THOUGHTS ON KICKSTARTER - PART 1

I’ve used Kickstarter as both a backer and a creator. I’ve launched 5 successful Kickstarter campaigns, and you can find my Kickstarter profile here!

Here are some thoughts about the platform I’ve gathered during the past few years crowd-funding my enamel pins.

1)  You won't gain a following through Kickstarter itself. 

I've found the bulk of the work creating a successful Kickstarter is driving traffic to the campaign, mostly through social media posts and messaging my friends and family. I don't think you need a huge following to run a successful campaign, but if you have a smaller following, I would try funding a smaller project.

Posting previews before launch can help (remember to link to your Kickstarter profile so those familiar with the platform can follow you there). And continual reminders throughout the funding period on social media are necessary (even though you may feel spammy). If you don't feel comfortable doing this every day, try every second day instead. Chances are most of your followers aren't seeing your posts (you know, the whole algorithm thing). 

Kickstarter allows people to follow you and they can opt in to be ‘reminded’ when the project is launch, as well as when the project is about to end (to help you get those last minute pledges). Kickstarter will also push you to the new projects page, but if you have a slow start their algorithm will likely bury you in the mass of other campaigns. 

2) You will need to do a lot of prep.

For pin series, this includes: getting pin designs finished, getting quotes from your manufacturer, getting quotes for packaging, shipping cost calculations (Kickstarter includes the shipping cost in the total amount raised), funding calculations, and most importantly the campaign graphics!

Kickstarter also takes a 5% fee from the funds raised, and there's about 5% in transaction fees. When calculating the amount you need to raise, remember to take these into account as they can add up quickly! 

Shipping a sneaky thing to keep an eye on. I tend to average out the shipping cost between domestic and international, and add that to my costs. I also round up when calculating as I have to contend with fluctuating exchange rates (I’m based in Australia, but all manufacturers charge in USD). This helps create a safety net for any other surprises. 

2.5) The graphics.

So this is part of the prep, but is important in another way, because it's the overall look of your campaign. In my Kickstarter campaign for the Australian Birds series, I tried to make the pin designs stand out, so all backgrounds are a flat colour or simple sky painting. For your thumbnail image, you'll want to have a good balance between fitting in your designs and making sure they're visible as a small thumbnail image (most people are using their phones to view the page). 

Within the actual campaign, you'll need to create graphics (or take photos) of all the designs to unlock. I like to keep this simple as well. Make sure to include important info like size, any special features (like glitter, or screen printing for pins) and how much you need to unlock that design. 

You can pre-load your graphics by creating variations of the graphic with each stage flipping to "unlocked" so viewers of your campaign are up to date! I also create 2-3 images of each design for Instagram so I'm not uploading the exact same image or background over and over again.

3) Funding a collab vs. funding a solo project.

The first 3 Kickstarters I launched were all collaborations with other artists or pin makers. This can be positive, as you're pulling from 2 followings, but it can also take a bit longer in the design process as you may need to find a middle ground between 2 very different styles. 

I've found that the closer you and your collab partner's styles are, the more successful the campaign, but that is only my view, and other's may have more success with combining varied styles! 

4) Timing can play a big part.

The timing of your campaign launch can also play a big role in if you're successful. I would probably avoid anything right around Christmas/New Year (unless it's a holiday themed project and you're launching a few months earlier). 

The length of your campaign is important as well. If you have a lot of designs to unlock you may want to run for 3-4 weeks, for a single pin or small collection I would recommend only 1-2 weeks. 

5) Incentives for using Kickstarter.

Getting people familiar with Kickstarter can also be a challenge. Some may not be familiar with the platform at all, and in this case you'll need to assure them it's easy and safe to use it. I tend to add that Kickstarter works like a pre-order system, but instead of waiting for the right number of purchases (which can sometimes take months), the funding has a limited time-frame. This means you can judge interest in the designs more accurately and they have more assurance that they'll receive the item(s) purchased. 

Kickstarter doesn't charge anyone unless you reach your base goal, and also makes the creator upload ID and banking information to prevent fraud. 

Other incentives can be in the form of discounts. For example, in my Kickstarters I price everything below RRP, meaning that no matter which reward is chosen, backers are saving money by helping you produce new things!

I hope this has been helpful! There are more thoughts on using Kickstarter in Part 2.