At the heart of every crowdfunding raise is the challenge of finding your crowd, a community of backers and believers that see your dreams in their future. And at the heart of that challenge is one critical piece of communication that just might change everything – the pitch!
With more than 30 raises and over $12M invested into startups alongside his work in equity crowdfunding and capital raising, WeDid Creative Director Ben Nicholas understands the power of the pitch.
Having worked in crowd investment almost since it began in Australia, Ben has seen the best (and worst) of pitching. To help demystify the challenge for founders, here he distils in this EXPERT EDIT, his success formula into Five Top Tips for ensuring pitch video success.
And just like any good pitch video for a crowdsourced funding campaign, his advice is short, shiny and to the point to ensure you take away what matters most when pitching to your crowd.
"A pitch video is often the first point of contact for your potential investor and offers the best opportunity to tell your story, so here’s how you can make it count."
BEN NICHOLAS - WeDiD CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Inspire, inform & entertain
Information is one part of the puzzle but it's to best limit the long, tiring sit down interviews. Instead try getting your host on the move whilst talking to camera in an engaging way. Ask yourself, is it entertaining and/or is it inspiring? If it’s not one of the two, the general rule is – cut it out.
Show, don't tell
Our golden rule. It’s a visual medium, so it’s not okay to just talk at the camera. Think in every scene; is there a way we can SHOW this to the audience? A simple idea might be to show your product whilst a voiceover gives some additional context.
Experience matters
You only get one shot, so pick an experienced team who gets your business and has a firm understanding on how equity crowdsourced funding works. Make sure they love your story and believe in what you are doing.
When you try to say everything you say nothing
Less than four minutes is best. I promise you, no one is watching your eight minute pitch video to the end.
More often than not our best performing content is the 1-minute cut down version. Remember, potential investors don’t need to know everything, your Offer Document should cover the rest.
Our job is to get them interested enough that they are asking questions, and let them learn more about your brand through your profile and documents. We set them up and you knock em’ down!
Budget
Expect to pay between $6-$10k to make your PITCH VIDEO. Prices can vary, but production quality counts. Other pricing variations depend on location, talent, editing & timeframe to complete the project.
