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Lesson 210: Steam GIF Capsule Silent-Audio Marketing Receipt (2026)

Direct answer: GIF carousel slots are silent—marketing must not promise soundtrack in capsule copy. This lesson ships gif_capsule_marketing_receipt_v1.json with G1–G6 gates, press/influencer guardrails, and a paired gif_capsule_audio_receipt_v1 before store page lock.

Lesson hero for Steam GIF capsule silent-audio marketing receipt

Why this matters now (July 2026 GIF capsule refresh)

July 2026 teams upload animated library capsules after the GIF safe-zone pass. Producers paste “hear the new theme in our capsule” into store copy; press hears silence and posts broken audio. The fest marketing opinion owns P1–P5 and gif_capsule_audio_receipt_v1.json—this lesson is the course milestone wiring gif_capsule_marketing_receipt_v1.json into BUILD_RECEIPT with influencer briefs (Help #7 GIF carousel fix when published, store QA resource #10). Export from Resolve with GIF vs WebM deliverable slot discipline, then file carousel embed still-frame preflight on the live store before public fest copy ships. Pair gif_deliverable_slot_receipt_v1.json and carousel_embed_still_receipt_v1.json on the same BUILD_RECEIPT row.

Beginner path (40-minute marketing pass)

Step Action Success check
1 Run GIF readability receipt Loop legibility GREEN
2 Audit store copy for audio promises Zero reject phrases on GIF sections
3 Split press kit: GIF stills vs trailer URL No 🔊 on GIF-only assets
4 File gif_capsule_audio_receipt_v1.json marketing_audio_promise: false
5 File gif_capsule_marketing_receipt_v1.json Influencer brief attached
6 Patch BUILD_RECEIPT store_art row Both receipts linked

Time: ~40 minutes when GIF asset exists; 65 minutes with influencer kit + trailer mute smoke.

Developer path (gates G1–G6)

Gate Check Fail when
G1 gif_capsule_readability_receipt pass Motion illegible at library size
G2 Copy audit: GIF sections silent-only “Hear” / “listen” on carousel copy
G3 gif_capsule_audio_receipt filed marketing_audio_promise: true
G4 WebM trailer mute smoke (if audio claimed) Trailer mute help + Lesson 234 — micro_trailer_stereo_receipt RED
G5 Influencer / press brief signed Brief promises GIF audio
G6 gif_capsule_marketing_receipt on BUILD_RECEIPT Store lock without matrix

Reject phrases (GIF-only sections)

Pattern Why reject
“Hear the theme in our capsule” Implies GIF plays sound
“Turn sound on for the header” Carousel still silent
“OST preview in animation” GIF is not audio
🔊 emoji beside GIF-only hero False audio cue

Approved: “Silent motion preview—full score in trailer below.”

gif_capsule_marketing_receipt_v1.json

{
  "schema": "gif_capsule_marketing_receipt_v1",
  "build_label": "store-july-2026-rc1",
  "gif_carousel_asset": {
    "type": "animated_gif",
    "readability_receipt_path": "store-art/gif_capsule_readability_receipt_v1.json"
  },
  "paired_audio_receipt_path": "store-art/gif_capsule_audio_receipt_v1.json",
  "copy_audit": {
    "gif_sections_audio_promise": false,
    "trailer_sections_audio_claimed": true,
    "reject_phrases_found": []
  },
  "influencer_brief": {
    "gif_is_silent": true,
    "trailer_url_for_audio": "https://store.steampowered.com/app/APPID/",
    "signed_off_by": "marketing_lead"
  },
  "gates": {
    "G1_readability": "pass",
    "G2_copy_audit": "pass",
    "G3_audio_receipt": "pass",
    "G4_trailer_mute": "pass",
    "G5_influencer_brief": "pass",
    "G6_marketing_receipt": "pass"
  },
  "promotion_allowed": true
}

Store under release-evidence/store/GIF_CAPSULE_MARKETING_RECEIPT.json.

BUILD_RECEIPT columns

Column Value
gif_capsule_readability_receipt path
gif_capsule_audio_receipt path
gif_capsule_marketing_receipt path
store_trailer_mute_smoke pass / n/a

Thursday row review must show all three store-art receipts when GIF carousel ships.

Press / influencer guardrails (copy-paste)

Influencer one-pager:

The library carousel GIF is silent by design. Use the linked WebM trailer for soundtrack B-roll. Do not tell viewers to “listen to the capsule animation.”

Press kit folder layout:

press_kit/
  gif_stills/          # silent loops, labeled SILENT_PREVIEW
  trailer_webm/        # audio-claimed asset + mute smoke log
  copy_guidelines.md   # GIF_MOTION_COPY vs TRAILER_AUDIO_COPY

Publish gate

ALTER TABLE release_publish_gate ADD COLUMN IF NOT EXISTS
  gif_marketing_receipt_blocked BOOLEAN NOT NULL DEFAULT false;

CI verify_gif_capsule_marketing_receipt_v1 requires paired_audio_receipt_path resolves and copy_audit.gif_sections_audio_promise === false.

Prerequisites

Common mistakes

  • One paragraph mixing GIF motion + “listen” without naming trailer slot.
  • Re-uploading GIF five times when copy was the bug.
  • Influencer brief written before gif_capsule_audio_receipt exists.
  • Skipping trailer mute smoke while claiming OST in video slot only—still required.

Troubleshooting

Symptom Lane
“No audio on store” social spike G2 copy audit + community FAQ
GIF blurry, not silent issue GIF safe-zone blog
Trailer muted in browser Trailer mute help
Store vs demo mismatch Store-demo recovery

Mini exercise (50 minutes)

  1. Pass readability receipt on fest GIF.
  2. Paste reject phrase into draft copy—confirm G2 fails.
  3. Rewrite with approved silent-motion template.
  4. File audio + marketing receipts.
  5. Add BUILD_RECEIPT row; run Thursday checklist.

Continuity

FAQ

Is this the same as gif_capsule_audio_receipt?
No—audio receipt proves no false audio promise; marketing receipt adds influencer/press guardrails and BUILD_RECEIPT wiring.

Can we claim audio in the WebM slot?
Yes—with G4 trailer mute smoke and copy that names video, not GIF.

October fest only?
Hook is July 2026 capsule refresh; discipline applies whenever carousel GIF ships.

Motion proof and soundtrack proof are different receipts—file both before marketing locks the store page.