Here’s why you need to create a great product video for your crowdfunding campaign.
They’re 20% more likely to succeed!!
Insane, right? Creating a video that will evoke the message of your company and highlight the benefits of your product can be daunting. Don’t worry. I’ve got the 5 steps broken down so you can tackle your campaign video!
1. Watch At Least 20 Crowdfunding Videos
20 videos?!
It’s really not that much time! Crowdfunding videos are usually 2-3 minutes long. So the time investment is no sweat. However, this step is especially important if you’re coming to Kickstarter or Indiegogo for the first time!
It’s helpful to watch as many videos as possible so that you know what other people in your same category have done before. No matter what you’re looking to do, there’s someone else who has done it successfully before you. Be aware, success leaves clues!
You’ll soon see patterns start to emerge. You’ll see the type of storytelling that’s common, you’ll see how product features and benefits are explained, and you’ll see what types of graphics you’ll need, the types of people to hire, the most success settings… and more!
As a marketer, I’ve been trained to ALWAYS do market research before embarking on any project. Knowing what has worked and what hasn’t worked, will help formulate a solid plan moving forward!
2. Take Good Notes
For each video you watch write as many notes as you can. Seriously, write it all down! The more you observe and understand, the more likely it is that you’ll create a killer video that will have people throwing money at your campaign.
If you’re not entirely sure what to write down, here are some questions to think about while you’re watching these videos:
- What always happens in every video?
- How did they explain the benefits and features?
- What never happens in a video?
- What is the length of these videos?
- What types of animation is included?
- Where are these videos being filmed?
- How many actors/actresses are there (if any)?
- Are there voice overs in the video?
- Is the video story-driven or more product-driven?
- What is a common call-to-action?
3. Apply Your Notes
Now that you’ve taken all those handy notes, set the aside. Now write down what you envision your video would look like… Is it animated? Live-action? Funny and playful? Or serious and epic? It’s all up to you!
Here’s how to form that plan.
Know Your Elevator Pitch
This is a concept taken from Management Consulting (yes, I know, very corporate but hear me out). Your EP is very important when talking about any product! An elevator pitch is named that since it is the quick, concise description of what you’re creating that you can tell someone else in the short time of riding up and down an elevator.
Create a storyboard
This is the most challenging part of the video, but by now you are well-equipped to give this a go. This is to help communicate your idea clearly for yourself or your videographer. In this step, try writing a rough script or drawing out your ideas. You don’t need to be an artist or a writer to put this all down on paper! Just putting pen to paper will help conceptualize your ideas.
4. Plan Your Budget
People oftentimes want to pay the least amount possible for something, thinking that they’ve scored a deal. Truth be told, I’m always a fan of a good deal (hello thrifting), but there comes a point where I know that I have to spend money to achieve a quality result.
If you’re not sure whether you should be spending money for a good video or not, I can assure you that the answer is yes!
Not only will a good video hook potential backers for your campaign, but it’ll also infuse a certain level of credibility for your product, your company, and your campaign.
I’m sure you can find a professional who will charge you pennies for a final product, but don’t cut corners with this one. I’ve seen people spending up to $25,000 for a crowdfunding video, smaller cuts of a video, GIFs derived from the video, and on-set photoshoots for some behind-the-scenes content.
And you what? They had a successful campaign!
Remember that the video is one of the first things people will see on your Kickstarter and Indiegogo page. It needs to be beautiful, enticing and informative to encourage people to scroll down through your page. Plan to invest some money when working with a truly experienced professional.
At the end of the day, you get what you pay for.
Note: If you have the expertise to make your own video, then throw this part out of the window!
I do want to say that I am a fan of bringing on experts and letting them do what they do best. Think about it this way: would you want a random person on the street to redo the knob-and-tube wiring in your house? No, you’ll probably call an electrician. Reach out to an expert and get help if you need it!
Create The Video
This step sounds easy, but it’s actually the start of another new journey in your launch process, especially if you’re producing the video yourself.
Some people are well-versed in video creation so they choose to work on their campaign video themselves. Some are just excited to get into the video creation process themselves so they take the time to learn the process of creating a video and try their hand at it themselves.
This is actually what Cleve Oines from MANNKITCHEN (check out the video in the link) did with his successfully funded Kickstarter campaign. He wanted to give it a go himself so ended up recording himself using the product and providing his own voiceover. This paid off because he spent a lot of time and effort into making the video perfect for his audience.
Or, you could hire someone to create something awesome for you!
More often than not though, people are not versed with the actual creation steps. That’s OK! We’re all equipped with different skill sets and if yours isn’t video creation, it’s time to find someone to help.
More often than not though, people are not versed with the actual creation steps. That’s OK! We’re all equipped with different skill sets and if yours isn’t video creation, it’s time to find someone to help.
Before reaching out to an expert,, go back to step 1. Skim through your notes. Did any of those videos call out to you? Did any resonate with you on a deep level?
Mark down your favorites, then reach out to the creator of the campaign! Let them know that you’re launching your very own project soon, really like their video, and would like to also work with whoever created their video. More often than not, creators want to pass it forward and will take the time to respond!
In this outreach process, it’s very helpful to have your own ideas going into the creation process. That way you can springboard ideas off each other, but never stray from your initial idea. Not only that, but coming in with a clear idea of what you want will make the videographers job easier!
Just getting started with the video creation is the harvest part. Follow these 5 steps to creating a great product video, and you’ll heap the benefits!
If you need more help getting the pieces together for your campaign, be sure to check out the resources section on the site.
Please share this article on Twitter if you liked it – would mean a lot to me!
We’re here to help you crush your crowdfunding campaign and fund your dream. Our team has helped creators successfully launch and raise over $13 million on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. We’re so excited to help you on this journey to launch!
