What to Know About Launching a Campaign During the Holidays

You’ve spent years developing and fine-tuning your new product, it’s ready to be sold, and now you’re gearing up to launch a Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign. Only problem? It’s the middle of the holiday season. Is now a bad time to launch your product?

In general, no, by no means is it a death sentence to launch your crowdfunding project in the middle of the holidays. However, there are a few things you’ll need to be aware of before launching in order to have a successful campaign.

Pros of Launching a Crowdfunding Campaign During the Holidays

Less competition. We find that fewer campaigns launch during the holiday season. This puts you at an advantage if you launch during this time because you’ll be competing with few projects on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. You’ll likely find it easier to get noticed by backers, journalists and even the platforms themselves, meaning you might just get a coveted position in the Indiegogo newsletter or get labeled a Kickstarter “Project We Love.”

People are already thinking about purchasing gifts. During the holidays, most people are on the lookout for gifts to buy their loved ones. In theory, this can mean that when someone stumbles across your crowdfunding campaign, even if the product isn’t a good fit for them, they’re likely to think of someone they could give it to, or even share the link with.

Bigger opportunities for “product-based” press coverage. Because the holidays are the buying season, journalists tend to write more about products during this time. From gift guides to round-ups of the best new products from the past year, bloggers and journalists are on the hunt for great products to feature. This means that it may be easier for you to get the press coverage you need for your project to be a success.

Cons of Launching a Crowdfunding Campaign During the Holidays

Journalists out of the office. The closer it gets to the end of December, the more likely it is that your media contacts will be out of the office. This can make it harder to pitch your project to the appropriate journalists, which could affect your ability to procure press coverage and spread the word about your campaign. You may have to work a little harder to get your campaign in front of the right people.

People are offline more. During the holidays people tend to spend more time attending parties with friends, celebrating with their family and otherwise enjoying holiday festivities, which means they are spending less time online. Unfortunately, this also means that they’re less likely to come across your project. If you need a high number of backers to hit your funding goal, you may want to put off launching your campaign until after the holidays.

People’s budgets are stretched thin. During the holiday season, most people tighten up their budgets and spend more on gifts. Many people cut back on unnecessary purchases, which may include the latest gadget. If you’re product is on the more expensive end of the spectrum, consider waiting until the new year before launching your product.

For more tips for launching a campaign, be sure to tune into our podcast and subscribe to our newsletter.

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