If you’re reading this, you probably work in SaaS sales, product marketing, or maybe you’re just the unlucky person who got handed “the demo project.” You want to make your product shine using Walnut’s interactive demo templates, but you don’t want to waste hours on stuff that won’t move the needle. This guide is for you: no fluff, just practical steps, honest advice, and real talk about what works (and what you can skip).
Let’s get right into it.
1. Know What You Want the Demo to Actually Do
Before you start dragging and dropping in Walnut, stop and ask: What’s the goal here? Is it a self-serve demo for your website, a leave-behind for sales, or a live walkthrough for prospects? If you try to make one demo fit every use case, you’ll end up with a Frankenstein’s monster that doesn’t work for anyone.
Quick checklist: - Who’s watching this demo? (End user, executive, technical buyer, etc.) - What’s the one thing you want them to remember after seeing it? - Should the demo be guided (step-by-step) or more like an interactive playground? - Do you want to collect any data (like email) or is it pure showcase?
Pro tip:
Don’t try to cram your whole product into one demo. Pick one problem your prospect cares about and show how you solve it.
2. Start With the Right Template—But Don’t Get Precious
Walnut’s templates are a great starting point, but they’re just that—a starting point. Choose a template that’s the closest fit to your use case (product tour, onboarding, etc.), but don’t be afraid to strip out or add steps.
What works: - Using templates to get the basic flow and structure down fast. - Keeping only the steps that matter; delete filler screens. - Customizing the template copy and images—don’t leave stock content.
What doesn’t: - Over-customizing before you’ve shown the demo to a real person. - Worrying about pixel-perfect design upfront (prospects care about clarity, not your color palette).
Ignore:
Template features that don't match your product’s real workflow. If a template forces users through steps your product doesn't have, rip those out.
3. Customize the Content—But Stay Ruthless
This is where most demos go off the rails: too much text, fake data that doesn’t look real, or a bunch of features nobody cares about.
The essentials:
- Headlines and copy: Write like a human, not marketing-speak. Show, don’t sell.
- Screenshots and data: Use realistic data. Don’t use “John Doe” or “ACME Corp.”—pull some anonymized real entries if you can.
- Callouts and tooltips: Keep these short and direct. If you need more than one sentence, you’re explaining too much.
Pitfalls to avoid: - Over-explaining features nobody asked about. - Demoing “cool” features that aren’t relevant to your target customer. - Using placeholder content you meant to swap out but forgot.
Pro tip:
After customizing, run through the demo as if you’re your own most impatient prospect. If you get bored or confused, cut or rewrite.
4. Map the Flow—Less Is More
Your demo should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Most prospects want to see two things: How does this solve my problem, and how hard is it to use?
How to keep it tight: - Limit to 5–7 steps/screens, max, for most use cases. - Each step should have a clear action or takeaway. - If it takes more than 3 minutes to get to the “aha!” moment, it’s too long.
What to ignore:
Don’t walk through setup screens or admin panels unless your audience really cares. (Hint: They usually don’t.)
If you must do branching paths:
Keep it simple. Too many “choose your own adventure” options confuse people and break the flow.
5. Brand It—But Don’t Get Lost in the Weeds
Yes, you want your demo to look like your product. But obsessing over every pixel in Walnut isn’t a good use of time, especially for early drafts.
What actually matters: - Use your logo and brand colors—enough to make it feel familiar. - Match the basic look of your app (fonts, button styles if possible). - Make sure demo data and user avatars look like real customers, not clip art.
What doesn’t: - Spending hours tweaking hover states and obscure UI elements. - Adding so much “flair” that it distracts from the main product story.
Quick win:
Ask a colleague who isn’t a designer to review it. If they think it looks fine, you’re done.
6. Personalize—Just Enough
Walnut lets you personalize demos with variables (company name, user name, etc.). This is powerful, but don’t overdo it.
What works: - Plugging in the prospect’s logo or name for key screens. - Adding one or two data points that make the demo feel “for them.”
What doesn’t: - Trying to personalize every single element. It’s a maintenance headache. - Auto-filling with obviously fake personalization (“{FirstName}” left in the UI).
Pro tip:
Build a “base” demo you can duplicate and lightly personalize for different accounts, instead of starting from scratch every time.
7. Add Interactivity—But Only Where It Helps
Interactive elements (clickable buttons, tooltips, input fields) are great—when they help the prospect understand your product. But too many can confuse or frustrate.
Best practices: - Use interactivity to highlight key features, not as a gimmick. - If a button doesn’t go anywhere meaningful, don’t make it clickable. - Keep interactive flows short and obvious. Don’t hide the next step.
What to avoid: - Turning your demo into a scavenger hunt. - Overloading with “Easter eggs” or cute animations that slow things down.
8. Preview, Test, and Get Feedback—Don’t Assume
You’re too close to your own demo. Always preview it in Walnut, then have someone outside your team run through it. Watch where they get stuck or tune out.
Checklist: - Does the flow make sense to someone who’s never seen your product? - Are there any dead ends, broken links, or weird transitions? - Is the messaging clear and jargon-free?
What to ignore:
Don’t stress about tiny typos or visual glitches on your first round. Focus on the big picture: clarity and usefulness.
9. Track & Iterate—But Set Limits
Walnut gives you analytics: who viewed the demo, where they dropped off, which steps they spent time on. Use this, but don’t obsess over every metric.
What’s useful: - Identify steps where prospects drop off—trim or improve those. - See which demos get shared or completed most.
What’s not: - Chasing a 100% completion rate (it won’t happen). - Making changes based on one person’s opinion.
Process: - Tweak one thing at a time, then check results. - Save old versions so you can roll back if new changes flop.
10. Keep Maintenance Simple
Every SaaS product changes. If your demo is too custom or hard-coded, it’ll be out of date in a month.
How to future-proof: - Build modular demos: small, reusable sections you can update quickly. - Document what’s custom vs. what’s part of the template. - Schedule a quarterly review—don’t let your demo collect dust.
Avoid: - Creating a new demo for every tiny feature update. - Relying on one “demo wizard” who’s the only person who knows how it works.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Overthink It
A good demo shows how your product solves real problems, fast. You don’t win deals by having the fanciest template—you win by helping prospects “get it” in as few steps as possible.
Keep your Walnut demos simple, focused, and easy to update. Test with real people. Cut what doesn’t work. Iterate, but don’t get stuck in demo perfectionism. Your prospects (and your team) will thank you.