10 Websites That Will Promote Your Kickstarter or Startup
Promoting a Kickstarter or a startup is difficult. Most people don’t really know where to look, or for that matter even where to start. It’s suggested, by many successful startups who used Kickstarter, that you should start contacting blogs about promoting your Kickstarter and build an audience by getting your brand known, at least 2 to 3 months before your launch. So if your not sure where to begin, I’ve but together a short list of websites that many other Kickstarter’s or startups have used to help promote their product or brand:
1) Backer Camp
Backer Camp is a paid service that will help you get more backers for your campaign. Starting at $49.99, they will have a 20 min consultation call with you, post your Kickstarter on their twitter and website, provide helpful tips on how to attract more backers, and more. If that’s not enough for you, they also offer other options where they will join your team for 1 or 2 weeks and even up to 3 months (depending on the option you select) and will help you with every aspect of your Kickstarter campaign before you launch.
Update 08/01/16: Since the original publication of this blog post, Backercamp has included even more options for startups. One particular plan that stands out is the Full Campaign Management plan, where Backercamp will join your team and be your project managers for your crowdfunding campaign. They will work with you on everything from pre-launch to PR and everything in between. To apply for this plan, click here.
2) All Top Startups
All Top Startups is a great site if your looking for some pre-promotion for your upcoming Kickstarter, or if you need some extra promotion during the campaign. They have around 80,000+ users who visit the site each week and so getting a featured post will likely get you the traffic you need. While submitting your Kickstarter or startup is free, they do have paid options starting at $99 to skip the queue.
3) Startuptabs
Startuptabs — For $19.99, this website will showcase your startup in front of thousands of people who are all about discovering and promoting startups. They have a Slack channel that you can join where you can talk to members of the Startup Tabs community and share your project with others.
4) Gadget Flow
Gadget Flow is a very popular website that showcases your product or Kickstarter to a large dedicated user base. Starting at $99 they will list your product on their website for thousands of people to see. Other options include adding your product to their newsletter or even having it featured on the front page of the website. Many popular startups, such as Twelve South, Pebble, and Tunkster, have used Gadget Flow to promote their product to millions of people. The service they offer is great if you need a quick boost midway through your Kickstarter campaign, or are looking to have a big name website promote your project on launch day. (If your still in the early development stages, I recommend waiting until about a week before you launch to purchase one of their plans).
5) Hyperstarter
Hyperstarter is a great website if you want to get some extra exposure for your Kickstarter campaign. On the main page, they offer a free Kickstarter campaign tool that checks for any issues with your campaign. In addition to this free utility, they offer a variety of services that range from website listing/social media mentions to personalized campaign management & PR. We used Hyperstarter for our pre-launch campaign mangement for the Arc Hub. They we’re very effective at targeting consumers & journalists and bringing them onto our website. I highly recommend going with them if you’re looking for a full pre-launch service. Pricing starts at $30 for the basic plan.
6) Kicktraq
Kicktraq’s goal is to help project owners get the promotion they need for their Kickstarter campaign all while tracking specific information about your Kickstarter. They receive thousands of visits everyday from people who are looking for the newest Kickstarter projects. There are two ways you can submit your project to their website. The first is to list your project for analytics and to be featured on their “Active Projects” list. The second is for a paid advertisement which entails a general rotation on their website or, for a more pricier option, become a homepage sponsor. Please note that submitting your project for advertisement is subject to approval.
7) Product Hunt
Product Hunt showcases the newest and best products which are voted by their active community. It’s free to join, and you can upvote and save other featured products listed on the site. Having your product listed on Product Hunt will not only allow you to have a space on the internet for your project, but you will also be able to get feedback from the community. And if Kickstarter gets enough upvotes, your project will get featured on the homepage. Please note that listing your product does requires an invite from the community, but if your actively participating on the website (upvoting, saving projects to your collections) Product Hunt will send you an invite to join their active community.
8) Kickstarter Forum
KickstarterForum is a great site to promote and get feedback for your Kickstarter campaign and startup either before you launch or if your midway through the campaign. There is a large active community of users who are all about sharing and supporting Kickstarter projects and are more than willing to provide you with help and advice for your campaign
9) BetaList
BetaList is one of the best sites to promote your crowdfunding project. All you do is submit a two paragraph summary of your product and they will publish it on their website. I have personally used this service and have received 150+ pre-launch sign ups to our website for our product. If your looking to build your mailing list and generate interest this is the perfect service for you. Submitting your project is free, but you must be approved to launch on their site. Once approved there is an option to skip the queue starting at $99.
10) Killer Startups
Killer Startups helps promote your startup to a large amount of people in the startup.co network. You simply fill out some information on the form and then submit your startup to be reviewed. Submitting is free but there is a very long wait, about 60–90 days. You can expedite this process by paying a fee that starts at $169.
There you have it. Ten websites that will help you gain more backers and provide you with pre-promotion for your Kickstarter or startup. If you have any questions or know of other great websites or services, please leave it in the comments below.
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