Building Pledge Levels for your Crowdfunding Project

Pledge level ideation

Pledge level set up best practices

Designing Pledge Levels for Your Crowdfunding Project

Designing pledge levels is a crucial aspect of crowdfunding success. The goal is to find the right price points, select rewards, craft clear descriptions, and create compelling images. All while making it easy for backers to support your project.

Pledge Level Price Points

Pricing can take lots of research. Consider resources like Price Your Product and Develop a Budget. Seek out and back projects in your category to get a sense of how other creators are leveraging price points. Do not undercharge as a way to bring in more backers, and make sure to account for additional costs, which can include: percentage fees, transaction fees, and payment processing fees.

Low-End Tiers

Consider offering entry-level tiers ($1–$10) for backers who want to support without a reward, or for small digital rewards or public recognition. Skip low-cost/$1 levels if using paid advertising, as they can reduce your average order value.

High-End Tiers

Create premium tiers with exclusive experiences, like customizations or personal interactions. These tiers reward big backers with something unique, such as a custom character card or behind-the-scenes involvement.

Go All-In

An "All-In" tier consolidates all rewards into one convenient option for backers. This increases average order value and simplifies the decision for those who want everything. We also recommend sorting this pledge level to the TOP of your list to increase conversions.

If you have higher-priced pledge levels, you can always enable Pay Over Time for backers. Click here to make sure it’s a good fit for your campaign. 

What Rewards Should I Offer?

• Basic Rewards: Start with the core items that inspired your project.
• Digital Rewards: Digital options save on shipping and expand your global reach.
• Deluxe Editions: Limited or special editions can raise average pledge amounts.

• Bundles: Combine lower tiers into higher-value bundles.

  
  

Pledge Level Set Up Best Practices

Short vs. Full Description: The short description appears on your pledge level page, while the full description is only visible after clicking Learn More. Ensure short descriptions are clear and informative.

Shipping Fees: Clearly state that shipping fees will be collected post-campaign via surveys. Add this to all shippable pledge levels (e.g., "Shipping will be calculated and collected after the campaign through the Pledge Manager").

Featured Pledge Levels: Highlight a pledge level as Creator’s Favorite by clicking Edit on the pledge level and selecting Feature this pledge level. Featured levels appear at the top of the list.

Images: Add a high-quality image to each pledge level to visually showcase what’s included.

Sorting: Prioritize high-value and featured pledge levels at the top. Place $1 and digital tiers at the bottom to encourage higher pledges. Use Magic Sort or drag-and-drop via the 3-line icon under Sort.

Hidden Pledge Levels: You can hide a pledge level by selecting Edit and checking Hide this pledge level.

Excluded Countries: Set up exclusions for shippable pledge levels to prevent backers from pledging from countries you cannot ship to.

Limiting: If you have a limited quantity of a specific pledge level, you can set a cap on its availability. Additionally, if you want certain pledge levels to access only specific add-ons, navigate to the add-on section, edit the desired add-on, and adjust the "Add-on Availability" setting at the bottom.

Designing pledge levels for your crowdfunding project is an art in itself. The goal is to find the ideal price points, select the right rewards (and quantities), craft clear and concise descriptions, and create compelling visuals. All while ensuring the process is straightforward and convenient for backers to support your project.