Story Archives - Page 2 of 2 - A Kickstarter's Guide to Kickstarter

Resonating With Your Audience

You have an audience; you know where to find them, and now you have to figure out how your project is going to connect with them. The more you can align your project with the nuances of your audience the more likely they will like it. You will want your product, your rewards and pitch to resonate with this group of people.

How do you know if this audience will like your project? Try taking a look at the links and posts that they share with each other. This will give you an idea of what they think is important and will be a great place to start. Do any of the topics that are shared have anything in common? Is there something that you can copy or mimic with your own project? Maybe there are very special language, symbols, or gestures that unite this particular group of people. If you can replicate them in an authentic manner, then there’s a good chance the community will pick up on it and get behind the idea.

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

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

Making Lemonade And Telling A Good Story

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.

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