Crowdfunding campaign using only renderings?
Hi everyone,
I have an idea for a product and I am interested in hiring an industrial designer to bring it to life through detailed 3D renderings and presentations in various settings.
The product is relatively low-tech, but I creating a physical prototype could cost approximately $10,000. I am hesitant to invest that much money in testing an idea, so I was wondering if creating high-quality 3D imagery and presenting it on a crowdfunding platform could be a viable option.
I would like to hire someone with experience in creating successful crowdfunding projects, but my main concern is whether a product render is sufficient to generate interest and funding.
Thanks!
Trending on Indie Hackers
This could depend very heavily on the industry that you're targeting.
The most important element of a crowdfunding campaign is building an audience prior to launching (realistically without luck this could take at least 3-6 months)
Before hiring the designer it might be worth seeing how you could build initial interest (10-100 emails) to test if there's a market.
I'd also recommend calculating your campaign out.
What'll be your goal? minimum tier? average tier?
How many average tier backers will you need to hit your goal?
How many minimum tier backers will you need?
You can average those two numbers and then times it by 5-10 to know how many emails you'll need (this number is high on purpose to be extra safe before launching)
Then the question is how will you get those emails prior to launching the campaign? Plus how will you hype them up for the launch?
If the industrial designer will hype them up then I'd say go for it (but you may wan to do a few interviews from your email list before making the investment into the designer)
Hope the above helps!
Thank you for your reply. This all makes good sense. Hm, I might skip this part and try to find an investor or investors instead.
Glad it helps!
One note is an investor is also going to want to see traction unless you (or someone you know) know them or the mission of your business aligns very directly with problem or business they have.
A pitch deck will still need a business model design, current traction data, and how you'll grow future traction.
Customer interviews can help refine your pitch deck while also building you an audience of potential buyers for when you launch.
Good luck with the project!
Thank you. I'll prepare a small presentation with renders only and try to pitch it to some investors.