What is a product demo video?

A product demo video is a powerful piece of video content that visually demonstrates how a product works. These videos highlight key features, showcase functionality, and provide potential customers with a clear walkthrough of the product in action. 

Whether you’re marketing a SaaS platform, a physical product, or an augmented reality app, product demo videos connect directly to your audience’s pain points and help them see how your product solves their challenges.

The best product demo videos go beyond simply listing product features—they tell a story that keeps viewers’ attention. By combining high-quality visuals, clear voiceovers, and real-life use cases, these videos can play a critical role in building brand awareness and driving conversions.

Types of product demo videos

There are many types of product demo videos to choose from, depending on your objectives and audience. Here are some common formats:

  • Feature-specific demo videos: Focus on one or two key features, like a new feature in a SaaS tool. These are great for use cases where prospects want detailed functionality.
  • Full walkthroughs: A comprehensive product demonstration video that explains how the entire product works. Perfect for onboarding or as part of your product marketing strategy.
  • Customer success stories: Showcase real-life examples of how your product solves customer problems.
  • Live-action videos: Combine screen recordings with live-action footage to show the product in action.
  • Animated demo videos: Simplify complex ideas with engaging visuals and smooth transitions.

If you’re unsure where to start, explore product demo video examples from brands like Slack, Airtable, Vanta, Coda, or Mixpanel to see how they craft content tailored to their audiences.

Demo Videos FAQs

What Are the Best Examples of Product Demo Videos?

A great product demo video does more than just explain features—it shows how a product solves real problems. Whether you’re using explainer videos, animated videos, or live walkthroughs, the goal is to keep it clear, engaging, and useful. Here are five standout examples from companies that really nailed it.

1. Vanta Demo Video

Vanta’s demo video is all about simplicity. It shows how their platform automates SOC 2 compliance—a huge pain point for compliance teams. The walkthrough is straightforward and easy to follow, using a clear structure to show how Vanta saves time and reduces manual work. Plus, the use of subtle background music keeps the video professional without being distracting.

Why It Works:

  • Focuses on one specific problem and how the product solves it.
  • Keeps the visuals clean and the messaging easy to understand.

2. Airtable AI Demo Video

Airtable’s AI demo video is a great example of turning features into practical solutions. It focuses on how teams can use their AI tools to streamline workflows like managing content calendars or organizing projects. By showing real-time examples of the product in action, Airtable makes it easy for viewers to connect the dots between the features and their own day-to-day tasks.

Why It Works:

  • Uses relatable examples to show the product’s value.
  • Follows a clear storyboard to keep the video organized and engaging.

3. Slack – Explainer-Style Demo Video

Slack knows how to make their demos fun and relatable. One of their best videos, “So Yeah, We Tried Slack…,” mixes humor, light animated video elements, and real-world scenarios to show how teams can communicate better using their platform. It’s informative without feeling like a sales pitch, which is why it stands out.

Why It Works:

  • Combines humor with practical use cases.
  • Feels approachable while still showing off key features.

4. Coda Project Management Demo Video

Coda’s demo video does a great job of showcasing how their platform replaces a jumble of docs, spreadsheets, and project management tools with one unified solution. It’s built around real-world collaboration examples, showing real-time edits and team workflows. A simple background music track ties it all together without overwhelming the visuals.

Why It Works:

  • Focuses on solving common problems for teams.
  • Clearly explains the product’s unique value without overloading the viewer.

5. Mixpanel Product Demo Video

Mixpanel’s demo video keeps things short and focused. It shows how their analytics platform tracks user behavior and helps teams make better decisions with data. The video uses clear visuals and real-time walkthroughs to show exactly how Mixpanel works, making it easy for viewers to understand the product’s impact.

Why It Works:

  • Stays focused on delivering value to its target audience.
  • Walks through the product in an actionable, step-by-step way.

Why These Videos Work

These demos stand out because they focus on making the viewer’s life easier. They:

  • Use explainer video techniques to simplify complex ideas.
  • Stick to clean, clear visuals and structured storyboards.

Use tools like animated video elements or background music to keep things engaging.

When should you share product demo videos?

Product demo videos are versatile and can be used at different stages of the customer journey:

  • During sales calls: Pair a live-action video or a walkthrough with live Zoom calls to reinforce your messaging.
  • In email follow-ups: Share software demo videos with tailored use cases that resonate with specific prospects.
  • On your website: Add demo video examples to key landing pages, like your pricing or product features page, to encourage conversions.
  • For onboarding: Use tutorials or product walkthroughs to help new customers understand the product’s functionality.
  • On social media: Short demo videos or animated clips are excellent for increasing engagement in your marketing campaigns.

What should you include in a product demo video?

A great product demo video combines clarity, storytelling, and technical precision. Here’s what to include:

  1. A compelling intro: Immediately address your audience’s pain points and highlight the value proposition of your product.
  2. Key features: Focus on the product features that align with your target audience’s needs.
  3. Engaging visuals and voiceover: Use a clear voiceover paired with high-quality visuals like screenshots, animations, or live-action clips.
  4. Real-life use cases: Include relatable examples of how the product works for other customers.
  5. A clear call to action (CTA): Ensure the video ends with a next step, like signing up for a trial or contacting your sales team.

By studying product demo video examples, you can see how top brands like Slack and Airtable structure their videos to engage viewers and drive action.

Product demo video best practices & tips

Follow these best practices to create standout product demo videos:

  • Know your target audience: Tailor the content to their specific challenges and goals.
  • Keep it concise: Focus on key selling points to avoid losing viewers’ attention.
  • Invest in video production: High-quality visuals, professional voiceovers, and smooth transitions can elevate your content.
  • Leverage analytics: Use Dock to track how potential customers interact with your videos and refine your strategy based on their behavior.
  • Get inspired: Review product demo video examples from brands like Duolingo or Headspace to learn what resonates.

Mistakes to avoid in product demo videos

Avoid these common pitfalls when creating product demo videos:

  • Overloading with details: Focus on key features rather than overwhelming viewers with every function.
  • Focusing only on features: Yes, viewers want to see features, but they also want to know how those features lead to the outcomes they want to achieve.
  • Skipping CTAs: Always include a clear call to action so viewers know the next steps.
  • Ignoring brand alignment: Ensure your video reflects your brand’s video style and messaging.
  • Low production quality: Poor-quality visuals or voiceovers can diminish the video’s impact.

How to share product demo videos internally

Product demo videos can often get lost on your company’s YouTube channel, causing repeat work for your sales team to repeat key features.

Instead of relying only on YouTube or video providers:

  1. Organize your video library: Use Dock to centralize your product demo videos and templates for easy access by the sales team.
  2. Provide guidance: Include FAQs or context on how to use specific demo video examples during different stages of the sales process.

How to share product demo videos with clients

  1. Use personalized sales deal rooms: With Dock, embed your product demo video, pricing details, and testimonials into a single sales workspace for prospects.
  2. Leverage social media: Short product demo video examples work well on LinkedIn to increase brand awareness.
  3. Add them to your website: Place demo videos on your homepage or product features page to help potential customers self-educate.

How to measure product demo video success

Track these key metrics to evaluate your product demo videos:

  • Engagement rates: Are viewers watching the entire video?
  • Rewatches and shares: Are demo video examples being shared internally by prospects?
  • Pipeline impact: How do deals that include product demo videos perform compared to those that don’t?
  • Customer feedback: Use tools like Dock to collect insights from viewers and refine your video content accordingly.

By following these tips and using great product demo video examples as inspiration, you’ll create high-quality content that boosts conversions and aligns with your overall marketing strategy.