A Quick Guide to Crowdfunding Campaign Videos

Do you know what the biggest challenge is for businesses and startups trying to get people to back their crowdfunding campaign? It’s getting people to believe in the idea enough to support it.

I’ve seen this challenge come up often when businesses need to explain an idea that isn’t immediately easy to understand.

This is where a crowdfunding video can make a difference. It’s particularly useful when you need to make a product, process, or idea easy to understand quickly.

A good crowdfunding video can also do something that text alone can’t always achieve: make your idea feel real.

So, what exactly is a crowdfunding video, and how can you use one to make your campaign more compelling?

What is a Crowdfunding Video?

A crowdfunding video is a short video that introduces your project to potential backers and explains why they should support it.

I like to think of it as the pitch you’d give if you had a few minutes to explain your idea face-to-face.

Instead of asking potential backers to read through paragraphs of product descriptions, you can use visuals, narration, animation, or a combination of these to show them what you’re building and why it matters.

You can demonstrate how a product works, show a prototype, introduce the people behind the project, or tell the story of why you’re building it in the first place.

And that’s important because backers aren’t only evaluating your product.

They’re also deciding whether they trust the people behind it enough to support the project.

When you include videos in your crowdfunding campaigns, you have 105% more chances of success than none of them.

Why Does a Crowdfunding Campaign Need a Video?

Most people aren’t going to read every word on your crowdfunding page. They’ll scan the headline, look at the images, check the funding goal, and decide whether the project is worth exploring further.

That’s why I see the campaign video as more than just an extra piece of content.

It’s one of your first opportunities to make your pitch feel real and give potential backers a quick understanding of what you’re offering.

A well-made crowdfunding video can answer important questions such as:

• What is the product?
• What problem does it solve?
• Who is it for?
• Why are you building it?
• How does it work?
• What will the funding help you accomplish?

More importantly, video gives you something that plain text has a harder time doing: showing rather than simply telling.

If you’re introducing a physical product, you can demonstrate it. If you’re developing software, you can show the interface. If you’re funding a creative project, you can give people a glimpse of the work itself.

When people can quickly understand your idea and see the people behind it, you give them a much stronger reason to consider supporting your campaign.

How to Create an Effective Crowdfunding Video?

There are plenty of ways to present your campaign, but the best ones don’t try to explain everything at once. They focus on making the idea easy to understand, interesting to watch, and worth believing in.

For a crowdfunding campaign, you can explain your product, introduce your team, demonstrate how it works, and show potential backers why the project matters.

You don’t necessarily need elaborate animation, either. Depending on your campaign, live-action footage, product demonstrations, interviews, animation, or a combination of these can all work.

Here are some of the things I recommend paying attention to when creating a crowdfunding campaign video.

1. Introduce the company

Although the campaign should revolve around the backer, you need to free up some time to present your company.

By doing this, you are able to create a bridge between you and users (backers), making them more willing to support a project. So, you can gain their trust to invest in your project. 

From the video above, you will notice that the company introduces a hero narrative in the first half of the content. Only after that, the company brings out the project details closer to you.

Here are some points that you need to cover in a crowdfunding video:

• Introduce yourself and your team.
• Show previous crowdfunding projects and how you managed them. This will persuade investors to back your company.
• Talk more about a product in the second half. Mention technical aspects that you weren’t able to cover during the hero story.
• Set a time frame.
• Mention potential bonuses and things you might do in the future.

Most people don’t wish to read a long text about a creator, but if you present it as part of a crowdfunding video, they are more inclined to check it out.

2. Use captivating stories to evoke emotion

Everyone loves a great story. An engaging story grabs the viewers by the collar and pulls them inside the content. Do that, and you’ll hook your viewers and give them a convincing reason to invest.

In essence, explainer videos are a powerful tool to tell your campaign stories. It helps you tell a riveting story that evokes emotions so the viewers fully understand what your campaign is all about and why they should care about it.

To tell a riveting story, try to answer the following questions:

• Why did you pursue this campaign idea?
• How would you want the content to be presented to the viewer?
• What impact can contributors make if they participate?

Understand what you want to convey through crowdfunding videos, so you can script a better storyline that fits your goals.

3. Set the tone of the video

The tone of your crowdfunding explainer video is all about the mood or level of emotion you want to evoke from the viewers. 

Do you want the viewers to feel happy, emotional, or inspired after watching your campaign? The answer to this question will guide you through setting a particular mood for the video. 

Once you nail the tone of the video, you’ll give the viewers an idea of why it’s worthwhile to keep watching your video. 

And do you know what happens next? You’ll get more people convinced to pledge and invest in your campaigns.

4. Turn to visuals

It is no secret that people are visual beings. This is why YouTube has had so much success as of late.

Visual solutions are necessary to attract a person’s attention. Whether we’re talking about images or videos, you need something that will quickly tell backers what your project is all about.

In this case, creators are using an image to show backers the content of a board game:

There are a lot of different ways to use images and videos. It is much better to show people what they’re getting and what to expect from a project than to simply write it down.

5. Keep the video short and sparkling

You don’t have to put all of the information about your campaign and shove it down the viewers’ throats. Your crowdfunding explainer video should deliver only your core message in a matter of a few minutes.

For a crowdfunding explainer video to be effective, keep it short, as the ideal length is believed to be 2 minutes.

Therefore, you need to deliver your message within the first 30 seconds of the video and then bring the contributors “home” in the final 90 seconds.

Case Study of Some Successful Crowdfunding Videos

Now, we’re going to look at some successful crowdfunding explainer videos so you can gain incredible insights on what you have to nail in creating a high-performing one.

1. Crowdfunding Video from Exploding Kittens

Back in 2015, Matthew Inman, Elan Lee, and Shane Small created a winning Kickstarter campaign to pitch their record-breaking card game called Exploding Kittens. 

With a simple animated explainer video to introduce the card game concept to the world, this campaign beat its fundraising goal by 87000%! 

The company set out to raise $10000 and successfully raised $9 million in just 30 days with more than 219,382 contributors. It had quickly become the most-backed Kickstarter campaign of all time. 

How did the animated explainer video help? 

The video was such a perfect example of when less is more. The company didn’t even want to try too hard to convince viewers to fund the campaign. Instead, they went straight to the point of how the card game works.

The hilarious animated characters were backed by on-screen text to reiterate the most important messages said in the easy-to-listen narration. It made it easier for viewers to activate long-term memory so they could recall the campaign seamlessly.

After all, Exploding Kittens showed that a successful campaign didn’t have to be complicated.

2. Crowdfunding Video from Ravine

Matthew Sisson started raising funds for Ravine, another survival card game, on Kickstarter in 2017. He used an animated explainer video to demonstrate how the game works. Now, more than $316,000 has been pledged toward his $7,500 goal. And more than 6,600 contributors have funded this card game.

This animated explainer video takes you to a whole new world around its desert island environment. It’s an effective way to evoke viewers’ emotions and set the mood of the video.

Explaining how a game works is an uphill battle for most campaigns, but not for Ravine. One surefire way Ravine did to keep its viewers engaged is to use appealing, simple, quirky visuals.

The voice-over is also relaxed and calming at a slightly slower pace, making it easier for viewers to understand every single detail of how the game works.

3. Crowdfunding Video from Dr. Bronner’s Fair Trade Palm Oil

Dr. Bronner used an animated explainer video to launch a crowdfunding campaign named “Help Dr. Bronner’s Fight Malaria in Eastern Ghana” on Indiegogo back in 2012. 

The campaign succeeded in raising more than $47,100 and 188% more than its $25,000 goal. This campaign shows how animated explainer videos can break down complex ideas into smaller, digestible chunks. 

As not everyone is familiar with the idea, this company takes the time to explain how they ensure that workers, forests, and wildlife are highly protected during palm oil production. 

The cartoon characters, combined with motion graphics animation, make the explanation more fun and easy to follow. This visual helps the viewers to retain crucial information much faster.

They also explain why contributors should care about the campaign and highlight the impact they can make if they’re willing to get involved in it. 

How to Choose the Right Company to Produce Your Crowdfunding Video?

You could produce it yourself, hire a freelancer, or work with an explainer video company. There’s no single right answer. It really depends on your budget, timeline, the complexity of your project, and how much creative support you need.

But if you’re working with a product or idea that needs a lot of explanation, I’d recommend looking for a video production company with experience turning complicated ideas into clear, engaging stories.

The production quality matters, but it’s not the only thing you should be evaluating.

A beautiful video won’t help much if the production team doesn’t understand your product, audience, or campaign goal.

So, what should you look for?

1. Make Sure They Understand Your Campaign

Before looking at animation styles or production packages, start with a more important question:

Does the company understand what you’re trying to achieve?

A good production team shouldn’t just ask, “What should the video look like?” They should also want to know who you’re trying to reach, what you’re asking backers to do, and what makes your project different.

I always believe the strategy should come before the visuals.

Once the production team understands the campaign, it’s much easier to decide what kind of story, script, visuals, and animation style will support it.

2. Find a Company That Fits Your Budget

Budget is obviously an important part of the decision.

You don’t necessarily need the most expensive production company to create an effective crowdfunding video.

At the same time, I’d be careful about choosing a company based only on the lowest price.

A very low quote can sometimes mean fewer production stages, less creative support, limited revisions, or a simpler visual approach than you expected.

Ask what you’re actually getting for that price. Find out whether the package includes things like:

• Script writing
• Storyboarding
• Voice over
• Illustration or animation
• Video production
• Sound design and music
• Revisions
• Project management

This gives you a much clearer idea of whether the quote actually fits your campaign needs.

3. Look at Their Experience and Portfolio

This is one of the things I’d pay the most attention to.

Before hiring a video production company, look at the videos they’ve actually produced.

Do they know how to explain complicated products? Can they tell a story?

Do their videos have different visual styles, or do they all look almost identical?

More importantly, look for work that’s relevant to your type of project.

An experienced explainer video company should be able to show you examples of how they’ve handled different industries, audiences, and communication challenges.

4. Pay Attention to How They Communicate

Video production is a collaborative process. You’re going to have questions, feedback, revisions, and probably a few changes along the way.

That’s why communication matters more than many people realize.

Before signing a contract, pay attention to how the company communicates with you.

A professional production company should also be transparent about what happens at each stage of the project.

For example, you should know when you’ll review the script, when you’ll see the storyboard, when the animation begins, and how revisions are handled.

I’ve found that clear communication makes the entire production process much smoother.

It also gives you more opportunities to catch problems before they become expensive changes later in production.

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask How They Approach Your Idea

Here’s one final thing I’d recommend: talk to the production company before making your decision.

Give them some context about your campaign and see what questions they ask.

Do they immediately start talking about animation styles and video length? Or do they first try to understand your product, audience, story, and campaign goals?

That conversation can tell you a lot.

You’re hiring someone to help you turn your crowdfunding pitch into a story that potential backers can understand and believe in.

Conclusion: Ready to Create Your Crowdfunding Video?

Creating a crowdfunding campaign video isn’t about making something flashy just for the sake of getting attention. You must make potential backers understand your idea and see why the project is worth supporting.

Start with your story. Explain the problem you’re solving. Show your product or idea in action. And give people a reason to believe in the project and the team behind it.

You don’t need to include every detail in the video. Your crowdfunding page can handle the technical information and finer details. Your video should focus on making the core idea clear and memorable.

Breadnbeyond creates a worthwhile crowdfunding explainer video to meet or exceed your target funding goals. Check our packages and get a FREE consultation by clicking on the banner below!

FAQs About Crowdfunding Campaign Videos

1. How long should a crowdfunding campaign video be?

I generally recommend keeping the video focused on the most important parts of your story rather than trying to hit an arbitrary time limit. A shorter video can work well when your product is easy to understand, while a more complex project may need additional time to explain the problem, solution, and product. 

2. Do I need animation for my crowdfunding campaign video?

Not necessarily. Animation is useful when you need to explain something difficult to demonstrate in real life, such as a software product, technical process, or product that hasn’t been built yet. But live-action footage, product demonstrations, interviews, and other visual approaches can work just as well.

3. How much does a crowdfunding campaign video cost?

The cost can vary considerably depending on the video’s length, production style, animation complexity, script requirements, voice-over, and other production needs. A simple live-action video will have different production requirements from a fully animated explainer video with custom illustrations and voice-over.

4. Can I create a crowdfunding video myself?

Yes. If you have the equipment, time, and basic video production skills, you can absolutely create one yourself. But if your product is complex or you need animation, professional storytelling, voice-over, or more advanced production, working with an experienced video production company can save you considerable time and help you communicate the idea more effectively.

5. When should I publish my crowdfunding campaign video?

I’d actually recommend producing it before the campaign goes live. That gives you enough time to refine the script, visuals, and messaging instead of rushing the production while you’re already trying to promote the campaign. Ideally, treat the video as part of your campaign strategy from the beginning, not as something you add at the last minute.