How to Create an Irresistible Product Demo Video that Converts
By now, you’re probably no stranger to product demo videos - Whether you create product demonstration videos for your business online or you browse through product demo videos to make smart decisions when it comes to choosing products for yourself.
Product demo videos play an undeniable role in the customer’s journey. They’re often used in the early stages of the buyer's journey to create awareness and generate interest. Nothing nudges indecisive customers quite like watching an effective demonstration video. In fact, 90% of customers say product videos help them make purchasing decisions.
If you think about it, it's human nature to want to see the product that you’re considering buying ‘in action’, before you commit to paying for it. It’s no surprise why this makes demo videos such a persuasive tool, especially if you have a product that has a lot of features and diverse functionality.
The key to creating effective product demo videos is simpler than you think:
- Understand your audience.
- Have clear messaging.
- Showcase your product's unique features and benefits.
While having a bigger budget or a high-end team can provide additional resources and production quality, it is possible to create compelling product demo videos with a smaller budget and by leveraging available tools and resources.
In most cases, a smartphone, a good script that outlines your product’s features, and a bit of inspiration should set you up for success.
A product demo video is a short video that shows how a product works by highlighting key features and functionality. But apart from showcasing what the product looks like and how it works, product demo videos are also a great way to highlight unique product benefits and value.
Product videos on the other hand are marketing videos that focus a little more on the story behind your product, your team, testimonials, how your product solves problems, and more.
In this article, we’ll look at how you can make a good product demo video from scratch, even if this is your first time creating videos. Here’s everything we’ll cover at a glance:
- What makes a good product video stand out?
- 8 Effective Product Demo Video Examples
- How to Make a Simple Product Demo Video Online?
- Product Demo Video Best Practices & Tips
First, let’s break down the fundamentals of effective product videos so you can understand how to ensure your demo videos hit the mark.
What Makes a Good Product Video Stand Out?
A good product demo video stands out by effectively showcasing the features, functionality, and value of the product in a compelling and engaging manner. To do this, you’ll want to have clear messaging, address relatable needs/problems and ensure you showcase your product features in the best light.
Let’s look at each of these elements that contribute to making a product video stand out in a bit more detail:
- Clear and concise messaging: People watch demo videos to learn about possible solutions, but more importantly how ‘easy’ your product is to use. It’s best to focus on the most important feature or workflow of the product and avoid any unnecessary details or an overload of feature explanations that might confuse the viewer.
- User-centric approach: Acknowledge the audience’s key challenges. Showcase real-life use cases and help viewers relate to your video. This will also keep your viewers understanding how the product fits into their lives or addresses their specific needs. In the end, your demo video need to give viewers proof and reassurance about the purchase decision they’re making.
- Visual clarity and quality: The video should have high-quality visuals that clearly showcase the product in action. This includes using clear and well-lit shots, close-ups, and zoom-ins to highlight specific features or interactions. Visual clarity helps viewers understand the product better and increases their confidence in its functionality.
Whether you’re comparing high-production demo videos or simple demo videos from home-grown brands, you’ll find the best examples reflecting each of these elements.
If you’ve nailed each of these points in your video, your demo video is set up for success.
So far, we’ve discussed some of the most important factors that make your product demo video stand out. Now let’s look at how these play out in real examples of product demo videos and what you can pick from each of these.
8 Effective Product Demo Video Examples
We’ve seen product demo videos evolve and take on newer and more creative approaches. While some of these examples may require higher production budgets and more experienced teams to create, we can still distill effective approaches and tips from these examples that could inspire you to try out something new in your next product demonstration video.
There are several ways you can approach a product demo video depending on the type of product you’re creating the video for. We’ve compiled a list of our favorites below, along with tips on how to get started on your own product demo video.
1. Marshall CODE Series
In this official product demo video series by Marshall, viewers are taken through the different elements of the Marshall Code Suite.
The video opens up with well-lit shots of the product, how this looks once connected to all its components, and what it sounds like. The voice-over walks viewers through the key feature of the Code series and what’s so great about how you can connect, control, and create with multiple components in this series.
What stands out about this video is the creative use of text cues for clear and concise messaging. Since this video showcases a product that has technical terms and a ton of features and functionality, they’ve used text to indicate the different features and functionality. These video annotations make the view easier to get into details and grasp functionality that might have been missed out with just a voice-over.
Key-Takeaway: Define jargon and acronyms
If your product includes specific jargon or acronyms, display relevant definitions as text in your video. This saves time from explaining them in the script while keeping your audience aware of their meaning.
2. Patagonia
Patagonia is known for creating videos that showcase their outdoor clothing and gear in real-world environments in a series they call ‘Patagonia Films’.
These product videos tap into great storytelling while showcasing their products’ durability and performance in the outdoors. What’s also amazing is that it showcases their Patagonia collection as used by real people in real-life experiences.
Apart from these videos, they also create simple demo videos for their products. What stands out about this example video is the simplicity of the visuals used. The use of clean shots and a plain white background keeps the focus on the product and lets you take a 360 look at the product (in this example a backpack). You also get a walk-through of all its pockets and functionality in under 2mins.
They also throw in touch humor in their voice-over to keep the video fun and engaging - “The MLC mini keeps you organized and comfortable whether you're going to another Hemisphere or just crossing town” [1:06 in the video].
Key takeaway - Keep it simple and avoid distractions
Minimize distractions in your video by ensuring a clean and uncluttered background. Avoid using distracting background music or animations that may divert attention from the main content.
3. IKEA
IKEA is known for its visually appealing and informative product demo videos. What stands out in their videos is their ability to showcase their furniture in real-life settings, providing viewers with a clear understanding of how the products fit into various home environments.
The videos often demonstrate the versatility, functionality, and space-saving features of their furniture, making it easier for customers to envision the products in their own homes.
In this simple video, Ikea demos its collapsible sun/wind shelter. What’s so great about this example is we don’t hear any voice-over that talks to us about the features or functionality. And yet, in under a minute, we can see exactly how much space this takes up, and how easy it is to fold, store, and carry.
Just like the video title suggests - “so easy” we’re able to see exactly what makes this an effective demo. It’s a great use of the popular ‘show, don’t tell’ approach in video storytelling.
Key takeaway - Keep it short
Aim to keep your video between two and five minutes in length. Concise videos tend to hold viewers' attention better and ensure that the information is delivered efficiently.
You can switch things up with a slideshow demo video. Ikea switches things up with this video using photos to show their pleated blinds can be adapted to any section of the window. Once again, they’ve used beautiful visuals to show you what this looks like in a home setting. Watch the video here - https://youtu.be/SMEdpgv_KPU
4. Drunk Elephant
Drunk Elephant's product demo videos emphasize the science behind their skincare formulations. They provide detailed explanations of the key ingredients and how they benefit the skin, along with before-and-after visuals to showcase the transformative effects of their products.
In this product video by Drunk Elephant viewers are treated to a splash of bright colors that compliments their branding tones. The video opens with an unboxing of the products so viewers can see their wonderful packaging and know what to expect.
Skincare routines can be elaborate and most people worry about what the product looks and feels like on their skin, what to apply when, and in which order. This demo video is aimed at showing you how Drunk Elephant simplified the AM/PM routine.
You’ll also notice the creative use of text cues to show you what each product looks like and how it's meant to be used and even how it feels on your skin - all under 1min 20 secs.
Key takeaway: Use text cues
Break down the steps in your workflow using text cues in your video. This helps viewers easily follow along and understand the process.
6. SaaS - Shopify Mobile App
Product videos work great whether you’re selling a tangible product or a service like software. Shopify's product demo video for their Mobile App stands out for its seamless and user-friendly interface.
The videos highlight the convenience, efficiency, and flexibility that the app brings to e-commerce businesses. Viewers are able to see how the app enables users to manage their online store on the go, providing real-time updates, order management, inventory tracking, and analytics.
What stands out is the clarity of the demonstration, highlighting the app's intuitive navigation and empowering business owners to run their online stores efficiently from their mobile devices.
Key takeaway - Relate to your target audience
Make your demo relatable to your target audience by addressing their pain points and demonstrating how your product can solve their problems. Speak their language and showcase scenarios that resonate with them.
7. Zoom
Zoom's product demo video stands out for its simplicity and focus on the core features of its video conferencing software. Here's one such example of their demo video.
The video effectively showcases how Zoom enables seamless communication and collaboration through high-quality video and audio. What stands out is its user-friendly interface, demonstrating the ease of joining meetings, screen sharing, and interactive features such as virtual backgrounds and breakout rooms.
Key takeaway - Add subtitles
Make your video accessible and easy to understand by including subtitles. This allows viewers to follow along even if they are in a quiet environment or have hearing difficulties. You can either upload a subtitle file along with your video if you're posting your video to YouTube or hard-code subtitles to your video.
8. Lomi
Lomi is a growing small business that specializes in eco-friendly. Their product demo video stands out because it effectively ties the company's values and mission to each of its products.
In this example, they talk about how Lomi is an elegant home appliance that takes care of your composting. The video address a very relatable problem of most people living in cities - not having the time or required equipment to compost waste.
It then shows you how Lomi turns food scraps and kitchen waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer, at the push of a button. The video cleverly weaves in social proof of the impact they’ve made with their product sales and campaigns.
Note the compelling call to action at the end inviting you to be part of a bigger environment campaign - ‘click below to reserve your Lomi now and join the movement.’
Key takeaway - Have a persuasive call to action
The call-to-action should be persuasive and guide viewers toward the desired action, whether it's signing up for a trial, making a purchase, or requesting more information. A well-crafted CTA increases the chances of conversion and engagement.
The video's storytelling approach, combined with its emphasis on sustainability, appeals to environmentally conscious consumers and something.
Now let’s get into how you can make product demo videos for your own brand.
How to Make a Simple Product Demo Video Online
If you decide to produce the video on your own or with your in-house team, here’s a guide to round up some key stages in planning, creating, and producing demo videos.
Key stages of creating your product demo video.
- Plan your video
- Decide what kind of video you want to create.
- Write a script
- Record the video
- Edit your product demo Video
Plan your video
Planning your product demo video is crucial to ensure a smooth and effective production process. Here’s where you’ll spend time to understand who your audience is and what you want to achieve with your video. This will help you tailor your content and message accordingly.
Research your target audience's demographics, preferences, and pain points. Define your video's objective, whether it's to generate leads, drive sales, or educate your audience.
Decide what kind of video you want to create.
Choose the appropriate video format that suits your product. Decide whether you want to create a live-action video, screen recording, animation, or a combination of these formats.
Each has its advantages depending on your product and the message you want to convey.
Take a look at some of the successful product demo videos in your industry or niche to understand what works well and what may not be the best format for your kind of product.
Write a script
A well-crafted script sets the foundation for a compelling product demo video.
Let your script clearly communicate what your product does, its unique selling points, and how it solves your audience's pain points or challenges.
Once that’s done, you can use it as a base to start outlining the structure of your video - an engaging introduction, a demonstration of the product's main features, and a strong call to action at the end.
Use concise and straightforward language. Don’t miss out on storytelling elements to build a better connection with your audience.
Record the video
Recording your product demo video will require attention to detail. To make this step easier it helps to prepare a storyboard or a list of shots to guide your recording process - whether you’re recording live-action shots or a screen recording.
For live-action videos, choose a well-lit area with minimal/no ambiance noise. Another thing to keep note of is to ensure that your product is clean and visually appealing so you get clear close-up shots to highlight the product's features and functionality.
And if you're screen-recording, ensure that you have the relevant dummy copy, sample files or examples to be used in the workflow ready before you hit the 'record' button.
Test your recording equipment for optimal sound and video quality. You can also use these tests to practice your presentation and ensure a confident and engaging final recording.
Edit your product demo Video
The editing stage is the most important part that allows you to refine your video. With simple tools like Typito, you can add visual enhancements like text, subtitles, and more to ensure a polished final product demonstration video.
Let's take a look at how easy it is to refine your video.
Trim your footage to remove any unnecessary or repetitive segments from your recording. Here’s how you can trim videos on Typito
Enhance the video by adding text overlays, annotations, graphics, or transitions to make it visually appealing and easy to follow.
Keep your video concise and engaging by maintaining a brisk pace. Play around with your video to speed up unimportant or repetitive steps or slow down the footage in close-up shots.
Product Demo Video Best Practices & Tips
Cheat Sheet to perfect your demo videos with simple but powerful tips:
☑️ Use the first few seconds of your video to hook your audience.
☑️ Use text cues in your video to break down and highlight steps in your workflow.
☑️ Aim to keep your video short between between two and five minutes. If you have many features, consider breaking down your videos into smaller and shorter series.
☑️ Add subtitles to your video to ensure your video is accessible and easy to understand.
☑️ If you have product-specific jargon or acronyms - use text on your video to display relevant definitions. This saves you the time from explaining jargon in your script but still keeps your audience aware of what you mean.
☑️ Address challenges and use cases to keep your demo relatable to your target audience.
☑️ Avoid distractions - in the background of your video, noisy background music, or jarring animation between clips.
☑️ Have a single and clear call to action. Whether you want viewers to hop on a registration waitlist, book a call, or head over to a sales page to make a direct purchase - let this be clear at the end of your video.
Wrapping it up
With careful planning and leveraging easy-to-use tools, you can produce an effective video that highlights your product and engages your audience within your budget and limitations.
Creating product demo videos on your own might take a bit of time and planning to create, but once they're online, they can be an effective conversion tool. And while this process can take time, it can also be a valuable learning experience and may give you insight into your product.
Also, don't hesitate to use your product video in your brand's overall video marketing strategy. You can post highlights or portions of your video on your landing pages, relevant blog posts, social media platforms, or as part of your email campaigns.
If there’s any doubt in your mind about what you should do next, let me help you out. Go over the key takeaways we highlighted above and note which one best suits your brand and what you offer.
Once you’re ready and know how you want to create your demo video we’ll help you visualize that idea into a creative product demo video on Typito. Hit the button below to get started for free.
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