When preparing for crowdfunding,
you might find yourself wondering,
“How many types of rewards should I offer?”
Is three too few? Would it be better to have around ten?
It seems like offering a variety of price points would increase the chances of getting support.
Of course, having options is important.
But when I think about rewards, there is something I value more than just increasing the number.
That is, that supporters can choose without hesitation.
I don’t believe that simply lining up a lot of rewards will increase support.
The more rewards you add, the harder they can be to choose from
For example, imagine there are ten similar rewards listed.
A 3,000 yen reward.
A 5,000 yen reward.
A 7,000 yen reward.
Each one has slightly different content.
From the creator’s perspective, you intend to be helpful by letting supporters choose what they like.
But from the supporter’s perspective,
“In the end, which one should I choose?”
is a question that can arise.
Having many options and being easy to choose from are two different things.
I believe that understanding the reason for choosing each reward is more important than increasing the number of rewards. is what matters.
A story about creating a reward where you ‘choose two out of four’ in an actual project
In a music-related crowdfunding project I was involved in previously, there was a reward like this.
A silicone wristband.
A penlight.
A secret keychain.
A set of two stickers.
This was a reward where you could choose any two items from these four for 1,000 yen.
The products themselves were simple.
However, I had to be careful when conveying this through images.
If I just lined up the four types of merchandise, there was a possibility that people would be confused, wondering:
“Is it 1,000 yen for all of them?”
“Is it 1,000 yen each?”
“Do I choose two of them?”
It was possible they would be unsure.
Therefore, what was important wasn’t just lining up the products neatly.
It was about making the mechanism of “choose any two from these four types”
clear at a glance.
Furthermore, I also needed to clearly communicate the condition that they would be picked up on the day of the event.
I believe these small details lead to ease of understanding when supporting a project.
Supporters do not necessarily want to compare every single reward
Those taking on the challenge of crowdfunding think about each reward one by one.
That is why they want to convey the appeal of each one.
However, supporters do not necessarily want to carefully compare every single reward.
“I want this product,”
“I want to participate in this event,”
“I don’t need the product, but I want to support you.”
The reason for supporting differs from person to person.
That is why, when I think about rewards, I
It is important to organize ‘who chooses this reward, and for what reason.’
I believe it is important to organize this.
Instead of simply increasing the number of rewards with different prices, give each one a specific role.
That should make it easier for supporters to choose as well.
You don’t have to force people who want to support you to buy products.
In crowdfunding, there are people who support because they want the product, and there are people who support because they want to cheer on the challenger.
I personally believe that the value of crowdfunding is not just about selling products.
Being able to turn the feeling of wanting to support into a concrete form of backing.
This is the interesting part of crowdfunding.
Therefore, I do not think you should only prepare product rewards.
For example,
‘I don’t really need the product, but I want to support the challenge.’
There are people who feel this way.
There is also meaning in preparing rewards that are easy for such people to choose.
On the other hand, for those interested in the product itself, you need rewards that convey the appeal of that product.
The important thing is not to lean toward one or the other.
Preparing options that match the reason for wanting to support.
I believe this is the foundation of reward design.
Review what you already have before adding rewards
Even after a crowdfunding project is launched, when support stalls, I sometimes consider adding rewards.
Of course, there are times when new rewards are necessary.
But before doing that, I would check the existing rewards.
To begin with, who are these rewards for?
What is their appeal?
Is the content easy to understand?
Does the price difference make sense?
Are the delivery methods and conditions clear?
If these points remain vague, adding new rewards might just confuse supporters even more.
I previously wrote an article about product creation,
“Create in the order that customers stumble, not in the order the creator wants to teach.”
I wrote that article.
I believe the same applies to rewards.
Instead of just lining up what the challenger wants to offer,
think about where supporters might get confused.
This perspective is essential.
Good rewards are easy to choose without needing explanation.
I don’t think making reward descriptions long is inherently bad.
Necessary information should be written clearly.
However, if a reward requires multiple re-readings to understand, there is room for improvement.
For example,
“What will be delivered?”
“When will it be delivered?”
“How will it be received?”
These points should be organized in an easy-to-understand way.
And the reason for choosing that reward should be clear.
That alone can reduce hesitation for supporters.
What is important in designing crowdfunding rewards is,
not preparing a large number of products, but creating a situation where those who want to support can act without hesitation.
That is what I believe.
A step for today
If you are currently thinking about crowdfunding rewards, please take a moment to review your list of rewards.
And, for each one,
“What kind of person would choose this reward, and for what reason?”
try thinking about that.
For those where no answer comes to mind, it might be better to reconsider them a little.
If there are similar rewards, you can also combine them.
For those that are difficult to explain, you might be able to change how you present them.
Before adding new rewards, make the existing ones easier to choose.
Especially when you want to increase support, reduce the hesitation of supporters.
If you think about rewards from that perspective, I believe your design will change as well.
Source: bing.com
