How To Promote Crowdfunding Campaign

How To Promote Crowdfunding Campaign – “As you probably already know, Kickstarter campaigns are all or nothing, so it’s going to take every bit of extra effort (and a lot of lost sleep) to reach the goal.” —Ryan Koo, NoFilmSchool.com

I’ve never run a Kickstarter campaign. I never bothered to set a financial goal. And I certainly never thought it would be possible for me to raise $125,000 like Ryan Koo did.

How To Promote Crowdfunding Campaign

And if you’re running a crowdfunding campaign, you’ll probably go out of your way to get people like me to write, tweet, share, link, and donate to your film.

Kickstarter Crowdfunding Campaign

Well, it’s not as easy as it sounds – you can’t just copy and paste an email form, send it to some bloggers and be done. You’ll be lucky if you do

At least once a week I get an email from a filmmaker asking me to help promote their Kickstarter or IndieGoGo campaign. While I would love to help each of these filmmakers achieve their goals, more often than not these emails quickly find their way out of the inbox and into the digital ether for a number of reasons:

But let’s not limit ourselves to email, as social media is also a battleground for campaign donations. There are also forums, website comment sections, and dozens of other places online where you can connect with other people.

No matter what digital platform you use, your message will remain the same: “Great, please help me raise enough money to make my movie!”

Promote A Crowdfunding Campaign On Kickstarter Indiegogo Gofundme By Leo_marketing02

So while much of what I discuss below will be email-based, remember that many of these tips extend to any location where you deliver your message.

You’d be surprised at the number of people who email me through this site with greetings like “Hey Chuck,” “Dear Black and Blue Team,” or, more often, no name.

Because it’s a clear indication that you’re not reading my site if you don’t get my name right! My name is printed everywhere – in the footer of every page, at the bottom of every page and at the bottom of every post, and prominently on the about page – so it’s very easy to find out that I run this site and do it myself.

It doesn’t mean I’m an egomaniac and need people to know my name, it just tells me who actually reads my page (or at least took the time to find out who writes it).

The Everything Guide To Crowdfunding Ebook By Thomas Elliott Young

Having this person’s name is extremely valuable, especially if it is hard to find. The harder it is to find, the greater the effect of using it. Using a name in an email has two positive effects:

You will make a small connection immediately upon first contact with that person. Think about it: when you hear your name in public, what’s the first thing you do? You look around, react and maybe even respond. The names will be attached to the person you are writing to along with your message. And at least it gets their attention.

As I mentioned earlier, using my name in your email lets me know that you took a moment to check out my site, if you haven’t read a few articles. If the name of the person you are addressing is hard to find, this effect is amplified because they will be pleasantly surprised that you know their name. They might think you already have a relationship with them somehow.

Nothing will turn someone off an email more than being directed to the wrong person, even if it is relevant and interesting to them. Make a terrible first impression (I bet you still remember the teachers who butchered your name) and you can’t afford to lose ground.

How To Use Social Media For Crowdfunding Campaigns

If you can’t find any names, try personalizing the message in some way. Has a blogger ever discovered a nickname? What are their social media accounts saying? How do they refer to their own page (or readers to it)?

The idea is to establish rapport from the very beginning of your email, as if to say, “I know who you are, and I’m not going to waste your time.”

Anonymous has no place in your campaign. Who you are and what you’ve done will be crucial to those who decide to donate, but also to those who consider publicly supporting your film.

Basically, bloggers want to know why you deserve to be featured on their site. By supporting your project on their blog, they will put some of their reputation alongside yours and want to ensure that their status remains untarnished.

How To Write A Crowdfunding Campaign That Gets Funded

So one of the first things you should do in your message is to introduce yourself briefly. Mention your name, what you do and any history you have that is relevant to getting your film funded – accolades and awards are great to include.

My name is [Your Name] and I am [Director, Producer, Director]. I have made more than X short films and I am working on making my first feature film.

Do your best to prove that you are a pro or an authority when it comes to filming. Let your introduction put to rest any blogger skepticism that you don’t know what you’re doing. If you don’t have an authority or are new to film, use your introduction to give an example of your passion for film or how you stand out as a beginner.

OK, maybe the “digital date” idea is a bit much, but the premise of becoming BFFs with a blogger (best friends forever, for those of you who grew up not texting) isn’t too farfetched .

Create And Promote Crowdfunding Campaign For Kickstarter, Gofundme Or Indiegogo By Mark_sky

Whether you’re directing, producing, shooting below the line, or acting in front of the camera, you’ve been through this rodeo before. Networking is an essential part of success in the film industry, and that mantra doesn’t go out the window in digital.

I’ve said it before, but it’s still true: networking is simply becoming good friends with people who can help your career.

You interact with them, talk to them, email them, basically do anything you would do with someone in real life and translate that into the digital world.

Sometimes bloggers – especially the big ones – will seem unreachable because of the mass of their audience, but they promise they pay more attention than you might think. For example, over the years I’ve hosted The Black and Blue, I’ve gotten to know many of my readers through their comments and our online interactions. I even learned their preferences and passions (like FB who will probably be the last person on Earth to give up on film).

Maintaining Momentum During Your Crowdfunding Campaign

My point is that if you comment on posts, retweet their articles, and send them emails, bloggers will be much more responsive to your requests. They might not notice right away or even mention it to you, but when you email them, there’s a good chance they’ll recognize your name.

It’s like a guy who wins the lottery and suddenly has forgotten friends who want loans – he’s much more likely to give money to people who were friends with him before he struck gold. Blogging may not be the lottery (far from it, judging by my bank account), but it does provide a certain kind of notoriety, and this minor celebrity status can make bloggers skeptical of anyone who approaches them.

If you can’t capitalize on friendship this time, or you’re not there yet, there’s always something later in your career. Even if you never launch another crowdfunding campaign, networking with people who have a voice and community support is smart.

Finally, it’s important to remember that this tactic takes time—you can’t rush a relationship with someone in a week and then pitch them a project. You can try, but your ability to succeed in networking will be directly related to the time you have already invested.

How To Promote Crowdfunding Campaign On Social Media Platform

In a guest post I wrote on NoFilmSchool, I wrote about the importance of having a strong film when it comes to getting a team to work for free:

That’s why it’s silly to see an invitation from a team that advertises “going to Sundance” and the opportunity to “be part of something big.” Everyone submits to Sundance and everyone thinks they are part of something big, but the chances of getting into Sundance are slim, and the chances of being something big are even slimmer. So what makes you different? Such claims only increase skepticism, and worse, these lists rarely describe what the film is about. If you really want the team to work for free, show them the project, not the results. If you really have the next big thing, it should be an easy sell.

Don’t focus so much on how great your movie is, what you’re going to do with it, and the fame and fortune that’s guaranteed to come. Focus only on the movie itself, why the movie is great and why it is necessary

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