How to Get Your Kickstarter Performance Project Ready for Launch in Six Weeks
Kickstarter’s Senior Performance Lead Jessica Massart helps you turn your performance project idea into a reality with step-by-step instructions.
Artists often come to Kickstarter to raise money for their performances while they’re also trying to produce a show, sell tickets, and hold down another gig. Simply put, no one should have to worry about asking more from their donors on top of prepping for tech week.
With Performance: In Progress, I hope to take some of the stress out of funding by helping artists to run campaigns with more support. Together, we can make funding your project more manageable and shine a light on some of the great performances that will hit the stage this fall.
Need someone to guide you through the process? Every Monday, beginning on March 18, 2019, I’ll share few actions you can take to get your performance project ready for launch on May 1. I’ll walk you through everything from setting goals to planning rewards that fit within your process to engaging with your community.
I can’t wait to see what you create, and I’ll be here to coach you through it. Come back each week from now until the end of April to get your next set of instructions. Or, sign up to receive our creator bootcamp series in your inbox.
— Jessica Massart, Kickstarter Senior Performance Lead
Grab a pen and paper or create a new document. Over the course of the next six weeks you’ll answer questions and develop notes that will eventually become your project page, funding goal, communication strategy, and more. Let’s get started!
Week 1: Think big
This week, we’ll focus on big-picture strategy.
By tackling the questions below, you’ll set yourself up to answer questions later in your campaign, like “What kinds of rewards should I offer?” and “Where do I want to focus my promotional energy?”
Here are the three questions to answer this week:
What are your goals?
Beyond the money you’re trying to raise, what else do you want to make happen during this campaign? What’s the impact you hope your show will have?
Who is your audience?
Beyond friends and family, who are you making this show for? The more specific you get, the better.
What’s your core message?
There are so many ways to tell the story of your show. Before you tell that story, think about one specific and simple tagline that’ll serve as your main message. This will be the rallying cry for you and your whole community.
Let yourself marinate on these and jot your answers down. Next week, we’ll start digging into engaging with your community, using all of your answers today as framework.
Week 2: Community engagement
This week, we’ll focus on engaging with your community.
It’s time to put yourself in the mindset of your future backers: where do they live online? What kind of videos and rewards will resonate with them? Creators often save these aspects for last, but I recommend getting them out of the way early.
Here are three things to do this week:
Start thinking about your outreach strategy.
Now that you know who your audience is, think about how you’ll connect with them. Make a list of a few ways you plan to reach backers — e.g. via a mailing list, social media, or an IRL event — as well as a timeline for reaching out.
Quick tip: Facebook is still the top pledge referrer among all social platforms. I’ve heard from creators that Facebook Live has been an effective way to get in front of folks.
Outline your project video.
Make a list of what you want your potential backers to get from your video — like who you are, what you’re creating, and why. Then, consider your approach: simple (just you and the camera) or more involved? No matter what, aim to keep it under two minutes.
Quick tip: You don’t have to be a pro to make a Kickstarter video — you can do it simply with smartphone and/or a computer. Here’s our guide.
Brainstorm your rewards.
The best rewards are an extension of what you’re already doing, and give backers access to your process and/or show. Get creative! And keep in mind: creating merch is overrated.
Quick tip: Have a peek at some of my favorite rewards, which include a commissioned dance, a “certificate of no more fucking regrets,” and this straight-up conceptual $1 tier. Watch this video for more advice from creators.
I’m hosting a free webinar for performance creators on March 26. You can tune in on YouTube at 7pm ET.
Week 3: Draft your content
This week, we’ll focus on putting your ideas into words.
You’ve gotten one of the hardest part of the setup — big-picture thinking — out of the way! Now it’s time to start putting your ideas into words. So grab a pen and paper or create a new document. Let’s go!
Here are two things to do this week:
Start drafting your project description. Approach it in sections rather than one lump narrative (remember: we live in a tl;dr culture). Here are some to include:
- What you are making with this project
- Why this is important (to you, to your community, in this moment, etc.)
- Why backers should support the project
- Road to the premiere, a.k.a. what happens between now and this fall
- About the creative team
Start drafting your outreach. Draft a few paragraphs that you can adapt for personal emails and social media posts to tell folks about your project, both before and after launch.
Helpful tips for drafting content:
- Keep your tone conversational. Imagine that you’re telling a new buddy about your work.
- Have a look at strong campaign pages to get a sense of how to tell your story. I love pages by creators Sacha Yanow (so much background info!), Kristine Haruna Lee and Aya Ogawa (I can really understand their values), and The Movement Theatre Company (for clear show and company messaging).
- Don’t forget to tell your story visually. Start gathering images to include on your project page, project updates, and social posts. These can be promo images, snapshots from rehearsals, pages from costume/set sketchbooks, anything!
If you get stuck, go back to your goals and that core message you worked on during Week 1. These will help get you back on track.
Week 4: Get specific
This week, we’ll focus on making some decisions.
With everything starting to fall into place, now is the time to ensure that your campaign will catch the eye of your community. This means making it stand out, especially to any new audiences.
Here are two things to do this week.
Prep the everything “above the fold.” This includes your project title, description, image, and video.
- Video: By now you should have a draft or a solid outline of your video. Set aside time this week to tackle the edit. If helpful, include text in the lower thirds to introduce yourself or to underscore key points. Check out how creators New Saloon and The Tank did it.
- Image: Your main project image is the first thing people see, and often what that draws them into your project. Pick one this week that strongly represents the piece and will appeal to your audience. I recommend these projects for inspiration.
Get some feedback. Have a friend read your description, watch your video, and review your rewards in order to offer specific feedback. Do they understand what you’re trying to create? Are they excited to back your project? Is there something else you could add to clarify?
- Quick tip: Are you trying to connect with a new audience? If so, have someone who represents that group read your page and offer feedback with that lens.
You’re halfway to launching! Keep up the good work.
Week 5: Plan your promotion
This week, we’ll focus on making sure you’re ready to share your campaign.
You’ve locked your content, edited your video, and incorporated feedback from your most trusted collaborators. Now, we’re going to zero in on how to introduce your work to your community of potential backers.
Here are two things to do this week:
Create lists of backers. There are two groups of potential backers you’ll want to line up for your very first day:
- Early givers: Friends, family, and coworkers who can pledge as soon as the campaign goes live. They’ll help give you momentum on day one.
- Cheerleaders: Collaborators and fans who will help you spread the word.
Create an engagement calendar. This will help you envision engagement for the duration of your campaign. Here are some ideas for what to include in your calendar:
- Pre-launch: Write out your initial launch email for your “early givers” list.
- Week 1: Draft a few social media posts for announcing and reminding followers about your campaign.
- Week 2: It’s normal for most projects to experience a “plateau” towards the middle of a campaign. Plan two strategies that you’ll use to push through this.
- Week 3 (or anytime, really): Draft a project update, including never-before-seen photos or video of your project.
Hot tip: You should aim to reach 20–30% of your goal within the first 48 hours of your campaign. Write a list of the first 25 people that you think you can get to back your campaign and how you’ll reach them.
Week 6: Finishing touches
This week, we’ll focus on making sure you’re ready to launch.
You’re almost there! We’re looking forward to seeing your projects on Kickstarter throughout May. Let’s get them finalized, shall we? Consider this your last dress rehearsal before opening night.
Here’s what to do this week:
Head to Kickstarter.com to do some housekeeping.
- Enter all your info (bank account, SSn or EIN) under the Payment tab. Remember that it can take up to three days for ID verification.
- Upload your text, images, video, and rewards onto your project page. Make sure that your campaign tells the story of your show visually in addition to what you have written. Paragraph running long? Add some bolding to select words/phrases to help key points stand out.
Get some feedback. Generate a preview URL (you can do this from Project Build) and send it to me at jessica@kickstarter.com! Be sure to note in the subject line that you’re part of the Performance: In Progress bootcamp.
Hot tip: It can take upwards of three days for your project to be approved by our Trust & Safety team before you’re able to launch. Fear not: after you submit your project for review, you can still make changes to most sections, minus your goal and how much time you’re running for.
You’re almost there!
