Ask HN: How do you demo your SaaS product?
1 Mikhail_Shadrin 3 6/11/2025, 6:11:42 PM
I find product demos to be a constant challenge. I've tried:
Videos: Low engagement, people rarely finish them.
Screenshots/GIFs: Lack context, don't show the full workflow.
Live product embed: Risky, can break or confuse users.
I'm curious about what actually works for others.
What format do you use? (e.g., video, interactive demo, live environment)
How do you manage the maintenance overhead, especially with frequent product updates?
What have you found that actually moves the needle on conversions?
Looking to learn from your experiences.
Just looking at my metrics, the number of people clicking on 'See live demo' is thrice as much as clicking Learn more (< 1 in 100) or Sign up (< 1 in 300).
Could you share a bit more about how you manage it? My main concern is the upkeep.
1) How much time does your team spend maintaining this live environment and its data, especially when you ship new features?
2) Also, how do you handle bugs or instability? I'd be worried about a potential customer hitting a bug in the demo and just leaving.
3) And once they're in, how do you guide them? Do you just let them explore freely, or are there hints or tooltips to make sure they see the key features?