Skill Set Needed to Run, Run, Run a Kickstarter Project?
April 03, 2012
After trying a KICKSTARTER project ....I've realized that there are specific skills needed to run a successful Kickstarter.
I found an article that I should have read before starting. It is a great guide for anyone considering their own Kickstarter.
"7 Things to Consider BEFORE you Launch your Kickstarter Project" by Nathaniel Hansen.
Hansen says: "If you’re looking for Kickstarter advice, ... this article should answer any questions you might have about how to run an effective campaign."
Hansen says he has helped projects "...featured all over the web, from Wired to CNN, spurred along by social media engines like Twitter and Facebook and an army of fans. Two projects are in the Kickstarter top 20, one is in the top 5 (most donated), and one recently earned a 2010 Kickstarter award."
He tells it like it is and I believe he is right. This article reveals that a great story is paramount, along with advocates & evangelists who will promote your project with an unceasing, unrelenting regularity to everyone you know with every possible vehicle asking for help through Facebook, Twitter, press releases, blogs, magazines, television, i.e. everything.
A Kickstarter campaign requires a HUGE INVESTMENT OF TIME and a lot of great writing with aggressive marketing.
It helps a lot if your project is aligned with the interests of the Kickstarter audience (mostly young adults) who spend a lot of time online (such as gamers or zine fans).
The audience for your Kickstarter project should be comfortable with social media. Arriving on Kickstarter for the first time in shock -- like my father -- is not helpful.
Can you blog and write about your project constantly?
You will need either viral marketing to propel your project or a huge social network.
Does your Kickstarter project offer a reward with a retail value equal to the contribution to Kickstarter?
I jumped into Kickstarter with a noble goal and naive optimism. Noble goals alone don't go very far on Kickstarter.
This post was updated on March 12, 2022.