I’ve been on Kickstarter for nearly five years, and in that time I’ve backed over 100 projects. Granted, some of those never reached their goal. A lot of my more recent backing has gone to independent horror films. So I wanted to share a few random thoughts on what makes a successful KS campaign. This is being written with film in mind, but you can adopt the same ideas for any crowdfunding campaign.
In a later post I will give few random comments about what helps make a successful campaign into a successful movie instead of a disappointment.
First, when it comes to your campaign…
1. Be descriptive. Make a short video of yourself or your team talking about the project and make that your Kickstarter video. And write about your project. So many campaigns lack basic points: what is the general plot? Where do you plan to shoot it? Will this be a short film or feature length? Are you renting equipment or using your own? Is this for a thesis or a class, or a completely independent project? CGI or no CGI? What genre of horror: slasher, b-movie comedic, suspense with little or no gore, found footage? Don’t just say “I want to reinvent the horror genre.” Yeah, and I want to win the lottery.
2. Make a Facebook page for your movie. That’s initially more important than a web site, and it takes two minutes.
3. Use some thought when it comes to your supporter perks. ALWAYS have a level where supporters will get a PHYSICAL DVD of the movie. And ALWAYS have a supporter level of $1 or $5 for people who want to help out but can’t afford more. Offer them a shout-out on your Twitter feed and Facebook page. Small donations add up. I can’t tell you how many projects I’ve skipped because there is no physical DVD I can get (yeah, I’m old school…I don’t want a streaming copy or a download). And if you’re going to make your lowest backer level $1000, you may as well not bother putting it up. You’re doomed.
4. Be realistic and honest. Is this your first film? That’s okay, say so. Explain the planning you’ve done, the budgets you’ve drawn up, and how you will turn my pledge into a film. Don’t try to raise $50,000 if you’ve never shot a movie (unless you have family and friends who will be backing 75% of it)…and speaking of which:
5. Have family and friends recruited to jump-start your campaign. Even if they can only put up 5% of the funds, at least you’ll have a bit of a start. I’m not normal; I sometimes pledge to a campaign with 4 days left and ZERO funding so far. But most people want to back a project that is going to succeed, so they want to know you’ve got other backers. Yes, I know, if your friends pledge on KS instead of just giving you money you get less because of the fees involved, but you need to show some activity.
6. Update, update. Every three or four days you should think of something to say about your campaign, and post it to KS. Maybe add a new level, announce a stretch goal if you reach beyond your target by 20% (this helps even when you’re nowhere near your goal). And politely ask your backers to share your Facebook posts, the link to your campaign, or something else to get attention from people who haven’t heard about your campaign yet.
7. Show thanks. Send a brief message on KS to each backer as they sign up. Just a simple thank you, maybe remind them to spread the word and solicit suggestions or ideas.
8. COUNTDOWN! Updates posted every 12 hours during the last few days remind last-minute backers and create a buzz. If you’re near your goal, this is your chance to get across the finish line. If you’re over your goal, now is the time to really promote the stretch bonuses. And if it looks like you won’t make it, ask people to give at ANY level. If nothing else, you’ll be able to build a mailing list of potential backers for your next project…or this one if you try again.
9. Feedback. Make note of backers who have been more communicative. If your campaign succeeds, these are the folks you want to turn to for feedback about the finished product. And if you didn’t reach your goal, write to them to ask if they have ideas about what you could do differently if you decide to try again. If you are passionate about your project, don’t give up; maybe you’ll find some private investors to finance a piece, and then you can return with a smaller goal to meet.
10. Research. This should really be first AND last on my list. Read every current campaign in your genre, and see what you like and dislike about their approach. Go back and look over the campaigns that have succeeded and failed, and try to take note of what each category has in common.
Oh, and it can’t hurt to back some projects yourself, even if it is just $5 a pop.
Good luck!
P.S. – Update on June 2…PROOFREAD! I just saw a fellow trying to raise $100,000 for a film, and one of his reward levels includes a “roll” in the movie. Hard to take the project seriously when he’s promising baked goods.
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