You spent three weeks perfecting that demo.
Polished every screen. Re-recorded the voiceover. Got approvals. Re-exported. Re-uploaded.
It’s crisp. It’s clean. It’s technically flawless.
And then your buyer? Watched five minutes and bounced. Oof.
You’re not alone. In our DemoIQ Assessment, teams told us how much time and energy go into demo creation. Even a “simple” micro-demo can eat up 1–2 days. Complex, multi-path demos? More like 3–4 weeks. And that’s just for one asset.
It’s no wonder 55% of demo creators say bandwidth is their biggest blocker. You’re racing to keep up—and still, most of what you build barely gets touched.
But here’s the thing: shrinking attention spans aren’t the problem. They’re an opportunity.
Buyers aren’t disengaged. They’re just selective with how they spend their time. And with buying groups growing exponentially, each with their own lens, no one’s sitting through a 15-minute monologue to get to the part that matters to them.
They want content they can scan, skip, or segment. They want the ability to choose their own path. And that’s exactly where personalized, modular on-demand demos shine.
Let’s dig into how attention spans are changing and ways sales, presales, and marketers can better personalize existing long-form content to hit the mark.
Attention Spans are Shrinking
Buyers don’t have time, and they’re showing you with their views.
We analyzed more than 6 million buyer interactions across Consensus demos in our B2B Buyer Behavior Report, and found the average demo length was 15 minutes and 14 seconds.
The average view time? Just 5 minutes and 44 seconds.
That’s a huge drop-off—and a clear signal: We’re building long-form content for audiences that have already tuned out.
Now, layer in this: buying groups aren’t shrinking. According to Gartner, there are 6 to 10 stakeholders in a typical B2B deal, all with different priorities and perspectives. One-size-fits-all demos don’t stand a chance.
You’re not just building a demo for one person anymore. You’re building for a crowd, and most of them will only give you a few minutes of time.
That said, don’t immediately go rushing to throw out all your longer demos. Instead, rethink how this content can be better personalized to different stakeholders.
How to Turn Long-Form Demo Content into Bite-Sized Hits
Buyers expect content that’s easy to consume and tailored to their needs. That’s why teams need a smarter, more scalable approach to demo and content creation. One that mirrors how buying groups actually engage.
Micro-demos, easy-to-navigate tours, and modular assets free up your team’s bandwidth and improve buyer engagement.
For example, many Consensus customers use chaptering to turn longer video demos into personalized, bite-sized experiences, ensuring each stakeholder sees what matters most to them.
The takeaway? You don’t need to scrap your long-form demos. You just need to make them work harder.
Break them into chapters. Let stakeholders self-select what matters. Serve up content that’s tailored, not generic. Because when you meet buyers where they are—and give them only what they need—they’ll watch, engage, and move forward.
Shorter attention spans aren’t the enemy. They’re the roadmap.
Want to learn more about creating personalized demo content? Let’s get meta.
Check out a personalized demo of Consensus’ Product Experience Platform.
