10 tips for getting investment from business angels with a video

Crowdfunding consultant Adrià Tarrida shares 10 tips on how to use video effectively to pitch to potential angel investors.

In recent years, video has taken over our social media and internet browsing experience. And the trend is only growing, with Cisco projecting that more than 80% of all Internet traffic will be video by 2021.

Inevitably, this trend has come as well to the world of angel investment. So much so, that it is one of the compulsory documents you must submit in the application process for some syndicates. After all, you can convey a lot of information in a very short time.

Here are some tips to produce a great video and get investment with it:

Think about your audience and their motivations

You're not only selling your product or service; you're selling an opportunity to invest in your company. Investors will be looking at things such as a big potential market, its barriers to enter a scalable solution, and the right timing, but more importantly a strong team that can deliver. Also, keep in mind that there are business angels that will only invest in SEIS/EIS projects. If you're eligible, mention it in the video!

Be present and show your personality

Related to the point above, most investors live by the motto 'back the jockey and not the horse'. As a founder, you should appear in the video and carry the weight of it, starting to build those bridges for future interactions.

Avoid 'red flags'

There is no such thing as a 'low risk investment' or 'lack of competition'. Be careful with the language you use as it could put off investors.

Build excitement and pique the interest of investors

It should complement your business pitch, not copy it. Leave all of the fine details for the business pitch deck and focus on showing the big idea.

Add a call to action

At this stage, I would recommend the call to action to be to ask for more information. A more 'salesy' approach could be counterproductive if the video is the first point of contact with a particular investor.

Edit it to the right length

My recommendation here would be to have a few different versions of the video. Starting with a longer video (always under five minutes), you could have an edit at around two or two and half minutes and another one just under the  one minute mark. Think of that when you're shooting so you have the right footage for each edit.

Subtitle it

A staggering 85% of the videos on Facebook are watched without sound. There's no data for investment videos, but offering the possibility of watching your video without disturbing co-workers or family will surely increase your audience's options.

Allocate some budget to the video

If you have some money it would be worth engaging with a professional video production company. Not only your video will look better but they'll be able to give you creative ideas that will make your video more appealing.

Consider things like graphs and animations that can communicate ideas and business projections. Having said that, a rough around the edges video is better than no video. We see examples of home-made videos that cut through and get investment, so don't let the lack of budget put you off.

Choose the right video platform

I would recommend the video platform Vimeo, as the viewers won't be interrupted by advertisement. The free version will allow you to create a profile and upload with a weekly limit of 500 MB whixh should be enough for your purposes. You can then make that video 'unlisted' so only people with the link will be able to find it and view it.

Share it and ask for feedback

Epecially in early stages of the process, you want to get as much feedback about your idea as possible. Not only to refine your whole pitch, but also to establish a conversation with potential investors that will build trust and, eventually, bring investment.