KickstarterForum.org

Hi Nick,

That's so cool you went over your target amount! What two things make your projects stand out, such as perks, description, video, personality, etc? Thanks, and looking forward to your reply!

Hi Nick,

I was wondering if you ever used PR as a resource on any or all of your campaigns. If so, did you write and release your own press releases, or hire a PR firm, or use one from Fiverr etc. I'm about to launch a campaign soon and looking for some guidance or suggestions on the matter. Thanks!

-Rachel

brandontluong wrote:Hi Nick,

That's so cool you went over your target amount! What two things make your projects stand out, such as perks, description, video, personality, etc? Thanks, and looking forward to your reply!

Thanks Brandon.

I can't really compare my projects, but the current one (DaVinci Notebook http://kck.st/1mjrFc2) stands out in two ways. One, it uses a revolutionary paper made from stone - as in rocks! Tree-free, eco-friendly, the whole nine yards. The second, is that the notebook itself has unlimited creative options so it's much, much more than your 99 cent notebook. (Plus, it's addictive writing on its uber smooth surface)

I think these two things are an example of some of the things people should think about when posting a project. Finding a unique angle for getting the attention of people. Because after friends and family, you have to start reaching out for publicity and you need hooks and angles to make write-ups interesting.

I recently discovered a "body dryer" project on Indiegogo that uses the hook of "disrupting the towel" - meaning, they have a solution that they say (wish) would eliminate towels for drying off. Great hook for publicity (plus the girl in the bathing suit doesn't hurt), so as a result, I've seen the coverage they received (ABC News, CNET, etc.) and it certainly boosted their campaign.

Best, Nick

rvalentine wrote:Hi Nick,

I was wondering if you ever used PR as a resource on any or all of your campaigns. If so, did you write and release your own press releases, or hire a PR firm, or use one from Fiverr etc. I'm about to launch a campaign soon and looking for some guidance or suggestions on the matter. Thanks!

-Rachel

Hi Rachel,
I did not use a PR firm. But, I did just contact Prefundia. I was not entirely impressed with the press release they did for me and had to rewrite a large part of it, correct a number of typos, correct a number of incorrect statements, and add a few HUGE angles for my stories to get picked up. It was a little late in my campaign to do this, but wanted to give it a try. I won't be using them again....

I am thinking of trying Fiverr - $5-$10 bucks, nothing to lose. I am going to give them a trackable link, however, to test their mettle. (KS has a backend that will pick up a ?ref=whateverYouWantHere contribution). Haven't decided on the writer though.

Back to the press release. I did one for my third campaign (Toobie), and submitted it manually by myself to a number of sources, but it got little coverage. You need a powerful hook.... I do think this is the way to go (after working through your own friends, family, and any blogger, twitterer you know) so spend some time thinking of how you are going to catch the attention of a blogger that receives hundreds of requests and wants to present interesting things to their readers. I also do recommend if you have samples of your product or a way people can see it prior to launch, that this is worth working on well in advance of your campaign.

Hope this helps you. Good Luck!

Hi Nick,

Thanks for the reply, and very interesting. So I guess I need to make a really catchy hook to make http://www.datelytics.co stand out from the rest, correct? Now that you have gone over and beyond the asking price, will you make a blog post about how you will use the extra funding? I'm assuming that would keep your backers interested when you get the product out. Last question, was your target amount the real amount, or did you low ball it as to get people more interested in the product?

Thanks, and looking forward to your response!

Brandon

Thank you Nick!

I am aware of some of those things and I'm trying to find blogs and sites regarding everything related to my film. As for pulling out, that is not an option for me. I understand what it takes to make this happen, I've slept less than 3 hours a day in the last week. I think the key you raised is the parents part and the marketing angle. I will look into sites like the ones you mentioned, and all of my friends have told me they will contribute by the end of the month.

Also what do you think about people giving me cash? A number of friends at work have offered me a large amount of cash and I told them to go online. Should I turn cash down or no?

Thanks again.

Nem,
I would think any method of contributing to your project would be acceptable as long as you reach your goal. If your goal is not reached then I would hope you return these outside contributions to the respective people.

brandontluong wrote:Hi Nick,
Now that you have gone over and beyond the asking price, will you make a blog post about how you will use the extra funding? I'm assuming that would keep your backers interested when you get the product out. Last question, was your target amount the real amount, or did you low ball it as to get people more interested in the product?

Brandon

I posted a minimum goal for the DaVinci Notebook (http://kck.st/1mjrFc2) based on minimum order quantities and labor costs involved, and currently have stretch goals in place. Any funds beyond the goal, and this is true for most 'product' projects, also have with them a related cost for product, manufacturing, fulfillment, et al. In other words, a project like mine that goes over goal does not mean it's now all profit. There are now more backers, and this means more raw material is needed, and more notebooks to be made and fulfilled.

Nem,
I think Nick had an important point without even realizing it? If you accept cash donations and you don't reach your goal online you won't be funded - it would be awful to miss your target by a couple of thousand dollars and have collected it in cash? So I would think ask everyone to donate online and explain all of your funding depends on reaching your target or you won't get funded. I think a lot of people don't fully get that at first, the whole all or nothing thing.
Inga

Adding to what Inga said.... I do fully understand the ramifications of not reaching your goal and it is important to consider the people you are asking to back your campaign and their level of knowledge as it relates to Kickstarter. For example, if you reach out to people that do not understand Kickstarter, you would benefit greatly by educating them. KS has some great stuff about the historical use of Crowd Funding - i.e. The Statue of Liberty was partially crowd funded, Mark Twain used crowd funding, etc. It's somewhere on their site or blog. And of course, you have to emphasize to newbies, the all or nothing nature of KS. (You could always go to Indiegogo and launch a partial fund campaign).

In the big picture, you're raising funds for your project. If you're raising cash and via offline, then of course, you don't need KS, but you should consider goals carefully because your efforts will be in vain if you don't reach goal. If you do a relaunch, you will lose a lot of your previous backers and if you reach out to backers after a failed campaign you'll reach most of them.