Crowdfunding has become all the rage in the last few years. From quirky projects such as " Combat Kitchenware " and " Crystal Bacon " to serious art projects and even some really awesome inventions, crowdfunding is changing the way people think about bankrolling their ideas.

Within the Middle East and North Africa, the trend is no different, with Zoomaal leading the crowdfunding revolution. As the first regional crowdfunding platform, Zoomaal has allowed numerous startups, organizations and individuals to fund their dreams.

StepFeed met up with Zoomaal CEO Abdallah Absi in the company's Beirut offices to talk with him about some of the most successful campaigns the crowdfunding platform has seen. He also laid out four key factors to crowdfunding success in the region.

1. You need an appealing and innovative idea

"Definitely the idea has to be appealing, it has to be innovative. Not every idea [has] the same appeal. If you have a very cool product idea, then you're able to raise funding. If you have a really lousy kind of product that isn't ready yet and the idea isn't really that appealing, [maybe] just something that is made outside in the U.S. and you're just replicating it, that's not that appealing to people."

2. Make the video emotional

"It has to be extremely emotional. It hast to touch people's hearts. You're not here to sell a business plan. You're not selling to investors to come join your company. You're selling to people who are passionate and believe in what you're doing. Those are the kind of people you want to attract. So, having a video that triggers the emotions in people, that gets them to not just put the funding but also [to] put effort into referring other people and giving you feedback."

3. Ensure you have support from friends and family

"Getting to 30 percent of your campaign [goal], that's the magic number. Don't expect you will go live with the campaign and you'll suddenly receive funding. If there is a campaign that's extremely interesting; it has the most innovative idea and the video is extremely emotional but it has zero percent funding, and I as a stranger shared it with a thousand friends, probably nobody is going to fund it. They want to see that at least you, as a project owner, as a creator were able to get your friends and family to support you, to give your campaign credibility."

4. Stay in touch with funders

"Keep the connection with your backers. It's not like you take the money from them and then you forget about them. During your campaign, keep on contacting them, sending them updates, sending them what's happening with the project. Give them limited rewards. If you reach a certain milestone, maybe give them an award. Give them any kind of updates that show that you are extremely dedicated and they will help you get a lot of other funders."

Here are eight of Zoomaal's most successful campaigns that clearly got Absi's advice right.

Screen Shot 2015-10-01 at 2.51.01 PM

Amount raised: $101,650

Percentage of goal: 102%

Amount raised: $83,486

Percentage of goal: 104%

295_1372758280_1709194260_280162_10151043407268806_416150285_o

Amount raised: $67,073

Percentage of goal: 102%

5512_1401295462_391334618_1064198_168743053304588_1361395916_o

Amount raised: $51,165

Percentage of goal: 128%

18677_1438255836_174698877__SP_9807a

Amount raised: $48,137

Percentage of goal: 120%

7392_1407418992_1925183947_susu

Amount raised: $40,536

Percentage of goal: 116%

Amount raised: $30,192

Percentage of goal: 168%

Amount raised: $30,000

Percentage of goal: 100%

Screen Shot 2015-10-01 at 2.57.51 PM

Amount raised: $27,463

Percentage of goal: 137%

Screen Shot 2015-10-01 at 3.01.42 PM

Amount raised: $25,211

Percentage of goal: 252%

So, what's your appealing and innovative idea? If you have one, crowdfunding can help you make it a reality. As Absi says, you "don't have any excuse now to say that 'I can't do it' or 'I don't have the funding.'"