Rewards tend to take four main forms, and we strongly suggest that you have at least one reward from each category:
Object(s) created by the project (in some cases, the project is the creation of an object): publications, technology, art, food.
Access: invitations to events, contact with the entrepreneur, exclusive webinars, phone calls, voting, early access to your app or product.
Tokens of thanks/souvenirs: hand-written thank-you cards, t-shirts, limited-edition somethings, home screen photography.
Recognition: thank yous, shout-outs, and photos of your venture in action (great for the lower level rewards!). If you're creating a film, thank your donors in the credits.
As your reward levels increase, so too should the exclusivity, opportunity and unique nature of your rewards. Some questions to ask yourself:
1. Does your venture produce a tangible good? These make for great rewards, and a natural tie-in to connect people with your campaign. Even better is if you can make it a limited edition run only for supporters of your campaign. This really excites supporters!
2. What kind of exclusive opportunity could you provide that someone simply could not purchase otherwise? It could be a tour of your organic garden, the chance to attend a special supporters-only screening of your film, backstage passes at your event, the chance to select the theme of an event, or you sharing your expertise in a unique manner with a supporter. Can your donors be invited to be a part of the creative process of your project?
3. What kind of reward can you provide to people that they would want to show off to their friends? You could give naming rights to something at your venue, a one-of-a- kind item made just for them, or a special event for just them and their friends.
Finally, you’ll want to make sure you have a good range of support levels. Also, we have found that a successful tactic is to offer all of the items at lower levels of support to higher levels as well (i.e. a $50 pledge gets you the rewards offered at $10 and $25, in addition to the unique $50 reward).
Want to learn more? Check out this blog post, "Why bother with crowdfunding rewards."