Product and service demos on social media that sell

Key takeaways

A product demo video for social media shows the thing working, for a specific person, in a specific situation. It sells because the buyer sees the result instead of being told about it. Thirty seconds is enough when the first three show the problem being solved.

• 30 seconds: problem, product in use, result, next step.
• Show one use for one buyer, not every feature.
• Services can be demonstrated by showing the process.
• The demonstration must reflect normal performance.

What is a demo, and why does it attract buyers?

A demo is a short demonstration of a product or service in real use. It attracts buyers because only someone with that need will watch a tool, a process or a piece of software doing its job. People with no use for it scroll on, which is helpful.

• How to create social media content that attracts the right customers

What structure should a demo follow?

Open on the problem, show the product solving it, show the result, then say who it is for and what to do next. Do not start with unboxing, a logo or a list of features. One clear use, shown properly, beats a tour of everything.

• 0 to 3 seconds: the problem, shown.
• 3 to 20 seconds: the product or process in use.
• 20 to 26 seconds: the result.
• 26 to 30 seconds: who it suits and one next step.

• Social media hooks that stop the right people scrolling
• Short-form video for small businesses without a studio

How do you demonstrate a service?

Demonstrate a service by showing the process and the deliverable. Record a screen as a report is built, film the stages of a visit, or show the document a client receives with details removed. The aim is for a buyer to picture what will happen after they say yes.

• A screen recording of the work being done.
• The stages of a visit, in order.
• The deliverable, anonymised.
• A timeline from enquiry to completion.

• Social media content for service businesses
• Behind-the-scenes content that builds buyer confidence

How do you make it qualify the buyer?

Make it qualify the buyer by showing the right use case and stating who it is for. A demo of a commercial coffee machine in a café tells home users it is not for them. Add the scale, price range or minimum order in the caption.

• The right-customer content scorecard for social media
• Should you post prices on social media?

What are the rules on demonstrations?

A demonstration must not exaggerate what the product can do. Speeded-up footage should be labelled, results should be achievable in normal use, and comparisons with competitors must be fair and verifiable. If you sell through the post, UK distance selling rules on information and cancellation apply.

• ASA rules for social media advertising in the UK
• Social commerce for UK small businesses

When is a demo the wrong format?

A demo is the wrong format when the value is not visible, as with advice, or when the process is confidential. In those cases use a case study or a before and after measure. It is also a poor choice if the product is not yet reliable enough to film.

• Turn a case study into social media posts that sell

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see with UK product businesses: polished lifestyle photos and no footage of the product in use. A plain phone video of it doing its job, with a caption saying who it suits, frequently outperforms the photography for enquiries.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses
• How to share testimonials on social media properly

Demo checklist

Check before posting.

• The problem appears in the first three seconds.
• One use case is shown.
• The result is visible.
• Who it suits is stated.
• Nothing is exaggerated or unlabelled.
• There is one next step.

Next step

Choose your best-selling product or service and film it solving one real problem this week, on a phone, in one take.