KickstarterForum.org

Based on everything we read prior to submitting our project we were expecting the approval process to take up to a week since our project is hardware based. For Kickstarter, non-hardware projects looked to be approved in about 48 hours. The quickest time I came across in an article was right around 24 hours. I'm sure some of our lightning fast approval time was due to sheer luck of where we landed in the Kickstarter queue, but getting a hardware project approved without needing to revise is something we're somewhat proud of and I wanted to share a few tips.

-Read absolutely everything that Kickstarter has posted in terms of rules and what's allowed and not allowed for specific projects. There are certain types of images they prohibit for hardware specifically and there are also types of rewards that you cannot offer.

-Even if you don't have professional photos or a video ready include the best images that you can. This means finding decent lighting and using a decent camera (most smartphones can do a good job of this). Include photos of the development that your project has already been through so they can see you're actively working to make it a reality.

-Don't ignore the potential challenges section at the end. This is your opportunity to show that you're looking towards the future and actually have a plan. Try to answer questions that you think someone may have about your logistics or ability to fulfill your rewards. The more confidence that you give Kickstarter that your project is legit the quicker your approval should be.

-Check your campaign against already running campaigns prior to submitting for approval. Compare the information you put out there, the rewards, and how well you completed each section of the project to stuff that's already been approved. Obviously all projects are different, but there should be many similarities since all projects have to fit within Kickstarter's guidelines.



Unfortunately I can't offer many tips on successfully funding a campaign as we're crawling along at the moment and discussing our options, but hopefully this may help a few people as they get into the approvals stage of crowdfunding!