How to make screen demos sexy

Consider this: You’ve worked your tail off to create a new offering for clients and prospects, and can’t wait to show them an onscreen demo of how it all works, whether it’s a software application or a new business process or service offering. You click “Play,” and... 
 
Crickets. 
 
The thing sucks. 
 
Why is that? As we mentioned, you worked your tail off on this thing. We’ll trust you: this offering is really good, perhaps even breakthrough. Then why doesn’t any of that translate into your screen demo? Why is it, well, boring?
 
First: Don’t beat yourself up over this. It’s a common problem. Second: There’s nothing wrong with your new offering. What’s wrong is how you translated it to a screen demo.
 
This can be fixed. But it requires more effort than you probably imagined. However, it’s well worth it. 
 
“A” does not equal “B”
 
Let’s imagine you’ve got a way of getting something done for potential clients, and it all runs onscreen, like software, automatically. That’s quite a feat. If you can literally click “Start” and something just starts chugging along on its own—robotic process automation and advanced analytics come quickly to mind—then that’s amazing and paradigm-shattering. All of your development effort was well worth it. 
 
But here’s the problem: Your audience, and it doesn’t matter who they are, are inured to seeing slick video production, especially for whiz-bang demos. Just watching a process click through its motions is, viewed through this lens, a snoozer. 
 
Think about that. Your solution is brilliant. But the brilliance doesn’t come through simply by showing it in action. How bizarre is that? 
 
Yes, it’s weird. It’s also unsurprising, given our fast-pasted media world and atrophied attention-spans. Importantly, it’s a truth you need to accept and embrace if you want your offering to succeed. 
 
Borrow from the best
 
Let’s make a distinction here: “Live demo” vs. “recorded video.” You’ve seen lots of live demos; if you’ve ever been to a trade show, they’re on every big screen in every booth, with some presenter talking about what’s happening. (The trade shows have mostly gone virtual these days, but that hasn’t altered the reality.) Lots of times—think of when Apple unveils a new feature for one of their computers—there will be two people onstage: A presenter, and a hardcore geek who’s actually sitting at the computer, frantically making all the stuff happen. The presenter is slick, too: he or she knows how to fill time while images load and screens update (or don’t!), so things look faster than they are. 
 
You could try and emulate this approach. But why? It’s not worth it. It’s best left to those specialized performers. And, best of all, you can outdo it. Easily. 
 
The trick here is recording. Don’t fall into the “it must be presented live” trap. Even if you are going to be presenting live (e.g., if you’ve booked a Zoom call with a prospect), you can simply click “Play” on the video of the demo you created in advance. You’re clicking the “Play” button in real-time, so that’s live. But the rest isn’t. It’s pre-recorded. It’s canned. It’s ready to go. 
 
Why? Because going that route ensures that it’s slick, it’s quick, it’s exciting, and it’s flawless. 
 
Altering time
 
One of the biggest problems with actual live demos is the amount of time it takes for mundane things to happen: for stuff to load, for screens to populate, and so on. That’s why we’d mentioned the slick presenter you’ll see at trade shows, who knows what to talk about during these gaps, to try and hold your attention and distract you from the fact that there are gaps in the first place. 
 
But when you go to recorded video, the solution is a no-brainer: Simply edit out the gaps. You’ve seen this before. Think of any TV spot for a new smartphone or smart watch or whatever. You’ll hear exciting music, and see some gorgeous person tap their little screen, and all kinds of magical stuff happens instantly in their lives, and if you look closely at the bottom of your TV screen, you’ll invariably see the little disclaimer: “Sequences shortened.”
 
Ta-dah. There it is.
 
You know it’s been edited to appear more responsive. Do you care when you watch that TV spot? Not really. If they’d shown it in real-time, 1) the spot would be boring, and 2) they couldn’t even showcase their new features in the 30 seconds allotted. Hence the disclaimer. 
 
So that’s the first trick up your sleeve. Simply edit out what you don’t need. Your audience—in this case, your prospect or client—won’t blame you. To the contrary, they’ll thank you. 
 
But there’s one more thing that you could, and should, do. 
 
Setting the context
 
As we’d mentioned at the outset, whatever it is you want to demonstrate is solving an existing problem for your prospect.
 
Why, then, would you ever, ever dive into the solution without setting up the problem first?
 
That’s an essential bit of storytelling. And it’s crucial to the sale. 
 
So don’t open your demo with your demo! Open, instead, with a setup of the problem that your demo will solve. And make that problem sound as impossible as you can. The higher the bar, the more satisfying it is to clear it. 
 
You can phrase this as questions, or can-you-relate statements: “Ever try to [do something] when your only tool is [existing tool]?” Or: “Compiling a hundred reports from over a thousand sources can seem like an insurmountable challenge, especially with deadlines looming and regulators breathing down your neck.” That kind of stuff. 
 
And when we say “statements,” we’re talking “voice-over.” Spend the hundred bucks on Fivver and get a nice one. 
 
So in case you hadn’t inferred it yet, this requires the writing of a video script. Two columns. With images on one side, and audio on the other. 
 
Audio. So, of course, there’s music. The music alone will save your butt; it can make a rather leisurely demo seem like it’s flying by. It will add impact and drama to your voiceover. 
 
And take advantage of all your other video tools and options. When you describe the problem/set-up, show it. Use titles. Employ inexpensive stock footage. And when you segue from the setup to the payoff--i.e., when you finally get to the (edited-for-time) screen-demo itself—help the viewer along. Use call-outs, arrows, sound effects. Blur out extraneous info. Zoom in on the important stuff. Help the viewer to see the elements that you take for granted. Put it this way: Before you were old enough to drive, a car’s dashboard looked like a sea of dials and gauges. But today, when you’re actually driving, you now know exactly where to look, and when, to get the info you need. Think of your audience as “too young to drive,” in a good way, and help them along. 
 
Get help
 
We mentioned, earlier, that this isn’t exactly easy. But it is so worth the effort. We know: we help lots of clients with these kinds of challenges all the time. If you need help, we can provide it. Simply contact us today to get started. 

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