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I closely monitored my video view while my project was up and then used these numbers to determine conversion rate. As I am not a statistician, I viewed my data simply as a guide not fact.

What I seemed to find was that my video conversion rate was actually quite good. I was beginning to think that I really did not need that many views to be successful if I extrapolated the conversion rate.

I would caution others not to make that mistake. The sampling data is statistically insignificant and there are many factors that can bias a small sampling.

I reached out to other project creators to ask their thoughts. And I found that the conversion rates of their projects was actually lower than what I was experiencing. They had excellent projects with great presentation, rewards, history and so on. And they were successfully funded many times over. So what was going on? What conclusions could I draw? Actually - factually - none. But I could make some assumptions:

For small samplings video conversion rates should be used only as a general guide. I would use 400:1 as a guide for now. Therefore, you need approximately 40,000 video clicks for 100 backers.

So, If you are receiving 100 views per day, you’re in trouble.

My video was played out 30% of the time, 70% of my the information presented was never seen. So, front load your video with the most important information. The kind of things they need to know to make that call to action.

If your video is not being clicked - change the cover page. This is the first thing people see and it’s not drawing them in. Ask yourself, but more importantly ask others - is it clear, concise, understandable, is it compelling, would you click on it? Again, if it’s not change it.

There’s no magic to crowd funding. It’s the successful implementation of many smart ideas.

It also depends on the graphic you've placed in the same spot as the video. Does it look inviting? Often, as in the case of my video the graphic isn't a part of the video itself - it just sells the concept of what the project is textually and graphically.

I'd recommend 90 second video, with the first 30 seconds focused as an ad for the project by itself. My video is too long, I knew it before I loaded it - it's 3 minutes and 14 seconds long (more the twice the recommended length). I see that about 49% have actually viewed the entire video. Still the non-statistic pledges vs. video views is about 35% viewed sign up (of course I know this is a non-statistic).

In my video, the first minute and a half is me talking about myself and my qualification ending in a 30 second ad, followed continued audio description by me and zoom and image fades of various maps. I didn't try to make it entertaining so much as explanatory of the project itself.

I also happened to pick the hottest day of the year, and shot the visual portion of me, at a local state park. The part showing me was during my third take of the video and I was starting to sweat. It could have been better, but I am fairly satisfied. Again, on my next Kickstarter video (if I do another project), the video will be much shorter.

Hey Michael,

Thanks for pitching in.

I just went back to your video and realized how interesting your project is. I can see why it’s so successful.

I’d like to point out that I believe there are many successful strategies that work and it’s important to for everyone to tweak their strategy to their audience. For example, my impression is that your project would be very valuable to many people who would use it to make money - game developers for instance. As a business person myself, I generally look at business purchases differently than personal purchases. I make business purchases to help me make money. I think your project is masterfully tailored to your audience.

So as I watched your video, my concern was not in the entertainment value, but rather in the quality of information presented. Did I understand your pitch, was it informative, do I know what your project does, should I buy it? In that regard I think you did quite well. Should you quit your day job and move to Hollywood? Maybe not just yet.

Congratulations on your continued success. And for you gamers in the audience, take a look at Michael’s project - it’s something you should consider. Here’s his link:

25 Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide Kickstarter

inflexionUSA wrote:
There’s no magic to crowd funding. It’s the successful implementation of many smart ideas.

I agree with your thoughts on an attractive cover page - youtube has known this about video thumbnails for a while. I also like your thoughts on putting the most compelling/necessary information first.

I do think that 400/1 ratio (400 video views for 1 pledge) is a little low from what I've experienced talking with campaign creators. I would expect 1-20% (yes large range), but a 400 to 1 ratio in terms of 400 people need to visit the campaign page for 1 person to pledge. Maybe of those 400, 100 actually view the video and one pledges.