Y CombinatorA Different Approach To Launch Videos
Y Combinator
Launches as constant demos 0:00
Farza Majeed says launch videos should not be treated like one big event. He likes to make demos all the time and work backward from what he is shipping each week. The goal is not clout. It is to get users, so the video, the hook, and the product should all be planned together.
Views versus retention 6:31
He gives the Clicky launch as an example. A short office video posted five minutes before dinner reached nearly 3 million views, but he cared more that 7,000 people downloaded it and about 100 kept using it for five straight days. Those users, not the traffic, convinced him to keep building and turn a side project into a real company.
Show yourself 12:30
Start by showing your face clearly and saying what you are working on. The speaker likes a simple opening: “Hi, this is what I’m working on.” He talks to the one other person who may think it is cool. He also says the whole video is scripted, and he rehearses each line many times before filming so it feels natural on camera.
Post and move on 15:31
He treats launch videos as a way to show a demo, even when he thinks the result is bad. A ZipSchool class video got only 23 likes and one bookmark, but he still counts it as a launch. He keeps posting because people forget quickly, and he studies other videos to see where he would bounce and what hook keeps him watching.
Process over polish 24:30
The videos work because they show the company’s process instead of a founder’s personal life. The speaker says viewers do not need a hook or a story. They want to see what is being built, such as a week’s worth of work or a fix for ClickUp’s agent system. The point is to let people watch real updates and feel the product improving.
Targeted reach and channels 29:00
He says the goal is not viral reach. It is to show work to people who would care, including design agency founders on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube. The same content performs differently on each channel. Twitter brings weak signups, YouTube keeps working over time, and Instagram drives most of their traffic. He tracks this with links like /ig and adjusts the format for each platform.
Build the beat system 37:30
The talk stays on how to make launch videos that keep moving. He thinks in beats, the small moments that keep you asking where the story is going. He uses quick openings for people with short attention spans, then shifts to his setup. A founder should not spend every day making videos alone. He hired a filmmaker early because telling the product story well is hard, and good audio matters most. He uses Screen Studio, an iPhone, a Sony FX3, a DJI mic, DaVinci, and Free Write. His challenge is simple: record ten minutes a day for 30 days and post it.
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