On September 5th, 2013, following the success of his critically acclaimed werewolf spaghetti-western, Harbor Moon, graphic novel creator, Ryan Colucci, decided to run a Kickstarter campaign for R.E.M., a mind-bending thriller written/created by Colucci and beautifully illustrated by Zsombor Huska.
The R.E.M. Team launched a Kickstarter to raise money to bring the black and white hardcover to print. With a campaign period of only 30 days and a $7,000 fundraising goal, the team ended up raising $17,569.
I had the chance to speak with Ryan Colucci, who led the fundraising effort. His interview yielded some great tips for Kickstarter campaign creators just starting out on their crowdfunding journey. To show your support, be sure to check out the R.E.M website and follow the team on twitter. You can view the tips below.
Go into your Kickstarter campaign over-prepared
Costs
1. Know exactly how much things will cost.
2. Know exactly how much shipping will cost (for each reward – and to each part of the world).
3. Know how much shipping supplies will cost as well.
Promotion and Marketing
4. Have updates ready to go out on FB/Twitter all day every day – real content (artwork, quotes, memes, etc.). Not ‘support my campaign’ or ‘buy my product’ updates. People don’t want to hear that. Give them content and hope they follow the trail back to your Kickstarter.
5. Don’t send DM’s on twitter advertising your campaign – again, people don’t want to hear that. If you want to get at someone directly – mention them in a tweet. It also opens up a discussion for everyone to be a part of.
6. Don’t send mass emails. You want people to support you and fork over their hard-earned money on your project – take the time to write every single contact a personalized email. If you don’t have the time, then make the time. Or write the emails in advance – have them ready to go before you start the campaign.
7. Publish a PR – because it can only help.
8. Be prepared for the lull that hits at about the halfway point. Don’t send every update out immediately. Don’t hit every one of your contacts immediately. Do things in stages. It will keep that number going up each day.
It all adds up.
9. Be nice to everyone – no matter how crazy the message/question you get and no matter how much their pledge… These are the people who are supporting you when you need it most. For some of us, it is not just a one-and-done. We are building a network – backers to take along to the next project. I was grateful that someone even wanted to back for $1 – because they didn’t have to spend that on me and my project.
10. The more homework you do, the better chance you have of succeeding. Check out some of our other articles like Improving Your Web Presence or Journalists who have written about Kickstarter campaigns.
Conclusion: Questions? Leave a comment below.
