Regarding crowdfunding, people often focus more on the product and funding amount. And in the mass of these factors, the importance of photos is often neglected. But in a real sense, a suitable photo that hits your campaign goal can bring an impactful effect on your funding that you will not even imagine!
However, to make your crowdfunding fruitful, you need to follow some tricks to bring the best outcomes through your photography. So, here we are sharing with you some amazing tips for crowdfunding photos that will be a game-changing move for your campaign. But first, let’s learn why photos are essential for crowdfunding-
Why Are Photos Important For Crowdfunding?
Photos play a crucial role in collecting crowdfunding. But how? To know the importance of photos in funding platforms are as follows-
- Product Marketing: A crowdfunding campaign is only successful when you can portray your product in the best way possible. And for that, photographs play a key role. When you capture a good photo in adequate lighting, it beautifies and attractively portrays your product. Sharing or uploading these photos grab the attention of your target audience and effectively does product marketing. This eventually helps you in collecting funding.
- Creating Engagement: When you click good photos of your product and upload them on a funding platform, investors or backers show interest. They question you about your campaign goals and get involved with your activities. Thus, good photos help you to increase engagement.
- Highlighting The Goal Of Your Funding Campaign: A good photo always tells a story. So, you can connect to your audience and investors through photographs. It highlights your values and goals. Thus, it builds a relationship with the viewers and encourages them to fund.
- Boosting Your Funding: If you want to show professionalism, your dedication, and the capability of your funding product, nothing can beat the impact of a good photo. It is a fact that can build the very first impression about your entire campaign. A photo almost works as a branding of your campaign and thus motivates the masses to invest in your funding. This ultimately boosts your campaign and helps you reach your goal faster.
Top 20 Tips For Crowdfunding Photos
Here we bought you 20 top tips for crowdfunding photography that you can use to get the best response from your target audience. So, check this out-
Let The Photo Bring Your Story
Every crowdfunding project has a cause and a story. And to give these stories a life, photos are an excellent medium to reach mass people. But for that, you should select photos keeping your funding goals in mind. For instance, if you are collecting funds for a non-profitable project, portrait the donation story, cause the suffering, and the reasons in your photo. Using these types of photos will connect the audience to the photographs emotionally. And this will encourage them to donate and participate in the crowdfunding campaign.
However, always go for realistic photos to tell the story in the best way possible. Many times people use graphics and animation photos for crowdfunding. Remember, projects like donation or social service connect deeply to human emotion. And to convey the story of such funding projects, humanistic photos are a must. Another point to note is keeping the background visible to bring the story in the most effective way. The background of photographs can convey a story, so give importance to that, too, instead of just focusing on the main subject.
Give Priority To Photos Quality
Quality is the most crucial factor that can greatly impact your crowdfunding project theme. Using blurred photos or something that doesn’t go well with your funding will put a negative impression on your funding. That is why you should always be careful about uploading the best-quality photos. And to keep the quality of your photos, here are a few things that you should follow-
- Use DSLR Camera: Nothing can beat the photo quality of a DSLR camera. Although you have a top-notch smartphone that can capture excellent photos, you should use a DSLR camera to click funding photos. Remember, it is not a social media platform where you will showcase some good aesthetic photos to get likes and comments from your admirers. Crowdfunding platforms are something to take seriously, and each uploaded photo matters here. So, don’t take these matters lightly. If possible, hire a professional photographer and capture quality pictures for your crowdfunding projects.
- Don’t Edit Too Much: In terms of photography, one thing that happens most often is editing. However, we are not suggesting you avoid editing. Editing is mandatory to give the final touch to your photography. But sometimes, too much editing can ruin the entire photography. And to solve these issues, we suggest you edit one picture in several ways. This will help you to have several options in hand.
- Upload Large But Compressed Photo: Large photos are best for crowdfunding; you can add them as cover photos or upload them for regular updates. These photos allow you to provide the donor or the investor with a detailed product overview. And giving higher resolution also will enable them to zoom the picture and get a clear view. But in this case, compressing the image is crucial. It will save image storage capacity, aid in fast upload, and use minimal hardware storage space.
Express Emotion Through Your Photography
Connecting your targeted audience to your funding photographs is crucial for encouraging them to participate. The photos you add should have the capability to make one smile, love, or cry. Human emotion is an element that has the power to control decisions. That is why an emotional connection is always important. This works best for non-profitable funding. It can be donating to someone’s operation, helping someone in need, or war victims. In this case, try to capture the people’s real condition and sufferings. This will bring emotion to your photography and thus boost your funding campaign. However, here are some tips for you to implement so that you can connect to the audience emotionally-
- Make eye contact with the camera
- Highlight the background also to bring out the real situation
- Bring out genuine gestures or action
- Capture humanity in your magical box
Upload Pictures Chronologically
Just taking good pictures and uploading them on your funding platform is not the end of the game. You need to maintain the flow and sequence of the activities you perform for your fundraising. For instance, if your product is in the building stage, you can share the prototype updates through pictures. Then when you are running a test on your prototype, you can share these photos too.
Let’s make this concept clear with another example. Suppose you are collecting donations for the operation of a patient. So in the first phase, you can upload the patient’s medical reports to build trust and prove authenticity for fundraising. Then share the pictures of her health condition; if she is undergoing any treatment, capture that for your platform. Next, you can also share the progress of her treatment chronologically. Thus you can build a direct connection with the donor and encourage them for further donation.
Capture The Context
An impactful crowdfunding photograph shouldn’t require any justification. Without a caption, the viewer can recognize and enjoy a strong photograph. You can connect the donors with images that show more than simply the subjects’ faces and a simple background. Try capturing what is occurring in the surrounding, what the subjects are doing, or where the photo was shot.
Remember, donors always want to see your activities and get updates on what is going on. And adding detailed pictures will allow them to peek into your campaign and verify where their valuable donations are being used. So, besides capturing the condition of the subject, also highlight the surroundings, background, future prediction, or how the donation can help the subject, etc. Thus, you can gain maximum approach from the audience and collect funding faster.
Photo Composition & Cropping For Better Outcomes
You should give your photos appropriateness; we mean to highlight the heart of the product in the most prominent way possible. For instance, if you are crowdfunding for a watch, and the size of the watch in photos is much smaller than the surrounding backgrounds or props, then the outcome will be zero! So, proper photo composition and cropping are necessary to solve these issues. Here are some tips you can follow for this-
- The photographer’s largest item should be the photo’s main subject. It could be a person, any product, or a community that serves as the ‘star’ of the picture. So, crop the image to emphasize your subject most, eliminating other unnecessary objects.
- To make a better composition, follow the ‘Rule of Thirds’. Now how to do that? First, split your image into a grid of nine boxes. For that, visualize a tic-tac-toe pattern on your photo and imagine drawing two horizontal and two vertical lines. This will drive your photo in nine boxes. Then, crop your image so your topic is located on a line that crosses two other lines. This will make it easier to present the main subject with enough room to be pop-up.
- The viewer will be distracted if there is too much clutter or activity in the area behind your subject. So, remove distracting backgrounds from the image to keep the main topic in focus. However, you can use free online tools to swiftly and simply crop or edit photographs. This will make your work easier and save you time too.
Photos Should Reflect Your Values
Every crowdfunding program has its own set of beliefs and values. Now you may ask what values we are referring to. For instance, if you have a product to sell for development for which you are raising funds. Here the values can offer premium quality, environment friendliness, or causing no harm to any animals. All these can stand for value. And when you take pictures for your campaign, you must reflect these factors in your photo.
For that, take pictures from diverse angles. Consider the background, and bring out the element that your product is composed of. Besides, bring unity to your product. For example, showcase models of all skin tones in your photos if you have a skincare product or any makeup element. This will express your value in believing in equality. Thus, when the investors or donors see positivity in your moral values, they will quickly consider investing in your campaign.
Test & Gather Feedback Before Uploading The Photos
Testing your photo means observing people’s reactions. Uploading a photo on a crowdfunding platform means it is the official representation of your campaign. So, before stepping into the final stage, test how people are taking the concept.
And to do so, share the pictures with your family and friends. Take their feedback about how they feel about the photos. Mark if they can relate the photos to your crowdfunding goals. Then decide if you should retake pictures or if they are ok to upload on crowdfunding platforms.
Add Caption & Detailed Description Of The Photos
Every picture has a story. And storytelling is crucial to boost your funding campaign and raising public support. So, each time you upload a photo, you must include the background and the activities that are going on in the photography.
Before collecting the fund, you should include a detailed description of the product you are looking for. Once you have raised the collected amount, you can also update your investor by adding a detailed caption with a picture of the work progression.
It can also be a thank you post with a picture of the investor. In the caption, you can thank him and express your gratitude for his great contribution. Sharing such photos on social media will be really inspiring. Many youths of today’s generation will get inspiration to invest in business and donate to social services.
Add Watermarks On The Photos
Adding the watermark of your funding campaign to the photos can be a smart move for promoting your crowdfunding. It will also work as a branding of your product and claim ownership of the photograph. And when you share these photos on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram, people will know about your campaign and make it more engaging.
Now, where to get these watermark logos? Different online applications provide you with watermarks for free. For example- Online Photo Watermarker, Watermark Files Online, Image2Go Watermark Tool, etc.
Showcase Your Product In The Best Way Possible
When collecting funding for your business, don’t compromise with the photos of your products. The photos alone can draw the attention of your target audience. And that is why we always suggest you hire a professional photographer and add high-quality photos of your product. Besides all these, there are some other important factors that you should consider while clicking your product photos. These are as follows-
- Focus On The Product: The product is the heart of the funding campaign. So, the success of your crowdfunding campaign will depend on how you represent your product. That is why you should try to take an attractive shot of your product. Try experimenting with your product and determine which way they look best. And then take the best shot possible.
- Keep The Background Neat: Remember, only focusing on the product will not bring the expected result. To take a perfect shot of your product, you must keep the background in mind. Analyze what type of background will make your product look better. You can also go for a plain background or go to a studio to take pictures of your funding product. However, budget is an issue, and if you don’t want to spend much on photography, you can shoot your product in natural lighting. But using a good quality camera is mandatory.
- Take Real-Life Shot: Always aim to take realistic shots. Keep in mind that the audience looks for emotion in photographs. And they are attracted to those photos that they can connect to their day-to-day life. So, take pictures of your product linking them with actual incidence. This will help to build an impressive brand image for your product.
- Take High-Resolution Photos: Blurry photos, out of focus, or grainy may negatively impact the fundraising process. It will give the impression that your organization lacks expertise, so the investor will not find you reliable. Always remember donors will respond best to and place more faith in you if your images are crisp, in focus, vibrantly colored, and has higher resolution.
However, you don’t need to hire a professional photographer to get a high-resolution photograph. You can take fantastic photos with a regular digital camera or smartphone. But to guarantee better-quality photographs and make them suitable for uploading to the fundraising page, ensure your camera is set to the maximum quality and resolution settings.
Use Good Lighting & Bright Colors In Your Photo
Donors may completely disregard your project if the photographs are dull, gloomy, or unappealing. So, to create the perfect atmosphere for your photography, lighting, and coloring plays a crucial role. You can spread enthusiasm, joy, excitement, or positivism with a bright image.
On the flip side, a dark image might convey a menacing, somber, or depressing tone. That is why you should always have proper lighting for photography. Photos with lots of colors and lighting can make your campaign photo more visible. And this will easily grab the donor or investor’s attention. Here are a few simple suggestions for lighting and color:
- Morning and early evening are the most suitable times of the day to capture photos for your crowdfunding campaign. The soft natural lighting of this period of the day will make your product look more attractive and vibrant.
- Consider putting your subjects into complete shadow if you take shots outside in the intense afternoon sun. Ensure your subjects are not squinting or appearing uncomfortable by staring directly into the sun.
- Use a flash only when essential; photos appear more authentic without a flash.
- Consider how the lighting will affect the skin tone of your subject. Your shot can appear overly green, yellow, or blue if you are in a room with fluorescent or very dim lighting, which can make your subject’s skin tone look odd. However, you may adjust this by adding a little red or pink to your shot.
- You can use lighting creatively to improve a photograph and thus gather more funding for your campaign.
- You should try to avoid black-and-white photos. Colors have the power to convey expression. So it is better to use colorful photos. However, for the best result, you can also use software like Canava, Pixlr, Photor, etc., to adjust the color and saturation of your photos.
Share Photos Of Your Prototype
The photos of the developing stage of any product can unexpectedly attract the audience. So, you should start sharing your prototype from the very beginning of your funding campaign or before starting it. Let people know what you are planning and how much effort you put into bringing things out.
In this case, take a side-by-side picture of your prototype and collage it with your final outcome. You can use visual illustrations to bring out the outlook of your final result. This will grab the attention of the investors faster. So, sharing this kind of photo will make your backers feel connected from the very beginning, and when you jump in for funding, they will find them standing in the front row for investing!
Add Multiple Picture To Display Your Project
To reach your funding target, never rely on a single photo. Instead, keep multiple photos to showcase. Using only one image to support your crowdfunding campaign won’t provide contributors with enough information or motivation to give, and it can detract from the credibility of your project. It is often seen that the funding campaign that stands with more photos gets better responses and can reach its target faster.
Donors will better understand your project’s purpose and nature if you display a selection of images. For instance, if your project concerns child welfare and you collect funding for children, capture their activities through your photos. Upload pictures of kids smiling, reading, participating in collaborative tasks, sketching, greeting instructors, finishing homework, etc. This lets the audience connect to your funding project more quickly.
More isn’t necessarily better, though. Don’t add irrelevant photos to make your campaign more attractive because it will crossfire on your project. Donors may become overwhelmed by too many images, which may weaken the impact of your narrative. So, only provide images that genuinely give more context and valuable information. Therefore, check your profile regularly to examine that only impactful, necessary, and high-quality photos are uploaded.
Optimize The Funding Photos To Get The Best Result
Every platform has its unique image dimension requirements; all sizes of photos do not suit every website or platform. And a wrong size photo will damage the entire photograph after uploading. For example- the photo banner for youtube requires 16:9, whereas photos on Instagram need to have a size 9:16 ratio.
So, when you upload a youtube friendly photo to Instagram, it will cut out most of the portion of the photo when uploaded. For this reason, we advise testing out several picture dimensions before making a final choice.
Keep in mind that many sites even have restrictions on the uploading of maximum picture sizes. Whether posting to YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or another platform, you should optimize the photo to the required size and then post it to the platform.
Highlight The Rewards In Your Photos
If your crowdfunding campaign offers some reward, it’s the best opportunity to use it on photographs and create maximum engagement. Take pictures of the reward in the most attractive way and then upload them on your funding platform. Remember to keep the main product on the side of the rewards so that the backers can analyze if it’s worth buying your product to get those rewards.
For example, if you are collecting funding for a smartphone company, place rewards like headphones, smart watches, phone cases, and other items related to your main product. Now, take a high-resolution camera and place all these products in a perfectly lightened area to capture the best shot. Remember here; the phone is the heart of the picture. Focus more on that and place the reward in the surroundings. Uploading such pictures will grab public attention faster and help you to raise funds more efficiently.
Maintain Photo Ownership
Use photographs that you shot of your actual project to get the most effective result in the funding platform. Genuine, real, authentic photographs will elicit a more favorable reaction from donors than commercial photography.
Besides, using borrowed or fake pictures will put questions on your funding project. So, to avoid these situations ensure you have the appropriate usage rights. Now you may ask where to get photo ownership. There are many websites where you can purchase them, so research them and find the best solution.
However, you can use a few stock photos to protect the privacy of the people you are aiding, where revealing the face can be a security issue. In this case, check the site from which you purchased the images and examine their authenticity. And thus, you can have ownership of photos and avoid uploading stock photos that are staged, unrealistic, or overly manipulated.
Frequent Update
Including pictures showing your progress as your crowdfunding campaign gathers popularity is a terrific approach to engaging contributors. By adding new images, you can maintain your page looking appealing and updated while showing contributors the results of their donations.
Therefore, make it a practice to take pictures during your programs, projects, and events, and make effective photography a key component of your communications plan. You’ll always have fresh images to share of your most recent successes and goals in this way.
Keep The Picture Neat; Avoid Adding Too Much Graphics
Don’t do too much with your photo editing. Remember, investors or donors will not watch your design of photographs. To grab their attention, bring the realistic picture to life. So, don’t edit too much, and keep the photos as real as possible.
However, you may use your logos on the photographs. But in this case, here are some factors that you should consider. For instance, placing large logos will distract viewers and take attention away from the photographer’s main topic. That is why you should use small watermark logos instead.
Share The Crowdfunding Photos
Just capturing an excellent photograph and uploading it to a funding platform is not enough. To make your funding campaign successful, you must share it as much as possible on other platforms. Here are some crowdfunding photo-sharing tips that you can follow-
- Target social media platforms that have the most engagement. You can share your funding photos on Facebook and Instagram and gather support quickly.
- Share these photos with your family or friends in chat groups on Whatsapp or Messenger.
- Tag your known person in the funding photos.
- Use these photos to create banners and go for on-field funding; this works great for non-profitable or donation campaigns.
- Encourage your family and friends to share these photos with their contacts and thus increase engagement.
- LinkedIn and Email marketing are other options where you can send these funding photos to your business contacts and inspire them to join your campaign.
Wrapping Up
Photos can create a great impact to bring success to your crowdfunding campaign. They are a powerful medium to express your goal, belief, faith, ambition, and dedication. That is why you never compromise with your funding photographs and try your best to bring the best outcome. So, keep the quality of the photos top-notch, add a story to your photos, don’t forget to focus on your main product, and lastly, share the photos to gain maximum engagement. And following these tips, you will surely stand out in your funding campaign.
