KickstarterForum.org

Making a big visual impression stirs the Squatch inside all of us.

Another Squatch Kick, and this is a Kickstarter that people can learn something from, as far as how to showcase the accomplishment of stretch goals to add to the positive energy associated with your project page's visual eye-candy.

SketchCraft: Digibooks

Charles wrote:Looking for a tip to give your Kickstarter project an edge up? Be sure to check out Tip # 2, up on the Squatch Kick site, now.

Tip # 2 - Visual Dividers: Focusing the Eye

Nice article.... Thanks Charles

Andy

Because the world can never have too much fairy dust:

Tip # 3 - Chase your dreams, not rainbows!

Charles wrote:One of the primary ways that Squatch Kick intends to help project creators is by showcasing their projects. From my experience-to-date in encountering and interacting with project creators, one thing that creators need is people talking about their projects. So, I will be selecting Kickstarter projects to talk about, and I will write a little bit about what I like about those projects. If your project just so happens to be one of those projects, then you will have something about YOUR project to share with the world, to show others that your project is getting some mention in the Cyberstream.

So, for some reason, I am still up at a little past three o'clock in the morning, and what better way to pass the time than by posting an update about the Squatch Kick site, and try to come up with something useful for Kickstarter creators at the same time?

Anyway, I have been posting a few articles, of late, over on the Squatch Kick blog site, with most of the articles pertaining to various Kickstarter projects, and I've even managed to toss in a few Tips articles, to boot.

But, you know, the whole thing that got me started down the Squatch Kick path was really my interactions with others who posted about their own Kickstarter projects, here in the KickstarterForum.Org forum. I think that I'm doing OK< as far as how I have started out with the articles about various Kickstarter projects. I mean, hey, i think that I've said some pretty nice things about these projects that I have focused a little spotlight on. And who doesn't want somebody saying something nice about their Kickstarter, right?

OK, fair enough, you're probably saying, but how does any of that help you? How does any of it help the average, ordinary Kickstarter project get any coverage or buzz for the projects that don't catch my eye quite so much?

What about Kickstarter projects which are just starting out? What about the Kickstarters created by newbies to the crowd funding scene? What's the Squatch going to do to help those kinds of Kickstarters out?

Well, that's actually something that I've been pondering quite a bit, of late. But, here's the dilemma that I face.

Is my aim to simply post a link to your Kickstarter project on the Squatch Kick site? I mean, hey, that would be a fairly simple thing to do. So, why not do that, right?

While I could take that approach, it seems to me that a simple link to every Kickstarter project that came down the pike wouldn't really yield any tangible benefit to anyone. Or would it?

I'm thinking more along the lines of having multiple ways to feature a given Kickstarter project on the Squatch Kick site. In essence, what I am leaning toward is having additional ways - beyond what I have, right now - to create a focus upon individual Kickstarter projects, such that I actually have something to say about them. The point isn't just to talk about Kickstarter projects, but rather, to give people a reason to share a link, so that other people out there in the great vastness of Cyberspace can see that somebody, somewhere is talking about YOUR project.

But, does every Kickstarter project necessarily warrant this kind of attention? I mean, aren't some Kickstarter projects better than others? More importantly, though, aren't some Kickstarter project pages more fleshed out than others? Don't some project pages look better, or have more depth, or demonstrate something more worthwhile?

I think so.

Some project creators put no real effort into their Kickstarter project pages. Some practice silence. Why would I want to invest my time in toting the horns of projects that their own creators don't really seem to care about?

So, one of the things that I am looking at doing is to create additional categories on the Squatch Kick blog. Currently, a Squatch Kick is basically a piece that is overwhelmingly positive about a Kickstarter project. Those projects tend to have many positive attributes going for them.

In keeping with the Sasquatch theme of my blog site, I am thinking about creating a category called Making Tracks - which would pertain to Kickstarter projects where one or more things catch my eye, as evidence that the project has what I consider to be real potential. Maybe it's a good image, or a decent video. It could be any one or more thing(s) that send a message to me that grab my eye, in some way, shape, or form. This would certainly open up a lot more Kickstarter projects to me commenting about them, although I probably wouldn't comment quite as at length, compared to when I author pieces for the Squatch Kick articles.

I've posted about as many projects as I have, both on the Squatch Kick site as well as this forum right here, simply because it's something that I enjoy doing. Ultimately, though, there never seems to be enough time in the day, to do everything that I might otherwise prefer to do, so there's clearly a limit as to how many projects that I can talk about within a given amount of time. Even still, I want to expand upon the number of Kickstarter projects that I am blogging about, and this Making Tracks idea of mine seems tailored to helping me accomplish just, exactly that.

Another idea that I had was for a Squatch Sighting category of postings/articles, and these would basically be a brief recounting of Kickstarter projects that I visit, while browsing the Kickstarter website. These could be - and would be - virtually any Kickstarter project, and not necessarily ones that I encounter on this forum.

Yet another idea that I came up with was a category called Squatch Hunter, and this series of articles would deal with people more heavily into the crowd funding scene, such as a Salvador Briggman or perhaps some people on Kickstarter who have backed multiple projects. I envision the Squatch Hunter postings to be relatively few and far between, but they might be informative.

Lastly, I have considered one more category type to fit in with the Sasquatch theme of my blog site, and that is Squatch Attack series of articles. Those would be more along the lines of some of the stuff that I post in this forum, with the focus being on critical analysis - criticism with the purpose of trying to help project creators figure out weak spots in their Kickstarter campaigns. Due to time constraints, however, I'm not sure if this last one would be worth pursuing to any great length, though.

At any rate, not many have chimed in in this thread, to date, but I would love to hear some feedback on these ideas, if and when you get time and are willing to share your thoughts with me about these latest ideas of mine.

- Charles -

Hello Charles,

I have followed your posts with interest and I wanted to reply because I can see that you are clearly passionate about helping the community and I really enjoy that about your posts. It can be hard vying for attention in this crowded crowd funded world and I appreciate the space on the web you've dedicated to make creators feel a little special!

So I thought I would give back a little by commenting on your last comprehensive post, plus I enjoy these things too and Kickstarter engaged me long before I created my first project. So I am in the "newbie" category, super keen and curious about the journey ahead.

Let me say you've done an amazing job on the site so far! Congrats!


Squatch Kick articles are really great to read and I can imagine the creators being chuffed being featured this way. It is uniquely you and it's great content for your site.

Making Tracks - great idea to feature one or two particular parts of a project, it would also give insight to other creators about how to go about their projects. I am a bit of a self confessed perfectionist so I personally would enjoy hearing about others who notice the details. You could also opt for some interactivity from the creator, and get them to answer a simple question about the featured part of their project.

Ultimately, though, there never seems to be enough time in the day, to do everything that I might otherwise prefer to do,

Sometimes I feel like that too!

Squatch Sighting - this could be done in a single post, almost like a tweet, where you link to what you found and how you got there. Also, a good way to keep records (which is something I enjoy hehe)

Squatch Hunter - I think that could be an interview style post, with questions about what keeps them going? Their top tips? Any surprises, any memorable pieces of advice or remarkable backers who helped with the project. etc

Squatch Attack - this might be something pre-launch people are seeking before launching. Lots of people could learn from this and your focus group would be mainly for creators. I know I looked for some advice before I launched however I got a bit impatient and went ahead and launched anyway. Perhaps this could be a regular fortnightly spotlight as an opportunity for people to learn about it, if you could get a panel of people with experience to comment too, that would be invaluable for some people. You could have a review template that addresses different aspects of the project, e.g. target market, video, images, story behind the project etc etc

I hope this was useful, and thank you for the time you put into your site

Jen

Hi Charles,

Thought provoking as ever and when I have a moment I will answer in the depth you post deserves,

Cheers,

Andy

This time, it's Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray who come under the axe, and in for the Squatch Kick!

SEX AND VIOLENCE VOL. 2

Wonderful idea! Checking out tips now. Very helpful --> http://squatchkick.blogspot.com.es/2014 ... nbows.html Thanks Charles!

Awesome discussion and important topics. I'll add my thoughts below.

The point isn't just to talk about Kickstarter projects, but rather, to give people a reason to share a link

Agreed. We've been experimenting with ways to do this via PitchFuse via letting creators do giveaways for their campaign. To enter, you need to input your email and refer someone to the giveaway. Still, it's in its infancy. In the meantime, creators could do something like a raffle copter giveaway to facilitate the sharing of links.

But, does every Kickstarter project necessarily warrant this kind of attention? I mean, aren't some Kickstarter projects better than others?

Creators don't like to hear it, but not all projects succeed or are meant to. It's just kind of the way the world works. I really like this venn diagram that I'll paste below. Click the image to enlarge it!



I think they are all interesting directions for your blog. I would focus on which you are most passionate about or excited about and start there.

Regarding how to bring attention to projects, I've found my series on "rapidly funded projects" help drive traffic and backers, but the they are to projects that are already taking off.

Driving traffic or attention to projects that are deserving and doing it for free is more difficult. The more I think about it, the only scalable way I can come up with is to give backers of projects a good way to spread the word about the projects they care about and give creators the tools to find those backers early-on.

It's also a bit different depending on the project category. If it's a design project, we could do something like upvote the projects you like and if you participate, you'll get a 20% off discount once the product is released. That probably wouldn't work for publishing or other kinds of categories though.

I like your line of thinking in terms of helping creators. For now, I think I'm going to concentrate on getting the new "projects you've backed" section up and running, and then go from there.

I'm also always open to having you guest post or have some kind of a weekly or biweekly column on CrowdCrux.

sbriggman wrote:Agreed. We've been experimenting with ways to do this via PitchFuse via letting creators do giveaways for their campaign. To enter, you need to input your email and refer someone to the giveaway. Still, it's in its infancy. In the meantime, creators could do something like a raffle copter giveaway to facilitate the sharing of links.

I haven't spent a lot of time on the PitchFuse site, but the fact of the matter is that we weren't likely to have too many tools anytime soon, to facilitate helping people to be successful with their crowd funding undertakings.

My own focus, where the Squatch Kick site is concerned, is more along the lines of what I, myself, can do to try and create a mechanism that is useful to Kickstarter project creators, in some way that is useful or meaningful to them. Ultimately, I think that comes down to analysis and articulation, when boiled down to bare bones. Basically, I try to figure out what's wrong, to unearth areas of weakness or deficiencies, so to speak, and I comment on project pages, which is where the articulation part comes in. For many project creators, I think that they are either just so busy, or just so new to it all, that they miss or overlook some fairly fundamental things.

Thus, how to convert those things into something useful for project creators?

sbriggman wrote:Creators don't like to hear it, but not all projects succeed or are meant to. It's just kind of the way the world works. I really like this venn diagram that I'll paste below. Click the image to enlarge it!

If anything the area of overlap of all three circles is way too big.

sbriggman wrote:I think they are all interesting directions for your blog. I would focus on which you are most passionate about or excited about and start there.

I just don't think that going with one approach is necessarily a solution of any note. The focus shouldn't just be on the best projects, I don't think. More so than the projects that grab my eye, I think that the real challenge lies in helping others to transform their project into a more eye-grabbing thing.

sbriggman wrote:Regarding how to bring attention to projects, I've found my series on "rapidly funded projects" help drive traffic and backers, but the they are to projects that are already taking off.

Driving traffic or attention to projects that are deserving and doing it for free is more difficult. The more I think about it, the only scalable way I can come up with is to give backers of projects a good way to spread the word about the projects they care about and give creators the tools to find those backers early-on.

My own thinking on the matter is that the core problem defies a one-size-fits-all solution, or for that matter, a one-site-fixes-all solution. Plus, any given Kickstarter project runs for a number of weeks. Project creators face an abundance of individual challenges, challenges that take a cumulative toll on their project page's effectiveness.

sbriggman wrote:It's also a bit different depending on the project category. If it's a design project, we could do something like upvote the projects you like and if you participate, you'll get a 20% off discount once the product is released. That probably wouldn't work for publishing or other kinds of categories though.

I think that projects face greater obstacles at the individual project level, than at the category level, even though I do agree that different categories pose different challenges for project creators. What works for one category may not work for others, and vice versa.

sbriggman wrote:I like your line of thinking in terms of helping creators. For now, I think I'm going to concentrate on getting the new "projects you've backed" section up and running, and then go from there.

I think that project creators, many of them, anyway, are in need of both mentorship and assistance. Obviously, no one really wants to invest time and energy in a project that goes nowhere. Project creators want to meet the funding goals that they set, at a bare minimum.

Isn't this why they often turn to running in circles and keeping company with five dollar fairies? They are looking for affordable (which, for many, means free) force multipliers for their projects. They want to be effective, from day one, whether they've laid the proper foundation for success, or not.

If they haven't, then they want a way to quickly turn their project from a failing trajectory into a successful trajectory.

Of course, that can be a rather tall order - even an impossible one, at times. Yet, most of the likely don't care who they get or even hire to help them. They just want that person or company to make the difference needed, so that their project can be successful.

So, how do you create something like that for a near-infinite variety of different project types? Even assuming that it can be done, how much time and energy and expense is required, in order to accomplish such? Furthermore, even assuming that one can create such a thing or process, how many projects can it handle within a given amount of time

sbriggman wrote:I'm also always open to having you guest post or have some kind of a weekly or biweekly column on CrowdCrux.

Who? Me?? Well, I am receptive to doing that, although thus far, I don't even know what I'm going to write, until I sit down to write it, over on the Squatch Kick site. So, you might not end up liking what gets written, in any given instance of a guest post or column.

But, that aside, and taking the core concept and expanding upon it, maybe one prong of the ultimate solution for project creators is to utilize a multitude of people doing something similar. I keep coming back to project creators needing other people writing about their projects, so that they have something to share with others.

People pay others to tweet out their projects, simply because they want to expand their tribe of supporters. What project creators are interested in, I think, are getting their projects before the eyes of genuine tribes of people, tribe sout there somewhere, rather than getting their projects on the equivalent of Twitter commercial channels - artificial tribes erected for the same of achieving other objectives.

If somebody is tweeting project after project after project, day in and day out, week in and week out, month in and month out, year in and year out, how does that not get old to the people reading those tweets?

To me, it all boils down to quality. People want quality connections with quality audiences. they want quality talking points, rather than just talking for talking's sake. They want their project to be perceived by the public masses as a quality project, a quality undertaking, one worth the public's interest and support and backing.

I'll use myself as an example, just to illustrate the size of the problem.

If I were to write about one Kickstarter project per day, every single day, then in a year's time, that would come to less than four hundred projects. How many Kickstarter projects get launched, in a year's time?

Ideally, one could design a process, and it would become a simple enough matter for people to inject their project into the process, and the process would then do the rest, or at the very least, the project would take care of the hard work, from that point forth.

But, because each project is unique, though they often share similarities with one or more other projects or categories, people allow themselves to fall into the trap of thinking that they simply need to mimic what other projects have done, in order to strike gold with their crowd funding undertaking.

Yet, the actual reality is quite different form that, I think.

Just me thinking out loud.