Using Kickstarter to fund a business startup

Using Kickstarter to fund a business startup

Everyone here likely knows what Kickstarter is, but if you don't, it's a platform where you can list your idea and have people back it financially to get you off of the ground without seeking capital from a bank or lender.  There are currently 386,342 projects live on Kickstarter trying to obtain funding for their ideas, and a lot of them are getting the money they need to start up, but the majority will crash and burn resulting in a failed campaign.

If you want to increase the success rate of your campaign, you will have to do various things such as having the perfect pitch, using the right images and videos that are high quality, and being genuine so your viewers are willing to become your backers.  You can't just put up a wall of text and think you're going to get millions, you need to treat your Kickstarter listing as a piece of art that is also a sales page if you can do that you'll notice people backing your idea

In this discussion, I'll be going over a few things that you need to know about Kickstarter and a couple things that will help you succeed in your next campaign, and they are:

Why Kickstarter is awesome
This isn't actually a point that will help you get more backers, but it is definitely needed, because getting funds from strangers is pretty amazing   If you can show how genuine you are in your pitch, and how much you actually love your idea that isn't something that is just a for-profit idea, you will get more people wanting to help out.  Now, these people don't really need your item or whatever it is you're trying to get off the ground, they're more looking to help out people and get a good deal for something they likely wouldn't have purchased prior to stumbling across your Kickstarter campaign lol

Kickstarter is amazing because it has a massive audience that helps boost peoples ideas into the stratosphere.  There are Kickstarter campaigns that are looking for $25,000 and end up getting millions because of all the buzz and love the backers have for the products.  Think about it, a basic card game like exploding kittens was looking to get $10,000 and ended its campaign with almost 220,000 backers investing $8,782,571 in order to bring the game to life!  I actually bought this game at target for $20 and didn't realize it was on Kickstarter until I saw "Started on Kickstarter!" on the box lol  

Exploding kittens ended up being one of the most funded campaigns, ranking in at #7, and it's such a simple game with a lot of imagination behind it   What they did was show the cards they had already made, as well as their failed idea sketches, and it really showed they were invested in the project with not only their time but their love for the game itself.  People were drawn to the game, backed it, and you already know the results

You can do this with your next campaign, as long as you dedicate your time to putting yourself into the actual pitch and not make it sound like you want to be a millionaire overnight because of all the people who are backing your idea

Setting up a great pitch
Your pitch is what sets you apart from the bad campaigns that are not taking their time to write everything just right.  If you don't know how to do any sort of content writing, especially copywriting, you might want to outsource this type of work to a credible writer (like myself lol) so you get it right the first time. 

Copywriting isn't like a basic "how to" article you've probably read 100 times in the past, it's a type of writing that evokes emotion from the reader and boosts their confidence at the same time, all while reeling them in to make a purchase   It's not the easiest thing to do, when it comes to writing, so take your time doing it and understand that your first attempt is likely going to be horrible lol.  When I'm doing copywriting for a client, I will always tell them it will take 2 weeks to finish, even if I can get it done in 1 day.  I do this because I will write it up, then let it sit for 24 hours and go back to make edits.  I will read through it and see what works and what turns me off, then I'll tweak it for the next 13 days and make it the best it can be to boost the engagement

Using high-quality images and videos
On freelancer marketplaces, you can get away with using basic images that don't illustrate exactly what you'll be doing, because your service descriptions will do the selling for you.  However, on a platform like Kickstarter, people are looking for visuals and that means they have to be amazing!

Start with the images, if you can't design them yourself, bring in a designer and make sure everything is top notch.  If you can't do this, you'll likely have a failed Kickstarter campaign and be back to complain that I lead you down the wrong path lol.  Next, you'll have to focus on your videos, if you can record something where you're going through all the features of your item, which is basically a prototype, you'll be able to show everyone exactly what they'll be getting.  People will want to know there has already been one or two produced and they will trust you more because they already know you can do what they'll be backing you for

Do your research prior to posting
If you are doing a Kickstarter campaign for profit, you need to do your research and figure out what you can do that will get you the most buzz, just like the previously successful campaigns.  Find your Kickstarter competitors, pluck out the super successful ones, and figure out what their pages look like and what their pledge levels are/were.  If you can figure out what was already successful, you'll have a better chance at getting millions for your next product

The downside of Kickstarter
The only downside of Kickstarter is that you could have thousands of backers, but your campaign may not meet its goal, and your campaign is now a failed one.  If you don't get your goal in full, you will not get a single penny for your time, no matter if you're thousands of dollars short or just $1 short.

To avoid a failed campaign, try to boost your campaign using some Facebook ads and trying to get it to go viral on Reddit and niche related websites and blogs.  The more eyes on your campaign, the more likely it will be successful


In conclusion
Kickstarter has turned simple ideas into million dollar projects, but it has also seen a large amount of failed campaigns from what the majority may have thought would be successful.  You'll need to have great images and videos in your pitch so people can see you're invested and they know you're legitimate.  You will also have to show them how you're invested in the project, not just monetarily but emotionally, so they will trust you more and want to back you.  If you do everything right, you could be just like the exploding kitten's campaign and get $8,000,000+ when you're looking for just $10,000


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Thanks!

Tommy Carey