What would you do for social proof?

I was alerted to the existence of the OMATA One Kickstarter by the Inside Daily Brief newsletter. The newsletter noted that the project had a lot of pledge money from just a few hundred backers. Since it also had only eight backer comments, I took a look.

As of now, here’s the breakdown of the pledges in a quick spreadsheet.:

In other words, there’s at least an extra ~$5k backing. Where does it come from? Are strangers just that generous?

A Kickstarter project with a lot riding on its success has incentives to self-back.

• Would you rather back at a $3,000 tier no one else wants or one with a spot already taken and only three left? Would you rush faster to grab a limited tier with 200/200 left or 180/200 left?
• What feels like being part of something big? Backing a project that races past $10,000, or one that goes more slowly?

Social proof is attractive (and candy for gadget news reporters.)

Self-backing doesn’t cost much, either, just Kickstarter’s and Amazon’s 8% fee since they’ll get the money back. Or maybe the pledge can be quietly reduced later on. Or maybe it comes from a family, friend, or vendor who just wants the project creator to succeed.

I don’t know what happened, and self-backing is perfectly legal. OMATA One is interesting. Still, it’s a reminder to pay attention to what a Kickstarter project really offers. Don’t let yourself be steered by social proof.