The Internet’s Greatest Crowdfunding Resources
I’ve been working in the crowdfunding industry for over 2 years now. In that time I’ve done a lot of research and study — and found the Internet’s greatest crowdfunding resources.
In general, online advice tends to be aimed at one platform or another (e.g. “Succeed at Kickstarter!” or “Why my Indiegogo failed”). The truth is, crowdfunding as an activity is remarkably similar no matter what platform you are using. Learning about the ins and outs of one platform will give you insights into what will work on another.
Equally, I often find that most articles are a rehash of the exact same information. Finding useful, unique, insightful content can be hard. You could spend months and months doing research only to find the same content everywhere.
This list is an ever-evolving list of the resources I have found online that are actually useful. I plan to keep it updated with my favourite links.
Must-Read Material
Hacking Kickstarter by Tim Ferriss — if you only read one of these links, this is it!
The Language that Gets People to Give: Phrases that Predict Success on Kickstarter
Stonemaier Games — Kickstarter Lessons — some will be more relevant than others, but this is a fabulous creator-led look at the process of crowdfunding.
Kickstarter Stats You Can Use — the most helpful crowdfunding statistics on the web.
Kickstarter Step-By-Step: Making $15,000 in 28 hours — including tools and scripts
Emily Best on Why Filmmakers Make The Worst Crowdfunding Videos (video)
Amanda Palmer’s The Art Of Asking (TED talk, but I’d also highly recommend the book)
How to start a movement (TED talk)
Other stories and papers
Show Me the Money! An Analysis of Project Updates During Crowdfunding Campaigns
Comix Tribe Kickstarter Resources
Kickstartup — Successful fundraising with Kickstarter.com and (re)making Art Space Tokyo
The Two-Step Method for Easy Press Coverage
The Era Of The Crowdfunded Business
Stories about failure and pitfalls
How our $500K Kickstarter Crashed And Burned
Why 84% of Kickstarter’s top projects shipped late
The Kickstarter Fulfillment Report
Facts and statistics
Indiegogo — 12 Insights for 2012
Kickstarter’s 2-billionth dollar statistics great hints for planning your rewards. Did you know 49 people have backed over 1000 projects?
Kickstarter Stats (official)
Dollar for dollar, Kickstarter Dominates Indiegogo SIX times over
What Successful Kickstarter Campaigns Have In Common
How Much Is A Tweet Worth for a Kickstarter Campaign?
Campaign Analysis and Data Casestudies
The Five Dollar Movie (Kickstarter)
Potato Salad: By the Numbers (Kickstarter)
Loochi (Indiegogo)
Platform Guides
Creator Tools
E-Sources for Crowdfunding Campaigners (via Indiegogo)
YouTube: Link to Fundraising Sites Through Anotations
Kickstarter Calculator — not appropriate for every project, but gives a good idea as to the things to consider when launching a campaign.
Simmonds & Stewart Legal Templates — Licenced by Creative Commons, these legal templates will help you set up your company properly, gain investors, hire contractors and set up contracts with suppliers.
Better tools for project creators — understand the information Kickstarter provides its creators before launching your own project.
5 Effective and Free Publicity Tools to Boost Your Crowdfunding Campaign
The Secret To Getting Exposure From Influencers (video)
6 Research-backed ways to get more followers on Twitter, Facebook, G+ and more
Discussion Boards and Groups
Emotional Support and Encouragement
Taking the shame out of self-promotion (video)
What getting rejected says about you (video)
Equity-specific Resources
