A great demo video is much quicker to produce and more difficult to create than vendors will tell you about in their blog posts. At Vidpros, we edit demo videos weekly, and the one area of production that most companies tend to underestimate (and subsequently low budget) is not the initial record; it’s the editing phase – the second pass – when rough screen capture(s) are edited down into a video that an actual prospect will be willing to watch.
What Is a Product Demo Video: Difference Between a Product Demo and a Tutorial
A demo video shows a product being used, to convince users that using the product will be worthwhile. A tutorial is meant to teach an existing user how to accomplish a specific task. This means there are going to be differences in audience, the ultimate goal of the demo/tutorial, and the type of editing involved.
Demo videos vary by length depending upon the intended use. For example; demo videos for landing page hero spots typically range between 30 to 90 seconds. Sales follow-up demos may last anywhere from two to three minutes. Software demo videos, which are used during a buyers evaluation process, typically take about five to seven minutes.
Tutorials can also vary greatly in terms of length based on the complexity of the task at hand. However, most tutorials will likely run six to twelve minutes. They are commonly located in a products help center or within an onboarding flow.
A former Salesforce sales engineer, stated this in r/SaaS; “Tell a story from the perspective of your customer. The perfect demo can be done without showing any product.” The opposite is true of tutorials. The product itself is literally the entire reason the tutorial exists.
Key Formats: From a Standalone Product Video to Automated AI Video Workflows
Demo videos are categorized into roughly six types:
- Product demo video: this is a general purpose video that shows how your Product works. It is shown on your website and also sent out via email when you initially launch.
- Software demo video & SaaS demo video: these are screen recorded demos of your application. The viewer will see where they click next using cursor moves and may see the UI change at times as well. These should have many “before/after” states to quickly illustrate how something has changed.
- App demo video: as this is primarily used for mobile devices it is typically shot within a device frame. Due to its mobile format these videos are usually designed for vertical formats and move faster due to mobile viewing habits.
- Service demo video: since there isn’t anything to show regarding your user interface, this type of demo uses before and after footage of the actual work being done. They could be voiced by a customer and include animated diagrams to help explain your services.
- Sales demo video: this is the most detailed type of demo video; the representative creates it specifically for each individual prospect. Typically, the prospect’s company name/logo appears in the video.
- Product walk-through video: the video walks the viewer through one complete use case from start to end, but it is longer than a hero demo and shorter than a tutorial.
A 60-second hero demo lives or dies on the first three seconds. A sales walkthrough can breathe more because the viewer already raised their hand.
The workflow to create demo videos in 7 steps
We have used this exact same workflow when creating demo videos for all our clients here at Vidpros. This workflow assumes you have already identified both the use case and your target audience, two things that are often skipped by many founders.
- Write your script before recording. A 60-second video will require around 130 – 150 words of voice over. One redditor said, “I’d say keep it under 100-150 words of writing” (r/vibecoding). Read the script out loud two times. Remove any part of the script that does not provide value to the viewer as they try to identify their problems and learn about your solution.
- Create an environment using realistic data. When filming customer environments, you want to protect customers’ personally identifiable information (PII) from being seen. Use redaction tools such as blurring email addresses, account numbers, etc. Also obtain customer logo written consent prior to publishing the logo.
- First record silent screen capture. We made a big switch in our process over the past year. A redditor shared his experience with the new way of doing things and how he was able to cut down on the number of takes needed. He stated; “just record your screen silently…just click away…no talking. You’ll get it right in one or two tries since you’re not trying to do everything at once” (r/vibecoding). The reason demos always take multiple attempts is because you are always trying to talk and click at the same time.
- Once you have recorded silently, layer on top of that with your narration. Once you have recorded your screen capture, layer the narration on top. Save yourself a lot of time during post-production by removing uh’s and um’s while also saving time spent re-recording sections where there were errors.
- Pacing first and polish second. Edit your demo to ensure the proper flow and timing. Eliminate dead airtime. Increase speed to 1.5x normal for routine clicks. Zoom into important parts of your UI.
- Captions and branding. Add captions. Add a brand intro. Let viewers know what they should do next.
- Quality assurance check on the smallest screen used by your audience. Test your demo on the smallest device that your potential buyers would view it on.
A founder on r/SaaS documented the same skeleton for a pre-product demo: Figma mockups, barebones HTML, screen recording, CapCut edit, done in a few hours (r/SaaS).
Top demo video makers and tools (recorders, editors, hosting)
These are the three buckets that most screen demo teams will fall into. Each team will usually be using one tool from each bucket. Prices below are as each vendor published them at the time of writing – check current rates before committing.
Loom, OBS Studio, Camtasia
Screen Recorders. The easiest screen recorder to use for one click screen capture is Loom. Their free plan allows users to create up to 25 videos that are 5 minutes or less. Business + AI is $20/user/month and includes unlimited screen recordings along with AI cleaning up your video (Atlassian/Loom). If you prefer to have a local file and do not require any cloud services then OBS Studio can be used for free. For SOP creators, Camtasia offers both screen recording and editing capabilities so that they do not have to use two different applications to edit their recorded videos.
Interactive Demo Platforms. HowdyGo does charge by the number of users, however it is the only interactive demo platform currently available that charges a flat rate for all users ($159/month) regardless of how many users there may be. Storylane offers four tiers based on features that include screenshot-only ($50), to HTML capture ($500-$625) with five seats. Walnut is priced at $750/month but requires an annual contract. As stated by one reviewer, “the base price listed in the advertisement is nearly always just a screenshot-only tier. When you actually need to capture HTML… the actual price is going to be an order of magnitude higher than what was quoted initially.” (HowdyGo)
Editors and Hosting. Transcription-based editing is handled with Descript for spoken word demos. CapCut and Screen Studio appear the most often in founder discussions as quick output solutions when founders cannot afford to purchase a Premiere license. Hosted options include Wistia for lead capture, Vimeo for polished players, and YouTube for organic reach.
Choosing the right demo video tool for your stage
When choosing a demonstration video tool for your stage – it’s all about the stage not the feature list.
In pre-launch mode you want screen captures of the same thing as your landing page. If cost is no option then Loom Free or YouTube Unlisted are good options. They both cost zero.
When early revenue is achieved, if your sales team wants individualized demonstrations of your product, Loom Business + AI (AI Summaries/Filler Removal/Unlimited Recording) @ $20 per user will cover those needs. Pair that with Storylane Starter which provides interactive demos using screenshots.
When scaling, demo videos become the primary asset in your sales motion. Both Walnut and Consensus have an upper limit price point of $750-$1250. In addition to other customer win statements, customers who choose Consensus state their reasons for doing so were: “unique buyer insights”, “ease of use”, “flexibility”, “time-saving features”. (“Consensus”)
The trade-off when choosing either of these tools is that they charge by the number of seats. This type of pricing model can punish growth. HowdyGo, which sells against it, puts it bluntly: “Every demo tool except HowdyGo charges by the seat. That is the problem with this type of pricing.” (“HowdyGo”).
If you’re part of a smaller team of less than 20 people, the best place to start is by selecting one screen recording tool ($20/user/month), and one flat-fee interactive demo tool ($159-$500/month).
How to create effective tutorial videos and how tutorials differ from demos
Tutorials are instructional; three principles make up most of the tutorial creation process.
Break down the tasks into chunks. Each tutorial should cover a single task to complete. “How to set-up my account,” is a tutorial. “All things I can do with your application,” is a marketing video attempting to pass itself off as a tutorial.
Illustrate the outcomes. Show viewers the results after they click save. The success of tutorials is based solely upon demonstrating the outcome of using your product. Tutorials that don’t demonstrate the outcomes of completing specific tasks will not meet the purpose they were created for.
Create timestamped segments. Allow viewers to scroll through and find the segment that correlates directly with their problem.
Polishing a Demo — The role of a demo in educating and engaging potential customers
A demo is intended to serve as an educational tool while being used as an additional sales resource. A demo that provides information on how the product operates relative to the customer’s specific needs is an excellent way to qualify prospects, shorten the length of sales conversations, and provide existing customers with internal training materials that can be shared within their organizations.
The Slack demo is generally considered to be the best example of a demo that has successfully provided value to its users due to each feature demonstrated being related to a problem that exists within an employee’s work environment. As stated in r/SaaS “every feature that they show in the demo relates to some form of real world problem,” this creates ease in relating and authenticity plays a large factor in this as well. Features benefit when there is recognition of an employee’s current workflow appearing on the screen during viewing.
When creating a tutorial for a SaaS-based product redact all personally identifiable information prior to publishing. Use blurring techniques for any email addresses, account numbers, or other forms of sensitive customer information. If you have employed AI-generated audio narration, clearly state this. All of these actions are mandatory under both GDPR and CCPA regulations.
Where to reuse one demo recording across the funnel
Your demo video can be used multiple times throughout the funnel. For example, the demo video that you use on your landing page can become your 30 second paid social video or even a 15 second vertical version of the video. You can also extract still images from your demo video to include in your sales deck. Using one recording session and placing it in 6 different ways will help reduce the overall cost.
In addition to using resources to create your demo video, it is equally important to place your demo video so it reaches the masses. Use your demo video as part of your website content, embed into email campaigns to promote your product at launch time, add captions to your LinkedIn posts featuring your demo video, use a 10 second clip of your most exciting demo video moments for YouTube and TikTok. Atlassian says they utilize Loom to “create personalized webpage assets and AI-powered demos to increase conversion rates.” See our product demo video pillar for more information on how to successfully implement and leverage a demo video.
Demo Video FAQs
What is the optimal length of a demo video?
Landing page hero videos should be no longer than 30 seconds to 1 minute and 30 seconds. Sales follow-up videos can be up to two or three minutes. Software demo work that will be viewed by a prospect at least five or six times in their buying process should be around five to seven minutes.
What is the least expensive way to produce a decent quality demo video?
Free ways include using free apps like Loom (free), CapCut (free), or uploading an unlisted video to YouTube (no cost) as well as building mock-ups in Figma and then recording your mouse clicks through them while editing the clips in any other free app you’d like. If you have enough time you could also create demos without having working products.
Is it possible to build a demo without first creating the product?
Yes. To build a demo without first creating the product you could use Figma to build mock ups of what the product would look like and how they would function. Record yourself clicking through each screen. Then edit your recordings in any free video editing app you’d like. Apple and Samsung both use this type of demo for new launches; in those cases they typically add a disclaimer such as “some experience(s) may be simulated” (r/ProductManagement).
Should I use a voice over AI?
Yes if you are disclosing it. Using a voice over AI without disclosure is going to break the trust in your audience and more importantly for any industry that has regulations will be breaking those laws.
Right length of demo for social media?
15-30 seconds long (vertical), captions burned into the video, hook must be within first three seconds.
Do I need an editor or can I just use AI to do everything?
AI does great with the first-pass cut of removing filler material from the video. However there still needs to be a human involved in determining the pace of the video, what shots were best used and what parts of the original recording should have been kept.
You record a rough demo & want it edited down so it converts. Send us the file. We have editors at Vidpros who take raw screen catches and ship out a finished cut of your demo with captions included, all on a flat monthly subscription. Give us the original file, leave with a final version.
