Why do you feel pressured to make a good video for your crowdfunding campaign?

Is it because everybody around you talks about how much it contributes to the success of your project?

They are right. But only partially.

Let me show you why:

When decide that you want the perfect video, what is the first thing you think about?

Getting a good videographer, right?

A few years back, Joe Lemay did the same thing on his first campaign. He hired the best man he could find and was absolutely delighted with the result.

But the campaign ended up failing.

Instead of giving up, he improved his idea and came back to the crowdfunding space for a second try. Only this time, he decided to do things a little differently.

The lessons he learned from his failed campaign helped him raise over $1million on Indiegogo alone. Recently, he launched a Kickstarter as well.

However, he says “only half of the people who’ve bought our product have actually watched the video”.

Now that’s an interesting statistic for the element they say helps you so much in reaching success, don’t you think?

“I would say that spending a lot of time on the script is a lot more important than spending time and money on the videographer”

So let’s take a look at the reasons why having a good script will take you a longer way than paying a small fortune to a good cameraman.

#1. The number of backers who actually watch your video

You heard the man: only half of his backers took the time to watch the visual product he had paid for.

Where does that take you?

If only half your supporters care about the video, then half the budget you spend on it goes to waste. Nobody wants that!

On his second campaign, Joe was his own videographer, but made sure to follow a good script.

The money he saved went to another aspect you might be overlooking:

#2. The graphics on your campaign page

Many crowdfunders spend a lot of time, effort and money on producing the perfect video. But once it’s uploaded, they tend to neglect the rest of their crowdfunding page.

Think about it: if you could fund your campaign using only the video, you wouldn’t be on Kickstarter or Indiegogo. You would be on YouTube, Vimeo or some other site like that.

In crowdfunding, you have to support your idea through every paragraph, graphic and section on your campaign page.

“The video is important, but the graphics down below the video are very important as well.”

So write a good script, make a decent video based on it and spend the money you saved from that to pay a good copywriter or designer.

#3. The preamble

Knowing that you have people’s attention for only a couple of minutes makes you want to pack as much information as possible in your video.

Unfortunately, “as much” becomes “too much” in some cases.

I’m sure you’ve seen videos that start something like: “This is who we are, this is what we do, this is how we do it…”

Did I bore you already? I know I did!

Joe’s advice? Take that out completely!

It fills 15-20 precious seconds at the beginning of your video, until you get to  “well, this is what our product is”.

In 20 seconds, any potential backer can be half way into reading another campaign’s page.

The solution: have a good script that focuses only on the core aspects of your product. Don’t deviate from it and you’re guaranteed to grab the attention of your backers more quickly.

What’s a good way to do that? By using:

#4. The “hook”

Think about what grabs your attention from the very first seconds of a video. What makes you want to continue watching it even further?

I’m going to give you a clue: It’s the sense of identification.

That’s right: you identify with the need, you identify with the situation, you identify with the character that’s presented to you visually.

So why not use the same technique on your backers as well? Here’s how Joe did it:

“We had a little bit of a grabber in the beginning. We used the power of What if? questions.”

Sounds like a good plan, right? Now let me ask you a question that will help you apply it on your own campaign as well:

What am I missing, that your product can give me, and any potential backer out there?

Write that element clearly at the very beginning of your script.

Then, based on what you wrote, find a question that will make us all search for the answer, only to find it in the product that you’re offering.

#5. The storytelling

If you’re using an innovative technology to make your product, you might be very enthusiastic to share this fact with the crowdfunding community.

And you are more than welcomed to do so. But be careful not to overdo it.

“It’s not about the production, it’s about the story. It’s about getting the message across.

It's about having people get the Aha! and saying I want that thing to exist in the world”

What does this have to do with your script? Well, writing a good scenario and following it precisely prevents you from wandering off to areas that are not as interesting to your backers as you might think.

Remember that for people to back your project, they need to understanding what you’re trying to build. Not only as an object, not only as a technology, but as a solution.

And that, you convey best through a story.

Joe also shared with Maker Paradise why building an email list helps you the most in the first days of your campaign.

We also learned about a new way to launch your crowdfunding project, so make sure to give our latest podcast a listen, to find out what it is.

Notes from the audio interview with maker: ( listen here )

Part I01:51 What was Joe’s inspiration03:56 How he turned a regular paper notebook into a million-dollar idea07:51 What happens when you put the Rocketbook in a microwave

Part II12:26 Joe shares the difficulties he faced as an entrepreneur15:57 The reinforcing power of a failed campaign21:23 Two critical aspects that Joe did differently to help build success25:22 Why you should concentrate on the quality of the script more than the video itself27:15 An innovative way to prepare and launch your campaign30:21 A final word of encouragement

KEY STATISTICS:

Live campaign on KickstarterBackers: 1,406Pledged: $67,823Goal: $20,000Days to go: 57

Previous campaign on IndiegogoBackers: 24,594Pledged: $1,080,509Goal: $20,000Successful? Yes!!!

LINKS

Live crowdfunding campaign: Rocketbook Wave on KickstarterPrevious crowdfunding campaign: Rocketbook Wave on IndiegogoCompany website: getrocketbook.com