Reward The Patrons

You probably have some ideas for rewards. Some rewards are obvious. For example, if you’re making a book, then a possible reward is a print copy of the book. Other rewards might not be as easy to come up with.

Really think about all the different things you can do and offer as rewards. Just like your main idea, you want them to be as creative as possible. Rewards are an important part of Kickstarter because they are where the most “value” is exchanged. Having compelling and fun rewards are all part of the Kickstarter experience.

One thing to think about is the difference between physical goods and digital goods. Digital goods are easy to replicate and cost very little. Physical goods cost more to produce but have a higher intrinsic value. It’s not that digital goods are meaningless. In fact, they can be quite valuable. However, they don’t invoke the same feeling as physical goods. Think about receiving a handwritten letter vs. the hundreds of emails we get every day. There is a reason why wedding invitations are still sent via “snail mail.” Treat your physical awards as souvenirs, and give them to people who care the most about your project.

Don’t worry about pricing your rewards just yet; that will come later. For now, generate a list that you can come back to later. As the details of your project become clearer, you will have a better sense of which rewards will work best for your project.

There are rewards that are created as a result of your project, and rewards that are created to complete your project. While brainstorming, you may come up with both types, but the former will be much more effective.

For example, if your project is to make an album, then the result will be a set of songs that you can send to people. Offering the songs as a digital download or CD would probably happen even if you didn’t use Kickstarter. However, having a T-Shirt as a reward might attract backers, but is not necessarily something you would make while producing an album.

Sometimes you may need to create additional rewards, but most of the time you will want rewards that are a direct result of your project.

A Kickstart’s Guide to Kickstarter TOC:

pssst…you can read all of this offline by downloading the e-book.