Telling your story

Before Launching your Project at Indie Birds – Imagine explaining your project to a friend. What would you say? What might they ask you? And how would you show them you’re serious, prepared, and capable of doing a great job? Your project page is your chance to tell people that story: who you are, what you want to make, and why. #

If your project is simple and straightforward, then maybe your project page can be, too. If you’re doing something more complex, share details to demonstrate that you know what you’re doing. Either way, there are some basic questions you should answer:

• Who are you? Introduce yourself, your team, and any similar work you’ve done (show some examples).
• What are you planning to make? The more details, the better. Sketches, samples, prototypes — it all helps backers get as excited as you are.
• Where did this project come from? Tell people how you got the idea, and how much you’ve accomplished so far. Sharing the project’s history helps others understand the kind of work you do, and how you go about it.
• What’s your plan, and what’s your schedule? Lay out a clear, specific timeline for what backers can expect.
• What’s your budget? A simple breakdown lets people know you’ve thought things through and have a workable plan, so they can trust you to use funds wisely.
• Why do you care? Tell people why you’re passionate about your project and committed to making it happen.

A lot of your story can be conveyed with words, but there’s more to a good project page than text. Images and video are a huge help for bringing people inside your story. #

• Choose a great project image. Remember: it’s the first part of your project people will see — you’ll want to make a good first impression. 
• Make a compelling video. It’s the best way to introduce yourself and to give people a closer look at what you’re working on. It doesn’t have to be super slick.
• Still feeling a bit camera-shy? Browse some well-funded campaigns from Kickstarter ( A Similar Crowdfunding Website )
• Consider adding captions and subtitles. Captions, subtitles, and translations help more people understand what you have to say and get involved with your project (whatever their language or hearing level).
• Get creative. Include gifs, sound clips, and graphs. Try to keep some media items under 5MB so that they’re easily shareable.