Dig a little deeper…
First and foremost, “What is Crowdfunding?”. Crowdfunding is typically described as the expectations of retaining your funding needs, for a project or venture, from a group of people and/or organizations. Crowdfunding is usually considered a form of “alternative funding”; funding expected to retain outside of banks, capital markets, et cetera. Another way of Crowdfunding is to sell small amounts of your company as equity to several investors. Crowdfunding is mostly done via the internet, hence, creating the perfect pitch video for all of your Crowdfunding needs.
Adding a video, that best describes and explains your project, will not only ups your chances of participation by 50%, but, it will also help paint a clear picture of what it is your company is trying to “sell”.
There’s a fine line to navigate when creating a good Crowdfunding pitch that will capture and keep the attention of prospective investors. In a highly volatile market, that is quickly becoming over-saturated with eager hopefuls, getting noticed by creating silly, tacky or cutsie pitch videos, may drive serious investors away. Most potential investors are going to want the hard information mainlined directly to them in very specific terms to save them their own time and energy of trying to figure out what a pitch is actually trying to “sell” them.
What can you do now while trying to create a video for your Crowdfunding proposal? What will you need? And what can you do when the video is complete?
You would think that the sheer novelty of an original or entertaining pitch is powerful enough if done properly but, you still need to know your product, know your audience and know your expectations before knowing what your video is going to entail. There have been a lucky few who have managed to hit that “sweet spot” of actually creating a memorable pitch that resonates with their target audience, while others need to put in a little more effort in convincing people to lay down their hard earned cash to fund a product or service that has yet to become a sure thing.
It is also important to note that Internet audiences are not only becoming savvier about investing in Crowdfunding projects but are increasingly growing more and more skeptical by the day. For a pitch to be successful, it requires meticulous descriptions of your product or service. Unfortunately, for many start-ups with little or no video production skills, this can be an almost impossible task. What does means in layman’s terms? This means that a pitch video needs to be abundantly clear about what it is asking from investors and what they are willing to give them in return. This also means that you are going to need a Professional Production Company to help with your Crowdfunding needs.
Only after these all of these elements have been sufficiently – and creatively – expressed, will potential buyers be ready to invest!
And So The Pitch Video Process Begins…
STEP ONE
Find a Professional Production Company and work closely with them to create the perfect video for a Crowdfunding site!
STEP TWO
Keep your video short, sweet and to the point – this means that a video should probably be about 2-3 minutes in length. Sounds rather hard, doesn’t it? Considering all of the important information needed to make this a good pitch video but, it is NOT impossible especially with a Professional Production Company.
STEP THREE
Your video should be very clear and direct. Your audience should know exactly what it is your are trying to “sell” within 45-60 seconds of your video. Investors should also know where and what their money is going to be used for AND what they are going to be getting in return!
STEP FOUR
Make your video genuine! Make your video from your heart! And make your video count! People want authenticity and they want to relate to whatever it is they are watching, so, make every second of your video harmonious so that those within that social circle of video watchers will connect with your video.
STEP FIVE
Always try to make your video relate to the consumer AND the investor. No one wants to be a part of something that doesn’t feel like it involves them – so make it about them!
STEP SIX
Be classy! Be respectful! And be professional! You want to make sure you are using a Professional Production Company to produce your video. Shooting a pitch video on your iPhone and putting it up online will make you seem desperate and make the video look cheesy. Remember, you are trying to impress investors! Make your video sufficient!
STEP SEVEN
HAVE FUN!!! When you have fun and represent your project efficiently, it will show!
Some Crowdfunding sites that are most popular include:
GoFundMe.com
KickStarter.com
Indiegogo.com
Teespring.com
Patreon.com
YouCaring.com
Crowdrise.com
DonorsChoose.org
Kiva.org
GiveForward.com
PumFund.com