Your campaign video

Campaigns with videos earn 105% more than those without videos. Videos are easily put together and an important thing to remember is that your video doesn’t have to have fancy high production values.

If you’re paying a videographer to make your Boosted campaign video, try to find someone with experience in making successful crowdfunding videos. You also might have a talented videographer mate who's ready to help you out by capturing you and your ask.

If you can’t find someone to do this – you can simply learn how to shoot and edit on your phone. Smart phones these days have great resolution and sound quality. Phone or computer recordings can invite donors in without costing you a cent. As long as you have a strong script ready to go, low-fi video can add credibility and authenticity. Don't be shy, people like seeing the faces of those behind the art, so pop out from behind the camera, get set up and give it a go.

Your script

With the amount of distractions and number of tabs we tend to have open in our web browsers these days, your supporters aren't likely to sit through a 15 minute epic about your campaign. A campaign video should be around 60-90 seconds. That’s all!

While you're recording, keep in mind it’s nice to have a 30 second version for social media with subtitles and some 10 second snippets that you can publish throughout your campaign, on top of your main campaign video.

Here's a good format to follow:

• Introduce yourself (15 seconds) 
• Tell people about your project (15-30 seconds) 
• What is special about it?
• Why does it need to be made? 
• What impact will it have?
• Ask for support (15-20 seconds)
• Why do you need help?
• What will the money you raise go towards?
• Urgency (10-15 seconds)
• Talk about the all-or-nothing element of Boosted
• How important is their contribution?
• Thank them, again (5-10 seconds)

Shooting on your smartphone

Here are some handy tips for using your smartphone to record your campaign video:

• Film your video in landscape
• Use a tripod if you have one - otherwise you can prop your phone up on something to hold it in place
• Check your camera resolution (read on for more on this)
• Shoot in a quiet space with a plain, tidy background
• Do a quick test recording to check your lighting, frame and sound quality before you commit to filming the real deal

Did you know that you can set your camera resolution on your smart phone? Before you start shooting with your smartphone, we recommend that you quickly pop into your camera video settings. You will have a choice of resolution quality. Usually the options are 720, 1080 (2K) and 4K. Try to film on 720 or 2K, because the quality is great and both resolutions are broadcast quality. 4K is really good too, but it will quickly uses up a lot of storage space on your device.

Editing your video

It sounds daunting if you haven't done this before, but the truth is that editing your video is an important part of taking it to the next level. The good news is, you don't need to be a film guru or expert to do this - there are free apps and software that allow for you to edit your video on your laptop or your phone.

By editing your video, you can cut out any parts that didn't work out that well. You can also add music, graphics, special effects and much more. Some great video editing apps include:

• iMovie (free)
• 'Capcut (free)
• Vimeo Editor (free)
• PremierePro (Adobe subscription required)

It is best to also include subtitles so that people can follow without turning on the sound.

There are plenty of film connoisseurs out there that you may not know have some editing skills. It's worth putting a call out to your friends and family for some editing support - you may be surprised.

Push the video

You've got your video loaded on your Boosted page, nice work! But don’t let it just sit there, spread the word. Include it when you are sending out an email to potential donors, post it on your social media - let people know.

Remember to always link to your crowdfunding page to make that big red 'donate' button as easy as possible to find for your supporters.