Kickstarter - The Real Opportunity (and How to Screw It Up)

I love Kickstarter. I think it's a great way for musicians (and other creative people) who have their acts together to get funding and I think it's a great opportunity for fans to get their hands on exclusive merchandise and other goodies that they wouldn't normally be able to get.

Kickstater is not for everybody though. If you're not 100% sure you can deliver what you promise and do it on time, stay away, because it can kill the good relationships you have with your fans quicker than anything I've seen.

Don't screw up the opportunity you have.

Obviously, creative projects change as you're creating them. Albums take longer to write and record than originally though. Personally, I know this all too well, as I'm 18 months in on my current book project, which I thought would only take me about 45 days.

If you create enough things, you will eventually hit a delay.

The good news is that most people are patient. If you communicate what's going on with everything, the majority of your fans will understand. They know that you can't force rock and roll.

But when fans become "investors" and money gets involved, things change. The standard at which you have to operate and deliver is different. People become less forgiving.

Here's an example...

A few months ago, I noticed a Kickstarer project for a "feature-lenth documentary" was picking up speed with more than 4000 people pledging money. It looked great, so I pledged. Others joined in as well and, by the time it was done, the project had raised over $100,000.

People were excited. I was excited. It looked like it would be a great film.

Then it was released.

People were disappointed. They thought 60 minutes was too short. More importantly, they didn't receive the story (and advice) that they thought the creators had promised the film would contain.

Within hours of its release, comments like these were coming in...

"You could have done so much with this concept, and you chose to make it all about you."

"The majority of the film seems to me to border on self-obsession."

"It seems you got everyone's backing to go on a road trip and make a documentary about a road trip."

Not the kind of comments you want.

Is the film dead? Maybe. Is the opportunity these guys had with over 4000 people dead? Absolutely.

Kickstarter is about more than money. Kickstarter is an opportunity to build relationships. It's an opportunity to show fans you're trustworthy and can deliver what you promise.

So forget the money for a second... Imagine you've got over 4000 people excited to get your new project.

How are you going to make sure you don't screw up that opportunity? 

Comments

[Kevinefclark]

I was making this point to a friend just the other day. You know that expression about pitching? You're not trying to strike out the batter, you're just playing an elevated game of catch? Kickstarter's like that. You're not trying to raise money. You're trying to connect with people and build something that they're a part of. It's more effective, it's more valuable in the long run, and it's also more fun and more human. If you just want money, you're leaving way more than money on the table.