Crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter do better if they’ve got a Kickstarter video accompanying them. According to Kickstarter, the current tally stands at 50% versus 30%. Projects with videos are 50% more likely to reach their funding goal, as compared to the 30% likelihood of those without. By deciding to include a video, you’re already giving yourself an advantage. Here are some essentials of Kickstarter video production that can only help your chances even more.
Fluff, But Not Too Much Fluff
People love a good story, so make sure you include yours. It can be as simple as Dave and Dave’s Coffee Joulie story (“we got tired of burning our tongues and then waiting around for the coffee to grow cold”) or as funny as Font Awesome 5’s clever bakery set-up (with the rawness and dry humor similar to Dollar Shave Club’s epic explainer video). Either way, let people know why you’re running the campaign. People love it when stories inspire an emotional reaction, so don’t be afraid to fluff up the edges a little.
But don’t fluff it up too much though. There’s always the risk of running so sappy, people will roll their eyes. A good rule of thumb to follow when it comes to Kickstarter video production is that a great story can make you memorable but an over-exaggerated story can make you memorable for the wrong reasons. If you have to choose between embellishing your story or being genuine, go for the latter.
Find Your Structure
You don’t want to enter Kickstarter video production without a solid structure (or flow) for your video and a solid script. These will be your guidelines to shooting a great Kickstarter video in less time and with minimal mistakes.
Now, there are a lot of articles out there offering their own proven formula or structure for a “kick-ass” Kickstarter video. These are pretty good, and we suggest you do your own research to suit your preference, but we’ve found that one of the best (and simplest) structures comes from The Crowdfunding Formula. Chunking your script and storyboard down into these seven simple stages can make the production process a lot easier: (1) introduction, (2) problem, (3) solution, (4) team, (5) technology, (6) outcomes, and (7) your call to action.
Never Beg
You want to avoid coming off as desperate—this is an automatic turn-off for most people and it garners you nothing but pity donations. The whole point of running a crowdfunding campaign is to inspire people to contribute or become a partner/backer because they believe in your vision and your solution to a problem. Asking for donations or financial aid may have the opposite effect of what you intended, and it may in fact rub people the wrong way. Place emphasis on the advantages and perks they receive if they become backers. When it comes to selling your concept, don’t focus on what you need; focus on what they (the audience) could potentially get.
Put Your Face on Show
Who better to give advice on Kickstarter video production than Kickstarter themselves? One of their suggestions—among other things—includes putting your own face in front of the camera. “Let people see who they’re giving money to,” they write, and they’re right! Putting a face to the name (or the campaign, as it were) gives people a sense of security. You’re already asking them to give money for a product that may or may not ever be produced. Anything you can do to ease their worries and doubts can and will definitely go a long way.
