Week 8 – Kickstarter (other crowdfunders are available)

What makes a great Kickstarter campaign? This week, I’ve been researching some of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns in an attempt to figure out what separates the winners and losers. Though there are anomalies – big projects that couldn’t entice investors, tiny projects that became runaway successes – it’s fair to say the best Kickstarter campaigns share common traits. Here are just a few ways to run a successful Kickstarter campaign:

Visual Evidence

People want to see that you will spend their money wisely. When Jeremy Saulnier started fundraising for his terrific revenge thriller Blue Ruin, he had already storyboarded the film, cast his leading man, and shot camera tests. By the time he started asking for money, he could demonstrate exactly what people were helping him create. His funders trusted him to do something great, and he successfully raised over $35,000 to make his film.

Strong Campaign Video

Most people prefer information delivered visually. If you can produce a campaign video that captures the spirit and tone of your project, you give potential investors a visual shorthand that helps them understand what they can expect. North East production company Candle and Bell’s fundraiser for short film James Will Howl featured a lighthearted, funny explanation video that got across the comedy of the film and helped investors understand what the aim of the project was. Sometimes you don’t need huge paragraphs of information to get your point across. Speaking of which…

Concise Writing

People don’t want to read through a thousand words about why your project is high art, or the complete history of your life to date. If you can’t sum up your story, cast, crew, and production information in a few short paragraphs, you’ll struggle. The U.S. Office spin-off Uncle Stan will reach it’s $300,000 goal due to having a big name star and attachment to a popular show, but the Kickstarter page is dense with information and comes across as a little dry and wordy to be a brilliant campaign.

Great Rewards

Pretty self-explanatory. People like to receive cool stuff. If you can offer something they really desire (a cool T-shirt or poster, an Executive Producer credit, the chance to meet a celebrity), you’re more than likely to generate funds. Director Spike Lee understood this when raising money for vampire film Da Sweet Blood of Jesus. Despite a campaign that lacked a great amount of information, Lee offered backers exclusive artwork, autographs from big names, even the chance to sit next to him at a basketball game! Everyone likes rewards; the better you reward them, the more money they’re likely to give you.

-Harry Ford