8 Tips on Creating an Effective Kickstarter Campaign Video

Video content is consumed more frequently than any other content on the web and those who watch videos retain more information when compared to reading the content. So, if you want to launch a Kickstarter campaign to get a product or service noticed online, it only makes sense to include a Kickstarter video along with it. We’ve outlined the following 8 tips on creating an effective Kickstarter campaign video below.

1. Get to Know YouTube

If you’re not familiar with YouTube optimization, or with the platform in general, now is the time to get acquainted. Consumers watch an estimated 6 Billion hours of YouTube video per month on the platform. Additionally, YouTube states that there are more than 300 hours of video uploaded to the platform every minute. With so many hours being added, how can you assure that your video will reach the 1.8 billion monthly viewers that are consuming all this content?

It all starts with learning how to optimize your video for YouTube and how to optimize your YouTube channel for the audience. Promotional campaigns on YouTube are generally 180 seconds or about 3 minutes in length. The short duration keeps viewers interested while offering the important details about your product or service. To kickstart your campaign, consider starting a YouTube channel (If you don’t already have one) and hosting your promotional video of 3 minutes or less there for the world to see.

2. Tell Viewers Who You Are

Within the first few seconds of the video you should tell your audience who you are. Viewers want to learn about your brand, your product or service, and you. Starting a video with a brief introduction of yourself and building trust with your audience is key to a high-quality Kickstarter campaign video. Be sure to include the overall mission and vision statement to help viewers gain an understanding as to why you are promoting the project.

Keep it short, sweet and to the point, Viewers don’t want to watch you outline the decade long background of the project day by day. Instead, take a few seconds or up to a minute to describe who you are, why you are creating the video, and how it benefits the person watching.

3. Successful Kickstarter Videos Include Graphics

Not just any graphics, but high quality graphics that engage viewers and relate to the project at hand. To create a successful Kickstarter video, include high-quality images and graphics in the promotional video. Try to avoid stock images whenever possible as they don’t add any real value to your message.

Original content, including the images and graphics that you include in your video will help to build trust and credence to your campaign. Focus on precision versus having a lot of pictures or graphics. It’s more important to have a few really precise graphics that portray the message versus a bunch of haphazard images that were gathered online just for the sake of having them.

4. Include Video Excerpts

A short, engaging video excerpt can make a world of difference in whether the viewer will click your video and watch or not. Just as you must define what makes a good Kickstarter video for your promotion, it is equally important to define the excerpt that will be used to grab your viewer’s attention and make them watch.

The excerpt should quickly tell what the video is about, why the viewer should watch, and what benefits will come from taking the time to view. Keep the excerpt short and highly-interesting but don’t give all the information because you want the excerpt to serve as a teaser for the main video.

5. Tell Viewers What They Get For Watching

Despite even the best intentions, people tend to have a “what’s in it for me?” attitude. Therefore, it is important that you tell viewers what they get for watching the video. Explain to them what rewards or other benefits will come from them taking time out to watch. If you’re looking for crowd-funding, you would discuss exact rewards that would come to those who fund the project, but for most Kickstarter campaigns, the video should simply talk about the benefits that would come from being involved in the project itself.

Maybe the video will offer free advice or an essential tip to be successful in a certain industry. Whatever it is, make sure that your Kickstarter campaign video makes a promise to viewers and delivers on that promise.

6. Don’t Give Everything Away

Save some of the details about your project when creating your campaign video so that viewers are compelled to take action and make contact. You want to engage viewers and encourage them to head to your project for the real benefits. If you provide all the nitty gritty details in the promotional video, there’s a chance viewers will not migrate to your primary campaign.

7. Commission Bloggers for Exposure

Bloggers provide an ideal opportunity to share your Kickstarter campaign video and increase exposure. Ask bloggers to provide a link to your YouTube channel. They are most likely to help out, and the link will be most beneficial to you, if their audience can relate with your project. Use Google or other search engines to find bloggers that you can reach out to for promotion.

Once you find bloggers that are covering your topic or topics related to your core message, check the blogs out to see what kind of content they are sharing. Blogs that include images and videos are a great starting point when reaching out to have your campaign video shared.

8. Get Social

The best Kickstarter campaign videos are often shared throughout social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. If you know a social influencer that can relate to your campaign, consider commissioning him or her to promote your video. Campaigns promoted by social influencers are more than 50% more likely to succeed because people trust the influencers that promote the campaign. Simply put, social influencers build trust while adding to the level of reach your project will have.

It’s also important to share your Kickstarter campaign video on your own social media pages. Posting a Kickstarter campaign video to social platforms allows you to easily share with friends, family members, and customers that are already interested in what you have to say.

We hope you have enjoyed these 8 tips on creative an effective Kickstarter campaign video. Use these tips to grow your audience and reach those who are most likely to help make your Kickstarter campaign a success.