# The startup product demo: the MrAdib framework

> A machine-readable product demo framework by John Adib (MrAdib), a two-time founder who raised $1M as a CEO. Six beats in under three minutes, each answering one question the viewer has. Use it to script, tighten or review a demo video or a live demo.

Human guide: https://mradib.com/product-demo
Portable skill for AI tools: https://mradib.com/product-demo/skill.md

## How to use this

- Keep the six beats in this order.
- Every beat answers its question with one thing on screen. Show what the list says, skip what the list says.
- One user, one job, one flow. Real product and real data only.
- Check each beat against its pass test, then check the whole script runs under three minutes.

## 01. Hook
Question: Who is this for, and what do they get?
What it is: The first ten seconds. One sentence: who the user is, the job they need done, and what your product gives them. Then the product is on screen. No logo animation, no company history.
Show:
- One sentence: for whom, which job, what result
- Your name and the product's name, once
- The product on screen by second ten
Skip:
- A title card, a logo reveal, music
- The founding story
- Describing the industry
Pass test: By second ten a stranger knows who this is for and the product is visible.

## 02. Context
Question: Where does the user start?
What it is: The real situation just before your product. The trigger, the mess they are in today, and the one thing they want. Use a real account with real data, never placeholder text.
Show:
- A real user scenario with a name and a task
- The state before: the spreadsheet, the inbox, the manual step
- Real data, with anything sensitive replaced
Skip:
- Login, sign-up and onboarding screens
- Empty states and test data
- Explaining every menu
Pass test: The viewer wants the problem solved before you touch a button.

## 03. Flow
Question: What does the user do?
What it is: The core action, start to finish, at the speed a real user works. One path, no detours. Narrate why the user does each step, not what the button is called.
Show:
- One path from trigger to result
- Narration on the why: the decision at each step
- The two or three details that show craft
- Cursor movements a viewer can follow
Skip:
- Every feature you built
- Settings, admin and edge cases
- Silence, or reading the interface aloud
Pass test: A viewer could repeat the flow from memory.

## 04. Magic moment
Question: Where does the product prove itself?
What it is: The result. The report generated, the deal matched, the hours saved, on screen and quantified. Slow down here. This is the moment the viewer remembers and the reason the flow existed.
Show:
- The output, on screen, in full
- The number: how much faster, cheaper or better than the state before
- A beat of silence for the viewer to see it
Skip:
- Cutting away before the result appears
- Explaining the result instead of showing it
- A second flow before the first has landed
Pass test: Pause the video here and the screen alone makes the case.

## 05. Proof
Question: Is this real, and is it used?
What it is: Evidence that this is a working product with real users, not a prototype. A live URL, usage numbers, a customer name, all dated.
Show:
- The live URL or the app store listing, on screen
- Usage in one line: customers, weekly actives or revenue, with the date
- What is built versus what is coming, said plainly
Skip:
- Mockups presented as product
- Numbers without dates
- Roadmap slides
Pass test: The viewer knows what exists today and what does not.

## 06. Close
Question: What is next, and how do I try it?
What it is: Ten seconds. What ships next, and where the viewer can try it themselves. End on the product, not on a slide.
Show:
- The next milestone, dated
- Where to try it: the URL, an invite, a sandbox
- Your name and contact, spoken once
Skip:
- A thank-you slide
- A recap of everything you showed
- Music or an outro animation
Pass test: The viewer can open the product the moment the video ends.
Example: Try it at app.example.com with the code DEMO. The mobile app ships next month. I am Sara, sara@example.com.

## Recorded, live, or on stage

- Recorded video. When: An application or an investor asks for a link. Change: Screen recording with your voice, one take if you can, under three minutes. Y Combinator caps it at three; aim for two. Unlisted link, no password.
- Live in the room. When: You demo in a meeting or on a call. Change: A staged account loaded with real-looking data, one path rehearsed ten times, and a recording as backup. Never build or fix anything live.
- On the demo day stage. When: A pitch competition or a demo day gives you two minutes. Change: Bigger type, slower cursor, the magic moment first. Cut context to one sentence and skip proof: the deck carries it.

## Optional beats

- A second flow: One flow undersells the product and you still land under three minutes.
- Captions: The video will be watched on mute, as most application videos are.
- Before and after: The old way is so painful that seeing it makes the magic moment land harder.
- A sandbox login: Reviewers can try it themselves and the product survives a stranger's clicks.
- Mobile view: The product lives on a phone, or the buyer will judge it there.