Kickstarter is a leading crowdfunding platform. It has helped over 164,725 projects get funded. More than $4.4 billion has been raised for ideas spanning from art to tech. This guide will show you how to prepare, launch, and run your campaign on Kickstarter.
Kickstarter focuses on creative projects in arts, music, films, and tech. It has a big community and valuable resources. These can help make your project more visible. Following this guide, you will learn how to plan, budget, and connect with backers. Your goal is to make sure your Kickstarter succeeds.
Introduction to Kickstarter
Kickstarter is a global crowdfunding platform that helps creators get support. Artists, designers, and innovators can find new opportunities here.
What is Kickstarter?
Kickstarter lets you fund your creative project launch. It’s a place for backers to support your ideas. Since starting, it has received over US$7 billion from 21.7 million backers. This support has kickstarted 233,626 projects.
Who Can Use Kickstarter?
If you have a creative vision, Kickstarter is for you, if you follow their rules. It’s open to many fields like films, music, and tech. So, no matter if your project is about publishing or food, you can get support here.
Types of Projects Supported on Kickstarter
Kickstarter backs many projects, from video games to new tech. In games, it’s especially big, making up a significant part of spending. It also supports films, music, and comics, making it easy to find a niche for your creative project.
Why Choose Kickstarter for Your Creative Project?
Choosing Kickstarter for your creative project comes with many benefits. It connects you to a huge global crowdfunding community. This means more people can see and support your innovative ideas.
Also, Kickstarter has features that increase your project’s visibility. Plus, they give you great advice every step of the way.
Access to a Large Community
Access to a big crowdfunding community is a key advantage of Kickstarter. The platform has millions of users. Plus, over 175,000 projects have gotten funding.
About 35% of Kickstarter projects meet their goals. So, a supportive community is key to success.
Expert Resources and Guidance
Kickstarter gives you lots of help for your campaign. They show you how to make your project page attractive. They also help with setting goals and creating rewards.
They let you choose how long your campaign will be. This helps you make the biggest impact.
Increased Exposure for Your Project
Getting more visibility for your project on Kickstarter is another big plus. They have tools like popularity filters and category listings. They can even highlight your project as a staff pick.
This means more people might see what you’re working on. Kickstarter gives you a great chance to show your creative project to more people.
Planning Your Kickstarter Campaign
Planning a Kickstarter campaign requires careful thought and action. You’ll need to plan, set a budget, and set goals. Let’s look at the key steps to get your campaign ready.
Creating a Project Plan
Begin with a detailed project plan before you launch. It should include studying the market, knowing your audience, and laying out your timeline. Take the Exploding Kittens card game, for example. They aimed for $10,000 but raised over $8 million with good planning. Always be clear about what your project will do. This builds trust with your backers.
Setting a Realistic Budget and Goals
Deciding on a budget is essential. Think about costs for making, shipping, and promoting. The Pebble Time smartwatch is a great example. They raised over $20 million thanks to a well-planned budget and clear goals. Start with a small fundraising target to test and adjust. The SELF Journal began with a $25,000 goal and quickly doubled it.
Determining Campaign Duration
The length of your campaign matters a lot. Aligning it with times when more people are online helps. A 30-day campaign is usually best, according to many successful projects. However, adjusting the duration to fit your project and the time of year can make a difference. The Coolest Cooler campaign launched in summer for maximum impact.
Getting ready for Kickstarter means building an audience first. Your pre-launch tasks should include making an email list, press kit, media outreach, and social media efforts. A strong team and unique rewards are key. They can draw in backers and help you surpass your goals.
How to Create an Engaging Kickstarter Project Page
Making your project page on Kickstarter stand out is key to get potential backers interested. You need to have a page that’s full of details, looks good, and has an awesome video.
Writing a Captivating Project Description
Writing a great Kickstarter description is super important to show how cool your project is. Keep your words clear, to the point, and fun to read. Talk about what makes your project special, its goals, and what backers will get from it.
For example, look at Cascadia by Flatout Games. It won the Spiel des Jahres award for its cool gameplay. Setting a realistic funding goal can also help make your campaign look more believable. And remember to always sound friendly. Invite people to join your adventure.
Designing Eye-Catching Visuals
Visual storytelling is key in grabbing your audience’s attention. Make sure your visuals are pretty and match your project’s theme. Use high-quality pictures and graphics to make your project page pop. Projects with amazing designs have even gotten Oscar and Grammy nods, proving design matters a lot.
Incorporating a Compelling Video
Adding a great Kickstarter video can really help your campaign. Make your video short, sweet, and professional. Show how passionate you are about your project. Projects with videos tend to get funded more, according to Kickstarter.
Working with influencers or creators can make more people see your project. A top-quality video makes people excited and more willing to support you.
Building a Community Around Your Project
Kickstarter is great at building a community around a project. It creates a sense of togetherness among backers. Success on Kickstarter means making sure backers feel part of something big. Direct chats with backers are key to growing a loyal base.
Engaging with Potential Backers
Talking with potential backers is more than updates. It’s about constant, meaningful connections. Kickstarter has tools for direct communication. This makes backers feel special. Stay in touch, answer their questions quickly. This keeps the excitement up and builds trust. Kickstarter may recommend your project, but real support comes from your hard work.
Creating Interactive Rewards
For better community building, offer interactive rewards. These rewards let backers dive deeper into your project. Say, giving them a peek into the making process. They love feeling part of your work. Such rewards, especially in Design and Tech, grab more attention and support.
Setting Collaborative Stretch Goals
Stretch goals keep your campaign moving. They make backers feel vital to your project’s growth. Set goals that backers can help achieve. This motivates them to share and keep supporting. While most funding might come from people you know, stretch goals invite wider support. They play a big role in growing your project and its supporter base.
To wrap up, the support from the Kickstarter community is a huge help. But, your focus on building that community, offering special rewards, and engaging backers drives your campaign. These efforts make your project a success.
How Does Kickstarter Work: The Funding Process Explained
Kickstarter uses the all-or-nothing approach for crowdfunding. This ensures only projects that meet their goals get the funds. It’s a way to make sure creators are serious and backers are happy.
All-or-Nothing Funding Model
This model is key to Kickstarter’s success. Projects must hit their target to get any money. For instance, if a project aims for $20,000, it might raise $159,000 from 5,341 backers. This shows how a project can get more money than it asked for. It pushes creators to set clear goals and gather the needed resources.
Flexible Funding Options
Some creators look into other options like Indiegogo’s flexible funding. This lets them keep the money raised, even if the goal isn’t met. These options offer a different route for projects that may not fit Kickstarter. Knowing these differences helps you pick the right model for your campaign.
Funding Goal and Backer Contributions
Choosing a realistic funding goal is vital. Your goal ought to cover every cost, from making a prototype to the final product. Sometimes, costs can be very high. Telling backers about these costs helps gain their trust.
With campaigns usually lasting 30 days, it’s important to keep backers engaged. Updates and interactions can make them devoted investors. This is essential for a project’s success.
Kickstarter supports many fields like tech, film, fashion, and gaming. It has helped raise over $4.4 billion for 164,725 projects. Yet, whether to go with flexible funding or all-or-nothing depends on what your project needs and your crowdfunding strategy.
Promoting Your Kickstarter Campaign
Promoting your Kickstarter campaign well is key to its success. Using smart pre-launch marketing, social media, and PR, along with email marketing, can help you hit your funding target. In 2013, 19,911 Kickstarter campaigns were successful. With the right approach, yours can be too.
Pre-Launch Marketing Strategies
Start promoting your Kickstarter before it even launches. Early and thorough pre-launch marketing helps build momentum. Use online platforms to create buzz, share engaging content, and set realistic donor expectations. Planning for about 1% of your audience to contribute usually works well. Enticing rewards can attract potential backers and get them excited.
Leveraging Social Media and PR
Social media and PR can really spread the word about your campaign. Share your story on different social networks, engage with influencers, bloggers, and use ad apps. Kevin Cole’s Kickstarter for a game raised $12,000 from 362 backers. It worked because he connected with people he knew on social media. Tools like RafflePress for giveaways and OptinMonster for capturing leads can also help boost your campaign.
Utilizing Email Marketing
Email marketing is also a must for crowdfunding success. Get your email list going long before you launch. Keep in touch with your subscribers by sending them updates, previews, and exclusive content. Stay connected and keep them interested. Tools like SeedProd let you make custom landing pages easily, without any coding. Adding social proof, like TrustPulse notifications, can make your campaign more believable and effective.
Keep up the hard work on promoting your campaign and using online tools wisely. With dedication, you can reach your Kickstarter goal and create a strong community support behind your idea.
Managing Your Kickstarter Campaign
Kickstarter campaign management is key to your project’s success. It’s important to keep in touch with backers, monitor your campaign’s progress, and handle feedback wisely. Good backer relations can really drive your campaign towards its goals.
Maintaining Backer Communication
Keeping your backers updated is crucial. Share your journey, address their concerns, and celebrate big wins together. A clear and friendly communication style keeps backers in the loop. This makes them more likely to support and spread the word.
Tracking Campaign Progress
Watching how your campaign performs is vital. Using Kickstarter’s data helps you see how you’re doing. Pay attention to new backers, funds raised, and how engaged people are. This lets you tweak your plan to do better.
Handling Feedback and Requests
Listening to backer feedback is a smart move. When you quickly respond to their ideas, they feel valued. Acting on their suggestions can make your campaign better. This increases happiness and boosts your chance of success on Kickstarter.
Post-Campaign Activities and Fulfillment
After your Kickstarter campaign ends, your work is just beginning. You’ll need to manage shipping and reward delivery carefully. These steps help keep your backers happy and build lasting relationships.
Organizing Shipping and Logistics
First, make a plan to manage your shipping. Using fulfillment services like Easyship can help a lot. For example, Easyship saved one client 100% on import duties with a smart shipping solution. This shows how the right logistics partner can simplify complex shipping tasks.
Providing Regular Updates to Backers
Keeping in touch with your backers is key. Regular updates on Kickstarter keep them in the loop. If you don’t update for over a month, backers might start worrying. Use Facebook’s vast network for quick updates. MailChimp is great for affordable mass emails, making sure everyone stays informed. Mixing Kickstarter posts, e-newsletters, and blogs makes for strong communication.
Ensuring Timely Delivery of Rewards
Delivering rewards on time is crucial. Services like PledgeManager make this easier. They handle all sorts of shipping issues and keep backers happy. PledgeManager also helps increase revenue and minimize stress. Efficient reward delivery earns your backer’s trust for future projects.
Conclusion
Running a successful Kickstarter campaign is hard work, but it can make your dream come true and build a strong community. It’s all about planning well, setting realistic goals, and promoting your project the right way. Doing these things increases your chance of success.
But your job isn’t done when you hit your funding goal. You need to handle logistics and talk to your backers well. The success stories of the Oculus Rift, Exploding Kittens, and Pebble smartwatch show how big you can win. Kickstarter gives you exposure, a big community, and lots of resources.
At the end of your Kickstarter campaign, focus on getting ready, staying in touch with backers, and fulfilling promises. These steps improve your chances of success. Kickstarter has helped creators worldwide, raising over $7 billion from nearly 6 million backers. Follow this advice, and you can turn your great idea into a reality.