How to Communicate Your Product on Kickstarter

Hundreds of designers and inventors turn to Kickstarter each month to look for financial backing that will help them bring their product from an idea to reality. Kickstarter is a fantastic platform to help inventors of all shapes and sizes, but having a successful Kickstarter campaign requires much more than quickly setting up a page and throwing a few words on it in hopes you’ll get some money.

Backers, aka the people who give you money via Kickstarter, are more than just your average consumer. They are collaborators who are dedicated to your project and product, and they help inventors! It’s important to continue to build a relationship with your backers long after you get money from them because they can be your biggest brand advocates when your campaign is over. 

Top Kickstarter Communication Tips to Help Inventors

Your demo video

So how do you ensure that you communicate your product effectively so you gain backers and reach your financial goals? One of the biggest ways to attract backers is your video. The video you place on your Kickstarter page is so important because it’s going to be the intro that your audience has to what you’re trying to create. This is really what will help inventors communicate their product the most out of anything on your page so it’s important to really put time and effort into it. Here are things you should take into consideration:

• Your video should cover the base functionality of your product and be digestible to the average person – remember, not everyone viewing your video is a designer.
• Clearly communicate how your backers can use the product in their daily lives.
• Remember backers are often funding you as much as your product. They want to see you and hear how passionate you are, so don’t be afraid to make it personal.
• Keep the video short and sweet. People have about an eight-second attention span, and although eight seconds is too short, no one is going to sit through a five-minute video.
• Remember to look for copyright infringement. Use royalty-free music, and make sure your video doesn’t contain any logos (even the Apple logo on your computer).
• End your video with a specific call to action, such as showing and telling people about your rewards and exactly what they need to do to back your project.

Video checklist to help inventors

According to Kickstarter themselves, there are certain things that every video should include. Here are the essentials:

1. Tell viewers who you are
2. Tell viewers the story behind your product
3. Ask for support, explain what you need, and what you’ll do with the money
4. Talk about your rewards and show people visuals of them
5. Explain what will happen if you don’t reach your goal
6. Give a thank you to everyone for their support

There are thousands of videos on the Kickstarter platform, so you don’t need someone to tell you that it can be hard to stand out, and your video alone isn’t what’s going to guarantee your success. However, the video can definitely help support your case. What are some of your tips for a successful Kickstarter campaign?

About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!