Record Something EXOD Can Actually Use.
Your ad still gets built without one. But a real 5-8 second clip — your app, your site, or the product itself in someone's hands — filmed right, makes the difference between a demo that looks like an ad and one that looks like proof.
THE HOOK EARNS ATTENTION. THE DEMO EARNS TRUST.
Anyone can generate a scroll-stopping hook. What actually converts is the moment right after, where someone sees your real product doing the thing you said it does. That's the part AI can't fake convincingly — it has to be your app, your site, your screen.
The good news: it takes one clean pass, under 10 seconds, filmed on the phone already in your pocket.
IT'S ALREADY IN YOUR POCKET.
- > Use your phone's built-in screen recorder — no extra app needed
- > Portrait orientation, always
- > Turn on Do Not Disturb first — a notification banner mid-recording ruins the take
- > Close every other app running in the background
- > Use your real data — placeholder text reads as fake immediately
- > Start the recording, then open your app with one smooth tap
- > Show the one flow real users actually use — not a full tour
- > One clear action, start to finish, no backtracking
- > End on your best screen — the payoff, not a loading spinner
- > Do it twice and keep whichever take feels cleaner
FILM IT THE SAME WAY.
SAME PRINCIPLES AS AN APP DEMO — REAL FOOTAGE OF THE ACTUAL PRODUCT BEATS ANY AI RENDER OF IT.
- > Portrait orientation, always
- > Plain, uncluttered background — a counter or table works fine
- > Bright, even light — near a window beats an overhead bulb
- > Wipe the product down — fingerprints and dust show up on camera
- > A hand actually holding or using it reads more real than the product sitting alone
- > Start close on the product, then show it being used or opened
- > One clear moment, start to finish — not a slow 360 spin
- > Hold the shot steady — brace your elbows against your body
- > End on the product looking its best — packaging closed, item in hand, whatever sells it
- > Do it twice and keep whichever take feels cleaner
TWO WAYS TO DO THIS RIGHT.
EXOD BUILDS FOR A VERTICAL 9:16 CANVAS — A LAPTOP SCREEN ISN'T SHAPED FOR THAT, SO THIS PART TAKES ONE EXTRA STEP.
- > Prop your phone up in portrait, facing your laptop screen
- > Frame it so the screen fills most of the shot
- > Natural light or a lamp — avoid screen glare
- > Move your mouse deliberately, not fast — let each screen breathe for a second
- > Fine to do, but the recording comes out landscape — EXOD center-crops it to vertical
- > Keep whatever matters in the middle of the screen, not off to one side
- > Close other tabs and windows — anything visible in the recording is fair game to end up in the ad
- > Zoom your browser in (125-150%) so text stays readable after the crop
TRIM IT. WE ONLY USE THE START.
EXOD builds your demo clip from the very beginning of whatever file you upload — not the middle, not wherever the good part happens to be. Upload an 8-minute screen recording with the best 6 seconds buried at the 2-minute mark, and EXOD will cut the opening of the file instead, which is usually just you finding the app or loading the page.
Trim your file down before uploading, or record a short, deliberate take instead of a long one. Either way: whatever's first is what ships.
One more thing worth a second look before you upload: anything visible on screen is visible in the final ad — a stray notification, an account name, a real email address. Give the recording one glance for anything you wouldn't want in a public ad before you send it in.
IF YOU ONLY READ THIS PART.
5-8 seconds of your best moment, trimmed to the front of the file.
Portrait if you can. Landscape works — EXOD crops it, centered.
Real data, one clear action, no placeholder text.
Doesn't matter — every EXOD video template is silent.
Bright and even. Avoid glare on screens if filming with a second phone.
Long walkthroughs, loading screens, anything on-screen you wouldn't want public.
QUESTIONS.
Does my demo need a voiceover?[+][-]
No. EXOD's video templates are silent — a hook clip carries the attention-grabbing line as on-screen text, then cuts straight to your demo. Audio in your upload is dropped, so don't worry about mic quality.
My screen recording is landscape (a laptop capture). Is that a problem?[+][-]
It'll still work — EXOD crops a landscape recording to a centered vertical slice. Just keep the important part of your UI in the middle of the screen, since the far left and right edges get cut off.
I sell a physical product, not an app or website — what should I record?[+][-]
Same idea, same rules. Film the product itself — in a hand, being opened, being used — instead of a screen. Portrait, 5-8 seconds, good light, real product not a stock photo.
What if I don't have a demo or product video at all?[+][-]
Skip it. EXOD generates its own creative — real footage only mixes in alongside that if you have some to add.
Can I upload one long recording instead of a trimmed clip?[+][-]
You can, but trim it if you can — EXOD reads from the very start of the file, so whatever's first is what ends up in the ad. A 5-8 second file with the best moment up front works better than a long recording with the good part buried in the middle.