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Naming Your Kickstarter Project

I bet you already have a name for your project, but do you have a title? Titles are a little different from names. You can name your project anything you like, but it might not make a good title when viewed on the web.

Try to imagine how the title of your project will look when someone posts it on Facebook or Twitter. Will it make sense? People get hundreds of links each day, so a good title can help them understand what your project is about quickly. Take the title of this project for example: A Kickstarter’s Guide to Kickstarter. From this title I know exactly what the project is about. I know that it is being written by someone who has used Kickstarter and the outcome is an e-book.

Good titles capture people’s attention and bring them into your project. Titles can be a little mysterious, but they should provide enough information to pique someone’s interest. If your title is too generic, people won’t be able to tell what you are doing. For example, “The Green Project” is not a great name because it says nothing about your project. Is the project about saving the earth or building a replica of The Green Monster?

Don’t worry if you can’t come up with a catchy title just yet. You have until you launch your project to change it. Write down some ideas, test them out, and see which one you like best. Ask your friends or co-workers to see which one piques their interest the most. Naming is hard; so take your time and don’t settle on anything too quickly.

A Kickstart’s Guide to Kickstarter TOC:

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

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

How to engage an audience with a Kickstarter project: Idea & Story

Introduction
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

Simplify your project for success

Kickstarter works best with projects that have clear outcomes and specific goals. Larger projects with multiple parts are harder to get funded. I will get into the logistics of this a little later. For now, spend time thinking about what the specific outcome of your project is going to be. Your project does not have to be simple, but the outcome should be. Here are some examples of specific outcomes:

Writing an e-book

Making an album

Finishing post-production on a film

Making a pen

Films and other large projects have many different parts to them. If your project is similar, try to break it down into smaller parts, such as filming, editing, post-production, etc. Each part should have a specific goal and outcome. Projects that are too general may not get approved by Kickstarter and, as stated earlier, are more difficult to get funded.

A project to “start a pen business” will not be approved by Kickstarter. It is too broad and does not have a clear outcome. Even if it was approved, it would be hard to get funded. Potential backers want to know exactly what your project is about. If it is not clear, they may hesitate to spend money on your project. Instead, focus on a smaller slice of the business like launching your first line of ballpoints.

A Kickstart’s Guide to Kickstarter TOC:

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

A Kickstarter’s Guide to Kickstarter: Introduction

How Kickstarter “Kickstartered” it’s own website

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

How to engage an audience with a Kickstarter project: Idea & Story

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