While other twenty-somethings are spending their earnings on the latest fashion trends, Evita Robinson spends every dime on traveling the world. After graduating college in 2006, the 27-year-old opted out of sitting in a cubicle for eight hours a day and chose to backpack through Europe and Asia instead. While living in Japan, she realized none of her family and friends were coming to visit her, so she decided to bring her travel experiences to them. Fifteen episodes and countless countries later, Nomad-Ness TV was born. But in order to pitch Nomad-Ness as a television series, Robinson needed funds to shoot her series pilot in Berlin, Germany.
That’s where Kickstarter came in. Robinson used the funding platform to launch “Nomad-Ness Travel Series: Berlin or Bust†with a goal of reaching $5,000 in 45 days. She sent at least 35 personal emails per day, and tweeted and posted her project on Facebook at least 10 times a day. At the end of the 45 days, she had raised $6,620 from 155 backers.
“Kickstarter took so much out of me,†says Robinson of her grassroots sponsorship run. “I knew for the next 45 days my life was no longer mine. I knew the magnitude of what type of energy it was going to take to keep this going.â€
Kickstarter is a crowdfunding Website where individuals can submit an idea or project with the hopes of getting it funded. A “project creator†must submit a pitch, have it approved (60% of projects are approved), and set a monetary goal they hope to raise in a set timeframe not longer than 90 days. It’s up to the project creator to get “backers†to donate to their project. It’s a great resource for small business owners looking to get their startup off the ground or anyone looking to achieve a financial goal. “In our experience projects are successful by pitches and the video explaining authentically what the project is in a way that shares the story,†says Justin Kazmark, who works on Kickstarter’s communication team.
The only catch is that Kickstarter is all or nothing, meaning if the entire amount isn’t raised all of the pledged funds go back to the donors. So it’s on project creators like Robinson to promote their cause and rally supporters. As an added incentive, donors receive different rewards for their donations. It’s a give to get model. Using Kickstarter effectively takes preparation, hard work, use of your networks and the ability to sell your project to potential donors. The next few pages include a few pointers on how to be successful reaching your funding goals on Kickstarter (or similar sites).
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PERFECT YOUR PITCH
Effectively meeting your fundraising goal on Kickstarter requires compelling pitches that concisely and articulately spell out what you are trying to bring to life, and why you need the support of your backers. Kazmark says, “Also include what backers are going to get in exchange for pledging their support.â€
Independent recording artist Michael “Mecca Godzilla†Dottin, 33, raised $3,203 dollars–$1,203 over his $2,500 goal–for his first solo album, Perfect Heaven, a concept album based on the 20th anniversary of the Street Fighter II video game. “My pitch was really personal,†Dottin says. “It sold as achieving a dream and a lot of people got behind the pitch because of that.â€
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BUILD CREATIVE REWARD INCENTIVES
Project creators are not receiving a handout. Having a compelling reward structure is one of the key elements to the success of Kickstarter campaigns. Robinson offered backers who donated $5 or more a postcard from Berlin, while her $30 or more backers were rewarded with a blooper video of her travels, a travel photo from Berlin and a personal postcard from Berlin.
Prior to offering those rewards she had ineffective ones that were not helping her reach her goal. At the advice of a Kickstarter community manager, Robinson changed her approach and saw a noticeable and positive change. “The best advice that he gave me and that I could give anybody else is this: you have to understand your project is not going to be funded by a couple people donating a lot of money,†she says. “If your project is going to be funded it’s going to be funded by a lot of people donating a little bit of money. With that in mind, the coolest most awesome rewards have to be in that $5 to $30 tier.â€
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PLAN, PLAN, PLAN
Tired of the lack of diversity in fashion magazines in the West and Europe, Laura Eboa Songue, 24, along with two other friends Paola and Patrick, founded FASHIZBLACK, a digital magazine in February 2009. “As Afropeans (or Afro Europeans), we were not able to identify with any of the magazines already on newsstands, especially here in France,†says Songue. “On one hand, there are Western magazines with a cruel lack of diversity. On the other hand, Afro magazines [that are] hardly ever conceived with a global outlook.â€
Kickstarter was the obvious choice when the France-based trio decided to bring FASHIZBLACK to print. They were able to raise $45,105, surpassing their $40,000 goal. The key to their success was preparation, says Songue. They read Kickstarter’s guidelines thoroughly, followed their suggestions and studied other projects that had been successful. “You have to read as much as possible on the subject,†she says.
Robinson agrees. “The worst thing you can do in Kickstarter is feel like you’re going to wing it,†she says. “It will wing you right back in the face. You really have to have a plan of execution down to every single day.â€
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STRATEGIZE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media plays an integral part, perhaps the largest, in getting your project funded. Bringing awareness to your project is just the first step of gaining backers. Although Robinson, Songue and Dottin all surpassed their goals, they each took different approaches when utilizing social media. Dottin, unlike Robinson, doesn’t believe in shoving it in people’s faces. He posted on Facebook and Twitter twice a day max. Robinson says there’s a fine line between being persistence without being annoying. Both agree that begging is a no-no.
“I posted on Facebook for awareness on average of at least 10 times a day. Twitter was not conducive for this type of project,†says Robinson. “Twitter moves too fast. As soon as something is there is as soon as it’s gone. You need something that has stickiness.â€
Robinson also gave daily shout outs on Facebook to her donors. Once the momentum got going, she noticed more and more people donating. “Pretty much manipulate and exploit social media to the max,†she says.
FASHIZBLACK’s Facebook fan page has over 22,000 “likes†and they have a profile with nearly 5,000 friends, which helped tremendously with reaching massive amounts of people. But Twitter was the reigning social media network for their success. “The user commitment is way stronger on Twitter because it is not as saturated as Facebook,†says Songue. “We would try to engage the users by introducing debates and mention the campaign.â€
As with anything you have to know your audience and meet them where they are.
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EXPAND YOUR NETWORK BEYOND FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Kickstarter is a platform where, if done correctly, project creators can build a sense of community. One commonality Songue, Robinson and Dottin share is they all had platforms, whether small or large, before launching on Kickstarter. Along with those platforms they each had their own networks. “We already had a fan base, social networking, a blog, a professional network of stylists, photographers, designers, brands etc.,†says Songue. “We used all of those things as a leverage to enhance a dynamic and reach our goal.â€
Effectively using Kickstarter depends on a number of factors, but essentially it’s your network and their networks that are funding your project. From strangers to that cousin you only met once, without them there are no funds.
“People tend to hone in on their family and friends, but you really need to take a look at who your acquaintances are. You usually have more acquaintances than friends and family,†says Robinson. “And don’t be afraid to ask businesses and organizations you’re affiliated with. Really think outside of the box.â€