What's the purpose of your video?
Your video should build a trust and connection with investors. The best way to do this is to give investors face time with you, the founder.
Your investors are signing up to be part of your journey for years. Wouldn't it make sense for them to want to know who they're partnering with? Use your video to clearly show who you are as a founder, while pitching the investment opportunity.
What should you cover in your video?
If you're short on time, simply record yourself walking through your pitch deck, as if you were pitching your investors live. Though it sounds basic, it achieves the core purpose of your video—letting investors hear about your company straight from your own mouth, versus a cartoon animation or a series of stock photos.
If you're willing to take more time to edit your video, then supplement your pitch with footage that shows investors a deeper dive into aspects of your company that they won't see in the rest of your campaign page. Give them face time with your founding team and your customers, behind-the-scenes footage of your product or space, and anything else that completes the picture of what you're building.
No matter what route you go, use your video as a chance to show (not just tell) investors exactly who you are, what your company does, and where you're going.
If you want a starting point for your script, start writing down your answers to these prompting questions (from YC):
Video script prompting questions:
- What are we building and for whom?
- Why hasn’t this been done before?
- Why is it hard to do what we are doing?
- Why is this an opportunity not to be missed?
Or, here's a script template you can adapt:
Fill in the blanks to adapt your own script:
Hi, I’m {name} and I’m the founder of {company}. We’re {your 1-liner}.
We’re building {solution} for {customer} to solve {this problem}.
Today, {customer} needs to {solve their problem} by {doing this undesirable thing}.
With {our solution}, {our customers} will be able to {do this instead}, achieving {these benefits}.
My co-founders and I {1-2 reasons why our team can deliver}.
We’re raising money on Wefunder because {a mission-driven or tactical reason to let your community in}. This round of funding will allow us to {achieve these 1-3 milestones in our next chapter}.
{Optional: recap your vision or mission}
We hope you’ll join us in our journey! Invest in {company} today.
Barely have any time to create a video?
Just speak into your phone or webcam as if you're pitching a room of investors on a Demo Day. Paint a clear picture of exactly what your company does and why it matters, using simple words and eye contact.
For example, check out this simple but effective campaign video from Calm Company Fund's Community Round in 2021:
Transcript
Hi everyone, I’m Tyler Tringas, the founder and general partner of Earnest Capital.
If you’re not familiar with us, we provide capital, community, and mentorship for entrepreneurs building “calm companies.”
Or this video from Doordash's 2013 application to Y Combinator:
Transcript
Hey I’m Stanley, I’m a Stanford CS Major. I did front-end engineering at Facebook.
Hey I’m Andy, I’m also a Stanford CS Major, and I did platform engineering at Facebook.
I’m Evan, I was on the founding team of Vivo, the music video service.
And I’m Tony, I was the product manager of Square.
What if I want my video to be more than a talking head?
Whether you have the time to spend or you're working with a creative team for your video, here are some ways to create a video that goes beyond the talking head.
Splice in extra footage
Show, don't tell: what do your customers actually say about your company? Who are the human faces (in addition to your own) behind the product? People love to see behind the scenes.
Don't add generic stock videos, stock photos, or cartoon animations just for the sake of variation. Unless the clips add something to your investors' understanding of your business, don't include them.
Here are some ideas:
- Customers’ video testimonials
- Press clips or interviews
- B-roll from events you’ve thrown (if you’re community-centric)
- B-roll in your restaurant, store, warehouse, or office
- Footage of your product being made
- A clear product demo video
- Your team members talking about your mission
Shoot your pitch in an intentional location
Instead of sitting in any random spot and pointing your webcam at it, set up a tripod with your iPhone or camera and record yourself somewhere meaningful. Here are a few examples:
- Earth Rides: Founder Raven Hernandez stands in front of a Tesla (an essential part of her offering) as she speaks directly to the camera.
- Unity Wellness: Co-founders Alex Valley and Phene Wardlaw walk the perimeter of their production facility while speaking directly to the camera.
Transcript
Hey everyone, it's Sam and Hal from Zeitlins Deli. So after three years Sam and I working together, a lot of people been watching this whole journey, it's time to get a brick and mortar in our own home. And truthfully, we need it as soon as possible.
Transcript
The latest research indicates that 25% of Gen Z, globally, already identify as non-binary. That’s not a fad. That’s not a niche. That is a paradigm shift in when thinking about gender identity and presentation that presents an enormous opportunity.
The opportunity to pioneer the category of non-binary design, and also the opportunity to have an enormous positive impact on the lives of millions of people.
Hi, I’m Finnegan Shepard, the founder of Both&. Simply put, Both& is the brand that I, as a trans man, have waited my whole life to exist. In high school, I would layer 3 shirt sand really hunch my shoulders to try and create a flat-fall around my chest. I would only swim in the wilderness, where I could be topless, and avoid invitations to pool parties at all costs. I remember in stark detail, a moment in high school when I was in the Levi’s dressing room, desperately trying to look cool in this pair of pants that my break dancing teacher wore. And I felt like a clown. I felt this acute pain in my chest looking at my reflection and feeling this deep sense of not fitting.
And my story is not unique. I spent the last 2 years interviewing and surveying thousands of trans-masculine and non-binary people. And it’s the same across the board. It’s a story of fiction. Of trying to fit into a world that has developed product solely with a cisgendered consumer in mind. This is exactly what mainstream brands are missing. That our needs and desires are different from cisgendered consumers. Our bodies are literally different proportions. And that serving this community means reimagining and re-designing systems and products to actually serve our needs. It also means building a brand that speaks to the aesthetic and language of younger generations’ relationship to gender identity and presentation.
That is exactly what we’re doing at Both&, starting with apparel. We spent 9 months gathering the data necessary to build a proprietary fit and sizing system. And then we launched an MVP capsule, using that system. The reaction was extraordinary. We sold out folks within weeks of launch. We have less than half of the average national return rate, and 3 times the repeat customer rate. We have also doubled our AOV since launch. But most importantly, we have this:
[Customer video testimonials]
“Wow. What a feeling.”
“The fit on them was just incredible. Literally, I’ve never put on a top and felt so confident.”
“They are my favorite shirt company and I just feel so myself in this shirt, so thank you.”
“This is one of the best tee shirts ever! Yo!! I love this, so freaking much.”
“Fits incredible. Feels amazing. And is super gender affirming.”
“I think the clothing is perfect. It couldn’t get any better.”
“I wear this and I just feel, I feel confident. I feel happy. And I feel proud.”
Imagine that you had the opportunity to invest in the next largest shift in spending power and consumer behavior. And imagine that in doing so, you are also investing in a community that historically has been shunned, marginalized, and ignored. That is Both&. We have founder-consumer fit, we have product-market fit. We have deep brand loyalty and trust. And most importantly, we understand this demographic, because we’re actually a part of this community. We’re actually listening, and doing things the right way.
Both& will be the icon brand of the non-binary generation. Systematically tackling each of the verticals that need to be innovated in order to serve and empower this community. I’m thrilled today to be launching a community seed round. Where everyone who believes in our mission and vision can invest and be a part of the non-binary future we’re building.
Caption your video
We strongly recommend adding captions to your video. Studies show that anywhere from 60% to over 90% of people watch videos without sound. Captions also make videos accessible for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
To transcribe the audio in your video and export it with captions, try using a service like Descript, Veed, or Kapwing. Note, captioning is free but exporting a video without a watermark is $15 at the time of writing.
Recap
Your Wefunder campaign video gives you a chance to build a human connection with your investors in just a few minutes.
It’s also a unique opportunity to immerse investors in your company. If you’re building a physical product, showcase it in your video. If you’re building a physical space, give us a tour.
But no matter what you’re building or how much resource you can dedicate to your video, the most important part of your video is you—the founder.
If your video is just you and your co-founders pitching directly to the camera, you’ll do just fine. If you add all the bells and whistles, you’ll do great as well—just don’t skimp on the fundamentals.
Happy video making!
Extra Resources:
- A Guide to YC Demo Day Presentations by Geoff Ralston (see “Technique” section)
- Advice on Pitching by Aaron Harris (see “Speaking” section)
