A crowdfunding video is essential in a successful fundraise. Campaigns with a video are up to 30% more likely to fund.
But simply taking a 30 second selfie video and posting it to YouTube won’t quite cut the mustard when it comes to selling your vision and converting your viewers into backers.
If you truly want to succeed, you need to put some time, effort, and thought into your crowdfunding video. Here are some tips to help you make a truly awesome one.
1. Keep it short
An effective crowdfunding video will grab your audience’s attention in the first 15 seconds. You have a maximum of 3 minutes to effectively communicate the important points of your campaign to your audience.
The easiest way to do this is to remember your video is about your audience, not about you. Make sure you’re not just filling the video with pretty things and inside-jokes. Fill it with information. Show AND tell. Be clear.
TIP: When you’re researching crowdfunding projects, make a mental note of the exact moment you WANT to stop watching a crowdfunding video. Ask yourself why you want to stop, and how can you avoid that mistake in your own campaign?
2. Be creative
Creativity is the key to holding attention. In the world of the Internet there are literally a million other things your potential backer could be doing instead.
Imagine your viewer is time poor with a short attention span. The more interesting your video is, the more likely they are to watch it right to the end (where you actually ask for the money).
Check out some examples of creative crowdfunding videos here.
3. The quality of your video matters… to a point
Lighting and audio are two things you can’t afford to ignore. You need to be seen, and you need to be heard. A poor quality video is one of the major contributors towards poor conversion.
The quality of your video reflects the quality of your product and project. It’s highly unlikely you’ll get a $1 million investment in your company if your 6 year old directed and edited your video.
Then again, you don’t need to invest $15,000 in a video for a $30,000 project either.
It’s all relative. People will always notice a bad-quality video, but beyond a certain point, they’ll generally stop noticing. Ensure your audio is clear, and your video footage is well-lit and in focus.
4. Make sure you own the content you use
If you are successful, you will be making money off this video. That means that you want to cover your ass copyright-wise.
So, don’t use your favourite Top-20 pop tune as the backing track, shell out $10 and get a royalty free one from MelodyLoops. Or check out the Free Music Archive.
Be careful of what’s IN your video. There’s a reason so many vloggers put a sticker over the Apple logo on their laptops – it’s technically a copyright violation. Don’t use clips from copyrighted work.
There’s a fine line between Fair Use and copyright violation, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. If you want to learn more about intellectual property and copyright, I highly recommend this CrashCourse video series on YouTube.
5. Script and storyboard your video
Plan your video. It will ensure that you cover all the points and get all the footage you need in the shortest possible amount of time.
A script means you can work out what you’re going to say (and even test whether it will work) before you even pick up a camera. You can ask your friends and family for feedback on your ideas before you go to the effort of filming and editing it.
A storyboard means you can plan where you will be filming, and what footage you’ll need to get. This will save both you and your editor a whole lot of time when shooting the video and putting it together.
If you want help with this step, try downloading the free crowdfunding video storyboard template below.
