zerotoneroAcademy · Lesson 9 of 9 · 9 min
Platform differences: TikTok, Reels, Shorts and the App Store
Same app, different stages. What changes between TikTok, Reels, Shorts and App Store previews, and how to cut one plan for each.
TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts look alike: vertical 9:16 video, full screen, swiped through in a feed. A plan that works on one will usually work on the others with small changes. The App Store preview is a different animal: it lives on your product page, in front of someone who is already considering your app. Treat these as two families, social short-form and store previews, with different jobs.
On social short-form, your job is to interrupt a stranger. Hooks matter most, a person on camera often helps, and trends, humor and personality are fair game. Each platform overlays its own interface on your video (usernames and captions near the bottom, action buttons on the right, navigation at the top), so keep important text and faces in the middle of the frame. The exact safe zones differ by platform and change over time, so check the current guides or use your editor's safe-zone overlay.
Sound habits differ by platform and by viewer. Some feeds are more sound-on, others are often watched muted, and the honest answer is that you cannot control it. Build every social cut to work both ways: captions for muted viewers, clear voice and music for sound-on viewers. Native features like on-platform text and trending sounds can help a post feel at home, but only use audio you have the rights to.
App Store previews follow Apple's rules, and they are stricter. A preview is meant to show your app in use, so it should be built from screen-captured footage of the app itself. Do not plan talking heads, people holding phones, or lifestyle footage for it. Previews have a limited length (up to 30 seconds) and autoplay muted, so text overlays and the visuals have to carry the whole story. Your CTA is the download button already on the page, so 'link in bio' makes no sense here. Apple publishes detailed specs for resolutions, frame rates and accepted devices, and they change: check the current App Store preview spec before you export. Google Play has its own promo video rules, so check those separately.
Length and rhythm shift too. Social short-form rewards a tight 15 to 30 seconds for most app promos, even where longer uploads are allowed. Longer YouTube or landing-page videos can slow down, explain more, and include a proper walkthrough. Store previews should front-load your best feature, since a browsing shopper may only give it a few seconds before scrolling on.
The efficient workflow: plan one master script with five beats, then cut versions. For social, keep the talking-head hook, add captions, and end on 'link in bio'. For the App Store preview, swap every non-app shot for a screen recording, turn spoken lines into short overlays, and end on your strongest screen instead of a verbal CTA. Same story, different stage.
Key points
- Two families: social short-form (TikTok, Reels, Shorts) interrupts strangers; store previews convince people already on your page.
- Social is vertical 9:16 with platform UI at the top, bottom and right. Keep text and faces in the middle.
- App Store previews: app footage only, up to 30 seconds, autoplay muted, so overlays carry the story.
- Platform specs change. Check the current spec instead of trusting a number you remember.
- Plan one master script, then cut a version per platform.
Good: An App Store preview cut from the master plan
A made-up habit tracker. Every shot is captured app footage, and overlays carry the story for muted autoplay.
- 0s Opens on the best feature: many viewers never get past the first seconds.
- 4s App footage only. No faces, no hands, no lifestyle shots.
- 10s Overlays carry the story because previews autoplay muted.
- 22s No 'link in bio'. The download button is already next to the video.
Bad: The TikTok, uploaded as an App Store preview
The social cut reused as-is for the store. Talking head, spoken-only story, and a CTA that points nowhere.
- 1s A talking head where the store expects footage of the app itself.
- 2s The whole story is spoken. Muted autoplay means nobody hears it.
- 18s Stock and hand footage do not belong in a preview built from app captures.
- 24s 'Link in bio' on a product page that has no bio.
- 27s Fine as a TikTok. Wrong stage for the App Store.
Common mistakes
- Uploading the social cut unchanged as an App Store preview.
- Putting key text in the edges where platform UI covers it.
- Relying on voice alone in a preview that autoplays muted.
- Using 'link in bio' or 'follow me' outside social platforms.
- Trusting a remembered spec instead of checking the current one before export.
- Making a separate plan from scratch for every platform instead of cutting versions from one master script.