How to make the best demo videos to engage your audience [with tutorial]

What are demo videos?

Demo videos are your product's storytellers, bringing it to life through captivating visual narratives. They offer a dynamic and engaging way to present products, services, or ideas.

Indeed, demo videos go beyond static descriptions. They are designed to immerse viewers in a visual experience that highlights the features, benefits, and unique selling points of your product.

Characteristics of demo videos

Demo videos typically range from a few seconds to a few minutes. They provide a concise yet comprehensive overview of the product, showcasing key features, benefits, and how it works.

These videos use a mix of visuals, narration, and sometimes on-screen text to convey information effectively. The tone of your demo videos should be friendly and informative. They aim at simplifying complex concepts and leave a memorable impression on the audience.

Whether you're a startup introducing a revolutionary product or an established company aiming to revitalize your brand, don’t skip demo videos. Let me show you how to make the most out of using demo videos.

And if you want to know how to demo a product effectively, we give you all your tips in a dedicated article.

Benefits of demo videos for your business?

Here are several compelling reasons why you should use demo videos:

Effective Communication:

Humans are naturally drawn to visuals. Demo videos provide a dynamic and engaging way to convey your message, making it more memorable for your audience.

For products or services with intricate features, a demo video can simplify complex concepts. Demo videos ensure that your potential customers easily understand what you offer.

Enhanced Product Understanding:

Demo videos allow your potential customers to virtually experience your product or service. This hands-on approach helps them understand its functionality, benefits, and unique selling points.

Building Trust:

Seeing a product or service in action builds trust. Demo videos provide transparency, showing exactly what your customers can expect, which is crucial for establishing credibility and trustworthiness.

Incorporating customer testimonials and case studies in your demo videos also adds authenticity and reinforces the trust factor. And don't be afraid to put yourself on stage.

Increased Conversion Rates:

Video content tends to capture attention better than text. A well-crafted demo video can captivate your audience, increasing the likelihood of conversion by showcasing the value of your offerings.

What’s more, including a clear call-to-action in your demo videos guides viewers on their next steps. It encourages them to take the desired actions, such as making a purchase or signing up for a trial.

Cost-Effective Marketing:

Once created, demo videos can be shared across various online platforms, reaching a broader audience without the need for significant additional expenses. 

Demo videos can indeed be easily shared on social media platforms, increasing social engagement and exposure. Don’t hesitate to incorporate your demo videos in email campaigns that can boost click-through rates.

Unlike live demonstrations, demo videos are available 24/7. Prospective customers can access them at their convenience, increasing your marketing reach.

Standing out from competition:

Businesses that effectively use demo videos stand out in a crowded market. It's a modern and innovative approach that can differentiate your brand from competitors.

SEO Benefits:

Video content is favored by search engines. Including demo videos on your website or video-sharing platforms can improve your search engine rankings, making your business more discoverable.

Tutorial : our 13 steps to make the best demo videos

Step 1: Define Your Objectives

Before diving into the video creation process, clearly outline your goals. Identify the key message you want to convey and the specific actions you want viewers to take after watching the demo.

Having your objectives in mind will help you deliver a clear call to action to your viewer.

Step 2: Know Your Audience

Understanding your target audience is crucial. Tailor your demo video to address their needs, pain points, and preferences. This ensures that your content resonates with the intended viewers.

Step 3: Plan Your Script and Storyboard

Craft a well-structured script that outlines the flow of your demo. Break down the content into scenes and create a demo storyboard to visualize the key shots and transitions. This helps maintain a cohesive and engaging narrative.

Step 4: Keep It Concise

Effective demo videos are concise and to the point. Aim for brevity while ensuring you cover all essential information. Ideally, keep your video duration between 1 to 3 minutes to maintain viewer interest.

Step 5: Highlight Key Features

Focus on showcasing the most important features and benefits of your product or service. Prioritize what matters most to your audience and clearly demonstrate how your offering addresses their needs.

Step 6: Engaging Visuals and Graphics: Show your Product in Action

Utilize high-quality visuals, animations, and graphics to enhance the overall presentation. Ensure that your visuals complement the spoken content and contribute to a visually appealing experience.

One of the best ways to demonstrate how to use an application or software is to record your product in action. To do it, you can record your screen and share it in the demo video. No idea how to do it? Check out Claap: it makes it super easy to record your screen.

Step 7: Add Clear and Professional Voiceover

Invest in a clear and professional voiceover to guide viewers through your demo. The narration should be articulate, engaging, and match the tone of your brand.

Above all, I advise you to add subtitles to your demo video to make it as comprehensible as possible. It also makes it easier for your viewers to search words in the video.

Step 8: Capture Real-world Scenarios

Help your audience envision real-world scenarios by incorporating relatable use cases. This makes your demo more practical and demonstrates how your product or service solves specific problems.

Step 9: Introduce a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)

Guide your viewers on the next steps by incorporating a clear Call-to-Action (CTA) at the end of your demo video.

Whether it's directing them to visit your website, sign up for a trial, or make a purchase, a well-defined CTA enhances user engagement and encourages the desired actions.

Step 10: Use a Professional Video Editing Tool

Edit your demo video using a professional video editing tool. Add smooth transitions, captions, and any necessary effects to polish the final product. Pay attention to audio quality and ensure it's crisp and clear.

Great news! You can now edit your videos directly with Claap, without using any external tool.

Step 11: Optimize for SEO

If hosting your video online, optimize it for search engines. Craft a compelling title, description, and tags using relevant keywords to improve discoverability.

Step 12: Test and Gather Feedback

Before releasing your demo video, test it with a small group of users to gather feedback. Use this feedback to make necessary improvements and ensure your video effectively resonates with your audience.

Keep all your demo videos in the same place, in a video library, to be able to compare them.

Don’t forget to keep track of relevant video metrics to improve your next video content.

Step 13: Promote Your Demo Videos Across Channels

Once your demo video is ready, promote it across relevant channels such as your website, social media platforms, and email newsletters. With Claap, you can even embed your video content to your emails or to your Notion pages or your Slack channels.

Encourage viewers to share and engage with the content. If you share your video demos with a customer on Claap, they'll be able to give you direct feedback on the video using Claap's comments and feedback features. Their feedback will be even more precise using the video annotation function.

How to record your product in action with Claap?

It’s super easy to record a demo video using Claap. Let's say you want to record both your screen to demonstrate your product, and your webcam to deliver a video message.

1. Sign-up to Claap;
2. Add the Claap extension to Chrome and add it to your toolbar;
3. Click on the button “New Claap” on the top left of your screen to start recording your video (make sure you allow your browser to access camera and microphone);
4. Give a name tour your video (“product demo US” for example);
5. Choose to record either  your camera only, you screen only or both screen and camera by clicking on the appropriate button;
6. Click “Record Claap” and pick the tab or the screen you want to record;
7. Here you go! Go through the script of your product demo as you have planned, of course combining gestures with speech, since you can record your screen and camera at the same time;
8. Click stop recording;
9. Add subtitles to your video thanks to Claap video transcript tool;
10. Edit your demo video if needed (remove some parts of the video or add transitions);
11. Share your Claap to your audience, by copying and pasting the link in an email for example. You can choose to share a private link for your team only or a public link for your prospects;
12. Store all your demo videos in one place thanks to Claap’s video workspace.

Conclusion

With Claap, the power to transform your ideas into engaging visual narratives is at your fingertips.

Leverage its intuitive features for screen recording, showcase real-world scenarios, and captivate your audience with clear and interactive demonstrations. The editing capabilities allow you to refine your content, ensuring a polished final product.

Just go for it: we offer you a 14-days free trial to experiment all the premium features and make the best demo videos.