Storylane for
Website demos

1. Demo structure 

We recommend limiting the number of steps on your website demo to less than 12. Remember, the intention is to give visitors a reason to take next steps (signup, free trial, demo call, etc). You don't need to cover EVERY feature and workflow here. Instead, highlight the biggest pain points and use cases your product addresses. Here's a sample structure to get you started:

• Hook (Step 1-2): Start with a captivating headline or question that resonates with your buyers. Then, use text, images, video guides, or even memes to reel prospects into your demo.
• Product demo (Steps 3-10): The body of your demo should be all about value for customers. Surface key features and differentiators that make your product the best solution out there.
• Next steps (Steps 11-12): At this point, visitors should have a good understanding of how your product can help. This is an opportunity to place CTAs (free trial, talk to us, etc) to encourage next steps. You may also want to place CTAs at thoughtful moments across the demo.

Of course, it may not always be possible to fit your product demos in 12 steps, especially when you have multiple product lines and personas to cover. In such cases, break your demo into chapters with product tours or use Buyer Hub to help visitors find the right demos for their needs.

2. Storytelling techniques 

The most engaging website demos tell a cohesive story that resonates with audiences

• Problem-solution narrative: Begin by clearly articulating the pain point your product solves, then proceed to reveal how your solution addresses it. This structure helps visitors immediately identify if your product is relevant to their needs.
• Videos and voiceovers: Record presenter videos and voiceovers or generate with Lily AI to give a face/voice to your demos. This helps improve accessibility, engagement, and conversion rates.
• Patten interrupts Use "pattern interrupts" such as case studies, statistics, text-input triggers, etc. to keep viewers engaged through the length of the demo.
• Value-driven copy: Keep guide copy concise and focused on what your audience cares about most: whether that’s product differentiators, user benefits, or business outcomes.

3. Strategic placement 

Demo placement significantly impacts visibility and performance:

• Above the fold: Place your demos or demo CTA buttons on the first fold, second fold, or navbar for maximum visibility. Check out our report to learn more about demo placement.
• Multiple entry points: Share demos throughout your site, not just on the homepage. Product pages, solutions pages, and even blog posts can be effective locations for contextual demo offers.
• Device agnostic demos: Ensure your demos work seamlessly across devices, as many first-time visitors will experience them on mobile or tablets. Test thoroughly on various screen sizes to maintain engagement.
• A/B testing: Experiment with different CTA language, demo narratives, button colors, and placement to optimize click-through rates. 

To gate or not to gate? 

• For product-led companies, we discourage gating demos. Since users can access the product without any sales intervention, qualification typically comes later in the process, often based on user behavior, feature utilization, or engagement metrics. Plus, Storylane’s Account Reveal helps identify anonymous companies engaging with your demos anyway.
• For sales-led companies, consider placing your gate (lead gen form) strategically, around 5-6 steps into your demo (ideally on a cliffhanger). Giving a taste of your product helps prospects qualify themselves and keeps them curious to learn more.

4. Performance and optimization

• Storylane’s integration with Google Analytics helps monitor demo performance and combine engagement data with website event data.
• Storylane's in-app analytics shares insights into how users interact with the demos, identifying the most engaging sections and elements.
• With Account Reveal, enrich viewers' data with company info from Clearbit, automatically (no account required)
• Set up Slack Alert and receive an instant Slack notification when a lead is engaged and identified.
• Leverage other integrations and send demo events to CRM, Marketing Automation, or your data warehouse.