Many boot camps and incubators are founded by angel investors who nurture and mentor fledgling companies-in exchange for a piece of ownership, often 10 percent of the company. The startups selected for entry into the programs receive a small amount of funding, often $20,000 or less. They move into the offices of the boot camp or incubator for a certain period, whether weeks or months, honing their products and ideas and preparing to pitch to investors. At the end, they usually have a Demo Day, when they present to a large audience of investors. Here are some of these types of sources: AlphaLab, Pittsburgh, PA (alphalab.org) Bootup Labs, Vancouver, BC (bootuplabs.com) Capital Factory, Austin, TX (capitalfactory.com) DreamIt Ventures, Philadelphia, PA (dreamitventures.com) Good Company Ventures, Philadelphia, PA (goodcompanygroup.org) Junto Partners, Salt Lake City, UT (juntopartners.com) Seed Hatchery, Memphis, TN (seedhatchery.com) TechStars, Boulder, CO (techstars.com) Y-Combinator, Mountain View, CA (ycombinator.com) KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGNS are a lot of work, so you"ll want to make a good plan well in advance of the launch date. This Prelaunch Worksheet asks important questions you"ll need to answer before presenting your project to the world. Some of these answers will need to be input directly into Kickstarter.com. Others are simply useful for planning, organizing, and marketing your campaign. Let"s go!
Thinking about Your Project In as few words as possible, give your campaign an intriguing and descriptive t.i.tle. If your product has a name, it can serve as the t.i.tle of your campaign.
What makes your project unique and special? Does it give people new capabilities? Is it art that looks at the world in a new way? List three ways in which your project is original: The first text people may see explaining your project is a 135-character description in the widget for the project at Kickstarter.com. That"s about the length of the previous sentence. How would you describe your project to a friend or stranger in one sentence, in a way that makes it sound awesome, unique, and worthy of a significant pledge?
Think about your personal story and how it relates to your Kickstarter project. What elements of your own story might be intriguing to, say, a reporter or someone making a movie about your life and your Kickstarter project?
The Basics Do you meet the basic qualifications to undertake a Kickstarter campaign listed in "Clearing the Low Hurdles"?
Does your project NOT involve any of the prohibited items and subject matter listed here?
Is your project literally a "project," with a defined product (or creative production) that will emerge at the end? Can you state the goal in one sentence?
Does your project have a "creative purpose" that fits into one of the following official Kickstarter categories: a Art a Film a Publishing a Comics a Food a Technology a Dance a Games a Theater a Design*
a Music a Fashion a Photography *Kickstarter has added requirements for product design and technology projects. Most likely to be approved for launch are projects for "products with strong aesthetics" and those for which a functional prototype can be demonstrated.
Researching the Field Search Kickstarter.com for at least five previous projects from creators based in your city or local area. Name them here for future reference: Search Kickstarter.com for five previous projects whose category or product is similar to yours. Name them here for future reference: Time and Money About how much money do you think you will need for your creative project?
Using the worksheets in chapter 2, how much will you need to raise on Kickstarter?
Using your own ideas and those provided in chapter 3, try to list rewards you can offer to backers. For starters, you can estimate how they"ll match with different dollar-pledge levels here. The financial worksheets in chapter 2 can help you calculate more precisely what pledge amounts may make sense for different rewards.
a $1 a $35 a $500 a $5 a $50 a $1000 a $10 a $100 a $25 a $250 Is there a reason your campaign should run for longer or fewer than 30 days? Chapter 5 can help you determine an ideal duration. Indicate here how many days you"d like your campaign to run for: _______________ When your campaign launches, make a note of its end date and look at the calendar to see how weekends, holidays, and other factors may affect or interfere with your ability to draw pledges and attention during your campaign (i.e., gifting holidays like Mother"s Day and Christmas can be useful if your project is a givable item): CAMPAIGN END DATE:_______________.
INTERFERING EVENTS:_______________.
Kickstarter Video Checklist There"s no secret recipe for making a successful Kickstarter video, but there are recommended ingredients. When you"re done making your video, you should be able to check off the items on this list. (For much more advice, see chapter 6.) The video a tells viewers what exactly your project is about within its first 20 to 30 seconds a has clear, professional-sounding audio a demonstrates a functional or advanced prototype of your product (for products) or an impressive example of your talent (for art/performance projects) a shows the project creator (you) as pa.s.sionate about the project and completely capable of making it work a contains text at the end stating that it"s a Kickstarter project, including the URL for your Kickstarter page Scoping Out Backers Lining up backers: You don"t have to share this list with anyone, but start thinking about the people you might be able to rely on for pledges, including your family, friends, and fans. You"ll want to get in touch with these people before your campaign launch.
Possible "big kahunas" who may give large pledges Other people or organizations to contact Media Planning Getting attention via the ma.s.s media can be crucial to a successful Kickstarter campaign. You"ll want to have an ample list of media contacts prepared before you kick off your campaign, and you"ll want to be ready to make contacts as soon as you launch, using the advice offered in chapter 8. After you reach out to your media contacts, it"s important to be organized, gathering phone numbers and e-mail addresses, logging your contact history, and noting how you need to follow up. Contact sheets like the ones that follow can be helpful.
Local Media It"s important to let local media know about your project. Local coverage can lead to broader national coverage. It also builds your credibility for potential backers and helps you tell your story. In any city, there are plenty of local media outlets to choose from: TV stations, radio stations, daily newspapers, weekly alternative papers, town gazettes and pennysavers, local blogs, etc. Use a contact sheet like the one below to list local media targets and as much as you can learn about how to contact the appropriate people who work for them. Refer to your list above of other Kickstarter projects from your area-research the outlets they received their media coverage and which reporters filed the story.
National/Global and Special Interest Media Before you launch, you"ll want to identify websites and blogs that cover the topic your project fits into. Are you working on a revolutionary type of bicycle handlebar? Build a big list of cycling blogs and ways to contact them. Refer to your list above of other Kickstarter projects similar to yours and note which blogs and other special-interest media outlets covered them.
Social Media It will make sense for you to set up social media accounts for your Kickstarter campaign that are separate from your personal accounts, though you may also want to contact your existing online friends and followers. It may also make sense to establish a website for your project, if you don"t already have one. Indicate which online accounts you set up for your campaign and how people can reach them.
Facebook URL:_______________ Twitter ID:_______________ Website URL:_______________ YouTube Channel URL:_______________ Other Influencers Call them connectors, mavens, whatever. We all know a few people who seem to know everyone and are great at getting the word out. List some people you know who might be able to spread the news about your Kickstarter campaign. Then don"t be shy about letting these human hubs know what"s happening.
Want More Tips on Crowdfunding Your Next Project?
Visit quirkbooks.com/kickstarterhandbook to: a Read an interview with author Don Steinberg.
a Get more resources to help launch your project.
a Post about your Kickstarter story.
a Join the conversation.
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