I had so much to learn...
I've been a part of multiple comic Kickstarter campaigns with Red Stylo Media over the past few years. I pay attention to how the campaigns go. I know my stuff. This will be easy.....
Boy was I wrong.
I know that crowd funding is stressful to the creators involved. There's a lot riding on it. We just want to put something special out into the world...we just need money. And that's where the backers come in. You people! We trust that not only will our friends and family back our project but also share it with the world. That doesn't always work out the way you hope and you then spend 30 days on a roller coaster of emotion. Below are my main takeaways for running a Kickstarter campaign.
If you're relying on social media then you better have a LOT of followers
Casey and I aren't famous...not even a little. I've followed and backed numerous Kickstarter campaigns by mildly famous (in their industry) people. They were funded in 2 days. We...were not. We both should have spent a good 6 months before we launched building our fan base on Instagram and Twitter. Written more blogs, been on more podcasts, you name it. Our backers were great, but the amount of people that backed our book that found us through social media is pretty small. Take the time to build your audience before launching.Your friends and family can only do so much
We love our family, but they can't be solely responsible for your project getting funded. Don't put that on them. Also, they might just not want your book! You can't expect your great Aunt Petunia to back your children's book if she's 76 with no kids! Thank your family for all they do during the campaign but don't get frustrated if every family member doesn't share or back your project.Facebook algorithms are NOT your friends
I work in digital marketing so I know what I'm talking about when it comes to Facebook and the like. We found out 2 weeks into our campaign that Facebook rewards videos over static images and give them more views. The more likes or shares you get the more people see your post. We had a dinner event with 20 people who are ALWAYS on Facebook and only two of them had seen anything about our book. Do your homework regarding social media as you can keep posting but not everyone is going to see your project. Don't rely only on social.Social Media is NOT enough
Sometimes the tried and true marketing initiatives are still the best. Like I just said, you can not trust Facebook. Reach out to bloggers who specialize in your project's area. Get on some Podcasts. We had a book so we reached out to other illustrators and authors to share our book. We asked our printer to share the book as they are the ones getting the money! Get on the radio. Literally go to small businesses and hand out business cards. Get creative. Talk up your book. Don't be shy! You want a successful campaign? Then YOU need to be your loudest advocate.The campaign makes for a stressful 30 days
Some of you may know this, but the first few days of the campaign are the most exciting and when you get a lot of backers. Then....things drop off. It will pick back up again, but you have to keep at it DAILY! You will have days where you think about giving up hope. Other days you think you're king of the world. It's stressful! If you plateau or have a drought, try something new! Get creative. Just remember the first few days and the last few are the most exciting and when you get the most backers. Some people even wait on backing a project if it's over 75% by the final week. It's a daily grind so let your wife and kids know you'll see them in a month.Don't over promise to your backers
We promised that our book will be in our backers hands for Christmas. That's still a true statement but we've run into quite a few printer issues and have had to make accommodations to get the books in time. Try not to promise anything you can't guarantee or you'll have unhappy backers. Do your research! Don't promise a really cool reward if you aren't certain you can get it. We had a cool idea for a die cut magnet but I made 100% sure that we found a company that could do it in our price range.You would be surprised, but people really don't understand crowd funding
Crowd funding has been around for some time. It's not new. BUT, we had toooooo many people tell us that they didn't want to use Kickstarter and would just buy a book once they were printed. IF YOU DON'T BACK IT, IT WON'T HAPPEN!! We had to tell so many people this very simple concept. We need backers now more than buyers later. So if you are planning on using crowd funding, you may have to explain how it works ad nauseum like we did. Let your backers know WHY you're using crowd funding and how they are your support team and believe in your project. Just know you're going to have to literally walk them through every step. Including the follow up once you're funded. We still have backers who have yet to fill out their backer survey!Have a dedicated partner
If you're going to do this by yourself, good luck! Luckily, my partner, Casey, lives 20 miles away and we've known each other for years so we work well together. But a Kickstarter campaign is a LOT of work and it's nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of, take on other responsibilities, and help market your project. You know someone has your back and it makes it all less stressful. Maybe it's someone who isn't really a part of your project like your spouse or partner. You need a support system somehow, trust me.It's ok that some people don't like or back your project
Don't get butt hurt if your great grandma doesn't back your horror comic book. She's not into it and that's ok! Some amazing friends of mine didn't back our children's book and guess what, they don't have kids! Could it make a great present to a niece? Sure. But they didn't back it and that's ok. But they didn't share it either?!!? How dare they!! Nah, it's fine. If you get angry at all your Facebook friends who didn't back your project, you're going to spin towards the dark place pretty fast. It happens and there's nothing you can do about it so just move on.Do your prep work!!
One thing Casey and I DID do for months before we launched our campaign was figure out what EVERYTHING was going to cost. Printing the book, check! Shipping, check! All potential pledge rewards, check! You can't go into a campaign without knowing how much it will cost. Sure there are many variables but do your homework. Plan out your stretch goals. We made sure our printer had the capability to make our book better if we for some reason went well over our goal. We also had other pledge goals in mind but again needed to have it all figured out from cost, to shipping weights, to manufacturing time. Before you launch, have all your ducks in a row.I hope this in some way can help someone out there. Like I said, I've been a part of 3-4 comic Kickstarter campaigns but I never was in charge of them. I never had a taste of the stress involved or what really went into it. Would I do another one in the future?
You bet.
Kickstarter Campaign
WIGU Facebook Page
Comments