Creating a compelling pitch for your Kickstarter project

Each project page on Kickstarter is essentially a pitch for an idea, your idea. When people come to Kickstarter they are coming to be pitched. They aren’t actively thinking this of course, but they want to hear about you and your project. The pitch can make or break a project, so having a good one is important.

A Kickstarter pitch usually consists of an image, video, and written copy. While most people choose to do a video it is not required. However, the Kickstarter School highly recommends that you do a video. It is a great way for people who don’t know you to learn about you and your idea. When people come to look at your project they will have several questions they will want answered. Answering them effectively can, in some circumstances, double your chances of a viewer becoming a backer.

Over the next few posts we’ll look at  what those questions are and how to use the project page to pitch your idea and get backers. I won’t get into specifics of about how to make your video or what to write because that is really up to you.

What Makes a Good Pitch?

Good pitches have three essential elements: narrative, credibility, and clarity. You don’t need to have all three in your pitch, but a successful project does at least one of them very well.

Narrative – Your personal story and the story behind your idea. If you can explain why you are excited about the project and what led you to create it, then people will have a much easier time connecting with you.

Credibility – This is one aspect of the pitch that people often miss. You want to show people that you are the right person to do this project. You achieve this by showing prototypes of your product or samples of your art. The more previous experience you can demonstrate, the more people will trust you.

Clarity – Keep it simple. Don’t make people guess what your project is or what the result is going to be. The easier it is for people to understand your project, the easier it is for them make a decision about whether to back you.

A Kickstart’s Guide to Kickstarter TOC:

pssst…you can read all of this offline by downloading the e-book.