It can take several months to make sure you set up your campaign for success. The best date for your campaign to launch is when you are completely prepared and ready to start. Here's a checklist to help you get started.
Your Pitch Video
- Make a short video (1-3 minutes) that expresses your goals and intentions
- The first ten seconds of your video count. First impressions are everything
- If constructed wisely, this segment of your video can be leveraged as a YouTube banner ad and as a long-term piece of marketing collateral as you continue to grow your business
- Star in the video yourself to make it more personal
- Give contributors a sneak peak of your project, product, film, etc
- Use music to set a tone for the video and the campaign
- Make sure the video is clear and concise; visuals help
- Invite your audience to join you on your journey; you are not just asking for money
- End with a clear call to action
Your Written Pitch
- Put the most important information first
- Tell a compelling story, and keep it short
- Explain exactly why you are raising money
- Share details about yourself, your team, and important events or people that shaped your project
- Build trust with a specific budget breakdown
- Spelling and grammar are important, so be sure to proofread
- Break long text into sections with headings
- Include pictures of your perks in the pitch text. They add personality and help break up lots of copy
Code.org leveraged graphics to get their points across:
Small Image, Title & Short Description
- Make sure your image is both interesting and relevant to your campaign. This information is what people will see on the Indiegogo landing page, and they should be compelled to click on it
- Your title and short description are like the headline and subhead of your project — make sure you include everything someone would need to know for them to want to contribute
Perks & Perk Strategy
- Make perk names and descriptions clear
- Ensure you can fulfill perks and still complete your project
- Call out the urgency of perk availability related to the length of your campaign. Use words like “limited edition,” “exclusive,” and “early-bird”
- Create perks that will connect the contributor to the project emotionally as well as physically. Check out the TrackR bravo campaign that made it easy to grasp what their perks are for: Your search is over
- Consider your perk pricing strategy — offer a $25 perk and a $100 perk to incentivize funders with varying disposable incomes
- Be reasonable with your perk prices. Offering a magnet and mug for $500 or a t-shirt for $1,000 wont encourage contributions
- If you are running a Flexible Funding campaign, keep in mind perk fulfillment in the event you don't hit your goal
- Will you be able to fulfill backers even if you don't meet your goal? If not, you should switch to Fix Funding
- Make sure to set clear Shipping Costs, by country and region, when creating your perks
Links
- Add links to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media channels related to your campaign
- Add links to your business/other website — outside links help backers learn more about who you are, your background, and why you are qualified to run the campaign. These may help to inspire more confidence in you and your team