1. Short proposal

Outline your project in a few sentences. The short proposal will be featured on the homepage of Emphas.is with one image. (Max. 259 characters including spaces)

2. Long proposal

Describe your project in more detail. The longer proposal will be featured on the project page, alongside the video pitch, list of rewards and bio. (Max. 3,200 characters including spaces)

3. A profile including bio

Fill out your profile on the Emphas.is website. Write a short and a long bio about yourself: experience, area of expertise, important awards. (Short bio maximum of 259 characters including spaces, long bio max. 1,100 characters including spaces)

4. Links

Please provide links to your work and agent and information relevant to your project proposal. These should be included on your Emphas.is profile page.

5. Video pitch

All the crowd funding experts agree: there is no pitch like a video pitch if you want to get people's attention. You should describe your project in a direct and personal manner and make people feel your passion. Let them know you really care about making this happen and that you need their support. People are more likely to give if they feel their contribution will make the difference between a project happening or not.

You should put time and effort into the video pitch. It is the most important part of your pitch and appeal to the public. If you are good in front of the camera then get in front of the camera. If you don't like being in front of the camera, then narrate over your images or video. Introduce yourself and the project and show examples of your work. People want to know who they are giving their money to. The video pitch will be shown on your project page. Please, provide the video of 1:30 - 2:00 min long in .avi, .mov, .mp4 format.

6. Selection of images

It is a good idea to share some of the work in progress relevant to your project, so that the backers know what they are helping to make possible. Please provide a selection of 15-20 images, preferably images that correspond to your project. Please, send files at 12000x1600 pixel at 72 dpi. Do also provide the captions, no longer than 200 characters including spaces.

7. Budget

Please provide a detailed budget for your project. The money raised should cover only the actual production costs of the project. Be realistic when you decide how much money to ask for: the higher the amount the bigger the challenge will be of reaching your funding goal.

The budget will be reviewed by a board of reviewers, who will assess the feasibility of the project and budget. The details of the budget will remain confidential and will not be shared with the general public. Only the total amount of your funding goal will be displayed.

Remember to calculate the costs of the delivery of your rewards. For instance, if you offer your backers prints that need to be printed and shipped, there will be printing and shipping costs involved. You should be able to cover those.

8. Rewards

Think about offering exciting rewards to your backers. Every backer will get access to your "making-of zone" for the minimum pledge of $10. To get to your goal faster you should create rewards for people to make bigger pledges, such as limited edition prints, a private showing, a meeting with you, a lecture to a backer's circle of friends or colleagues, or whatever you can come up with. Make it informative and fun. People involved in crowd funding want to feel special. They love quirky, exclusive, one of a kind rewards.
Prepare a list of reward titles no longer than 39 characters including spaces and full reward descriptions, no longer than 212 characters including spaces. Please indicate if the rewards are limited in numbers.

Helpful Tips for a Successful Emphas.is Campaign

If your project is selected to be included on Emphas.is, you will have the opportunity to talk with an Emphas.is team member to help you fine-tune your project idea and pitch. In order for us to help you effectively and efficiently, please be sure you have read and followed our suggestions below.

1. Define your project

Can you explain what the funds you raise will accomplish in just one sentence? Projects are more likely to be successful when they are focused, well-defined, and have a clear beginning and end. Although you will have ongoing contact with your backers through the Emphas.is "Making Of Zone," they need to know they are not just supporting you "being a photographer." They are helping you produce a specific body of work that will have a tangible and specific outcome.
Backers make the decision to fund (or not fund) based on how realistic a project's goals are, as well as their belief in your ability to complete them. And by carefully and clearly defining your goals and how you'll reach them, you will also help clarify your own creative process.
For more insights into why people back Emphas.is projects, please read this post:

2. Set your funding goal

Emphas.is projects must reach their full funding goal or no money changes hands -- you can always raise more than your goal, but never less. For this reason, it might make sense to split your project into several funding rounds. Joao Pina decided to fund his multi-country project in three segments: the first, Brazil; the second, Argentina, Chile and Bolivia; the third, Uruguay and Paraguay.
Or you may want to set a lower goal that would allow a certain level of engagement, but inform backers that the more money you raise the more good you can do. Aaron Huey raised $10,000 more than his goal this way; first he asked people first to help him make posters about Native American issues, but with more funding he could create a giant billboard.

3. Choose your rewards

Rewards are the thank you gifts that backers receive for donating a certain amount to the project. Although we would all love to think that people donate simply to serve the common good, the fact is that the reward often is the deal maker or breaker. Projects whose rewards are overpriced or uninspired struggle to find support. Whereas projects with high-demand rewards -- for instance, Aaron Huey's $150 Shepard Fairey prints -- can quickly push a project past it's funding goal.

What to offer

Every backer will get access to your "Making Of Zone" for the minimum pledge of $10. To encourage backers to make larger pledges, and get to your goal faster, you'll want to offer higher-level rewards such as post cards, a small book, a limited edition print, or even a meeting or public appearance by you. Giving them something exclusive and valuable is important, but also be sure to make it personal, fun, and informative. Ask yourself honestly if you would want this reward and if you would pledge money in the amount you're asking in order to get it.

How to price

The largest number of Emphas.is pledges are between $25 and $50. The the average pledge amount is around $90. For this reason, your smaller rewards should be your most carefully considered and have real value -- just be sure they are not more expensive for you to make and mail than the amount pledged! If you offer a manufactured good (like a book or print), then it's a good idea to stay close to its real-world cost. And don't forget that the cost of delivering your rewards should be included in your budget, and also the price level of the reward.

4. Make your pitch video

The most important element of a successful Emphas.is project is its video. Don't forget that your backers are likely to be visual people, and also very busy, so watching your video (we recommend 3 minutes or less) will be more appealing than reading your complete pitch.

The video should quickly explain the topic you're covering, introduce you to them, and explain exactly how their support will have a positive impact through your work. Let the longer written proposal fill in the details and provide more background about you and the issue.

We encourage you to make your video itself an act of personal creativity, a way to convey your personality -- just don't forget to do these important things!

1. Introduce yourself

2. Explain your project and what it will accomplish

3. Ask for people's support and explain how they can give it

4. Tell people what they'll get for their money (rewards, behind-the-scenes access)

5. Say thank you

You may also want to include a line or two explaining Emphas.is' all-or-nothing structure to newcomers.

Keep it personal

We understand if you feel that your images should speak for themselves, but this is not the time or place to be shy. Put yourself in front of the camera for at least a moment so that people know who you are; allowing them to connect personally with you can make all the difference. And don't be afraid to be yourself. If you are nervous on camera, then tell them that. It's better to be genuinely nervous than falsely confident.

6. Send us your project information

Short description

Your short description appears on the home page and when people share your project on social media, so it should quickly communicate what your project is about. We will help you tweak the final text; try to stay focused on what your project hopes to accomplish.

Long description

Your long description should be no longer than 1,000 words. This is the place to explain the details of the project, what your connection is to it, and why backers should get involved. Try to make this more than just a transcript of your video. Give readers additional information, links to related research and organizations, and focus on making it a compelling story. The first few lines should grab the reader's attention and make them want to know more.

Your bio

Your bio is a great opportunity to share extra details about you and your work. Consider making it more than just a list of your accomplishments, and try writing it in first person ("I" instead of "he" or "she"). Tell people why you are the right photographer to take on this project. What prior work have you completed like this? Where does your passion come from?

7. Promote your project

If there is one thing all of the photographers on Emphas.is agree on, it's that your project is not going to promote itself. The Emphas.is team will help you behind the scenes as much as we can, but if you do not have a strong strategy and the dedication and discipline to follow through on it, your project is unlikely to succeed.

"I learned that it is not easy to crowdfund a project. You don't just launch the page and wait for the support to come rolling in," says Matt Eich. Joao Pina adds, "Don't think just because the project is up and online that the funds will come out of the blue; you need to push it."

The work you put into creating your Emphas.is pitch is only the beginning -- you need to have a clear day-by-day plan to follow during the 60 days of fundraising, and we encourage you to set aside time to promote throughout those 60 days.

We have included many suggestions below to help you plan your promotion strategy; we recommend doing as much as possible BEFORE the project launches.

Make a schedule

Although 60 days may seem like a long time, it will go by very fast, so it's important to have a plan before you start, and to get into a daily routine of promotion. We have found that there is no one strategy that works for all Emphas.is photographers: some sent four emails a month, some only three in 60 days, and some sent them every week but to different segments so as not to over-saturate people.

At the very least you'll want to send emails when the project launches, when it is half-way through, and when it is a week or two from closing. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter should be updated more frequently, at least three times a week. We suggest building a weekly schedule for them. Some good scheduling tips can be found here:

Early momentum

A certain amount of momentum at the beginning the funding cycle makes a project more likely to succeed, since people are more likely to fund a project they believe will reach it's goal. Your first funders will probably be your friends, your family, and your wider social network, so it is in your interest to mobilize your these crowds first.

If you suspect someone can't support you financially, ask them to spread the word to friends of theirs who will fund you. Bangladeshi photographer Gmb Akash knew that few of his local friends could afford to support his project, even for $10, so he asked them to help any way they could.

"I asked them to share and support the project on Facebook, Twitter, and by email. From friend to friend, every day I got backers who were unknown to me before," he says.

Facebook and Twitter

Facebook, Twitter, and any other social networks you're part of are powerful tools for sharing details and updates about your project. You should plan to use them at least a few times a week for the entire 60 days of fundraising. To keep from saying the same thing over and over, make sure you only directly ask for support occasionally; instead, share updates on how fundraising is going, your plans for the trip, new images, etc.

If you are not already active in these spaces, we recommend that you get familiar with them and grow your community on them BEFORE you start your Emphas.is project. Especially on Facebook, no one likes to be "friended" by someone and then have their very first communication be asking them for money.

If your Twitter "influence" is relatively low (you don't have many followers and/or you are not often retweeted), you'll want to reach out to influencers with a personal email or direct message. Start by looking through your followers to see who has the most followers and research if they tend to tweet about things like your project. Then do a search for topics related to your project on Twitter and see if there are any big influencers you can reach out to. If they aren't following you, you can't send them a direct message, but you can get their attention with an "@" or send them an email.

You may also consider creating an event on Facebook, as Gmb Akash did for his Emphas.is project. Unlike an update to your news feed, when a friend accepts an invitation to a Facebook event, they will receive regular notifications when comments are made there. Akash says, "I invited all my friends to my project "event" so I could discuss what I was doing, how I did it, and why I needed this money." If you know, like Akash, that you will have to do a lot of explaining to convince people to donate, using an event as a discussion forum could help.

Email

Although social networks are great for allowing your contacts to share your project with other people, it is also a less personal, less active way of asking for support. Especially if you are not already strongly engaged with social media, we suggest putting extra effort into sending targeted or personal emails.

Gmb Akash categorized his contacts -- colleagues, friends, friends of friends, fans -- and then decided what he would focus on with each group: funding, written support on social media, or promoting to friends by email.

Carolyn Drake started out doing group emails but switched to personal ones when she didn't get the response she was hoping for. "The key was to send out personal emails to people I know well, or who I don't know very well but who have expressed interest in my project or work before, and to reach outside my standard photographer friends network," she explains.

If the people you're emailing are not familiar with crowdfunding or online payments, you will need to explain the details of how to register and donate in your email. This is particularly important if your contacts do not speak English, since the Emphas.is site is currently only in English.

Joao Pina says, "I sent an email in the first days, then another when there were 30 days left with a more detailed explanation on how to register, log in, and use PayPal. In the last week I sent a final email asking for a final push, since I was very close to the goal, and in about 24 hours it was complete."

Press coverage

Although your personal network will be important, successful campaigns usually receive coverage on a blog or magazine's website. Before you launch, decide who you will contact and let them know that the project is coming up so they can think about incorporating it into their coverage. See if you know anyone who has a direct contact at the publication (connections make a big difference).

Do some extra research about what kind of stories the publication tends to write and which angle of your story is best to present to them. The story is probably not "I'm raising money," but instead, "here is an important issue and I have a unique perspective on it." That said, be sure that they do include a link to your Emphas.is project in the story and specifically mention that people can support it by donating.

Matt Eich also advises photographers to take advantage of any publications that contact them during their funding window. "When online publications contacted me about using my work during that period of time, I would ask that they link to my Emphas.is project. Most of them ask to use the images for free, so I tended to be more willing if I knew they could help spread the word about Emphas.is."

If you are part of an agency, collective, or other group, be sure to ask them to also share your project through their outlets: Facebook, Twitter, email newsletter, etc.

Non-profits and NGOs

Because most Emphas.is projects are working to create change in a specific region or to highlight a specific topic, we expect you are aware of organizations working in the same area. If you already have contacts at NGOs, check in with them before your project launches and see if they would be interested in helping you spread the word. See what they would need to make the project work for them.

If you are not already in contact with related NGOs, begin researching and reaching out to them early (again, BEFORE your project launches). Let them know that you are not looking for donations, but rather to help you spread the word. You may want to offer them a logo and link to their organization in your project information, to help them get the word out in a mutually beneficial way. Remember that they have limited resources and are also worried about "spamming" their supporters, so talk with them about how you can create a partnership, possibly continuing after your project is finished.

Meet Ups

Consider taking your Emphas.is project into the real world. Nothing connects people to an idea like feeling your passion for it in person. Ask friends and family to host pledge parties, conduct a live online chat to answer questions, or organize meet ups to educate people about your project.

Updating Backers

Once someone becomes a backer of your project, your connection to them is not spent -- it's just gotten stronger! Take the time to reach out and personally thank them; make them feel that they are an important part of this project, a member of an exclusive team. Ask them to tell their friends that they have donated and to suggest they do the same. Update your backers regularly during the funding window to let them know you're getting closer to your goal and to build excitement for helping you reach it.

Close to the end

To successfully reach the finishing line of your project campaign, mobilize a few weeks
before your funding deadline, pushing hard on email, Facebook, Twitter, your backers, and supporting organizations. Remind your backers what awaits them if they help your project reach its goal.

If you reach your funding goal before the deadline, don't just stop your efforts, keep communicating to potential backers; remember you can raise more money than your goal! Once your project is fully funded and the fundraising timeline has expired, you'll be able to communicate behind-the-scenes with your backers through the Emphas.is "Making Of Zone." Be sure to reach out before you begin your project. Your backers don't want to wait for months before they hear from you. Inform your backers about trip preparations, thank them for their support, and keep them updated about the development of your project and the delivery of their rewards.


Other helpful links

Crowdfunding your Photography Project - Tips from Photoshelter

Tomas van Houtryve talks about promoting his campaign while already traveling in Laos