An investor update usually says what shipped in a sentence or two. Investors read many of these and rarely open the product. A short demo of the new capability shows the progress instead of describing it.
For more on this topic, read How Product-Led Teams Can Use an Interactive Demo Before the Trial and A Product Launch Demo Checklist for Small Teams.
Short Answer
Link one short interactive demo of the most important thing you shipped, protected with a password or an expiry date.
- Pick the one release that matters most this period.
- Record it on clean test data and remove anything confidential.
- Share a protected link in the update.
Why Updates Are Harder than They Look
Investors skim. A paragraph about a feature competes with every other update in their inbox.
- Screenshots in email are small and lose context.
- Videos are long and often skipped.
- A product login is too much to ask.
A demo they can click through in a couple of minutes shows the work without asking for setup.
What to Show
| Update content | Demo? |
|---|---|
| A new core capability | Yes, the flow end to end |
| A redesign | Yes, the before-and-after screen |
| Performance work | Usually no, nothing to click |
| Hiring or fundraising news | No |
| A customer milestone | Only if you have permission and the data is removed |
Remove What Should Not Travel
Investor updates get forwarded. Treat the demo as if it could reach anyone.
- No real customer names or data. Blur or replace them.
- No unreleased roadmap screens.
- No internal metrics you would not put in the update itself.
See protecting customer data in demos.
Protect the Link
- A password, sent in a separate message from the update, means a forwarded update alone does not open the demo.
- An expiry date takes it down after the period the update covers.
- You can unpublish at any time.
Keep a Running Record
Each month's demo is a record of progress. Keep the links in a list. Over a year, it shows how the product grew, which is useful at the next fundraise.
An Illustrative Worked Example
This example is hypothetical. A founder ships team workspaces this month.
- They record inviting a teammate and sharing a project, six steps.
- They replace the test company name and blur a real colleague's email.
- The intro card says "New this month. Team workspaces."
- They set a password and an expiry at the end of next month.
- The update links the demo under "Product," and the password goes out in a separate message.
The Old Way Versus a Better Way
| Old way | Better way |
|---|---|
| A paragraph describing the release | A short demo of the release |
| Screenshots pasted into the email | A link the investor clicks through |
| A long product video | A few steps that show the result |
| Open link in a forwarded email | Password or expiry on the link |
| No record across months | A running list of monthly demos |
Write the Update Around the Demo
The demo does not replace the update. It supports one line in it. Keep the structure investors expect, and put the demo under the product section.
- One sentence on what shipped and why it matters.
- The demo link, with the password sent separately.
- One sentence on what you expect it to change, stated as an expectation, not a result.
If you have early signals from customers, say what they are and how you measured them. Do not imply results the demo cannot show.
Use the Same Demo Elsewhere
The demo you made for investors is often useful for other audiences, after a check.
- The changelog or launch post, on an open link if nothing in it is confidential.
- A board meeting, as a quick walkthrough.
- Hiring, to show candidates what they would work on.
Make a separate demo if the audience needs different data or a different next step.
A Monthly Routine
Week before the update. Decide which release to show.
Two days before. Record and clean it.
Day of the update. Set a password and an expiry, and add it to the running list.
Questions to Ask Before You Start
Answer these before recording. They take a few minutes and prevent most rework.
- Which release this period matters most to the story you are telling investors?
- Is anything in the demo confidential, including customer data and unreleased screens?
- Should the link carry a password, an expiry date or both?
- Where will you keep the running list of monthly demos?
- Could the same demo serve the changelog after a check?
Where Proovyt Fits (Full Disclosure)
Proovyt is an interactive demo tool, and this is our blog.
- Record, blur and replace text on every plan.
- Password-protected and expiring links are on Pro and Team.
- Owned HTML export, on Creator, Pro and Team, gives one self-contained file that plays in any browser, if you prefer to attach a file.
Common Mistakes
- Showing every release instead of the one that matters.
- Leaving customer data in screenshots.
- Using an open link in a document that gets forwarded.
- A long demo for a short update.
The Bottom Line
One short, protected demo of the main release shows investors progress they would otherwise only read about.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should every update have a demo? Only when something shipped that is worth seeing. Skip it in months without a visible release.
Can I attach the demo instead of linking it? With owned HTML export on Creator, Pro or Team, you get one HTML file that plays in any browser.
How do I stop it being forwarded? A password helps, and an expiry date limits how long it works. Neither stops someone sharing the password.
What if I show a customer's workflow? Remove their name and data, and only show it with their permission.
Can I take it down later? Yes. Unpublishing takes the page down at once.