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Show, Don't Tell

🤫 Show, Don't Tell #40 - What's this "demo widget" you speak of?


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Welcome to our 40th edition of Show, Don't Tell. A newsletter to help you build REMARKABLE interactive demos...3 tips at a time.

This week we:

  1. Go all-in on first impressions
  2. Show how persona demos should really look
  3. Add a demo widget to the corner of your screen

Let's get after it...

Supported By:

We are Navattic fanatics.

We had the idea for this newsletter after hundreds of hours spent building Navattic demos for our past companies and current clients. We love making remarkable interactive demos, and want to share helpful tips and examples so you can too.

A huge thanks to Navattic for helping make this a reality. If you want to create a better experience for your buyers, go check them out.

They have a free plan you can start using today!

​→ Try Navattic​

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Tip #1 - Make Your First Screen Impossible to Ignore

Most demo intro screens look the same. Product screenshot, some text, maybe a logo. You've seen it a thousand times, so your brain just glosses over it.

Cupix took a swing and might have hit a home run. They created this massive all-white modal that blends with their an all-white background…and nothing but a big video right in the center.

It doesn't look like a standard demo card at all. It looks like an event. Like something important is about to happen.

The whole point is that it gives you such a good first impression that you actually want to start clicking. And honestly? We think they nailed it.

Remember UserGems' cinematic welcome screen from Edition #28? Is this a new trend starting in demos? (we hope so)

​→ See Cupix's bold white intro​

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Tip #2 - One Demo Can't Speak to Everyone

Here's what bugs me about most demos: they show one generic flow and expect it to resonate with everyone. Sales rep? Here's the demo. Demand Gen? Same demo. Executive? Yep, same demo.

Nuvolo built persona demos, which isn't new. But they didn't stop at one or two. They built FOUR complete stories…each following a real person through a full day-in-the-life experience.

Because unless you're super early stage, your product serves multiple roles with totally different problems. Sales doesn't care about what Marketing cares about. IT has nothing to do with what Finance needs.

Nuvolo gets that none of these jobs are one-size-fits-all, so their demos aren't either.

We’ve seen WorkJam's "Day in the Life of Alex" from Edition #36 and Kallidus's choose-your-own-adventure from Edition #37. But Nuvolo went deeper by building out four separate complete narratives for the whole buying committee.

​→ Pick your persona at Nuvolo​

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Tip #3 - Add a Demo Widget

Demos typically live on one page. You find it, you take it, you leave. Then a week later someone wants to show it to their boss and they can't remember where it was.

CaptivateIQ fixed this by sticking a demo widget right above their chatbot. It's always there, no matter where you are on their site.

But here's the thing - it's sleek and beautifully designed. Not gaudy, not screaming at you. Just quietly persistent.

If you’re struggling to get demo views, or can’t figure out where to put them on your site…give this a try.

​→ Try finding a page without it​

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Media Capture Editing — Don't miss this! 👀

One of my favorite tricks when uploading a screen capture in Navattic, is putting it inside a device frame — like a MacBook or iPhone.

It makes static screen captures feel more realistic, so people can actually picture what it might be like using your app on their phone, for example.

And now...

When you wrap a screen capture in a device frame, you can set it's vertical alignment to either top, center, or bottom.

That way, if you upload a long screen capture, you can have control over how it appears in the frame — tooltips and annotations included.

So, the next time you add a device frame, make sure you click the "Position" dropdown and set your vertical alignment.

And if you're new to media captures, don't forget these other great editing features:

  • Blur sensitive parts of your screen
  • Draw on top of them
  • Add custom background images and colors
  • Lock vertical and horizontal scroll

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​​→ Learn more about editing media captures​

Don’t have time to build remarkable Navattic demos? We do.

​DemoDash is an agency 100% focused on making interactive demos your top product marketing asset. We’ll map your story, build your tours, and help you measure the impact.

​→ Learn more at demodash.agency​

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So that’s it. Our 40th edition of Show, Don’t Tell.

3 useful tips to help you build remarkable interactive demos.

Tune in next Tuesday for more advice from DemoDash.

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P.S.

If you know anyone else who would love these tips, please consider sending them this edition so they can subscribe 🙏
​

​Jason and Eric​
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Show, Don't Tell

Learn how to create remarkable interactive demos that make your SaaS product easy to understand and buy. 3 practical tips and examples every Tuesday.

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