Here are six tips that will make your crowdfunding campaign as bulletproof as possible:
The Elevator. You have to explain your project in less than two minutes, about the same amount of time you can expect to spend in an elevator with a potential investor or backer. Refine your opening pitch until you can get it simple and objective in 2 minutes, using 10 sentences and you're switzerland business fax list done. Don't expect your first attempt at being your best to slip away. Give yourself several weeks to do this.
Write your proposal online. Over and over. Have other trusted people review it. A rule of thumb: for every $2,500 – $5,000 in funding you want, rewrite it at least once. DO NOT jump on a crowdfunding site and compose your proposal there. Again, several weeks is a good idea.
Make it real. Every project out there wants to raise $1 million, set a realistic goal that is very workable.
In addition, expect you to invest your own funds. The minimum investment you should make for the creation and marketing of your project is about 7% percent of the funding goal. In your online pitch, you should talk about what you have invested so far and what you will invest to reach your funding goal.
Banking. Use accounts like PayPal, Amazon, or WePay to receive donations. If someone reads your proposal in the early stages and wants to contribute, you need to be prepared to take that money right then. Since it can take a few days to set up and verify an online payment processing account, this DEFINITELY needs to be done before you launch anything online.
Set benefits and rewards. This takes a lot of thought. Don't do it while you're writing your page on a crowdfunding site. Talk to other people and see what they think is appropriate. Look at similar campaigns that have been successful and look at the perks they have offered.
