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Page 1: The Guide to Kickstarter and Crowdfunding

RISKS AND CHALLENGES

FAQ

STORY

PLEDGE $10

FUNDING PERIOD

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DashBurst: Where Social Media Meets DesignA community of writers & designers building you an app to see fresh news, photos, videos & more in the most beautiful way!

DashBurst: Where Social Media Meets DesignA community of writers & designers looking to build you an app to see fresh news, photos, videos and more in the most beautiful way!

DataMap: The Dynamic Visualization ToolA community of writers & designers building you an app to see fresh news, photos, videos & more in the most beautiful way!

DashBurst: Where Social Media Meets DesignA community of writers & designers building you an app to see fresh news, photos, videos & more in the most beautiful way!

GET NOTICED

SUMMARIZEBoil your project down to its core and give a compelling summary that will make the viewer want to learn more.

2 SELL ITTo ensure that you’ll have a great chance of getting Kickstarted follow the tips below and you’ll have a better chance of converting page visitors into backers.

DESCRIBE ITWhat is the purpose of your project? Avoid using words like “help,” “support,” or “fund.”

3 KEEP IT UPCreating a great campaign is only the beginning. Once you have it up and running and are creating some buzz you need to keep momentum going. Providing updates to your backers helps them stay excited about your project and gives them more reasons to spread the word.

NETWORKYour chances of success greatly improve with the size of your existing networks. Even if they don’t back your project they can help spread the word.

BACKERSThis is the community of supporters you are looking to build and back your project. Keep them happy by updating them with your progress.

BE REALISTICMost successful projects have a goal of $10,000 or less. Remember if you don’t reach your goal you get none of the money pledged.

SHORT AND SWEETKickstarter reduced the max length a project can run because the long projects were failing at a high rate. 30 days is ideal to generate buzz and create a sense of urgency.

SUMMARIZEYou only have a couple seconds to capture a user’s attention. Focus on the thesis of the project. You can add the details in the story below.

GO VIRALHave a plan to get your campaign heavily shared on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. You can also embed the Kickstarter widget on your site for your followers to see and pitch big blogs that might be interested in your cause.

REWARD THEMTo date the most popular pledge amount is $25 and the average pledge is around $70. Small amounts are where it’s at: projects without a reward of $20 or less succeed 28% of the time, while projects with a reward of $20 or less succeed 45% of the time.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Morbi non sem a nunc vulputate facilisis.

PLEDGE $20Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Morbi non sem a nunc vulputate facilisis.

PLEDGE $50Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Morbi non sem a nunc vulputate facilisis.

PLEDGE $1,000Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Morbi non sem a nunc vulputate facilisis.

MR. BIG SHOTMake a large reward that is 10% of your goal. You won’t get many or sometimes any of these, but just one will push you closer to success.

Make sure the reward justifies the price tag. This person most likely really loves your idea so make them a key contributor to its success.

4 DELIVERJust because you met your goal doesn’t mean you are done. All those people that helped you get to where you wanted to go are expecting their rewards.

GIVE UPDATES ABOUT:

SHOOT A VIDEOProjects with videos succeed at a much higher rate than those without (50% vs. 30%).

BUILDING MOMENTUM

SHARING THE PROCESS

CELEBRATING SUCCESS

PROTOTYPE

USERTESTING

MANUFAC-TURING

Backers

Use bright colors and if possible use red. If it’s a product image make sure it’s amazing.

CATCH THE EYE

Before you can start counting pledges and backers you need to get noticed.

BRAND ITCreate a distinct and unique name for your project and avoid using generic descriptions.

Make sure to include:• Who are you?• What’s the story behind your project? • Where did you get the idea? • What stage is it at now? • How are you feeling about it?• Clearly explain what the money will be used for.• Talk about how awesome your rewards are, using any images you can.• Explain that if you don’t reach your goal you don’t get any of the money already pledged.• Ask for their help and tell them exactly how they can do that. If they can’t back the project ask them to share it with others.• Thank everyone!• Make it no longer than necessary.

TELL A GREAT STORYShow the audience who you are and why you are passionate about this project. Authentic emotion will go a long way to getting someone to click the Back This Project button.

BE HONESTTransparency is key to gaining your backers’ trust. Give them an honest depiction of the risks and challenges that this project faces.

YOU’VE HEARD IT BEFOREDuring development of your project you have probably heard the same questions over and over. Add them here to save yourself the headache of answering indiviudal questions.

• Increases in pledges• News coverage• Celebrity pledges

• Updates on approval• Pictures of prototypes• Response from users

• Pledge milestones• Backer milestones• Reaching your goal

Be prompt in fulfilling rewardsYou are excited about fulfilling your dream, but you have also promised rewards to your backers. Be prompt to ensure your advocates don’t turn into critics.

CommunicateThings don’t always go as planned. Even if you exeperience delays in shipping rewards make sure to communicate with your backers on what the delays are and when they should expect their rewards.

Get backer info AFTER successful campaignThere’s no need to go through all the effort of collecting names and addresses if your campaign doesn’t succeed.

How To Create A Successful

Campaign

With an average success rate of 43% not everyone is guaranteed to reach their Kickstarter goals. It takes a lot of work, but you can tip the scales in your favor. Follow the advice below and you’ll have a great chance of getting Kickstarted.

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Brought to you by:

Kickstarter School - www.kickstarter.comWhat successful Kickstarter campaigns have in common - www.smartblogs.com

5 Critical Steps to Getting Your Creative Project Funded on Kickstarter - www.fizzle.com11 Tips for Crowdfunding: How to Raise Money From Strangers - www.www.socialmediaexaminer.com

DashBurst: Where Social Media Meets Design on Kickstarter at

bit.ly/DashBurst

DANIEL ZEEVIProject by

Pittsburgh, PA

First created · 6 Backed

Daniel Zeevi · 1435 friends

www.dashburst.com

Back This Project$1 minimum pledge

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