KickstarterForum.org

pbsanford wrote:Thanks. Who should I contact at lmengineeringdesigns?

That would be me, Leo Matute.

Just send me an email using the contact from, I'll get bakc to you with my full contact info and we cant take it from there. I think it worth a shot.

We haven't even launched our campaign yet (2 weeks to go), but have been researching out the wazoo and one theme is to have incentives that are not just higher volume of the product, but are instead something unique, personal, or have a story.

Maybe if someone pledged $x they get a signed copy of your design diagrams for your mold.

Maybe if they pledge $y amount they get a silly robot made out of rejected prototypes

Maybe they get a copy of your designers notes that brought the project from concept to reality.

Or a 15 minute skype session with you to discuss their design for a new product.

Things that help people feel they have a special connection to you are great.

CD, Thanks! Those are GREAT suggestions! I've thought about those but haven't yet done it. I'll definitely do that next time. I'm looking forward to seeing your ks campaign.

I've come to terms with that my ks campaign this time will fail. Took me two solids days of mourning and being depressed to get past that. Fortunately, I have another ks project coming on its heels - actually my first invention - all we need is the video.

Thanks for your suggestions!

$58k is ambitious for 30 days, but who knows?

If you'll permit me an analogy - those who have had close brushes with death talk about reaching a point where they accepted their own mortality. At that point, life opened up - they could do many things fearlessly because they had already accepted the worst that could happen.

I might suggest treating your campaign the same way - don't think of it as doomed to fail, but embrace that it's okay if it does, and take that knowledge to use the next 30 days to best effect: experiment with the things that you think would help your campaign and see what impact they have. Be enthusiastic. You've got a healthy perspective on it possibly failing, and can use that to be bold and innovate on your campaign over the next 30 days...
Contact your local press
Find blogs that seem related to what you're working on and let them know about your campaign.
Find a trade show where you can show your prototype, etc.

Best of luck in your campaigns, both this and the next ones!

Egg Zackley! I knew $58K was pushing it - that number was dictated by the cost of the injection mold(s) and the fulfillment costs. It's pretty much a break even number. My next project will have a much lower threshold.

Also it's an invention for which there is no comparable item on the market so it's not easy to create an entirely new market segment - people are used to using funnels. I'll approach that realization better next time as well.

Interesting analogy - I should have been dead many years ago so I actually have come to terms with that. Have three (I think) heart stents, had a horrendous stroke with subsequent brain surgery in 2003 (the doctors gave me zero chance of recovery), and recently am recovering from cancer surgery. So far all of those have just been bumps in the road but, who knows, I'm bound to fall off the cliff at some point... hope my ducks are in a row by then!

Again, I really appreciate your thoughts.

Please let me know when your ks project goes live!

Best regards,
Peter

Hi Peter! Don't be discouraged - I know how hard it is to put yourself and dream out there. As the Creative Director of Ripples Edge Media, a crowdfunding video production company in the SF Bay area, I will say that one major place you could improve your campaign is in the video.

Here's an example of a video we did for drop catch: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dr ... tle-opener. They set their goal lower and more achievable, at 10k, and then overshot it, raising about 50k. The video is such an integral component to convey your concept in a professional and compelling way - it's one place that could be really improved on your campaign page.

Please reach out to me privately if I can provide you with any further help or support!

I hear you man. Looks like you put some considerable amount of money into your video too. It's a great idea, it jut seems games and high-tech are the main contenders when it comes to KickStarter. This round I am following a lot of advice for my launch such as press releases and of course social media. What i didn't know before was you could use your preview link to promote and that it just forwards to the actual page once it's activated. I wish you luck. It's not easy on KickStarter.

I honestly think it was an awesome idea. You should organize your details and try again (maybe on a different site if you are still discouraged about kickstarter).

I have a campaign up to help my dog become a therapy dog, please check it out if you have a chance!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/18 ... z-calendar

I am a lot befuddeled but not at all discouraged.

I did not know there was a social media rule. I only started a facebook and twitter because my wife said I had to.
I think the right thing to do is stay positive. The next time you are feeling a little discouraged just remember me, the guy that does not even own a smartphone. That should at least put a smile on your face.

I will certainly go and take a look at your project, but any advice I may have will not be to do with crowdfunding.