Top Tips For Your Kickstarter Campaign

Kickstarter is no stranger for those who are trying to get their invention started and off the ground. The website helps not just designers and inventors but musicians, filmmakers, and other creators find the resources and support they need to make their ideas come to life. To date, Kickstarter has helped over 146,124 projects be successfully funded, with that number only continuing to increase. 

A product on Kickstarter.

You’ve Got Your Invention Started. Now What?

At MAKO alone, we’ve seen so many clients come through our doors that have or intend to launch a Kickstarter campaign to help turn their idea into reality, like Alison Brett who we recently featured on our blog, and her product, Clasp Magic. We’ve seen how fantastic this platform can be and that’s why we wanted to provide some tips to be successful on Kickstarter and get your invention started.

Do your research

There is a ton of advice on Kickstarter out there, and you can seriously spend weeks reading all the different resources, however, what’s the most important to get your invention started and off the ground using this platform is to spend time on Kickstarter’s website itself. Take a look at other campaigns – both successful and not. Look at their rewards, updates, marketing, social media pages, and use this information you gather to formulate your plan of attack on the platform.

Don’t overestimate your goal

Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing type of platform, which means if you don’t reach your goal then you won’t get anything. So the best way to make sure you don’t overestimate what you will raise is to take a look at how much you would approximately raise from the people you 100% know will donate (think your family, friends, people who you’ve talked to that are interested in your product). Guess how many backers you’ll get and what you think their average investment will be, then drop that total by 15% approximately to give you some wiggle room. If figuring this out just seems impossible, you might want to consider a platform that lets you keep anything you raise like IndieGoGo.

Influencer marketing.

Think about marketing

Part of what’s going to sell your product is the marketing behind it. Who wants to invest in what you’re selling if you’re not doing a good job at selling it? One of the biggest tools on your Kickstarter page will be your video which will show off your product/project visually and introduce viewers to your concept and idea. You should be able to sell your story in under a minute and spend the money on creating a high-quality video because you want your viewers to be able to trust you and trust what they’re investing in!

Keep in touch

Don’t wait until the end of the campaign to thank your backers. Give them a shout-out on social media, and reach out throughout the campaign. Update them on any progression you’ve made, and keep in touch with the progress of your campaign during, and after. Chances are your backers are your audience and they’ll want you to succeed, and if you do, they’ll want to continue to support you and be your brand advocates. So don’t lose sight of the people that are helping get your invention started.

Kickstarter can be a great way to get your invention off the ground, but you want to ensure you’re putting the right thought and effort into the campaign and not just popping it up online without thinking through important aspects to be successful.

About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!