KickstarterForum.org

While working with a marketing firm they offered the following:

We'll find "similar" campagins on kickstarter and lookup who backed these campaings.

Many backers have their contact info visible on KS.

We'll collect these contacts and send them personalized messages such as follows:

@wonderfull_backer - noticed you backed #success_campaign - here goes the newest ks.to/go_here_now - might be what u like. x days on, already x% funded. Cheers @thanks

They claim that although it's expensive - it is highly targeted and they have seen good results.

But, I have two questions:

1. Does it make sense that it would really help? is it not annoying?

2. The KS guidlines state the following:

This includes link-bombing, promoting a project where it shouldn’t be promoted, sending unsolicited @’s on Twitter, hyping third-party services, and using email lists from outside sources, to name a few.

Would what they offer fall into the "unsolicited" category, or is it sort of a personalized approach?

I've gotten a ton of offers from places like this, but I just feel like it is not natural. If people believe in your project, they should donate. Self promotion is one thing, but when you're spending hundreds of dollars to promote a product, it just becomes commercial advertising. Maybe it is just me, but it feels like it is unnatural to the Kickstarter movement.

Self promotion can be done in multiple ways.

You can ride on your bicycle and hand deliver flyers at each house in your town - free;

OR you can place a classified ad in the local paper - small fee;

OR you can get some local media coverage - some effort and maybe some fee;

OR you can hire someone who is doing it on a regular basis to advertise your concept - nominal fee;

OR - - - got the point?

It all boils down to self promotion.

I personally would feel annoyed and violated if I were contacted. I would feel stalked. Maybe some people don't mind, but i don't see how they wouldn't. I'd spend my money elsewhere, perhaps some FB advertising or something?

Personally I would feel annoyed if I got targeted ads based on a campaign I funded. Would almost feel like I was being punished for making a contribution. I would much rather find out about campaigns on my own terms.

I would be fine being contacted with a Kickstarter campaign on twitter assuming it really was based on my interests. However, to answer your original question I do think it is an unsolicited tweet and thus against the rules. I doubt you'd get in trouble for it but it does seem kinda shady.