What have you learned from running a Kickstarter campaign?
  • szabohaslam
    -- New Member --
    -- New Member --
    Posts: 4
    Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:41 am
    Location: Sheffield
    Contact:

    Re: What have you learned from running a Kickstarter campaig

    by szabohaslam » Mon Sep 01, 2014 10:09 am

    After my first Kickstarter campaign I learned that packing and sending hundreds of posters is a nightmare! I also worked out pretty quickly that I'd underestimated just how many emails I'd need to send...

    Now currently running my second, which you can see here:
    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sz ... econd-wave


  • Julius.Schenk
    -- New Member --
    -- New Member --
    Posts: 4
    Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2014 1:58 am
    Location: Melbourne
    Contact:

    Re: What have you learned from running a Kickstarter campaig

    by Julius.Schenk » Mon Sep 08, 2014 3:19 am

    do you guys think get a group like crowd funding kings to do a twitter post for me would be a good avenue? i only have a few twitter followers myself
    Jules Schenk: Newbie Aussie Fantasy writer
    Twitter: @juliusx_x
    kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/57 ... asy-series
  • selena23
    -- New Member --
    -- New Member --
    Posts: 9
    Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 2:26 pm

    Re: What have you learned from running a Kickstarter campaig

    by selena23 » Thu Sep 11, 2014 3:03 pm

    There is some great advice on here. I wish I would have found this BEFORE launching my campaign :?
  • User avatar
    Rafiki
    -- Junior Member --
    -- Junior Member --
    Posts: 12
    Joined: Mon Sep 15, 2014 3:26 pm
    Location: Bloomington, Indiana
    Contact:

    Re: What have you learned from running a Kickstarter campaig

    by Rafiki » Mon Sep 15, 2014 3:43 pm

    I have learned that it is a lot harder than it looks.
  • LaneSimpson
    -- New Member --
    -- New Member --
    Posts: 4
    Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2014 4:47 am

    Re: What have you learned from running a Kickstarter campaig

    by LaneSimpson » Mon Sep 22, 2014 5:45 am

    My question is there a certain marketing group that is worth paying to have a presence on social media?

    Thanks for your time,
    Lane
    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/92 ... ractal-art
  • sunsj
    -- Senior Member --
    -- Senior Member --
    Posts: 61
    Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2014 3:19 am

    Re: What have you learned from running a Kickstarter campaig

    by sunsj » Fri Sep 26, 2014 2:11 am

    The key to creating an awesome Kickstarter campaign is to do something awesome that you truly believe in, as the campaigning on Kickstarter can be a full-time gig in itself and not an easy road.

    To get noticed you need to catch people's eye with a killer cover photo, preferably using bright colors. Don't underestimate a catchy title, either, as this will be your selling slogan that travels around social media and the Web. You should also put together a video for your project since nearly half of all projects with a video are funded, yet only 30% of campaigns without a video succeed. This video doesn't need to win an Oscar but should be an authentic explanation of who you are and what you are looking to do. Of course a little wit and an inspiring story can go a long way towards virality and the ultimate success of your campaign.

    Keep it short and simple. Be realistic when it comes to determining your fundraising goals. How interesting is the project? How big of an audience or cast of support do you already have?

    After you gauge these answers, look around the Kickstarter site to see what similar projects have done. Next create pledges for your various offerings using different pricing tiers where you can expect the most popular pledges to go in the $25 range with an average pledge amount of $75 per campaign.

    Always shoot for the stars with a few big-hitting rewards that can quickly get your campaign funded if you can find any takers. You can always rework your rewards after launching your campaign if certain items don't receive pledges in the first week or so.

    In the end, to run a successful Kickstarter campaign you need to tell a great story to win the hearts and minds of citizens across the Web. Make sure you have an intricate marketing campaign planned to promote your Kickstarter as soon as it's launched by getting it consistently shared on sites like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

    You'll need to start pitching your friends, family and blogs for coverage, along with pretty much anyone you've ever met to have a chance of getting funded, so be prepared to hit the pavement running and tell your story to everyone you meet.
    I love gadgets!
  • Hot-Tubes
    -- New Member --
    -- New Member --
    Posts: 3
    Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2014 9:12 pm
    Location: South Portland Maine
    Contact:

    Re: What have you learned from running a Kickstarter campaig

    by Hot-Tubes » Tue Sep 30, 2014 9:44 pm

    Sal was right - just one product at a time. I was afraid our winter heating efficiency product wouldn't make sense to enough people, so I added our lamps as an "insurance" policy. Surprised to see the lamps were not a significant pledge item, the primary for the campaign, the heating tubes, were by a huge margin. We would have easily funded without the lamps.

    I originally planned to launch the lamps in a Spring Kickstarter, now I'll have to work another version if I want to launch the lamps via Kickstarter.

    z

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/13 ... -recircula
    Bill Zelman
    www.Hot-Tubes.com
    Hot-Tubes and Cool-Tubes
    Heating air re-circulation systems and LED lighting products
  • lakeshorelabs
    -- New Member --
    -- New Member --
    Posts: 2
    Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2014 11:31 am

    Re: What have you learned from running a Kickstarter campaig

    by lakeshorelabs » Sat Oct 04, 2014 12:04 pm

    Wow - so many things I learned from my unfunded Indiegogo project.

    - I placed far too much weight on 'me' as the creator and why I created the product/project.

    - I had researched that there is a 90%/10% split on backers - 90% friends and family. I received -0- backers on my campaign from friends/family. Big mistake in my case to rely on them for building up momentum - then again I also have < 150 friends/family.

    - Not enough visuals. I realize I myself in researching campaigns barely read and typically just skim the text - if that. My eyes focus on visuals and then if I feel the visuals are up to par I may check out the video (or if I want to know more). I had almost no visuals, lots of text and a video that was more on my mission statement and why vs the 'what' and how it would help you - the potential backer.

    - Our financial goals were too high. This was probably one of the most challenging parts as a newbie - how much to ask for. In retrospect, the strangers that did come via press releases, etc, probably thought it was a cool idea but were turned off by the large goal. Next time around we will split our goals into small milestones with a smaller funding goal for each. I'd rather have a $1000 campaign funded to $1500 than a $10,000 campaign funded to $2000.

    - Did not do enough build up. 1st go around we really thought family and friends would be the bulk and then the public would chip in. Big mistake. 2nd go around we are planning a marketing strategy carefully. We recognize the importance of giving our project some runway to build up potential backers and people interested in the project as a whole.

    Hopefully the 2nd go around will be a far more successful result.

    Good luck and hope these tips helped.

    Steve
  • AleishaGore
    ___________________
    ___________________
    Posts: 70
    Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2014 9:25 pm
    Location: LA
    Contact:

    Re: What have you learned from running a Kickstarter campaig

    by AleishaGore » Sat Oct 04, 2014 6:16 pm

    Yes, I attended a KS class and they said "Your friends and family don't care!" It was a kind of strange and horrifying thing to realize. But, yeah, if we think that way, then we will be sure to invest a lot of time and energy in other strategies. And for the ones who truly do care, get them on your team to promote. Good luck!
    By the way, I did a LIVE fundraiser with a party and everything, that's where my friends and family came and gave me donations. ;)
    Aleisha Gore
    Writer, Director, Producer, Chocolate is Not Better than Sex
    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/al ... r-than-sex

    All I want for you is Happiness. :)
    Show the world you are made of love. The world will shine.
  • shawnekelly11
    -- New Member --
    -- New Member --
    Posts: 5
    Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2014 2:41 am

    Re: What have you learned from running a Kickstarter campaig

    by shawnekelly11 » Sun Oct 05, 2014 3:00 am

    I just launched my first project a few days ago and I'm quickly learning that I do not have a very solid network of supporters. I wish I had put more time into building up my social media connections before I launched. Guess I'll have to scramble to find followers.

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gi ... nav_search

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 15 guests