7 Steps to Succeed With Crowdfunding in 2014
Tip 5: What should you use for prizes? And how many levels?
Baio suggests $5 as a level to start at and, as a prize, provide backer updates (which is a nice way of keeping people informed about your project). He also says that if you’re selling high-end tickets, you should sell them but give something more to people who maybe can’t make it to the event. Because his conference was about honoring and highlighting do-it-yourself (DIY) artists and crafters, Baio offered a DIY kit; T-shirt; and goodie box with coffee, Etsy-bought crafts and artwork. He suggests three to four prize levels, tops. Admittedly, he says, he’s seen up to 40 prize levels in a Kickstarter, but those usually work best with role-playing games.
If you give people too many choices, he says, they’ll run away from your project. Remember this when you’re giving people 10 options to donate on your website. Maybe just have one to start, and make it more complex later.
Tip 6: What makes a successful Kickstarter video?
Videos should be no more than two minutes and 53 seconds, says Kamm, who is a filmmaker. Why? People have short attention spans.
And if you’re thinking, “Well, all I have is an iPhone,” that’s OK. Frayne made his Kickstarter video with his iPhone and iMovie on his computer.
“Look, the main thing that comes through is sincerity,” he says. “If you can be sincere, and find your audience, and speak to them in the language they understand, you will create fans. People will feel connected to your story and become your fans, and back you again and again.”
Frayne also mentions that people might just see your video on Kickstarter and want to mentor you or partner with you in other ways. For his invention, he says, he’s talking with a rubber company in Canada on a potential partnership to market his product with its product, which he would never have gotten if he hadn’t had the exposure of a Kickstarter project.
