1. Private launch. This is the invite-only, “pre-sale” to your raise. You’ll share an unlisted campaign link with friends, family, and your personal network. This launch lasts about 14 days and is the most critical part of your campaign – you’ll generate the initial momentum you need to soar past your goal.
2. Public launch. This is your big ole grand opening! You’ll raise from the general public, post updates, answer questions, and keep on spreading the word. This period usually lasts about 3 months so it’s all about consistency and stamina.
Make sure your terms, lead investor, and perks are solid before you launch.
General Terms
Be strategic in choosing your terms. Get feedback from angels in your network about valuation and contract terms. Consider if you’d be comfortable having your mom invest on the terms you choose. Ensure you have real investors and big checks lined up & happy with the terms you’ve set.
Early Bird Terms
These terms incentivize investors to act early so they’re critical for generating early momentum. Carve out ~35% of your intended raise with early bird terms. Include enough to benefit all investors in your immediate network plus some from the extended crowd, too.
Choose a lead who adds credibility to your campaign and generates follow-on investments. Ideally, they invest $20K to $50K via Wefunder.
Be sure to pick someone you trust – they’ll act on behalf of all investors that come in through Wefunder and become a core part of your fundraising team.
Over the course of your fundraise, you’ll speak to hundreds of investors and your pitch is your most powerful tool.
*Check out our brand new Fundraising Video Library for pitch tips & tutorials via our team, YC alums, and founders who’ve raised $1M+ on Wefunder!
Check out Y Combinator’s cheat sheet on “How to Pitch Your Company.” Jot down short, clear responses to each question.
Your answers to these questions form the core of your pitch– whether it be a deck, your Wefunder profile, a 5-minute pitch, or a 1-hour pitch!
The main event! You can bring 1000s of people to your Wefunder profile but if it's not strong, traffic won't mean a thing. Spend time curating your profile to make sure people invest.
Here are best practices for each section:
Tagline.
Be clear and concise. No jargon. How would you explain it to a 10 year old?
Video.
Aim for 2-3 minutes of footage: landscape & high-quality. Include a hook at the start to reel investors in. Feature you (and any co-founders) talking directly to the camera. Make sure a founder continues to narrate if you splice in other footage or photos.
Showcase your company & the investment opportunity more so than the product – this video is for investors, not customers.
Examples: Immersed, Caribu, Everydae.
“Why you may want to invest in us…”
Every point should elicit an "Holy crap!" Include metrics (revenue/customers/users/# items sold, etc) if possible. Mention $ previously raised. Include 1-2 points about your team – show, don’t tell how they’re the best people to do the job. Mention notable investors/partners/advisors too.
*Prioritize your top 1-3 points — they'll show up on your company card in the Explore page (once you hit $5K).
Pitch deck.
See below!
Team.
Add your team members/advisors via email. Add pictures, bios, and LinkedIn URLs. For bios, include info related to their role at your company. Treat these like mini, ~3 bullet point resumes.
Story.
Beginning: Open with a punchy hook — what is the single most compelling thing about your business? Follow the hook with an executive summary (~3 lines of text) stating your problem, solution, and 1-2 of your best selling points.
Middle: Create mini sections to highlight 5-7 of your top selling points. Each mini section should include: (1) A subtitle (the selling point), (2) ~3 lines of text to elaborate, (3) a supporting visual. The visual may be a traction slide, revenue graph, market line graph, product picture, investor quote, a video testimonial, a video demo, etc. Add graphic headers for the subtitles for emphasis.
End: Follow the subtitle, text, visual structure to wrap up the Story section. Include a call to action in the subtitle ("Invest now!”). Reiterate your mission, how their investment helps, or how you’re stoked for the road ahead in the text. Cap it off with a picture of your team or product.
FAQ.
Include these core 8 questions:
1. What does your company do?
2. Where will your company be in 5 years?
3. Why did you choose this idea?
4. Why is this a good idea, right now? What changed in the world? Why wasn't this done a few years ago?
5. How far along are you? What's your biggest obstacle?
6. Who competes with you? What do you understand that they don't?
7. How will you make money?
8. What are the biggest risks? If you fail, what would be the reason? What has to go right for you to succeed?
Add at least 5 more questions. Include FAQ for your company, specifically.
Want more profile tips? Check out this guide for best practices on building your profile and this step-by-step video tutorial on nailing your profile.
Examples:
B2B: GroGuru, Rad Intelligence, ThisWay Global.
B2C: Armbrust American, Firelight Camps, Leon & George.
Science: Atom Limbs, Leah Labs, Tesseract.
Tech: Caribu, Immersed, Everydae.
Retail / Food and Beverage: Copperworks Distillery, Modern Times, Vegan Fine Foods, Future Proof
Here are the bread & butter slides to include in your deck – keep it to 10-12 slides total and put any critical slides closer to the top.
| Intro. | Introduce your company’s name, logo, and tagline. |
| Problem. | Articulate the problem your company solves in 1 sentence. |
| Solution. | Share a picture of your product/service. Also include your value proposition – the unique way your product solves the problem. |
| Team. | Introduce your team with pictures and mini bios. Throw in the logos of your team's alma maters, previous companies, accelerator programs – you name it! |
| Traction. | Provide an overview of your traction since founding. Consider a timeline of your past ~5 major milestones. |
| Growth. | Show growth with a line graph of revenue, customers, users – whatever is applicable. |
| Market. | Use a line graph to describe the market. Show both current size and projected growth, if applicable!
(Be sure to emphasize that growth estimates are projections that cannot be guaranteed if you include 'em!) |
| How it works. | Describe how your product works in 3 steps with a picture or icon for each. |
| Competition. | Include a competitive analysis chart to show what differentiates your product from others & how it's better. |
| Business model. | Outline how your company generates revenue – investors want to know! |
| Use of funds. | Include 1-2 pie charts detailing how you’ll use funds, given you raise your minimum and/or maximum on Wefunder. |
| Game plan. | Offer a timeline of your next ~5 key milestones for the next year or so. |
Example pitch decks:
Pick 10 people, set up a 30-minute call, and ask for their feedback on your campaign page. Choose previous investors, strategic advisors, or prospective investors in your network. Excite them about your raise, too!
Identify themes in the feedback. Double down on what they find especially compelling & get ahead of common questions or confusions by addressing them on the page.
Remember that your page is dynamic – you can make edits throughout the campaign! Even after launch, keep your ear to the ground and modify your pitch as you get more feedback.
Check out this page for Google Analytics, Facebook Pixels, and your Retargeting Setup. Setting up a pixel and optimized retargeting have the lowest cost and highest ROI – they’ll help you track site traffic and “convert” more investors.
Retargeting is a must but any paid media beyond this depends on your campaign strategy.
If you want to work with a media agency, reach out to our team at fundraising@wefunder.com and we’ll connect you with the most relevant partner for your company. We’ve found a personal introduction from us is the best way to kickstart these conversations.
This is it! You've got one shot to prompt a wave of attention and investments from your extended community out the gate – strategize carefully.
Come up with a direct outreach strategy to get in front of new potential investors. Which digital channels are your potential investors drawn to? Flood ‘em!
Possible channels:
Create an email series to your customers & fans. This can be similar to the emails you sent to your 1st degree network during the private launch... but slightly more flashy and impersonal. Confidently showcase your investment opportunity!
We recommend a similar structure, with 3 dedicated emails over a 2 week period .
Engage directly with investors throughout your campaign – it'll encourage community buy-in and help you raise more capital.
After all – you never know if a small investment is really just an investor putting their foot in the door...
Engage via automated drip email campaigns, frequent updates and answering questions.
Create a drip email campaign to automatically welcome new investors – we suggest 3 over 2 weeks.
Here are ways you could use this campaign:
We recommend weekly Wefunder updates to keep investors up-to-date and create a community experience.
Updates also show up in the Newsfeeds of Wefunder users who haven’t invested in you (yet), bringing fresh eyes to the campaign!
Cycle update content through your contact email lists and social media, too. Also respond to comments on your updates promptly!
Types of updates to share:
*Time-saver alert! Posting a Wefunder update will automatically trigger an email to all investors and followers.
Example Updates:
Answer all investor questions thoroughly and quickly – aim to respond within 72 hours max. Also respond to comments on your updates.
Responsiveness is a powerful indicator to new investors; they want to know you’re there!
About 2 weeks after your "big splash," campaigns go through a natural stall where investment flow slows. At this point, it's crucial to layer consistent communication across multiple channels to build up a pool of potential investors. Then, warm them up over the course of the campaign so that they seal the deal before close!
Here are some ways to keep momentum:
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Up the Updates. Stick to weekly updates throughout the whole campaign, if possible. Focus updates on new business milestones – highlight growth and momentum beyond the campaign. See the full list of content ideas below:
*Time-saver alert! Posting a Wefunder update will automatically trigger an email to all investors and followers. Example Updates: |
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Ramp up emails + social. Cycle content from your Wefunder updates through your different email lists and social media every other week. Be sure to mix up your CTA – don’t default to “Invest now!” in every email or post. Encourage people to follow the campaign (via the "Remind Me" button on your page), read up on a new product release or see a recent press feature. In other words, show them why this is an attractive investment. Give people options for learning more about you and the company – include links and your phone number, where appropriate. |
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Get paid (media). Running paid media is an effective strategy to attract new followers to then engage via updates. We highly recommend working with an agency familiar with equity crowdfunding. We have a few 3rd-party agencies we've worked with and can make the relevant referral based on your campaign strategy. Shoot us an email at fundraising@wefunder.com if you’re interested! |
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Tap into your customer-base. Publicize the raise via your product, platform or service. For in-person outreach, this might mean flyers, business cards, tags, poker chips, stickers, or T-shirts. Check out some stellar examples here. In the virtual realm, might be putting a line about the raise in your email signature or adding a banner onto your website or app. Get creative! |
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Head to LinkedIn. Post an update about your campaign on LinkedIn. Then ask your investors and 1st degree network to like and share it! You can download a CSV file of your investors’ emails by going to wefunder.com/yourcompany/manage. When you do this, let us know and we’ll circulate it amongst our team too. |
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Perk up. Create additional investor perks to incentivize and excite your network. If possible, we suggest fulfilling perks early to drive engagement and buy-in. More perk talk here. *Perks are especially relevant and strategic for retail companies – if that’s you, emphasize them from the jump! See how Mammalz included perk details in their Story section. Feel free to put details there or include 'em in an update. |
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Get video testimonials. Get 4 short (1-2 minute) video testimonials from a range of external stakeholders to bump the credibility of your raise. Strategic advisors, previous investors, customers, and strategic partners can provide powerful perspectives that help sell the investment opportunity. No need for a production crew and lights for these – iPhone videos work perfectly. Rad and GroGuru got stellar testimonials and put them right in their “Story” sections. We suggest posting them there, in Wefunder Updates, and/or in LinkedIn posts. |
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Hit record. PDFs aren’t exciting but homemade cinema is – record a video of you presenting your pitch deck. A short video (3-5 minutes) of you actually walking through the deck will be much more engaging. Founders have liked using Loom to make these videos. Here are four examples: Fancy, Kingmaker, Next Door Photos, Everydae. As with testimonials, this video can go in your profile's Story section, an update, or a LinkednIn post. |
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Get ahead of tough questions. Write down 5-10 questions that you know a serious investor would ask if they were considering a $50K+ investment. Then ask a reputable investor or strategic advisor to jump on a 30-minute recorded zoom call and run down that list of questions with you. Offering concise and thoughtful answers to those “elephant in the room” questions will reassure investors you’ve thought deeply about your strategy, model, etc. These videos can also go in your profile's Story section, a Wefunder Updates, or a LinkedIn post, too. Also pass them along to us – we may be able to use them in marketing materials! If you prefer, you can include these in the “Ask A Question” section of your profile by having a friend to submit them on your behalf. |
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Host a webinar. Host an extended, live version (10-15 minutes) of your pitch deck video, adding in any recent business updates. Cap it off with a live Q&A portion (also 10-15 minutes). You can use any video platform you’d like– YouTube, Facebook, and Zoom all work. |
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Pick up the phone. Share an update to followers and investors offering to schedule a personal call if they’re considering investing at least X dollars (e.g. $2,000). |
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Host weekly webinars for “1st Degree” connections. Consider hosting a weekly webinar for 5-10 people in your closer network. Give them a “look under the hood” and show your Wefunder profile. It’s softer than a 1:1 pitch and you can encourage them to ask questions throughout. |
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Opt for snail mail. Send postcards to thank existing investors or recruit potential new investors. It’s old wisdom, but even today, a handwritten note goes a long way. |
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Join Startup Grind. Wefunder has a partnership with Startup Grind – our founders get 3 months of free membership! Startup Grind is a community of founders in which you can promote your campaign. |
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Throw a party. Invite your 1st degree network to a (virtual) launch party for your campaign. Discuss your company and the investment opportunity. Highlight the perks, explain the contract you’re using, answer questions. Use the event as an opportunity to articulate a clear call to action for those in your close network. Check this out. |
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Get cooking. Consider holding a more exclusive dinner event for those that could invest more – be sure to answer questions about your company and campaign plus educate them on investment crowdfunding, if they’re unfamiliar. |
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Tap into groups, programs, clubs, etc. Are there pre-formed groups or audiences you know that can help publicize your raise? Think of an accelerator you went through, your college alma mater, a customer you sell to (e.g. Good Eggs), a local Startup Grind chapter, etc. |
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Press. Press. Press. Cold-pitch relevant media humans through email. Reach out to bloggers, podcasters, social media groups, PR, etc. who cover topics related to your industry, your city, or you! Check out this site to get started. |
In the final week of your raise, it’s pedal to the metal. We usually see a 10-20% boost on campaigns which ramp up communication in the final week of their campaign.
Here’s a rough outline of what to share and how in this final push:
Some possible routes to take:
We suggest cycling 5 pieces of content across all available channels in the final week. Do this at the 7, 5, 3, 2, 1 day marks.
And that's a wrap!
Investors
Yes! View your dashboard at wefunder.com/yourcompany/manage. There, you'll see important dates (when your campaign started, when it’s closing), your deal structure, terms summary, SEC filings, and all of your investors' contact info.
Your dashboard (wefunder.com/yourcompany/manage) will show you a list of your investors, the status of their investments, personal notes they’ve sent you, and their emails. Download a CSV file for their full info, including their emails and more.
You can answer questions in the “Ask a question” tab at wefunder.com/yourcompany/ask. If someone submits a question on your profile, you’ve got their attention and they’re a valuable lead! A slow or ill-formed answer is a wasted opportunity – act fast.
Oodles (who raised raised $111,393) made it their policy to answer all investor questions posted on their profile within 72 hours.
Why it worked: The answers were well-researched, thorough, prompt. Oodles expertly used investors’ questions as an opportunity to demonstrate their expertise and commitment to investors.
You can say we’re like Kickstarter, but for investing! On Wefunder, you're not donating; you’re investing. That means you can directly put capital into your favorite restaurant or that tech startup you believe is the next Uber. You’re no longer just an avid fan, you’re an owner. Plus you'll get owner perks, too: discounts, food credits, free merchandise, etc.
Check out this blog post "What if… Oculus Rift?" In 2012, VR pioneer Oculus Rift closed a Kickstarter campaign of $2.4 million. Two years later, Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion. If the donations had instead been investments, Kickstarter backers would have seen a 154x return.
Point them to our Investor FAQ for more on equity crowdfunding (and how to use the Wefunder platform). Also give it a read yourself so you’re well equipped to field questions that often pop up.
Direct 'em to support@wefunder.com!
Investors are able to invest using their IRA using a partner platform, AltoIRA. Especially for larger investments, we recommend letting investors know about this option. On average, investors funding their investment with an AltoIRA invest 4x as much as non-Alto investors on Wefunder.
Check out this site to learn more or reach out to Alto's Partnership Success Director, Kate Mellinger, at Kate@altoira.com.
After helping hundreds of founders fly past their goal, our fundraising team wrote a plan outlining how we would run a campaign. Every campaign has different assets so it’s not a one size fits all process! That said, this was our best shot at creating a generally applicable tool.
Legal
Only start advertising AFTER your Form C is filed. It’s illegal to advertise your fundraise before the Form C is filed with the SEC. Oh, and never say the SEC has "approved" your offering. They don't like that.
While marketing is often about generating hype for crowdfunding raises, hyperbole will get you in trouble with the SEC! Stick to the facts. Repeat it with me: stick. to. the. facts!
We're the best donut shop in the world and we're gonna grow HUGE!
In 2015, XYZ Donuts made $1.1 million in sales. And with a single location, we’ve doubled our sales annually.
The one rule here is that all investors must have equal access to your campaign information. For example, if you livestream a Q&A with investors, you must then upload a recording to your profile page.
You cannot discuss the terms of the offering outside of the Wefunder website. While you may mention you are fundraising on Wefunder, make sure to direct potential investors to your profile page for contract details.
We are fundraising on Wefunder. Early bird investors will receive a discount rate of 90%. To get a guaranteed return on investment, invest here.
We love our customers more than anything. That’s why we wanted to give you all a chance to become part-owners of our restaurant. Check us out and invest on Wefunder.
Wefunder Platform
Reference this guide or watch this tutorial on how to build your profile. Check out our new video library for some of the best pitch videos, investor testimonial videos, and more!
You can turn the clock on or off anytime by clicking the “five steps to launch” on the right-hand side of your campaign page. We suggest using it as a deadline and implicit CTA for your audience. Note that your raise won’t show on the Wefunder Explore page while your countdown clock is on.
Go to your "Updates" tab or wefunder.com/yourcompany/updates. Click the green button that says “Update your followers."
Closing
We won’t take any commission on checks of $25K+ if you send us an email with the investor's information prior to their investment.
In a "rolling close," founders can withdraw money when the campaign hits its minimum amount in funds available (ie. everyone who said they were going to send a check actually sent a check, people who needed to provide accreditation information did so, etc).
