on desktop web). Premium stretches to around 4 hours. For a 15-second teaser it's academic either way.
- Max file size: 512 MB on free accounts; 16 GB with Premium (web and iOS).
- Format: MP4 (H.264 video, AAC audio), up to 60 fps. MOV also works.
- Autoplay: on, and muted.
The tip: X is the fastest feed of the four. Videos autoplay muted while the thumb is mid-scroll, so the first frame is doing most of the work. If it's a logo on a black background, you've already lost. This is where the three-second hook earns its keep: open on the claim, the number, or the product doing its best trick.
- Aspect ratios: anything from 2.4:1 to 1:2.4 is accepted; in practice 16:9, 1:1 and 4:5 are the choices that render cleanly.
- Resolution: 256×144 up to 4096×2304 supported; upload 1920×1080.
- Max length: 15 minutes when uploading from desktop, 10 from the mobile app.
- Max file size: 5 GB for native posts.
- Format: MP4 is the safe bet. LinkedIn accepts a long list (MOV, WebM, MKV, AVI…) but MP4/H.264 never surprises you.
- Autoplay: on, muted by default, and B2B viewers are typically at work, with sound off.
The tip: upload the file natively instead of pasting a YouTube link. LinkedIn's feed treats native video as a first-class citizen and external links as an exit door. And design for silence without apology. Across feeds, the large majority of video views happen with sound off. Nobody unmutes in an open-plan office.
Product Hunt (the odd one out)
Product Hunt doesn't host your launch video at all. The gallery video is a YouTube embed, which changes the rules completely.
- Video: a YouTube link only, the full URL, not a shortened one, and the video must not be private.
- Placement: if you add a video, it becomes the first item in your gallery. It is your first impression.
- Playback: muted by default. Assume nobody hears a thing.
- Gallery images: 1270×760 recommended, and every asset under 3 MB.
- GIFs: allowed in the gallery, but they don't autoplay. They animate on hover. The first frame is the thumbnail, so make it a real frame, not a fade-from-black.
The tip: because the video is a YouTube embed, cut it in 16:9 at 1080p and upload it to YouTube a day or two before launch, then verify the link loads in your gallery preview. Launch mornings are not the time to debug a private-video setting. We wrote up the full playbook on the Product Hunt launch video page.
YouTube
- Standard videos: 16:9, 1920×1080 recommended (up to 4K accepted). Max 12 hours or 256 GB, whichever comes first.
- Shorts: 9:16 vertical, 1080×1920. Max 3 minutes.
- Format: MP4 with H.264 is the standard recommendation.
- Shorts are served at a maximum of 1080p no matter what resolution you upload.
The tip: for a launch, YouTube is mostly infrastructure. It's the host for your Product Hunt embed and the player on your own site. Upload the standard 16:9 master there. A vertical Shorts recut is a nice extra distribution channel, but it's a derivative, not the launch asset.
The cheat sheet
- X: 16:9 or 1:1 · 1080p · at least 2:20 free (512 MB) · MP4 H.264 · autoplays muted.
- LinkedIn: 16:9, 1:1 or 4:5 · 1080p · up to 15 min · 5 GB · MP4 · autoplays muted, upload natively.
- Product Hunt: YouTube link (full URL, public) · first gallery slot · plays muted · images 1270×760, under 3 MB · GIFs animate on hover only.
- YouTube standard: 16:9 · 1080p or better · up to 12 h / 256 GB.
- YouTube Shorts: 9:16 · 1080×1920 · up to 3 minutes.
The one spec that works everywhere
Read the cheat sheet again and a pattern falls out. Every launch surface on this page (Shorts excepted, and Shorts is a derivative, not the launch asset) accepts 16:9 at 1080p. Every feed autoplays muted. Every limit is comfortably above fifteen seconds. So the master format for a launch is: 15 seconds, 1920×1080, MP4, designed to work in total silence, with the hook landing inside the first three seconds. Cut that once and it covers every launch surface here without a single re-render.
That's not a coincidence. It's the spec behind ShipTeaser's URL-to-video engine. But the specs are the easy part. What actually decides launch day is what happens inside those fifteen seconds, and that's a different article.
FAQ
What is the best video format for a product launch?
A 15-second MP4 at 1920x1080 in 16:9, encoded with H.264 and built to work muted. Every major launch surface accepts it, every feed autoplays it without sound, and every length limit sits comfortably above fifteen seconds. Cutting that one file covers X, LinkedIn, Product Hunt and YouTube without a re-render.
What are the video specs for X?
X takes 16:9 or 1:1 at 1080p, MP4 with H.264, up to 2 minutes 20 seconds on a free account with a 512 MB ceiling. Video autoplays muted in the feed, so captions or on-screen text are not optional. Upload the file natively rather than linking out, since posts that leave the platform get less reach.
What are the video specs for LinkedIn?
LinkedIn accepts 16:9, 1:1 or 4:5 at 1080p, as MP4, up to 15 minutes and 5 GB. It autoplays muted like every other feed. The 4:5 option is worth using because it occupies more vertical space on mobile, and posting natively matters more here than almost anywhere else.
Can you upload a video file to Product Hunt?
No, and this is the spec that catches founders out on launch morning. Product Hunt takes a public YouTube URL in the first gallery slot rather than a file upload, and it plays muted. Gallery images are a separate spec at 1270x760 and under 3 MB, and GIFs only animate on hover.
Do you need a different video for each platform?
No, you need one master file and at most two extra ratios. The 16:9 1080p master works everywhere, a 1:1 cut suits feeds, and 9:16 covers Shorts and stories. ShipTeaser renders all three from a single product URL, which is why the spec sheet stops being something you manage by hand.