Your videos can be a powerful conversion tool with Free Previews.
Let prospective members watch a short preview of your content before signing up, and no manual trailers are required.
Uscreen data shows that previews can increase conversion rates by 65%, helping visitors experience your content's value before committing to a subscription.
Why Use Free Previews?
Prospects often hesitate to subscribe without seeing your content first.
Is it valuable? Is it worth the price? Is it their style?
Previously, you had to choose between giving away too much or spending time manually creating trailers for every video.
Free Previews solve this by giving visitors a taste of your content without exposing the full video.
You get higher conversions, better engagement, and protected premium content with zero extra work.
What You Can Do ✅
Free previews | Automatically show the first 15, 30, 60, or 90 seconds of your video |
Custom start time | Choose where the preview begins (mm:ss format). Leave blank to start from the beginning |
Conversion-focused CTA | Prompt viewers to sign up when the preview ends |
Individual control | Manage free previews per video in the video editor |
Bulk control | Enable or disable previews across multiple selected videos at once |
"User sees" indicator | Indicates what a visitor gets on any video, based on your Preview selection. See Users Sees section below |
Store-wide default length | Set a store-wide default preview length: pick 15, 30, 60, or 90 seconds once and every new preview uses it, then apply it to your existing previews in one click |
Protected content | Only the preview is accessible, and your full videos stay behind the paywall |
Trailer priority | If a video already has a trailer, the trailer is shown instead of the free preview |
Enabled by default | New video uploads have Free Previews enabled automatically, with a 30-second duration pre-selected. You can adjust or disable it before publishing |
Preview from collections | Locked videos inside a paid collection show a Free Preview button and modal; no full video navigation required |
Quick tips:
Use the first moments of your video as an intentional intro, as this becomes your preview
Trailers still take priority if you've already created one
Use a custom start time to skip past intro credits or jump to your most compelling moment
🔗 Learn more about Trailers
How to Enable Free Previews
ℹ️ INFO: New to Uscreen? If you're setting up your store for the first time, you may see a Free Previews prompt at the top of your Videos list. Clicking Enable free previews for all videos turns on previews, using your store's default length, for any video that doesn't already have one. Videos that already have free preview enabled keep their existing length. This prompt appears once. If you dismiss it, you can still manage previews using the methods below.
Default Behavior on New Uploads
When you upload a new video, Free Previews is enabled by default with a 30-second duration pre-selected in the Preview section of the video details page. From there, you can:
Keep the default and publish as-is
Adjust the duration to 15, 60, or 90 seconds
Set a custom start time
Disable the preview entirely by selecting None
📝 NOTE: This default applies to new uploads only. Existing videos in your catalog are not affected and remain in their previous state.
Individual Videos
Control free previews on a video-by-video basis directly from the video editor.
Navigate to Video > Content
Open the video you want to edit
Scroll down to the Preview section
Choose your preview duration: 15, 30, 60, or 90 seconds
Optionally set a custom start time (mm:ss)
Leave blank to start from the beginning
Click Save Changes
📝 NOTE: If a video already has a trailer, the trailer will be shown to visitors instead of the free preview. To use the free preview instead, remove the trailer from the video first.
"User Sees"
Know what visitors will see before they do. At the top of the Preview section, the "User sees" line tells you exactly what a visitor without access gets for this video: the free preview, the trailer, the full video (if the video is free for all users), or nothing.
This dynamically updates as you change your selection, so there's no guessing about which option wins.
Multiple Videos at Once
Apply or remove free previews across several videos without editing each one individually.
Navigate to Video > Content
Select the videos you want to update using the checkboxes
Click the ellipsis (...) menu in the toolbar
Select Enable free previews or Disable free previews
💡 TIP: Bulk actions are great when you want to enable previews on a specific group of videos, like a particular series or category, without touching the rest of your catalog.
Set One Length for Your Whole Store
Open your Videos page, click the ellipsis (⋯) menu next to Upload Videos, and choose Free Preview Settings.
Pick a Default length (15, 30, 60, or 90 seconds) and click Save Default.
From then on, every new upload and every video you enable previews on uses that length automatically. You can still override any single video from its Preview section.
ℹ️ INFO: Already have previews running? The same dialog has an Apply to existing videos action: it switches every video that's already using a free preview to the selected length in one click, in the background. It only touches free-preview videos; trailers and free-for-all videos are left alone. If a video is too short for the new length, it's skipped and keeps its current preview. The dialog tells you how many videos will be updated and how many skipped before you commit.
How It Works
Once enabled, free previews work automatically:
Uscreen securely clips the first portion of your video based on the duration you set
Visitors can watch the preview on the video page
When the preview ends, they're prompted to sign up or log in
The full video remains protected and inaccessible until the visitor subscribes or purchases
Free Previews in Collections
Visitors browsing a paid collection can now preview individual locked videos directly from the collection page, no need to click into the video itself.
If a locked video inside a collection has free preview enabled, its thumbnail shows a Free Preview button
Clicking the button opens a modal and plays that video's preview clip
When the preview ends, the modal shows the collection's purchase or join CTA
Closing the modal returns you to the same collection page, with no navigation to the video's individual page
📝 NOTE: This previews the individual video only, not the collection as a whole. There's currently no way to preview an entire collection in one go.
When to Use Free Previews
Free previews work best for:
Fitness instructors: Show the first 60–90 seconds of a workout to demonstrate your teaching style and production quality
Educational content: Preview the introduction of a lesson to set expectations
Entertainment: Give viewers a taste of your content style without spoiling the full experience
High-production content: Showcase your video quality to justify premium pricing
Best Practices
Keep your opening moments clear and compelling, and treat the start of each video like a mini intro
Use custom start times to skip past intro credits and jump to your most engaging content
Focus on value, not spoilers
Avoid confusing or misleading previews, which can hurt trust and conversions
Current Limitations
Preview length is fixed at 15, 30, 60, or 90 seconds
Custom lengths are not yet supported
Not available for Live Events
Collections themselves can't be previewed as a whole (individual videos within the Collection Playlist can)
Not available for Bundles
Not yet available on TV apps
Email capture during preview is not yet available
Platform Availability
Platform | Status |
Web browsers | ✅ Available |
Mobile browsers | ✅ Available |
Native mobile apps (iOS/Android) | ✅ Available |
TV apps (Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, etc.) | ⏳ Coming Q2 2026 |
Final ThoughtsFree Previews are a small option with a big impact. 💪They let new viewers experience your content, trust its value, and confidently subscribe. Enable free previews, and let your videos do the selling! |
FAQs
Do free previews replace my existing trailers?
Do free previews replace my existing trailers?
No. If a video has a trailer, the trailer takes priority and is shown instead of the free preview.
Can I change the preview length for all my videos at once?
Can I change the preview length for all my videos at once?
Yes. On your Videos page, open the ellipsis (⋯) menu, choose Free preview settings, pick a length, and click Apply. Every video already using a free preview switches to the new length in the background. Videos where the new length wouldn't fit are skipped and keep their current preview. The dialog shows exactly how many videos will be updated and how many will be skipped before you click.
Can members with access still see previews?
Can members with access still see previews?
No, members who are logged in and have access simply watch the full video as usual. Previews are intended to be shown to visitors and members without access to that content.
Does this expose my full video?
Does this expose my full video?
No. Only the short preview clip is accessible. Your full video stays safely behind the paywall.
Does this work on mobile apps?
Does this work on mobile apps?
Yes, free previews work on web browsers, mobile browsers, and native mobile iOS and Android apps.
Will this affect my storage costs?
Will this affect my storage costs?
No, "free" previews don't create new video files or add to your storage. They're a secure clip of your existing video. 🔗 Learn more about Video Trailers
Will this affect my bandwidth costs?
Will this affect my bandwidth costs?
Yes, slightly, since previews are streamed like any other video, so you may see a small uptick in bandwidth. This is almost certainly worth the conversion benefit.
Can I use free previews inside collections?
Can I use free previews inside collections?
Yes. If a video inside a paid collection has free preview enabled, visitors browsing the collection will see a Free Preview button on that video's locked thumbnail. Clicking it opens the preview in a modal right on the collection page. When the preview ends, they'll see the option to purchase or join the collection. Note that this previews the individual video, not the collection as a whole.
I enabled free previews on a video, but visitors still can't see it. What's wrong?
I enabled free previews on a video, but visitors still can't see it. What's wrong?
Check whether the video already has a trailer set, as trailers take priority over free previews.
💬 We'd love to hear from you, so here's how you can submit feedback.