Wondering how you’re going to assemble the all-important pitch video for your Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign?
In this article, we’re taking you through how to get it done effectively and provide you with some guidelines to expect for pricing.
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For now, let’s push deeper into Kickstarter video production and pricing tips for your project. Here we go!
The Optimal Kickstarter Video
When Kickstarter first hit the fundraising landscape back in 2009, many amateur videos were posted on the platform — usually in simple “talking head” style videos that communicated product functionalities, mission statements, and the like.
Over time, as entrepreneurs recognized Kickstarter as a legitimate method to raise significant funding for their startup projects, the videos became more complex — calling upon the assistance of video agencies and professionals to set themselves apart from the pack.
On the platform today, almost every video is professionally produced. These videos contain certain elements that are tried and tested to ignite consumer interest, such as:
- B-roll Footage: Secondary footage that plays over the primary footage or audio to demonstrate product use cases. The best b-roll footage lets the consumer imagine themselves using the product, showcasing it’s functionalities in several different environments.
- Multiple Camera Angles: Think about commercials, documentaries, and TV interviews. In most cases, there will be multiple camera angles on the “talking head” to keep things moving. Incorporating this into your Kickstarter video allows your project to come off more professional and increase engagement — make sure you’re not falling into the trap of stagnance!
- Music Overlay: Music has a massive influence on buying behavior. Adding music to your video that is in-line with your brand’s personality can act as a catalyst towards a purchase decision. Why? Because music provokes an emotional response, a vital element to any Kickstarter video strategy.
- Color Grading: Color grading is an old trick used by Hollywood to make things look more sleek and beautiful, and it’s officially made its way into Kickstarter videos. Make sure you check with your videographer about grading before you get started.
At the end of the day, the success of your Kickstarter video will be boiled down to three primary components:
- Video quality – must use great cameras
- Audio quality – utilize professional microphones
- Video editing – hire a professional to do this
If you’ve got these foundational elements in place, you’re in good shape!
Kickstarter Video Pricing
So — you’ve written your Kickstarter video script (learn how to do that here), cultivated an idea of what you want this thing to look like, and identified the key components for success listed above.
Now what?
It’s time to pay someone to bring this all together. We know — this can be a little bit scary for creators on a low budget — but look at this as an indispensable investment: a polished video greatly increases your chances of smashing your funding goal.
At a minimum, you should expect to spend $2,000 on your Kickstarter video. In this case, you’d probably be working with a film student or amateur filmmaker.
More realistically, anticipate spending at least $5,000. This will get you a proven filmmaker who has demonstrable success in producing product videos.
Once you get into the $8,000 range, you’re going to start to see extremely high-quality production value — the type of stuff that looks like it could be a campaign for a large company.
Be careful about going beyond this $8,000 threshold. Unless you’re spending significant money during pre-launch and anticipate raising seven figures or more, the Return on Investment on a $10,000 video probably isn’t going to be worth it.
Keep in mind that pricing could be based on video length. Your video should fall somewhere between 2-4 minutes, with many campaigns nowadays coming in on the lower end of that spectrum.
Additional Video Needs For Your Kickstarter Campaign
While your Kickstarter pitch video itself will be the core focus of the video production process, keep in mind that you’ll also want clips for:
- Facebook / Social Advertising: Chop up your 2-4 minute video into an eye-catching 15-30 second version that can be used for email lead generation.
- GIFs / Images: Your campaign page should include high resolution images and GIFs to keep potential backers engaged as they scroll down the page. Why not just pull those assets from the video? It’s a great way to optimize efficiency and maintain consistency.
You should communicate these needs with your videographer when you’re negotiating the initial contract. In most cases, they’ll be happy to organize these deliverables and get them over to you.
Key Conclusions & Additional Resources
We hope that this article was helpful for you as you navigate the waters of Kickstarter video production and pricing.
It’s time to set your budget and get to work! This is an extremely exciting time, so make sure to strap in.
While your campaign video will take significant energy, a lot more goes into a Kickstarter launch. To continue your research and learn more, make sure to take advantage of these resources:
- The Crowd Crux blog, podcast, and Youtube channel where we’re always working to deliver the best insider tips, tricks, and secrets from experts who have a wide range of experience in the industry.
- The Crowd Crux weekly newsletter that delivers awesome, valuable insights to your inbox every Thursday.
Want personalized expertise that can catapult your campaign to success?
Book a coaching call with the founder of CrowdCrux Salvador Briggman to discuss if working with our expert team is a good investment for you.
Good luck with your campaign! Call upon CrowdCrux when you need us.
