The DIY Musician: The Key To A Killer Kickstarter Campaign
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The DIY Musician: The Key To A Killer Kickstarter Campaign

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From a music video, album production or a tour, to new instruments, musical technology or product, Kickstarter allows you to fund almost any project. While it is a perfect platform for launching and fundraising your ideas, there are some potential project features you will want to check off before going through the entire process.

  • Value – Why will others support it? Is it a cause they will care about?
  • Ability – Do you have all of the required information, skill and team to execute your project if successful?
  • Necessity – Is the reason for the campaign worthwhile, meaningful and important? Do you or the general public have an urgent need or desire for your product?
  • Individuality – Is your creation the first of its kind? Is there an already established alternative?

 

Have A Crystal-Clear Vision

If you’re going to have any hope of creating a successful Kickstarter campaign, you’re going to need to know what you want to achieve, why you want to achieve it and how you’re going to pull it off. Before you even think about publishing a campaign online, you need to ensure that you have a well thought out plan, achievable goals and a thorough understanding of the processes involved. After all, if you don’t understand your own vision in it’s entirety, how is anyone else supposed to? To avoid confusing your potential investors, make sure to draw up a detailed plan. Points to cover include the reasons behind your endeavour, your short term goals, long term goals and your overall mission statement.

 

To see just how profitable a well-thought out campaign can be, check out the Revols Campaign – where “10,569 backers pledged $2,530,756 to help bring this project to life”.

 

Include A Kickass Video

As expected, all of the greatest Kickstarter campaigns have featured a great accompanying video. Whether they are humorous, mysterious, super straightforward or just all round interesting, the best videos are those that explore your mission clearly, while entertaining the viewer. Now, your video does not have to be super high quality or cost you an arm and a leg, it just needs to grab an audience’s attention. The mission is simple here – introduce yourself, your band or team, explain what you want to do, why you want to do it and of course, back it up by using visuals. It is recommended that your video does not exceed four minutes, so you’ll have to do it in a timely manner. After all, it was reported in 2015 that the average attention span of a human is as little as 8.25 seconds – that’s shorter than a gold fish guys. Below is an example of a kickass Kickstarter video (you can’t go wrong with a bunch of cute cats now can you).
 

 

Keep The Campaign Short

While your campaign’s length can range from anywhere between one and sixty days, it is has been statistically proven that projects with thirty days or less are subject to a higher success rate. According to Kickstarter themselves, “Shorter projects set a tone of confidence and help motivate your backers to join the party.” So, it seems only natural that you’d get decorated, keep the party short and just hope that your guests don’t arrive fashionably late. With only a few days to go, Frantone has almost reached their goal to bring back the Cream Puff in less than a month – see it here.

 

Create A Community

Like any good project, your Kickstarter campaign is going to require a community to succeed. By sharing regular updates with your backers, sending them personalised thank-you messages, connecting with them on a variety of social platforms and reminding them that you appreciate their support, you will be able to form a great support network. For an individual or a group to become a part of your campaign, they will firstly have to want to become a part of the group backing you already; they will want to feel at home. So put in the extra effort – create a conversation and reward engagement. You never know, by thanking one backer, you may just land yourself five of their friends’ support. Watch Amanda Palmer’s TED Talk about how she funded over $1 million dollars through ‘The Art Of Asking’ here.

 

Include A Clear Budget

When it comes to asking people for money, the best bet is to show them clearly how their money will be spent and to prove it’s a worthwhile investment. By including a budget in your Kickstarter campaign you are allowing your backers to further understand your mission, to see where their donation will be going and ultimately, to ensure them it is in safe, capable hands. Click here for some tips from Kickstarter on determining your budget.

 

Offer A Range Of Cool Rewards

According to Kickstarter, the most popular donation amount is a casual $25, meaning that you should be offering a substantial return for that particular amount. In addition, it’s worthwhile creating a range of rewards at a range of different prices. From $1 up to $200, each amount’s reward should be thoughtful and exciting. Think about your target audience – what do they want from you? What would they like to be given in return and what will encourage them to hand over some supportive money? Check out Emily Afton’s debut album Kickstarter for reward inspiration – she’s even offering up a singing lesson and a private solo-acoustic concert.

 

Make It Ridiculously Good Looking

This one is simple guys – just keep it neat and interesting to look at. Use bold font and capitals for anything important, italics for quoting and a range of visual aids including photos, videos, graphs etc. Check your spelling & grammar and keep it short and sweet, but just long enough to explain yourself, and remember – presentation does matter.

 

We’d love to hear from anyone currently running a killer Kickstarter campaign or with plans to launch one in the near future. For more information, head to Kickstarter.