The rule that keeps rewards profitable
Every reward should cost you less than half of what the tier raises, including packaging, shipping and your own time. A $25 tier that costs $18 to fulfil is a way to lose money slowly while feeling busy.
The cheapest rewards are the ones you already make. Unsold capacity — a seat at a quiet hour, a name on the wall, an early look — costs almost nothing and feels generous.
A tier ladder that works for most businesses
- 1$10–$15 — the thank-you
A name on the supporter wall, a sticker, a handwritten note. Costs pennies, gets the first-time backer in.
- 2$25–$50 — the product tier
The thing you sell, at roughly its normal value. This is where most pledges land.
- 3$75–$150 — the bundle
A few products together, or a service plus something to take home.
- 4$250+ — the founding backer
Recognition plus access: a private tasting, a class, a plaque, first pick when you reopen.
Ideas by business type
- Food and drink — a monthly coffee for a year, a seat at the first dinner, a jar with your name on the shelf.
- Retail — early access to the new season, a personal shopping hour, a limited run of the house tote.
- Services and trades — a discounted first job, a maintenance check, a workshop on doing it yourself.
- Tech and software — a lifetime plan, a spot in the beta, your logo on the launch page.
- Creative and media — a print, a credit in the film, a name in the liner notes.
- Nonprofit and community — a report on what the money did, an invitation to the opening, a brick or a plaque.
Things to avoid
- Custom one-off rewards that eat weeks of your time.
- Anything heavy or fragile that has to ship.
- Rewards you cannot deliver for six months — enthusiasm is perishable.
- More than five tiers. Too much choice stalls the decision.
Common questions
Do I have to offer rewards?
No. Pledzy campaigns can accept any amount without a reward, and many backers pledge that way. Tiers still help, because they tell people what a normal pledge looks like.
When do I deliver rewards?
Set a date on each tier and keep it honest. Most local campaigns deliver within a month or two of closing, because the rewards are things they already make.
What if I can't deliver a reward?
Tell the backer directly and offer an alternative or a refund. Rewards are fulfilled by the business, not by Pledzy, and that responsibility is stated on every campaign page.
Keep reading
The structure of a campaign page that converts: the first two sentences, the money breakdown, photos that build trust, and the updates that keep a campaign alive.
Every fee on a crowdfunding pledge in plain language — platform fee, card processing and the hidden costs most owners forget — with the real math on a $25, $50 and $250 pledge.