Similar to your written pitch, your video pitch is an important way to build a story around your campaign, compelling people to learn more and hopefully invest. However, there is an important difference: your video pitch is a chance for you to showcase the people behind the business and their passion! Failing to get at least the founders on camera talking about the business is a serious missed opportunity.
Ideally you'll want to get the following perspectives where possible:
Founders talking about what led them to start the business and setting the scene.
Key team members talking about their particular subject area, the head of marketing introducing previous marketing efforts or what has been achieved so far, for example.
Investors, either in this round or a previous round explaining why they backed the business.
Users of the business discussing why they love the product.
The last two in particular are powerful validations for an investor considering the opportunity. Other than the ideas above, the video shouldn’t aim to cover content not described in the written pitch. Aim to support and reiterate the ideas found there as opposed to having two completely different experiences. This will keep the story consistent and reinforce the view a potential investor has of the business. Here are some further examples of what you should consider:
Length
Your main video should last between 1.5 - 3 minutes. Anything longer this and the completion rate of the video will start to fall dramatically so it’s very important to highlight all the important aspects in as concise format as possible.
Location
The best crowdfunding videos are filmed in a setting that brings the viewer into your world. Filming in your office can be challenging while the rest of your team are working, but it’s worth it to give the viewer an idea of how you work and showcase your team. You may also want to shoot some scenes in special locations that are related to the industry / sector you operate in. This may include shots around town, your product in use, customers or perhaps partners to provide context and mix things up a bit.
The entrepreneur
Some entrepreneurs try and hide behind a product demonstration or an animation, but we believe that potential investors really want to see your face before making an investment decision. And try and film short, direct and punchy segments rather than long rambling narratives. That way it’s easier to edit the footage if required, and it makes it easier to share clips on social media. Where possible, try to film as many takes as you can so you have options to work with; you’d be surprised at how long it can take even a seasoned veteran to sound natural.
The team
Investors back teams who they believe will deliver either on their existing proposition or the one they might pivot to in the future. Show your team off if you have one - get a developer to mention why the technology you’re building is so innovative or someone from your support team talking about how you onboard / nurture your customers.
Storytelling
Tell your story. This is often more popular than reading through the campaign text, so tell your story in a compelling and exciting way. Make sure you frame the pain / problem you’re solving, talk about the addressable market, explain why you’re the right business to solve the problem and touch on why now is the time for the business to take off.
Validation
Highlight the things that validate your business (name-dropping some of your clients, your traction to date and some of your vanity metrics) Getting customers, existing investors and influencers in the video also helps with social validation.
Call to action
Finish the video with a strong call to action. Invite people to join you on your mission!