10 Tips for Kickstarter Success

Imagine a website where artists and entrepreneurs can post a page, ask for money, and accept donations. In return, those seeking money offer up prizes and goodies to entice people to contribute. That’s Kickstarter.

It’s fund-raising with a twist: You must reach your goal in order to be paid. If you ask for $100 but only $99 gets pledged, you don’t get anything. If you asked for $100 and got $500 in pledges, good for you! Payments flow through Kickstarter via Paypal or Amazon and each takes a cut. 

I haven’t run my own Kickstarter campaign but I have contributed. In the past week alone, five painters doing a variety of art shows, a radio program, a book author, a theater troupe, and an independent publisher have all asked me to donate money. Here is what I’ve observed:

1. Ask for Less Than You Need.

You did the math. $10,000 would completely fund your dream including the flowers, security, clowns, and a lighting designer. It would even pay for your food, phone, and rent for the next six months so you could devote yourself full-time to the project. Ask for 1/3 or 1/2 of that. If you truly have a fan base, they’ll surprise you.

2. Make a Video.

Part of the fun of Kickstarter is watching the videos and seeing how people sell themselves. If you’re going to run a campaign, watch a bunch of videos before you make your own, and do make your own!

3. Keep the Video Short

Friends might give you three minutes. Half of that time is for your audience to pull out their wallet, register for the site, choose which donation level they want to pay into, and press the submit button. A lengthy video means that your audience will burn out their (short) attention span watching your long-winded video leaving no time for the payment process.

4. Make the Video Fun

You don’t need to have animated graphics and flying robots to show some character in your short video. If you can entertain and educate potential patrons for 1.5 minutes then maybe you deserve their money. Fail to be succinct and the audience will have more time to find holes in your story.

5. Give Good Prizes

Unless you’re Lady Gaga, nobody wants a signed photograph of you as incentive for donating $50 or more (I’ve actually seen that). Be realistic. Ask your brutally honest friends if they would donate to your cause in exchange for a half hour phone call with you as a prize. Take your donation rewards and imagine them on another campaign. Would you pay for those same things if they came from someone else? Do something unique for the people who support you. Make them feel special.

6. Don’t Apologize

“So today I’m here on Kickstarter to ask for money for my project because the amazing thing I’m going to do costs a lot of money, but it’s going to be great…” We know why you’re on Kickstarter! There’s no need to be sorry about trying to make the world a better place. Tell the (short) story and demonstrate how donations to your project will make a positive difference in the world.

7. Have a History of Success

You might have some trouble if nobody has ever heard you sing a song before and suddenly you’re on Kickstarter trying to raise $10,000 for your first album. Build a history of successes before you run a fund raising campaign. Once you have a history of success, your fans and friends will be more likely to offer money in advance.

8. Read the Kickstarter Blog

Take advice from the people who live it everyday. The Kickstarter blog often has suggestions and tips for creating a successful campaign.

9. Thank Everyone Who Pledges

I’ve donated to a few campaigns and was immediately thanked afterwards. That made me feel like they noticed and appreciated my small gesture.

10. Support Others.

Every dollar makes a difference. If someone you know ran or runs a Kickstarter, chances are they know exactly who supported them and who did not.

More Reading:

10 Tips for Funding a Successful Kickstarter Project

10 Crowd-Funding Tips from Kickstarter Filmmakers

My Kickstarter Experience: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

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