Earlier this spring, I decided to do my own kickstarter.  I had created some shiny game tokens called ‘Lore Bits’, and I wanted to share them with the world.  Along the way, I learned a few things.

• Even Kickstarter experts can be wrong. No one can truly predict if your project will succeed or fail.  Mathmatically, the Lore Bit’s kickstarter was going to fail from all the projections.  However, towards the end; kickstarter sends out a 48 hour email.  My email was pinging like crazy the last two days!
• Marketers like to contact you.  A lot.  Read any proposals, do they even mention your company?  What about your kickstarter?  I bet 90% are vague like ‘we like your project.’  Choose whether you think someone who can’t be bothered to mail merge your product name in to the email; will do a good job marketing it.
• Keep up with the updates.  Honestly, I think my once a week updates contributed to the success at the end.  I hadn’t abandoned the failing project.  Kept them upbeat, told them about my other website where they could purchase them, and kept plugging along.
• Not once, did my project get put on the front page of Kickstarter.  That is usually the kiss of death for most kickstarter projects.  What?  You can’t see the nearly 50% that are failing?  Did you think that was a coincidence?  Consider that possibility.  How will you drag people to your project page? 🙂
• I should mention this:  it’s not kickstarter’s job to make sure you are funded.  Harsh truth, but a good number fail.
• Great pictures are helpful.

• Listen to people who send you emails and make comments.  Most of them have funded a lot of projects or have their own projects.  Set aside your ego and make necessary changes.  Explain those changes in full in the FAQ or Comments section.

I might add more later.  There is always something to be learned. 🙂

Have a Shiny Day!

Laura