Launching with and succeeding on Kickstarter comes down to three things: marketing, product quality and campaign strength.
Let’s assume your product is pretty well set and you have already launched your campaign. You are stuck in the perennial hole of hoping your project funds and doing everything in your power to try and will your Kickstarter to success. But what if that isn’t enough?
Perhaps your pre-launch marketing was soft and you are struggling to make headway despite blogger outreach and PR pushes. I guess it is time to try the radical. Here are some tactics I have seen work well that seem underutilized.
The 6Â Kickstarter Campaign Promotion Strategies No One is Doing That ACTUALLY Work
1. Get Real
Local marketing was the major player in trade and commerce throughout the ages before the internet pushed us online. Our hardwired obsessions with tangible, exciting products are by no means mitigated in this age of social media and online everything. So get out there.
This method of marketing is most effective for the products which lend themselves to interaction. Setup in large public areas most relevant to your niche and try to get people to demo your product. Most are so excited at seeing new and innovative ideas they will check out your product or pass the idea along. Having a tablet handy helps to let backers pledge to your campaign right then and there. Look for local festivals and pop-up markets where you can rent a booth and set up shop for a few hours.
2. Local News
Ask any reporter…they are dying for a story.
When locals start their own innovative businesses, isn’t that worthy of a little local news buzz? Go to editors or writers in your network and pitch your story. The local boy building a bad ass business or the hometown girl heroically trying to change the world are stories that others in the area love to hear about.
The traffic and backers built by methods such as these may not give you a huge bump in funding, but they can accelerate success and provide support so desperately needed. Mentions in these and any other reputable media sources strengthen your campaign by showing credibility.
3. Meetup Groups
Meetup.com is an awesome resource for just about anything. What better place to go and pitch your product than a certifiably interested audience? Hobbyists love getting together with others, and if you demonstrate your idea, it will build a bond with the early adopters of your brand.
Meetups also provide an excellent insight into the nature and success of a product. Putting it in the hands of experts will quickly provide feedback about what needs improvement or prove your invention worthy of crowdfunding. Be sure to bring a notebook for all the feedback you will inevitably get, as these tidbits may transform your product and be helpful in future iterations.
4. Old School Ads
The risk of failure makes many entrepreneurs afraid of this time-tested medium of marketing. But why?
Consider this: campaigns that fail to fund die. You need to get over the hump in order to succeed. Paid advertising in the proper hands is an unbelievably powerful tool to transform your campaign and business. Facebook Ads and particular are very effective with a relatively low cost.
5. Gamify Engagement
Backers are your biggest fans at this point. Of course, treating them right, offering epic updates and really interacting with these trusted customers is important, but everyone knows that.
In addition to the obvious, try to truly get backers involved. These are the brand ambassadors that can spell defeat or unexpected success for your project.
People love competition, games, and glory. Try to find a way to add this to your campaign. Build engagement in a fun way by rewarding backers with engagement-based gifts and recognition. From tweets to shares and everything in between, backers are building your campaign and you can compensate them for that.
Create challenges and random (or results-based) rewards for your most supportive backers. The best and brightest backers could receive shout-outs, exclusive items or extra love from campaign creators. All of this builds an environment of support and should strengthen the virality of your beloved Kickstarter campaign.
6. Art of the Kickstart
We built this podcast for a reason. We want to help inventors and entrepreneurs share their stories, succeed with business and motivate other inventive individuals. But we aren’t the only game in town.
Tons of prolific podcasts are constantly creating content and putting out high-quality interviews with inspiring guests. If you have an awesome story, pitch us or any number of other entrepreneurial podcasts. These pre-built audiences work just like blogs, but give listeners a more in-depth look into you, your business and your project.
Reach out to others interested in your industry and you may well find fellow fans willing to share your story.
For more helpful tips, tune into our podcast and subscribe to our newsletter!
Great article Matt. I’m 12 days away from my deadline and I could use some advice who to reach out to- looking grim. Here is my Kickstarter campaign http://kck.st/1sAfSUp Please feel free to email me there.
Almost neglected my local news, thanks for the reminder 🙂
Great points Matt! Being an emotive person myself, putting up a mobile booth in front of the target crowd and local news sound effective. Something where one can fully tap on to the prospects psychology. Will definitely use the suggestions in this blog (just found you on Google :).
Cheers,
Ankur
Hi I would love some help finding the proper podcast to pitch to !
My product is the following: http://www.igg.me/at/QT/x/13118212
Thank you, I appreciate all of the advice!
Hi!
I just launched my Kickstarter 5 days ago. I loved your article and was wondering if you could send me some podcast information please. My email is info@charleshenryallure.com and my kickstarter is https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theroyaloil/charles-henry/posts/1458262
Thank you!
I am almost 1 week into my Kickstarter. I have built an enthusiastic Facebook following but have not seen the backing I had hoped to see at this point. I have some excellent rewards at the below $50 tiers. I want to target art lovers/home decor folk. Would you look at my Kickstarter and give some insight?
Hi Ray, send us the link to your Kickstarter campaign and we’d be glad to!
Hi,
That article was awesome! Definitely some helpful information..
Im a 19 year old Aussie entrepreneur with a passion for natural, sustainable skincare products. My Kickstarter is a ‘Custom Skincare Shop’.
If there’s anyway you can help me out please be sure to let me know!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bethanygrace/custom-skincare-shop
Thanks for a great article. We’ve set up our Kickstarter campaign not long ago and would love some feedback/assistance wherever possible. We’re opening a one of its kind No Name Cafe in Kathmandu, Nepal. All profits will be going to street children projects in Nepal and coffee growers will be made shareholders in the cafe. Here is the link – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2030347901/coffee-sansar-empower-local-communities-in-nepal
Would love to hear your comments, please feel free to email anytime. Thanks a million!
Hi,
Thanks for sharing your experience. This brought up a bunch of new actions which I’m going to take. I am publishing a book on Lapland (see http://kck.st/2bB6lMu) and I’m planning on distributing a number of digital print prototypes with a note of my Kickstarter project. If you have any suggestions or ideas for my project, please let me know. Does anyone have experience with Kickstarter promotion companies? Just minutes after my project was online, I started getting ads from these. Clearly, I am suspicious, but this does not mean that there might be serious companies among them.
Thank you so much! This has been very useful and will definitely reach out again once we are ready to launch our kickstarter campaign.
Thanks for the excellent article! Have been scouring to find more info on how to get my kickstarter noticed… Podcasts would be helpful for the project. And, for getting more students in the course on an ongoing basis, which is the product my campaign is launching. I have only 14 days left! So I would definitely love any podcast connections, and/or feedback on the campaign and tips. Spirituality & Healing Related Niche
Here is a google short link to my kickstarter campaign: https://goo.gl/BHmYbB – “Your Ultimate Life Changing Subtle Energy Course!”
May many others seeking great crowdfunding promotion tips, tricks, and hacks find their way here!
Infinite Oceans of Blessings!
Great Article! Thanks for the advice! I am 5 days into my kickstarter campaign and doing pretty good but i could use all the help I can get. Any chance you could help me get the word out about my campaign? here is my kickstarter link
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1599679244/the-ignite-handcrafted-automatic-wood-and-steel-wa?ref=9la0vp
great stuff!
Any feedback on how to market gadget type products without using any money?
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/363053512/glow-an-illuminating-crystal-that-floats-in-mid-ai
This is really helpful, thanks!
Any ideas on how to help with my kickstarter?
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/154256897/2buckets
Thank you!
Katie, this project is great! I would make sure you are reaching out to journalists to share your story, and I would also look into using Facebook Ads if you have the budget!
Hi Elizabeth,
Awesome tips. Thank you. I have reached out to the local news networks.
Any ideas on how I can get some traffic to the kickstarter?
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/475654359/fear-hacking-journal-the-ultimate-journal-to-get-t
Thank you.
Looks like you’ve got some great news coverage, so I’d definitely switch your focus to Facebook Ads. With the right targeting, they are very effective at bringing traffic to your page, and they tend to convert well!