'We need a video for our startup.'

Whether you're the co-founder of a B2B software startup or the new marketing lead for a B2C mobile app startup, you might believe that a video is the answer to all your marketing challenges. However, you'll soon discover that creating a product video can be as complex and fraught with pitfalls as a website redesign. Moreover, it could potentially consume your entire annual budget – a budget that might be nearly non-existent at this point.

You'll probably pick one of these two options:

Invest 5-15k on an animation video–gamble it’s gonna hit the note
DO NOTHING

There’s a third option I’d want you to consider:

Produce and share an ‘ungated’ video demo that allows curious individuals (clients, investors, partners) to quickly understand what your product is, what people do with it, and how they benefit from using it.

This video is NOT your entire video strategy. Perhaps you'll want to create a more polished animated video, video ads, or produce additional videos to highlight specific use cases or answer particular questions.

However, you should produce this generic product video as soon as possible. The production budget should account for the likelihood that you'll want to update it in a few months.

Why it’s important to have an ‘ungated’ product demo

When I say ‘ungated demo’, I’m not referring to a ‘Book A Demo’ button or a lead generation form, or a 15 seconds ad you’ll run on YouTube/Instagram (you’re probably not at this stage yet), I’m talking about a video that is free and easily accessible on your website or a YouTube channel.

Wild, I know!

First impressions are crucial and patience is scarce. Startups often face the mammoth task of distinguishing themselves in a crowded market and engaging prospective clients within mere moments.

Offering an un-gated video demo of your product (yes, yes, even if it’s not perfect) becomes an indispensable tool in your marketing and sales arsenal.

1. Show, Don't Just Tell

While a thousand words could describe your software's functionality, a two-minute video can let potential clients see it in action and get a feel for it. Prospects can immediately gauge if it's intuitive, if it aligns with their expectations, and if it's something they'd find valuable. There's no sales pitch that's quite as persuasive as the product itself speaking volumes. Plus, it helps you position yourself (CEO, CMO, Sales lead, etc.) as an expert and a hopefully sympathetic person.

How long should it be?

It can be 2 minutes or 10 minutes; it depends on your client and the product's complexity. If a B2B buyer (CTO, CMO, CEO) is considering committing a percentage of their annual budget to a piece of software, they surely have 10 minutes to understand what it is and evaluate if it’s potentially a good fit.

Where can you share it/use it?

Website home page
In a blog article
YouTube channel (SEO!)
Private content hubs
Via email/LinkedIn DMs
On your phone in a trade-show (half-joking!)
Appendix to a pitch deck

2. Cost-Effective Marketing with Authenticity

Fancy animations have their place. However, they are not always the best choice, especially for startups operating on a tight budget. Screen recordings of your product in action provide your audience with an unfiltered view of its capabilities. They're comparatively less expensive, quicker to produce, and most importantly, they represent your product authentically. This approach filters out ill-fitting prospects more efficiently. That's it.

Additionally, tools like Loom, Canva, and other low-cost online video editors allow for basic motion design if needed—like zooming in on a screen or highlighting an action.

Consider this: it might be better not to over-edit, so it doesn't appear as a job done halfway.

3. Real Use Cases Spark Real Interest

By showcasing actual use cases and examples of how your software has been employed, potential clients can relate and see its direct impact. It's evidence that what you offer isn't just a tool but a solution. A solution that's already working wonders for others–and that is powerful.

‘Here’s what [Ideal customer profile] working in X department would do with it.’
‘Here is a workflow you could configure if you want to achieve X.’
‘Most of our users use X feature to achieve Y in Z context.’

Examples of 'ungated' demos

OK. OK. They’re not all proper demos and some of them have a decent production budget. I put them in order of production value/complexity so you gauge yourself see how complex you can go.

This is from a strategic marketing point of view, not an evaluation of video production quality.

This one from Clockwise AI requires some confidence (and a working product) but it can literally be done with a phone in 2 hours. Your turn!

I really like what Maket.ai is doing with these long form demos and these shorter form videos that show concrete use case users can do.

The following videos incorporate some basic design/motion design, but most of them primarily focus on showing the product in action with simple screen recordings, highlighting who uses it and what they do with it.

This is at the heart of a good product video. Are they boring? Yes, mostly. Unless you are interested because it solves a painful problem you have. Ah! Then, maybe you want even more and you’ll rush to book a demo/start a free trial. It allows curious (but serious) prospects to convince themselves. It provides them with a compelling piece of content to share with their team, prompting them to say, 'Hey, check this out; we need this.'

Cheating a bit, it's Airbnb, yes. But it could have been 10x more complex/expensive. What I wanted to highlight is that they showcase the new features and their uses with very simple screens. You can draw inspiration from their script and narrative.

Credit to Dave Kellogg for his piece, 'Should Your Website Drive Prospects to a Demo?'. He articulates many compelling arguments in favor of this approach.