Wanna put together crowdfunding campaign page that converts?
One that will get backers interested in actually pledging to your project?
I want to cover some of the tips that I have for you in the way of putting together an epic crowdfunding or KIckstarter page.
These tips will help guide you along the path so that you don’t lose people’s attention and interest. It will make you more likely to snag them as a backer.
I also help creators put together campaign pages. If you’d like me to take a look at you project, you can book a coaching call with me.
Hope you enjoy some of these tips and be sure to hop on my newsletter for more advice just like this.
1. How Backers Read Your Page
Potential backers don’t actually read your campaign page. They scan it.
After watching your effective pitch video which includes these elements, then they are going to scroll down through your page to learn a bit more about your project.
They aren’t going to read word from word. Similar to this blog post, they are going to scan to the heading that captures their attention. They’re going to look for answers to any questions that they have by first looking at the headers on the page (example).
I would recommend creating attractive image-based headlines that convey the major point you’re going to be covering in that section. If you don’t have graphic design skills, you can hire someone from a freelancing website.
Resources to Help:
2. How To Evoke Emotions
One of the most common questions that I get is… how do I evoke emotions?
How do you make someone WANT a product?
Simple.
You can use powerful descriptive words to evoke emotions. You can paint a picture in someone’s mind using concrete words.
That’s how copywriters like myself create sales pages.
However, when it comes to crowdfunding, high-quality images and GIFs are king.
You’re going to want to make images with text-overlays that go through the major benefits of your product (example).
Show people using the product (and in different environments). Show different angles of the product. Highlight the major benefits and results to a buyer’s life.
You can also use GIFs to accomplish this. These GIFs can be an expansion of your campaign video. You want to use them to continue to tell the story.
You can learn more about what goes into a great campaign here.
3. Prove Your Promises
Making a sale is all about making someone believe what you’re saying.
The only way someone is going to back your project is if they believe that the promises you are making are true. They are willing to take a chance on you.
How do you make someone believe that what you say is true?
You show them PROOF.
Proof can take many different forms. It could be a testimonial of people who have used the product. It could be media stories that applaud the product (example).
The most powerful form of proof is to go in-depth into the functionality behind the product and show WHY this product is unique.
What is unique about the technology, materials, design, or mission. Describe the hard work that went into making the prototypes.
Demonstrating the products functionality and design is a great way to support the claims and promises that you’ve made up until now.
Basically, when someone scrolls through that portion of the page, they come away with an intellectual sense that “this is a good product.” They’ve moved beyond just emotionally wanting the product. Now they have logical justifications.
You can learn more about this in my book, the Kickstarter Launch Formula where I’ve documented the marketing behind a project.
4. Demonstrate Perk Value
A lot of the times, creators will leave it up to Kickstarter or Indiegogo to inform backers about the different perks they can claim.
However, a great campaign page will actually list out these individual reward tiers within the project page, as this gives YOU an opportunity to build up the value (example).
Buyers like to get a good deal on purchases. You want to show people that they’re getting a great discount and a lot of value at each reward tier.
Create a table and show them visibly how your product is different from others out there on the market.
Create another table to demonstrate how the reward tier levels are different. Sometimes, it can be confusing. This is your chance to make it crystal clear and even nudge backers towards one particular tier.
An easy way to do this is to offer the most value possible at that tier, along with a killer discount at an early bird price.
5. Your Video is King
Your video is what sets the stage for your campaign text.
It warms visitors up to your product, who you are, and why your solution is different from others out there.
I’ve already put together some ways to have a killer pitch video. I recommend that you follow these steps.
Along with following these steps, you also are going to want a thumbnail for the video that captures attention. This thumbnail can help get you more views.
I’d also use music throughout the video to maintain those views (attention). You can use tracks like these to add emotion to different frames in the pitch video.
Don’t be afraid of repeating what you say in your video throughout the campaign page. Repetition and sales are very fond of one another.
You can see a sample video below:
And you can see the same frame used in the campaign page:
Quit simply, not everyone is tuned into your entire video. They might forget certain aspects of the product. They might not take in everything you’ve told them.
It’s okay to repeat and expand on your pitch video through your images, text, gifs, and other assets.
6. Be Transparent and Set Expectations
Crowdfunding is different from other forms of product launches because you’re not going to ship this product to someone in two days.
You’re not going to send it to them in one week.
It’s probably going to take you 2 – 4 months to actually fulfill all of your rewards. That includes manufacturing, packaging, shipping, etc.
That’s a really long lag time!
The only way to maintain the relationship that you have with your backers through all of this is to be transparent and set expectations (example).
Make sure that you have a product timeline on your campaign page. It should be super easy to see when they should expect to receive their perks or rewards.
Along with including a timeline, you should also share the real challenges that may come up throughout the campaign.
Be interactive in the comments section. Reply to questions. Address concerns. The more transparent you are with your comments and updates, the better it will be in the long run.
7. Humanize the Project
A big difference between crowdfunding and other forms of marketing is that crowdfunding isn’t terribly commercial.
Don’t get me wrong, eventually, a successful campaign will lead to a thriving online business.
At the same time, backers don’t want to watch a commercial as a campaign page pitch. They want to see a story unfold. They want to know that someone is actually behind this fundraiser.
You can share a bit of the story leading up to the creation of the product. Go into the team a bit and why they’re passionate about this mission.
Within the campaign page, you can include pictures of your team, a short bio, and some information on why they decided to work on this particular problem.
In other words, humanize the project. It shouldn’t feel like some big faceless corporation is behind the campaign.
8. Write Punchy Copy
Your copywriting is similar to sales copy that get a backer emotionally aroused. It makes them want to learn more and read on.
Don’t just write boring copy with long blocks of text. Make it as easy to read as possible. Use easy-to-digest words, sentences, and phrases.
Aside from the technical jargon that goes into the functionality aspect of the page, I’d keep your page at a low reading level (think 5th grade).
I have some great tips on copywriting in the Kickstarter Launch Formula course. I hope that these lessons will help get you on the right track with writing your copy.
Always try to write exactly the way you talk. It should almost feel like you’re talking directly to your backers. This will help to personalize the entire experience.
Rather than seeming like some scammy marketer, you’ll actually come across as a dude who’s just trying to make something cool and get it out there into the world.
9. Seek Feedback and Edits
The project page is not static. It’s dynamic and changing.
You should always be seeking feedback on you work. Continue to make edits to your page.
I recommend putting together your page initially in something like Google docs. This is how I assemble pages. It’s easy to make comments on the various sections.
Once you’re ready, you can then transfer that page to Kickstarter or Indiegogo. You can continue to make edits on the titles and various aspects of the project.
As you run advertisements, you might find that certain headlines work better than others. You might see that some users gravitate to one benefit of the product over another.
You’ll then go back in and change around the sections of your page to reflect that consumer demand.
Your entire strategy is always flexible and changing. This is one of the lessons I learned from interviewing some of the great projects out there. I put more tips and tricks on Kickstarter into this guide here.
10. Improve Conversion Rates
Lastly, many creators suffer from poor conversion rates.
They put together a page that looks good, but it doesn’t convert visitors into buyers.
The people visiting the page are not becoming backers of the Kickstarter campaign.
This problem is two fold. You should ask yourself these questions:
- Are the visitors watching and finishing the video?
- What’s holding them back?
On the first point, most frequently, the visitors aren’t actually taking the time to watch the freakin’ video. This is a problem!
If they don’t watch the video, then they’re not going to be in the right frame of mind to buy the product. You gotta get them to watch that pitch video.
It almost doesn’t matter what your page looks like if they don’t watch the video. They won’t be taking the time to look through the page much.
However, if people ARE watching the pitch video but for whatever reason, aren’t supporting the project, then you have an issue.
There is something that’s holding them back. Maybe you don’t address one of their questions on the page. Maybe the page is poorly put together and they don’t believe your promises.
You’re going to have to try to talk to some prospective buyers, get inside their head, and alter your page so that it addresses any concerns they may have.
This is the only surefire way to get your page to convert lurkers into backers. Otherwise, a poor performing page will cost you marketing dollars and make it 10x harder to surpass your fundraising goal.
Get in Touch with Me
If you’d like me to help putting together your crowdfunding page, you can get in touch with me by booking a coaching call here.
You can also subscribe to my weekly newsletter down below if you’d like to receive more information from me. I have a YouTube channel out there that you can look into, as well as a podcast with real-world crowdfunder interviews.
I hope you found this article to be a helpful starting point for your Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or Nonprofit page.
Look forward to watching as you become one of the next crowdfunding success stories!
