After you have added some fun to your project, think about how you are going to tell your story. A powerful tool, that lies at the heart of Kickstarter, is storytelling. Sometimes the way you talk about your project is more important than the product itself. Being able to tell a compelling story is very hard. When done right, it can move people.
In 2009 I came across one of my favorite YouTube videos of all time. It was a trailer for a movie called Lemonade. The movie was about advertising professionals that have been laid off and were starting over. What I love about the Lemonade trailer is that in 2:30 the narrator tells a complete story in a meaningful way. You connect with the people and the subject matter. Even if you have never been laid off, you can feel their pain and bitterness.
When telling your story on Kickstarter you should strive for a similar effect. If people can connect emotionally with your project, they will be more likely to back it or share it. The story that you tell on Kickstarter does not need to be as well produced as the Lemonade trailer. However, the more thought you put into how you will tell the story the more impact it will have.
The Lockpicks project by Schuyler Towne is probably one of my favorite examples of storytelling. I found it while building the campaign for Identifying Nelson. He tells the story so well that it draws in people who do not share his passion. I’m not interested in lock-picking, but by the end of this video, I am! I want one. I don’t even know what I would do with with a kit, but the story he tells makes it seem so exciting!
Lockpicks by Open Locksport by Schuyler Towne — Kickstarter
A Kickstart’s Guide to Kickstarter TOC:
pssst…you can read all of this offline by downloading the e-book.
- The Basics of Kickstarter
- Kickstarter is an updated version of the Parton Model
- Kickstarter is like girl scout cookies…without the calories!
- Make sure your project has an ending
- Some additional benefits to running a Kickstarter project
- Perry Chan’s Six Principles on why Kickstarter projects are successful
- Yancey’s thoughts on getting funded
- What is this damn thing about?
- Simplify your project for success
- Is your project a Purple Cow?
- Making Lemonade And Telling A Good Story
- Reward The Patrons
- Naming Your Kickstarter Project
- Make or Break Decisions
- Running the Numbers
- Focus on what you need
- Reasonable funding goals
- Why be Reasonable?
- How long your campaign runs depends on one thing, momentum
- 30 days or less
- Managing Deadlines
- Going for the BIG bucks
- The Allure of a Large Backer
- Pricing theory, thoughts about pricing your Kickstarter rewards
- The Paradox of Choice
- Introduction
- A Kickstarter’s Guide to Kickstarter: Introduction
- How Kickstarter “Kickstartered” it’s own website
- Understanding Kickstarter
- The Basics of Kickstarter
- Kickstarter is an updated version of the Parton Model
- Kickstarter is like girl scout cookies…without the calories!
- Make sure your project has an ending
- Some additional benefits to running a Kickstarter project
- Perry Chan’s Six Principles on why Kickstarter projects are successful
- Yancey’s thoughts on getting funded
- Brainstorming Your Project
- What is this damn thing about?
- Simplify your project for success
- Is your project a Purple Cow?
- Making Lemonade And Telling A Good Story
- Reward The Patrons
- Naming Your Kickstarter Project
- Doing Your Homework
- Before you launch, do your homework
- No one cares about you
- Some People Care About You
- Who is Your Audience?
- Where is Your Audience?
- Resonating With Your Audience
- Crossing Chasms
- What Will it Cost?
- Understanding Profit Margin and Costs
- Setting Your Goals
- Make or Break Decisions
- Running the Numbers
- Focus on what you need
- Reasonable funding goals
- Why be Reasonable?
- How long your campaign runs depends on one thing, momentum
- 30 days or less
- Managing Deadlines
- Going for the BIG bucks
- The Allure of a Large Backer
- Pricing theory, thoughts about pricing your Kickstarter rewards
- The Paradox of Choice
- Crafting Your Pitch
- Creating a compelling pitch for your Kickstarter project
- Four questions people want answered when visiting your Kickstarter page.
- Show some credibility to get more backers
- Clarity is your friend
- How to ask for Support
- Kickstarter is a video-driven site
- Examples of great pitch videos
- Launching Your Project
- Launching your project
- How to track the progress of your Kickstarter campaign
- The 30% Kickstarter project “Tipping Point”
- Conclusion
- How to engage an audience with a Kickstarter project: Idea & Story
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