A Programmatic SEO Experiment by Tom Granot
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Demo Video for Developer Tools

A video walkthrough showing your product in action, typically 2-5 minutes long. Demo videos help prospects understand what your product does without requiring a sales call or signup.

Why Developer Tools Companies Need This

For developer tools products, a well-crafted demo video is essential. Your target buyers—Software Engineers, DevOps Engineers, Engineering Leaders—are evaluating multiple solutions and need to quickly understand why your product is the right choice.

The unique challenges of marketing developer tools mean your demo video needs to:

! Address: Proving productivity gains quantitatively
! Address: Overcoming 'we can build this ourselves' mentality
! Address: Differentiating in a crowded space

Key Components

Every effective demo video for developer tools should include:

  1. 1
    Hook in first 10 seconds
  2. 2
    Problem statement
  3. 3
    Solution walkthrough
  4. 4
    Key feature highlights
  5. 5
    Call to action

Step 1: The Brief

Before creating your demo video, document answers to these questions specific to your developer tools product:

Product Questions

  • What specific ide integration capabilities does your product offer?
  • How does your product differ from Linear?
  • What metrics can you share about performance or results?

Persona Questions

Software Engineers:

  • How does your product address: Context switching between tools?
  • How does your product address: Setup and configuration time?

DevOps Engineers:

  • How does your product address: Pipeline complexity?
  • How does your product address: Environment consistency?

Use Case Questions

  • How does your product support developer onboarding?
  • How does your product support code quality improvement?

Step 2: The Draft

With your brief complete, create your demo video following this structure:

Demo Video Outline

  1. 1. Hook in first 10 seconds
  2. 2. Problem statement
  3. 3. Solution walkthrough
  4. 4. Key feature highlights
  5. 5. Call to action

Tips for Developer Tools

TIP Lead with the problem: Context switching between tools resonates with Software Engineers
TIP Show, don't tell: Include examples of ide integration and cli tools
TIP Address objections: Proving productivity gains quantitatively will be top of mind

Common Mistakes to Avoid

When creating a demo video for developer tools, watch out for these pitfalls:

X Making it too long (over 5 minutes)
X Starting with company history instead of value
X Showing every feature instead of key workflows
X Poor audio quality
X No clear call to action at the end

Step 3: Production

With your draft complete, focus on these production steps:

Get feedback from someone who matches your target persona
Test messaging claims with real prospects if possible
Ensure design supports (not distracts from) the content
Set up tracking/analytics to measure effectiveness

Recommended Tools

Loom Tella.tv Screen Studio Camtasia

Learn From These Companies

Study how these developer tools companies approach their marketing:

Related Guides

Other Guides for Developer Tools

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