Guide: How to Build a High-Impact Payroll Product Demo Video
High-impact guide for creating an effective prerecorded payroll product demo video.
Guide: How to Build a High-Impact Payroll Product Demo Video
Why this matters
A polished prerecorded demo video is one of the highest-leverage assets in your payroll GTM launch. It becomes a core driver of top-of-funnel awareness, inbound lead quality, and sales efficiency.
Marketing uses it on the payroll landing page to convert visitors into leads; sales uses it in pre-meeting emails and follow-ups to warm prospects before the first conversation.
Partners who create this video early consistently see:
- Higher conversion on marketing pages
- More qualified inbound pipeline
- Better context going into the first sales call
- Faster understanding of the product across internal teams
This is a required task for launching a payroll GTM motion.
What This Demo Video Should Achieve
The demo should:
- Clearly show what your payroll product does and why it’s easy to use
- Highlight the benefits your target audience cares about (speed, accuracy, automation, employee experience)
- Follow a simple narrative that mirrors a real payroll run
- Be short, digestible, and polished (2–3 minutes max)
Your goal: Show prospects how simple payroll can be with your product—without needing a live demo.
Recommended Format
- Length: 2–3 minutes
- Style: Screen-recorded walkthrough using real product screens
- Narration: Optional but encouraged (voiceover or on-screen captions)
- Branding: Light logo intro and outro
- Music: Optional, subtle only
- Tone: Clear, simple, confidence-building
Suggested Storyboard (Based on the Slide File)
Use the sequence below to ensure your demo mirrors a real payroll run and builds trust with prospects.
(Storyboard sourced from the attached guide )
- Entering Hours & Inputs
- Show where the user enters hours, salaries, reimbursements, or bonuses.
- Reinforce ease of use and accuracy.
- Beginning a Payroll Run
- Show how fast it is to start payroll.
- View of Hours, Earnings & Deductions
- Display a clean summary of what employees will be paid.
- Call out transparency and automation.
- Making Adjustments
- Demonstrate editing an employee’s hours or pay.
- Highlight how forgiving and safe the system is.
- Final Review & Approvals
- Emphasize accuracy checks, approval workflows, and error prevention.
- Payroll Confirmation (Payroll Completed)
- Show the success message.
- Reinforce reliability.
- Pending Payroll / Edit Payroll View
- Demonstrate how payrolls in progress appear.
- Payroll Reports
- Show where admins can access payroll history and reports.
- Employee Access to Pay Stubs
- Show the employee-facing experience (pay stubs, access, self-service).
Script Template (Optional but Helpful)
Intro (5–7 seconds)
“Here’s how easy it is to run payroll with [Product Name].”
Run Payroll Flow (1–2 minutes)
- “Start by entering hours or any additional pay.”
- “Review earnings, taxes, and deductions automatically calculated.”
- “Make quick adjustments as needed.”
- “Submit payroll for approval.”
- “Once approved, payroll is automatically processed and employees receive pay stubs.”
Wrap Up (10–15 seconds)
“With [Product Name], payroll is fast, accurate, and easy for both admins and employees. To learn more, visit our payroll page or schedule a demo.”
Tips for Producing a High-Quality Video
Before Recording
- Script out your steps
- Use a clean demo environment
- Remove sensitive or distracting data
- Set your browser zoom to 100–110% for legible UI
- Close all notifications
While Recording
- Keep cursor movements slow and intentional
- Speak slowly if using voiceover
- Highlight only the highest-value steps
- Avoid long pauses or empty screens
After Recording
- Add subtitles or light on-screen text
- Trim unnecessary seconds
- Add intro/outro branding
- Export in 1080p
Recommended Tools
- Loom – Easiest for quick, polished recordings
- Camtasia – Professional editing
- Descript – Excellent for editing screen recordings and adding captions
- Mac/Windows native screen recorders – Simple, no frills
What to Do After Creating the Video
Marketing
- Upload the video to your payroll landing page
- Use it in paid campaigns or product tours
- Share it in newsletters or lifecycle emails
Sales
- Use the video in:
- Pre–sales meeting emails
- Follow-up emails
- “No-show” outreach
- Outbound prospecting sequences
Internal Enablement
- Train CSMs, support, and internal teams
- Ensure consistency in how payroll is described
Final Checklist
✔ Video is 2–3 minutes
✔ Includes full payroll run from hours → review → approval → reports
✔ Shows both admin and employee views
✔ Has light branding & captions
✔ Uploaded and accessible to marketing & sales
✔ Embedded on your payroll landing page
✔ Included in your sales email templates
Last updated on December 16, 2025