Free trials have long been a go-to strategy for SaaS companies to attract new users. But turning those free trial sign-ups into paying customers is easier said than done. Often, users face friction during onboarding, sign-up forms, or complex product experiences that prevent them from seeing value quickly.

To dig deeper into how interactive demos can reshape this journey, Anna Decroix spoke with Monir Gueblaoui, CPO of Scrive. They discuss the role of interactive demos in fueling conversions, where they fit within the product-led growth (PLG) motion, and how they can improve both trial quality and long-term adoption.

Anna:

What do you see as the biggest challenge in converting free trial users to paying customers?

Monir:

One of the biggest challenges today is that many tech companies make onboarding unnecessarily hard. Users are forced to go through endless steps — sign-ups, profile creation, answering questions — before they can actually experience the product.

The real issue isn’t just the sign-up flow, but the time and effort users must spend before they see value. Companies need to rethink the trial journey with a focus on helping users experience product value as seamlessly as possible.

Anna:

So is the solution just fixing the sign-up process, or is there more to it?

Monir:

The key challenge is not to solve the sign up. It's to create a way for how a user can experience the value of a product in the most seamless way possible. The sign up flow is something that can block that journey, and it's a common blocker that exists out there, but that's not the sole problem.

The problem is the time and the effort that a user needs to spend before they can actually experience a product and the value that that product exerts.

Anna:

How do interactive demos fit into the trial experience?

Monir:

An interactive demo lets potential users experience your product in a realistic, production-like setting—without needing to sign up or go through a lengthy onboarding.

Instead of making the product the 10th or 12th step in the journey, an interactive demo puts it front and centre. You control which part of the product to showcase and when, giving users immediate value and a better first impression.

Anna:

Where should companies place interactive demos? Do they replace trials, complement them, or come before them?

Monir:

That’s a great question, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. All three scenarios you mentioned can be relevant—it depends on your product, service, industry, and current user journey.

At Scrive, we see interactive demos not as a replacement for the trial experience, but as a first step in the trial journey. They let users experience the product’s value and key features without committing to a full trial, which can help increase trial conversions. Other vendors can adopt the same approach as well.

Anna:

I wonder whether having an interactive demo leads to more free trial sign-ups or fewer but higher-quality ones. Could it be excluding “window shoppers” who might have signed up otherwise? What are your expectations here?

Monir:

I think the main benefit of using interactive demos is that the data you get becomes much more accurate. Many tech companies see free trial users who aren’t real buyers—people signing up with personal email accounts, for example. This inflates the numbers and makes it hard to understand actual interest. By using an interactive demo as a gateway, you filter out non-serious users, giving you cleaner data to iterate on and improve your conversion rates.

Anna:

Can interactive demos help with lead qualification too?

Monir:

They can, but it’s not their primary purpose. Still, the data collected from how a user navigates a demo can feed into sign-up flows, making them more seamless. More importantly, using demos as gateways helps ensure the leads you do get are more qualified — fewer “window shoppers” with personal email accounts, and more real buyers. This improves data quality, even if raw sign-up numbers go down.

Anna:

What are your thoughts on the structure and build of interactive demos? Should they just be a product walkthrough, storytelling around success, or hands-on “show and tell” experiences?

Monir:

The beauty of interactive demos is that you can create different narratives for different audiences. Essentially, users have a job they need to complete, and your demo should show how your product solves that. By highlighting key use cases and moments, you can tailor the experience to each user type or persona, guiding them through the flows that matter most for trial conversions.

For example, a sales leader might be focused on shortening deal cycles and improving win rates, while someone in marketing is trying to generate higher-quality leads or track which campaigns actually influence revenue. A presales engineer, meanwhile, just wants to stop spending hours building custom demos for every request. When you build narratives around these different goals, you’re not just showing features, you’re showing relevance. That’s what really drives trial conversions, because users quickly see how the product fits into their day-to-day life.

Anna:

What about once users move into the free trial? Do demos still play a role?‍

Monir:‍

It’s a great question. Are demos necessary for that journey to succeed? I’d say yes. If a user is unfamiliar with a tool and jumps straight into a free trial without guidance, they can get lost, frustrated, and quit before experiencing any real value. An interactive demo kickstarts the journey by guiding users in a controlled way, helping them reach key moments and see the value your product delivers.

Anna: ‍

Now that users know the benefits, how do you actually get them to use the tool? With so many use cases, it can become a big project—mapping pre-trial demos based on needs or pain points, then continuing the narrative during onboarding, and later showing advanced features. How do you approach building and mapping these demos?

Monir:

You start where you can have the most impact, and that will vary by organization. Begin by understanding your business, nurture flows, campaigns, and how users enter your free trial journey. Focus first on the flows that bring in the most users—whether that’s an email campaign, a landing page, or paid ads. Essentially, treat it like any other strategic initiative: start where it matters most.

Anna:

So, you’ve done the strategic mapping, built the demos, and embedded them across different touchpoints. What should you measure to know if they’re working and how to improve them?

Monir:

The first things to track are the number of demos shown, how many are completed, and the conversion rate from demo to free trial. Then, compare your old trial-to-paid conversion rate with the new one after adding interactive demos. That tells you if they’re impacting the bottom line—paid customers. These metrics make it easy to calculate ROI, because you can clearly see if demos are driving more revenue.

In my experience, they usually do. Interactive demos give users a low-touch, low-friction way to see your product’s value upfront, and that’s something every company should at least consider.

Anna:

At the stage where you’re planning everything, are you already thinking about testing and learning—like A/B testing? Or does that come later?

Monir:

‍ Absolutely. You can A/B test different interactive demos, but you can also use them as a way to test product ideas before you even build them. They’re a flexible tool—you can experiment, validate concepts, and see what resonates, all while generating value for the business.

Anna:

We’ve covered a lot—how to structure demos, where to use them, and their role in showing product value early on. But is there more? Can interactive demos also show the “art of the possible”—helping prospects see beyond their immediate problem to other opportunities? Almost like a binge effect, where they explore more and more use cases?

Monir:

Definitely. Prospects often come in with one pain point and one use case in mind. But most SaaS vendors offer multiple solutions or products that can solve a range of problems in the same domain. Interactive demos let you showcase those additional use cases in an automated, self-service way. They not only help prospects discover new value but also give existing customers ideas for expansion and best practices from others in their industry. It’s a scalable way to highlight more of what your product can do—without relying on heavy sales involvement.

Anna:

I completely agree. One question I like to ask—and I’ve heard many different answers—is how do you demonstrate success in a demo? Not by telling a story about the software, but by telling a story about a client. And of course, without giving away sensitive data. How do you approach that?

Monir:

The easiest way is to take a real customer success story and make it anonymous. Pick a strong use case where your product has been implemented successfully, remove any branding or sensitive details, and then present it as a generic example. That way, you’re still showing a real-life outcome, but in a way that any prospect can relate to. Add an interactive demo on top, and you give prospects a self-service way to explore how they could solve a similar problem.

Anna:

What’s your view on expectation setting? When prospects go through pre-trial versus a sales-led motion, do you notice differences in their expectations? And is there a way to even them out or adjust expectations if needed?

Monir:

Prospects coming through a sales-led motion usually have higher expectations because there’s a human layer guiding them. PLG (product-led) prospects tend to have lower expectations—they’re interacting with the product directly, which is more grounded in reality.

Anna:

But could their expectations be too low? Do they fully realise the value?

Monir:

Yes, that can happen. The key is to raise expectations to a realistic level so prospects understand the value and potential outcomes. This is where interactive demos shine. Unlike blog posts or screenshots, an interactive demo gives a tangible experience of the product, which naturally raises expectations and gives you something concrete to deliver on.

Conclusion

Interactive demos are more than just a pre-trial engagement tool—they reshape the entire user journey. By giving prospects a tangible, hands-on experience of the product early on, they reduce friction, increase trial conversions, and provide higher-quality leads. They also allow companies to showcase success stories safely, guide users through onboarding, and highlight additional opportunities for expansion.

As Monir highlights, when used strategically, interactive demos are a powerful way to create value, set realistic expectations, and drive measurable business outcomes.