What’s an unexpected outreach strategy that worked (or didn’t work) for you?
When launching a Kickstarter project, promotion is absolutely necessary. It’s your opportunity to let folks know that you need their support. There are countless ways to spread the word in a creative and effective way. Sending newsletters. Hosting concerts. Even attending conventions, like webcomic creators, Kamikaze. Our latest Campus Convo, shares tips on how to think outside of the box and develop a few unique outreach strategies.
Creators Team Kamikaze
For the project my team and I worked on Kamikaze: Volume 1 we had a lot of success gained by going to conventions! We’re a comic, so this may not work for everyone. We scheduled our Campaign to fall smack in the middle of a large convention that my team and I were guests at. We printed up a prototype of our book and had an old computer running to show our video. In addition to that we printed up some postcard sized flyers about the campaign. The conventions allowed us to talk to fans old and new, educate the public on what Kickstarter was, and show people exactly what they were getting. We had the chance to tell attendees about the story, and the characters, and let them get to know us personally as well. A lot of our backers were impressed with us, and wanted to root for us, not only because we make a cool comic, but because they thought we were neat people. The Monday after the conventions we were fully funded — two weeks ahead of schedule!
In addition to doing conventions I’d also suggest doing presentations and panels on a subject that has something to do with your Kickstarter. We presented a panel at a local art store for creative professionals about caring for your creative team which went over well. Additionally during the convention we attended my team presented multiple panels on the subject of comics, art and writing. When you present panels or presentations you’re given the chance to not only show your product, but also show how knowledgeable you are about what you’re doing. People want to back people who they like and find helpful.
When you present panels or presentations you’re given the chance to not only show your product, but also show how knowledgeable you are about what you’re doing. People want to back people who they like and find helpful.
Creator and Kickstarter Campaign Strategist Michael C. Stewart
I’ve worked with tons of projects in different categories, and while promotion plans often follow a similar arc, no promotion strategy is ever identical.
In working with the Rooster Teeth team on Million Dollars, But (a card game), we planned an interactive live stream for about halfway through their campaign — a time when some projects begin to lose momentum. This was a way to showcase the game, interact with and reward their existing backers, and even introduce some new backers to the campaign.
Then there’s a project like Bartschland (a documentary about New York City nightlife icon Susanne Bartsch). We knew they were offering some really wild rewards, so in addition to promoting the documentary itself, we put some effort into promoting those rewards in their specific communities. Specifically, we pitched the exclusive cosmetics rewards to press outlets that would normally cover fashion and cosmetics. Are you offering a wild experience or an exclusive peek at something never before seen? Think about what may be newsworthy about your campaign other than the project itself.
Are you offering a wild experience or an exclusive peek at something never before seen? Think about what may be newsworthy about your campaign other than the project itself.
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