We’ve been involved with several Kickstarter projects recently (and yes, we have blogged about it before!) and they all present their own unique challenges and difficulties. If you’re not already familiar with Kickstarter, it’s a crowd funding website that’s designed for you to elicit donations from fans, friends, and followers, in order to help you make your idea (a company, a product, a film, etc), a reality.
To get complete strangers to invest in your project, we’ve learned that you have to convince them that it is worth their while to donate. Kickstarter recommends that you post a video introducing your project to potential donators. This is an incredibly important process that should be tackled with the same energy and devotion as the project itself. You could have a revolutionary new product that will revolutionize mankind, but if your video is dull and doesn’t entice your audience, you may never get the funding you’re hoping for.
It’s a common cliche, but very true in this case, that your video needs to be short, sweet, and to the point. The video itself however, cannot be a cliche. The most successful Kickstarter campaigns generally have videos that are just as professional and creative as the project that is trying to be funded. There are many ways that this can be accomplished, and it doesn’t necessarily mean committing to an outrageous production budget. We’re currently cutting together a light-hearted film trailer, dramatizing lots of scenarios which the product will solve. Humor is one of many options, and while it works for this project, it won’t work for every project. Ultimately, it’s all about creativity, and finding away to relate to your audience; If they feel like they’re part of it, they’re more likely to donate. If you don’t put any effort into your message, then why will a complete stranger choose to support you, let alone your friends, family, and colleagues?
We love getting involved with these projects. It feels amazing to know that your work helped contribute to the success of a daring entrepreneur. If you’ve got an idea for a project and you need a creative way to secure funding, our team would be happy to consult with you on the most effective way to introduce your idea to the world…. and get it funded!