Search "video ideas for SaaS" on TikTok and it's all just pricey motion graphic edits. Weeks of work for 200 views.
But the videos actually blowing up look nothing like that: they're shot on a phone and still pulling in hundreds of thousands of views from people who'd never heard of the app.
Here are five of them, and how to copy each one.
Open with a bug, close with the fix
The video @justus.so on TikTok — 40 times more views than he usually gets, 548K in total.
Two founders sit in their messy office and admit their app broke on launch day, then walk you through how they fixed it.
Why it worked you open with a problem, then show you fixed it fast — honest and quick to fix beats pretending everything's perfect.
How to copy
- Start with the problem. Open on the exact thing that broke — "our payments died mid-launch."
- Say why it happened. Give the quick reason in plain words, like you're telling a friend.
- Show how you fixed it. "We caught it and shipped a patch in 18 hours — here's what changed."
Make them think you're getting roasted
The video @diewithoutregrets on TikTok — 979K views and 135K likes.
It opens like a prank — a guy in a car mocking some random dude on a tripod, "who does bro think he is?" — but that dude is the founder, and it's all staged to hook you.
Why it worked it looks like a cringe repost, so people stop to laugh — and that fake-out buys huge watch time in the first three seconds, before he's even pitched anything.
How to copy
- Fake the hook. Film yourself on a tripod outside while a friend "mocks" you from a car — "who does bro think he is?"
- Reveal it's you. Flip to a clean face-to-camera moment and start the real pitch.
- Show the app. Real screen recordings, phone in hand, your face in a small corner.
React like you found a cheat code
The video @designlabwithg on TikTok — 101K views.
He opens with a shocked face and "how does this site even exist?😭" then cuts to an AI tool building a finished, real-looking ad on its own.
Why it worked the "how does this even exist?" hook keeps you watching, and then the tool spits out a finished ad in minutes — good enough that people share it.
How to copy
- Start with the shock. A real "no way" face, plus one line of big text: "how does this even exist?😭"
- Cut fast to the screen. Show your tool doing the work in under four seconds — no intro, no explaining.
- End on the payoff. Land on the finished result: "now you get [result] in minutes."
Turn your workflow into a tutorial
The video @adrien.ninet on TikTok — 39K views, 6.6% engagement.
A simple three-step tutorial: describe an app in Figma Make, refine the design, then let it write real code — all face-to-camera with "Step 01 / 02 / 03" cards.
Why it worked people love a clear step-by-step — it makes building an app look doable in two minutes, so they save it and send it to a friend.
How to copy
- Start with the problem you solve. Open on the finished thing and what it's for: "here's how I built [product] that does [X]."
- Show the steps. Break it into "Step 01 / 02 / 03" cards with a quick screen recording under each.
- End on the result. Show it live and working, with one clear ask — link in bio or a free trial.
Just film the grind
The best ad for your app might not be the app at all — it's you and your team building it. No demo, no features, just the grind, shot like a short film. Two that blew up:
Both skip the product entirely. @joincirqul (99.7K) films a small team in dim rooms under one line: "our startup journey." @hinicklawton (93.9K) walks NYC in grainy, iPhone-4-style footage: "building a company in nyc on an iPhone 4."
Why it works ads get skipped; real behind-the-scenes feels honest — and people follow to watch a small team actually build something.
How to copy
- Pick one line and keep it on screen. "Our startup journey," "building [product] in [city]" — the whole video.
- Film it rough and real. Your actual office, a couch, a dark room with a laptop — two or three people in frame, no studio.
- Keep it moody. Fast cuts, no voiceover, a quiet track underneath. Skip the pitch; just let it run.