by Charles » Sat Sep 20, 2014 3:36 pm
This is a fabulous thread! This is rock solid advice.
Not being a Kickstarter project creator, but only a "regular backer," as Sal Briggman called me in a PM a while back, I look at things from a different perspective.
You've done lots of "homework." More importantly, you've actually tried to learn. One thing that I find to be interesting, simply as a general observation, is that project creators are eager to succeed, but simultaneously, they are often resistant to learning.
On the video thing, I think that videos are not so much critical, but rather, that they can be very effective. Pound for pound, a good video can net you a LOT of effect, backer-wise and pledge-wise. I've encountered some projects where, if I click on the video first, the project snags me with the video, alone. If that happens, then it really doesn't tend to matter to me what the rest of the project page looks like.
On the photos thing, you're right on the mark with that one. I've seen blurry photos, and photos that are largely lacking in elements of visual interest in them. Black and white can work, but color tends to work better, simply because color acts as an attractant to the human eye. It embodies additional facets of interest. There are projects that are being touted in this forum, right now, which suffer from bad photos and from deficient, sub-par artwork. That sort of stuff can SLAUGHTER a campaign's chances of success.
Typically, I just shake my head, when I encounter it. They want you to back them, but what they present creates a visual impression of crap. What lies beneath the imagery may be a very solid concept. But, if it's presented in a way that hurts the eyes, turns the stomach, or bores the Hell out of the person viewing the project page, then it becomes an uphill struggle to then persuade the person to back the project - no matter what the project is.
You emphasized what you call the "written part of the campaign," aka the "pitch page." What I would emphasize is that it boils down to presentation. A project page has various elements to it (text, photos, art, videos, etc.), and each of those things involves presentation.
On more than one occasion, I have commented to project creators that they are pretty, when I browse their project page and accompanying links, looking for things to offer them feedback on. If you are pretty, then having your picture on your project page is a visual plus. Even if you're not pretty, you could still be photogenic (not all pretty people are photogenic, as odd as that might strike some). If you're photogenic, then it can benefit your project page for you to have your picture on it.
If you're not pretty and you're not photogenic, then one thing that a video can do for you is to bring your personality to the forefront. You might be funny, or you might have a good voice. You might just come across as sincere, or as someone that others can relate to on one or more levels. No matter who you are, you possess certain human qualities, which translates into there being other people out there that can relate to you - provided they encounter your video.
I hope that you don't mind me chiming in. Keep this thread going. You've got a great thought stream flowing.