You’ve decided to dive into Kickstarter to raise money for your dream project. Congratulations! No doubt you’re eager to get started. First, you want to make sure you’re set up for an awesome Kickstarter campaign.

Game-Changing Technology

The best Kickstarter campaigns involve either a product that creates an entirely new industry, or some disruptive, game-changing technology that will completely change a niche industry! Don’t fall victim to conformity, but set yourself apart with a new idea that will make a splash. Try to solve a real problem with your new project; something people will want to buy.

Adam Sager raised more than $1.9 million dollars for his home security device Canary. He stresses the importance of novelty in your campaign: “Your responsibility is to produce a solution to a problem. You’ll need to be able to tell people right away how the product is going to solve a real problem that they have.” Without the ability to do this and communicate these points effectively to backers, you will lose significant interest, and it will not be successful for your campaign.

Start Strong

Kickstarter’s algorithm highlights campaigns that start strong. If you hit at least 30% of your goal within the first 1-2 days of your campaign, then Kickstarter will show your project to exponentially more users. We cannot stress enough, the importance of pre-launch planning. Make sure that you plan each portion of your campaign in advance. Good campaigns are limited to 60 days or fewer, so making that good first impression is key!

Set A Realistic Goal

This is one area where I recommend to set a “realistic” goal. It is imperative that you surpass your goal! If you don’t hit your goal, you get zero cash — however, keep in mind that surpassing your goal many times over looks much better than just barely exceeding your goal. You’ll want to be able to say something like “We surpassed our goal on Kickstarter by 500%!”

Peter Dering raised more than $800,000 with his Kickstarter Campaign for Capture Camera Clip. He says not to confuse how much money you’d like to raise with how much money you need for your project. “I made a distinction between “expectation” and “hope” when setting my funding goal,” Dering says. “I expected to raise $10,000 but my hope was to be the top-funded project in Kickstarter’s history.” This distinction allowed him to think realistically about his fund raising and achieve maximum success.

Create an Impressive, Professional Video

This is the first place that people go when they are viewing your project. It can be the tipping point when someone decides to get behind your project or move on. By putting in the effort for a superb, high quality video, you will set yourself apart from others. You will help backers to understand what your trying to do with your project. Ben Lang, owner of Mapped In Israel agrees, “It’s very important to produce a high-quality video for the campaign. When people check out a Kickstarter project, they usually first watch the video, so it’s crucial to make a good first impression.” His video and campaign launched his company in 2005. It become one of the largest internet companies in Israel with the latest valuation at $1.5 billion!

Be the Driving Force

Ashley Rankin, who raised $25,897 for Shredly, cautions that initial buzz will not be enough to carry you to your goals. She says, “It takes many tireless hours to keep the energy alive and additional backers coming in.” Keep your campaign at the forefront of people’s attention. People are much more willing to donate and back your cause if they know who you are and what you are trying to accomplish. Display your passion for the project to motivate supporters throughout the project’s life-cycle.

Include as Much Info as Possible

Kickstarter backers like to do their research and think of all possibilities when using your new technology or gadget. Therefore, give them as much info as you possibly can. Get your backers’ minds spinning, and in turn, welcome their ideas for improving your product or service.

Also, remember that crowd funding isn’t (always) about the money. Gabriel Bestard-Ribas, creator of Goji Smart Lock (which raised more than $300,000), reminds us that “The feedback we get is 10-fold more valuable than the money we raised. Normally, you’re working in the dark until you bring a product to market. With crowdfunding we get customer feedback before the product is finalized.” Using this feedback is imperative to making your project an overall hit. Remember that these projects are actually going to come to fruition once your funding goal is raised. Your customers and backers are the most important to continuing your success. Their ideas are just as valuable as their money.

Involve the Community

Kickstarter is all about community, because that is who you connect with to get the funds! Make sure that you interact with your crowd. Give something back to thank them for their support. This could take the shape of prizes, shout-outs, videos, or answering questions. No matter what it is, it will build excitement. And, it will show that you are invested in the success of your campaign and also interested in those people who are funding you! Excited funders will spread the word to other potential investors.

If your plan is in place, and you’ve thought through all of the above, go get started! Good luck!

IMAGE: CC0 / Public Domain