From launch spec to launch video, without booking a studio

Why now

• Synthesia launched Syren (beta, Oct 9, 2026). You describe a video or hand it a document, and its agent builds motion graphics, avatar, voiceover, music and b-roll. You refine it in chat, and the result runs up to 3 minutes, horizontal or vertical. It's open to free and self-serve accounts, with launch credits for a first video. (Synthesia)
• Synthesia's plans changed on Oct 1. Every plan, including free Basic, now includes 10 minutes of video and 500 credits a month, and Creator was renamed Pro. (Help center)
• Buffer's AI Assistant and scheduling are on its free plan, and it publishes to LinkedIn, YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Threads and more. (buffer.com/pricing)

Who it's for

Teams that ship often and announce rarely. If your changelog is better than your marketing, this is for you.

What you get

• A reusable Notion launch spec that doubles as the video brief.
• A 60–90 second horizontal explainer and a vertical cut for social, built from the spec and your brand assets.
• Drafts in Buffer for each channel, with the video attached, waiting for your approval.

You'll need

Setup

1. Make the spec template (Notion, 15 min)

Create a page template called Launch spec with exactly these headings:

# <Feature name>
## One sentence
(What it does, for whom: "X lets Y do Z without W.")
## The problem, in the customer's words
(One real quote if you have it.)
## How it works
1. (Step, as the user experiences it)
2.
3.
## Proof
(A number you can stand behind, a customer name you have permission to use, or nothing.)
## Call to action
(Where to go, what to click.)
## Must not say
(Unreleased plans, competitor names, pricing not yet public.)

Add 3–6 screenshots or a short screen recording to the page. Syren uses images and video you give it.

2. Fill it in for this launch (Notion, 20 min)

Keep "How it works" to three steps. If you can't, the video will be too long. Export the page: ••• → Export → PDF, with images included.

3. Generate the explainer (Synthesia Syren, 30 min)

In Synthesia, click Syren in the left navigation. Upload the PDF and your brand assets (logo, colors, a past video whose style you like), and prompt:

Make a 75-second horizontal product launch explainer from this spec.
Structure: hook (the problem quote) → one-sentence promise → the three steps, each
shown with the matching screenshot → proof (only if the spec has it) → call to action.
Use our brand colors and logo. Upbeat but not hypey; no "revolutionary", no
"game-changer". Use an avatar only for the first and last 5 seconds.
Do not mention anything under "Must not say".

Watch the build, then refine in chat: shorten step 2, the screenshot in step 3 is wrong, use image 4, slower voiceover. When it's right, ask for a vertical version of the same video for social. Export both.

4. Write the posts and queue them (Buffer, 15 min)

In Buffer, create a post per channel and attach the right cut: horizontal for LinkedIn and YouTube, vertical for Shorts, TikTok and Threads. Use Buffer's AI Assistant with the spec's one-sentence line to draft channel-specific captions, then edit them. Save as drafts or add to the queue.

5. Archive the launch (Notion, 2 min)

Paste the video links and post links back into the spec page. Next launch, duplicate the template and start again.

Time to set up

About 90 minutes for the first video (estimate, not timed), mostly the template and the Syren refinement loop. Later launches take about 45 minutes.

Cost

• To try it: $0. Notion Free, Synthesia Basic with Syren launch credits plus the 10 included minutes, and Buffer Free.
• Regular launches: Synthesia Starter $29/mo ($18/mo billed annually), with 1,750 credits a month on top of the included minutes.
• Credits per Syren video: Synthesia doesn't publish a fixed price per Syren video. Third-party reporting puts a typical 2-minute video with two rounds of edits at roughly 1,000–2,000 credits (SlopTV). Treat that as a rough guide, and watch the in-app credit count on your first one.

Prices are list prices as of Oct 14, 2026.

Gotchas

• Syren is a beta. Expect rough edges and changing credit costs. It's built for fast, creative output; Synthesia recommends its classic editor for content that must be exact and repeatable.
• Chat edits cost credits. Get the spec right before generating, rather than fixing the story in chat.
• Avatars need a disclosure policy. Decide in advance whether you label AI presenters. Many audiences (and some platforms) expect it.
• Screenshots must be real. Syren can generate b-roll; don't let it generate fake UI. Give it your screenshots and tell it to use only those for product shots.
• Basic plan features. Some brand features and export options vary by plan. Check what your plan includes before promising a client a branded export.

Remix

• Changelog reel: run it monthly over the month's top three changes, as one 90-second "what's new".
• Docs video: the same spec, with a "for existing users" brief, makes a help-center walkthrough.
• From a call instead of a spec: use the Granola notes of the launch-planning meeting as the source document.

Freshness log

• Oct 14, 2026: First published. Desk-checked against Synthesia's Syren launch post, Oct 1 plan-change article and pricing page, Notion's pricing page and Buffer's pricing page.

Last verified: Oct 2026 (desk-checked, not run end-to-end). We checked every step, setting and price against the vendors' current docs. We have not yet run this chain live. If a step doesn't match what you see, reply and tell us. It'll be fixed in the next refresh.