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Show, Don't Tell

🤫 Show, Don't Tell #50 - Your demos can finally talk to you


Read Time: 4.3 minutes

Welcome to our (checks notes) 50th edition of Show, Don't Tell. A newsletter to help you build REMARKABLE interactive demos...3 tips at a time.

This week we:

  1. Show you what an off-ramp looks like
  2. Let your demos do the talking (literally)
  3. Hypnotize you so you take our demo

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: Give People an Off-Ramp to Go Deeper

It feels like every single demo gives you two options: go back or go forward. That's it.

Demos have become a linear path with one speed. A place where everyone gets the same ride.

Ready Education realized some people want to “Learn More” and can take a different path.

So they built off-ramps. As you're going through their overview and hit a feature that matters to you, there's a button to dive deeper. You can explore that specific use case, then jump back to the main tour.

Here's why we need to see more of these:

  • It appeals to multiple buying styles: Some people want the quick overview, others want to understand exactly how the reporting works before they'll consider a demo
  • It keeps high-intent prospects engaged longer. Instead of finishing your demo and bouncing because they still have questions, they can answer those questions right there

Most demos are like highways with no exits. Try giving your buyers a place to go when they see something they like.

​→ Take the scenic route through Ready Education's demo​

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Tip #2 - Let Your Demo Talk While They Listen

There's a reason people buy audiobooks instead of reading page by page. You can listen while doing other stuff. Your brain processes it differently. And honestly, sometimes you just don't feel like reading.

Monotype Fonts brought this into their demos.

They used the add-audio feature to create a demo that feels more like an audiobook…combining narration with video overlays. Instead of reading tooltips and clicking through, you're listening and watching.

Sitting on my couch watching Home Alone 2, it changed how I engaged with it. I wasn’t hunting for the next button or speed-reading through text. I’m just absorbing it.

I think this is because:

  • Audio removes the work. Reading requires active effort. Listening is passive. When you make your demo easier to consume, more people actually consume it
  • It controls the narrative. With text, people skim. With audio, they hear exactly what you want them to hear, in the order you want them to hear it
  • It feels more personal. A human voice explaining something feels different than text on a screen. It's warmer. More like a conversation than a presentation

While you’re making people read, Monotype Fonts lets you listen. Try it sometime.

​→ Listen to Monotype Fonts' audio demo​

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Tip #3 - Make Your CTA the Prettiest Thing on the Page

We've all been trained to put CTAs at the bottom or middle of the page. "Try for Free" in the top right. "Get a Demo" somewhere nearby. It's the standard playbook.

Cyncly threw that out and put a massive, beautiful graphic CTA for their interactive tour right in the hero.

Not a button…a graphic. One that's so eye-catching you can't help but look at it.

  • Your eye naturally goes to the biggest, most colorful, most interesting thing on the page.
  • The interactive tour gets the big beautiful treatment, which signals "this is the thing you should do."

Sometimes the best way to promote your demo isn't just putting it in different places.

​→ Try to take your eyes off this one​

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Edit Demos Just by Talking to Them

Editing demos shouldn’t be an agonizing task. And with Navattic's Copilot Prompt, it doesn’t have to be.

Copilot Prompt lets you update interactive demos using natural language (a.k.a. just by chatting with it).

Instead of clicking through every step, just type what you want:

  • “Add a new step after step 3.”
  • “Rename all CTAs.”
  • “Shorten all step text.”

Copilot understands your intent and makes the changes instantly — across steps, content, and CTAs. That means fewer manual edits, fewer mistakes, and more time to focus on refining your demo story.

Even better? Anyone on your team can safely edit demos without knowing the Navattic editor inside and out. Product marketers, sales, and growth teams can collaborate faster. No bottlenecks.

If demos are a core part of your go-to-market motion, Copilot Prompt feels like a cheat code.

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​​→ See a demo of Copilot Prompt in action​

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 50th edition of Show, Don’t Tell.

3 useful tips to help you build remarkable interactive demos.

We'll be back in 2026 with another 50. Happy Holidays!

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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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