I'm about to share a secret.

You don't need a massive email list to raise thousands and thousands of dollars on Kickstarter.

You don't need a huge social media following either!

Don't believe me?

I brought on Deepti, a member of the PHIRO Kickstarter campaign, to share her experience on Kickstarter.

She reveals the number of email addresses the team collected before launching (it's surprising), and why they were so successful!

Get the show notes: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2xx

Hey guys! I was asked what I've learned since going full time on my business. 

I hope that some of my insights are helpful, and as always, I invite feedback via an iTunes review :). 

In this episode you’ll learn: 

• The one thing that you need to be successful in business
• How I got through some of the difficult times in my life 
• Ways to learn quickly and beat your competitors
• How to stand out among so many voices

Recently, with the passage and implementation of Title III of the Jobs Act, everyday Americans can now invest in startups.

It's gone from a pool of 3.5 million accredited investors to a huge lake of 240 million potential investors.

Now, you can invest in the next Facebook!

If you're the next Uber, you can raise capital from people around the country to fuel the growth of your startup company.

To answer all of your questions and demystify this new equity crowdfunding arena, I brought Darren Marble on the podcast, who runs a crowdfunding agency and is an expert in this emerging space.

Get the show notes: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2xg

If you're reading this, you're already doing what 90% of creators DON'T do before launching a crowdfunding campaign. 

And that's create a launch strategy!

But, it's hard to craft a plan, figure out the Kickstarter or Indiegogo marketplace, and line up backers before you launch. 

Heck, it's even hard to figure out whether or not your product or project is a good fit for crowdfunding!

That's why I brought Elena Mikhaylova onto the podcast to share what she's learned from consulting on literally 100+ crowdfunding campaigns. 

This is the perfect podcast episode to listen to if you want to get the real deal on crowdfunding, straight out of the mouth of an industry veteran. 

Get the show notes here: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2x4

In this podcast episode, you'll learn:

• How the new Kickbooster tool works
• The process of launching a software product
• The importance of an mvp (minimum viable product)
• Why you need to set up a lead funnel to test demand.
• The number of campaigns that have gone through the program so far (hint: more than 200!)
• What Kickbooster can do for your your campaign
• How to get a discount or cash back when supporting a campaign. 
• What Scott has learned from speaking with 300+ campaigns
• The benefits of the partner program for influencers in the crowdfunding space

Get the show notes here: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2wQ

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How to improve your speaking style before giving a video pitch. 
• Why you need to slow down your speaking speed
• How pauses can help you build up to an “ask”
• What you can do to sound more confident
• Why your speaking volume speaks volumes
• Using storytelling to your advantage
• How to sound better if english is not your first language
• Practical ways to come across as more likable in a crowdfunding pitch

Get the notes here: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2w4

Get the show notes and links: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2vw

In this episode you’ll learn: 

• When you should launch a crowdfunding campaign
• What you need to have together before launching
• The difference phases in the pre-launch process
• A huge mistake that crowdfunders make that you must avoid
• Why you need to create an customer avatar and how to do it
• Where you’re going to get most of your pledges
• The time of the year that you should (or should not) launch

Get the links and resources mentioned: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2ve

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why the team decided to bypass Kickstarter and Indiegogo 
• How long the team worked on the campaign before launching (shorter than you think)
• The way they went about segmenting their email list
• What you can do to build up buzz before launching a campaign
• The importance of exclusivity and custom invites
• How to write the ad copy for your email and campaign page
• The amazing story of the 8k+ campaign day
• What this team did to get 15k newsletter subscribers

Get the links and resources in this episode: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2ug

In this podcast episode, you’ll learn:

• How crowdfunding really works and why it’s so effective.
• What you need to do to launch a successful campaign.
• Why people back and support crowdfunding campaigns
• How the “rule of 3” will play into your marketing.
• A dramatic shift in our economy and why it’s happening.
• Building a career with crowdfunding (yes it’s possible).
• The #1 thing to do before launching your campaign. 
• How to segment your email list and deliver marketing messages
• Why crowdfunding goes hand in hand with economic development.

Get the links, notes, and resources mentioned in this episode here: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2ut

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What Alexandra did to prepare for her theater campaign
• How to set the fundraising goal for your play
• Ways to come up with must-have rewards for your theater project.
• Why you absolutely must do a soft launch
• The importance of personal emails and why they're overlooked
• A trick for making a great video pitch (that anyone can use)
• How Alexandra so many strangers to back her campaign (25 percent)
• The amazing story behind one donor giving $1k+ who she didn't even know
• How one change made her campaign skyrocket

Get the links and resources mentioned: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2uj

In this podcast episode, you’ll learn:

• The difference between crowdfunding and peer to peer fundraising
• How donors can join your campaign by just texting
• Why millennials prefer nonprofit crowdfunding
• Ways that you can use MobileCause to run a campaign
• How to grow your donor database
• What’s working right now with nonprofit fundraising
• The importance of segmenting your donor base
• Getting donors to pay attention and take action

Get the show notes for this episode here: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2u7

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Different ways that you can raise money for a new tech venture. 
• Whether or not crowdfunding is a good fit to raise money for a crowdfunding site. 
• Where your investors and backers are likely to come from. 
• Ways to create a new crowdfunding platform. 
• How to prototype your new venture, before investing large sums. 

Get the show notes: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2tM

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The story behind a multi-million dollar acquisition (Bryce's first company ) 
• How to hire initial team members
• A special technique that this team uses to validate product ideas
• How to gather 1,000 emails in two weeks
• The #1 route they used to get pledges
• Why you need to take advantage of the first week on Kickstarter 
• Practical Facebook advertising tips
• How to get featured on a media outlet (hint: there is a strategy)

Get the show notes: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2ty

In this episode, you'll learn: 

• Business models in the real estate crowdfunding space
• Types of real estate crowdfunding sites
• How Crowdstreet works
• The basics of investing on a platform
• How the real estate industry is changing
• What you should know as a sponsor seeking capital
• The details of Crowdstreet’s first successful deal that returned 14% to investors
• Ways to get involved in the real estate funding boom
• Forecasts for where the industry is going 

Get the show notes: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2tr

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How the Smart Letters team raised €250,000 from private investors
• Ways that Marie tested the initial prototypes they created
• How Marie went about assembling a kickass team
• Whether or not crowdfunding is popular in Europe
• How to ensure that you'll hit your fundraising goal
• Where the backers came from for this Kickstarter campaign
• How to tell if backers will love your product
• The difference between private and public funding

Get the show notes: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2ti

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The importance of using Kickstarter as a validation tool
• How the team was able to raise $80,000 for the fast charge battery on day 1
• How their strategy has changed over the 5 different campaigns
• How the team did PR and blogger outreach for their campaign
• The layout that the team uses for every campaign
• Why people pledge to Kickstarter campaigns
• The story behind their Shark Tank appearance (Mark Cuban is an investor).
• How to get major retail outlets like Brookstone and other outlets
• Why the team’s Indiegogo project didn’t work out as well.

Get the links and resources mentioned: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2sA

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How the team comes up with revolutionary product ideas
• How the Kickstarter ecosystem has changed over time
• Where the backers came from for each successful campaign
• The one thing that the team recommends first-time campaigners do
• How the team to put together an engaging video
• What you need to do to get people to pledge after they see your campaign
• How to write ad copy for your campaign
• How the PR arena has evolved and changed towards Kickstarter campaigns
• Facebook marketing advice

Get the links and resources mentioned: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2so

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How the team got so much early momentum on Kickstarter
• Where the backers and pledges came from
• Ways to rank better in the Kickstarter algorithm
• How they put together the Whisky Elements team
• The importance of deadlines for new ventures
• Tips for setting up a system to ship out your products
• Advice for dealing with campaign backers 
• Why the real work starts after your fundraiser ends
• How the team was able to attract the attention of Bacardi

Get the links and resources in this episode here: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2pE

You will learn: 

• How Mina made the initial prototype of her product
• Where the support came from for Mina’s project, the The Qlipter and The Qliplet.
• The breakdown of pledges vs. strangers for her campaign
• Tips to use crowdfunding to assess demand for your product
• The reason the backers pledge to a Kickstarter campaign
• Key differences between Kickstarter and Indiegogo
• Strategies to reach out to bloggers and journalists
• How to assemble a team around your venture
• A little known fact about how to connect with distribution channels 

Get the links and resources mentioned in this episode here: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2pt

In this podcast episode, you'll learn:

• The hidden benefits of launching a Kickstarter campaign
• Techniques for improving your project
• How crowdfunding has changed over time
• The hardest part of preparing for a crowdfunding campaign
• What Toby did to get featured by different media outlets 
• Where the pledges and backers came from
• Tips for maintaining momentum 
• What drove backers to pledge 
• Manufacturing and fulfillment advice

Get the links, notes, and resources for this episode here: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2pd

In this podcast episode, you'll learn: 

• How you can use RocketClub to get early adopters for your startup
• When you'll make money with your startup shares on RocketClub
• Some of the benefits of attracting early adopters
• What you have to do to get equity in a startup on their platform
• The mindset that you need in the early stages of a startup
• Advice for game developers learned during Erik’s previous successful company
• Erik’s take on the growing entrepreneurship culture
• The benefits of trying cool new products
• Why RocketClub did a campaign for their own website. 

Get the links and resources here: 

In this episode, you will learn:

• What Liam did to get the word out about his campaign 
• Free ways to advertise your project
• Why you should back other projects before launching
• Things that Liam learned from networking with other creators
• How much time you should take in preparation for your campaign
• Ways that Liam got backers for his campaign
• A smart technique to spread awareness in your local area
• The best way to get sales for your comic book
• Tips for other comic book creators

Get the mentioned links and resources here: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2oO

In this podcast episode, you’ll learn: 

• How you can use Regulation A+ to raise money for your startup
• Ways to determine if you’re a good candidate for Reg A+
• The difference between equity crowdfunding and VC or angel funding
• Costs that you will incur when doing a equity crowdfunding campaign
• Requirements for doing a Reg A+ offering
• How to find and secure investors for your offering
• What it will be like to deal with many different investors
• How Nate thinks investors will respond to equity crowdfunding
• The future of equity crowdfunding and trends that Nate is seeing

Get the show notes here: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2oz

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why Caleb failed at his first campaign, but succeeded with his second
• How this artist gathered his initial fanbase
• What you should expect if you’re raising money in the music category
• Activities Caleb did before launching his campaign
• A good way to think about reward tier pricing
• The different reasons that people give to a crowdfunding campaign
• How to rank better in the Kickstarter marketplace
• Ways that you can maximize your time during a Kickstarter
• The story revealing how Caleb was signed to a record label

Get the resources and linked mentioned: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2ns

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How to go from idea to prototype to a campaign launch
• Some of the objections that Bill overcame when raising money
• Where the pledges came from throughout the campaign
• What Bill did to get 90% of pledges from strangers
• How to get local press and blogs in your niche to write about you
• Finding a selling angle that will get people to pledge
• Should you raise money for one or multiple products in one project?
• How the campaign maintained momentum while on Kickstarter
• What Bill did to make ecommerce fulfillment easy.

Get the show notes: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2mL

In this episode, you will learn:

• What you need to do to launch a successful campaign.
• The most important aspect of crowdfunding.
• Things that you need to do before you launch.
• Misconceptions about running a crowdfunding campaign.
• Several techniques that Bill uses to develop relationships.
• The amount of time you need to prepare for a Kickstarter or Indiegogo project.
• How to introduce your project or product to a blogger.
• How the pitch video should be formatted.
• Ways My Crowd Rocks can help your crowdfunding campaign.

Get the show notes here: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2lU

I couldn't be more excited to bring you this podcast episode with Ron Miller, a serial entrepreneur and the CEO of the StartEngine equity crowdfunding platform.

Ron is a four time Inc. 500/5000 Award recipient and an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year Award Finalist!

I learned so much about equity crowdfunding and the regulatory landscape in this interview.

We also went behind the scenes of Elio Motor's wildly successful test the waters campaign and broke down exactly how they did it.

I was actually impressed by at how the team leveraged new mediums like YouTube and Vine to spread awareness about the campaign.

Hope you guys enjoy this episode and don't forget to rate it on iTunes!

In this episode you'll learn:

• What the equity crowdfunding landscape looks like
• The difference between rewards-based and equity crowdfunding
• What is Regulation A+ and why does it matter?
• Regulation A vs. Regulation A+
• The dynamics of a Tier II offering
• What's a "test the waters" campaign?
• How Elio Motors secured $35+ million in the test the waters period (reservations)
• Ways to connect with investors throughout an equity crowdfunding campaign
• How the team got 75 unique media hits
• The #1 key to success when launching a new campaign

Get the show notes here: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2jR

In this episode, you will learn:

• How the Litho Hammocks team raised $40,166 on Kickstarter from 574 backers.
• Why the team gathered so much momentum towards the end of the campaign.
• The step-by-step process used to create the initial prototype.
• A compelling story behind the reason the team started this company.
• Something that surprised the team when they started getting pledges.
• The most effective techniques the team used to exceed their fundraising goal.
• How to do cross-promotions with other campaigners.
• The team's approach to ranking better on Kickstarter.
• What Ltitho Hammocks would have done differently.

Get the show notes here: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2jv

 In this episode you will learn:

• How crowdfunding is progressing in the UK
• How this new analytics tool can help campaigners
• Tools that entrepreneurs can use to prepare for the launch of their campaign
• The UK's current regulatory environment
• Why Barry started The Crowdfunding Centre
• Rewards-based crowdfunding vs. equity crowdfunding
• What's needed for crowdfunding to go mainstream
• Ways entrepreneurs can connect with other entrepreneurs
• How to approach launching a new crowdfunding campaign

Get the links, notes, and resources in this episode here: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2i1

In this episode, you’ll learn

• How long it took to put together the project.
• Why the campaign hit it’s goal within the first three days.
• Ways to improve visibility within the Kickstarter community.
• The types of emails that the team used to get subscribers onto their project page.
• Whether or not blogs and news sites drove pledges to their project.
• How the product’s target market changed over time.
• The team’s approach to stretch goals.
• The pricing strategy for their crowdfunding campaign.
• Tips for finding a manufacturer and shipping out your rewards to backers.

Get the links, resources, and show notes here: http://wp.me/p2TAu9-2hI

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• How the team raised $10,219 from 137 backers.
• The team’s founding story and how the product started out.
• The template the team used when putting together the project’s page.
• What it feels like the first days on Kickstarter.
• The biggest traffic and pledge sources for the project.
• Things the team would have done differently.
• Which platforms the team bought ads on.
• The exact promotional techniques used (one stranger donated $1,000)!

You can access the article that accompanies this podcast here: http://www.crowdcrux.com/nonprofit-crowdfunding-tips/

You can access the article that accompanies this podcast here: http://www.crowdcrux.com/raisehope-shares-online-charity-fundraising-tips/

Get the accompanying article for this podcast here: http://www.crowdcrux.com/this-nonprofit-raised-over-80k-with-causevoxs-fundraising-platform/

Get the accompanying article for this podcast here: http://www.crowdcrux.com/tips-for-communicating-with-your-kickstarter-backers/

In this podcast episode, you will learn:

• How the team came up with the idea for the PIVOTtheWorld app.
• Going from the initial idea to the first prototype. 
• Where the support came from throughout the Kickstarter campaign. 
• Why Sami and Asma chose Kickstarter. 
• How they got 5,000+ views on their video. 
• Finding your target niche and implementing a PR strategy.

In this podcast episode, you’ll learn

• How the Life n Soul team came up with the idea for KiiTAG 2, a digital swiss army knife.
• The difference between Kickstarter and Indiegogo
• Where the backers came from throughout the campaign.
• What you need to include in a good pitch.
• The most popular reward tiers for KiiTAG 2 (which was surprising).
• How this company set up a manufacturing/shipping/support system.
• The reason the KiiTag 2 had a 60 day campaign, rather than 30 days.

In this episode, you will learn

• How to structure the launch of a crowdfunding campaign.
• Key aspects that make a campaign successful.
• The number one reason that campaigns don't hit their goal.
• Ways to use social media to your advantage.
• How I got into the crowdfunding industry.
• The different types of crowdfunding out there that you can use to raise money.

Show Notes

• Sponsor: Fulfillrite - Kickstarter and Crowdfunding reward fulfillment services.
• Get the show on iTunes.
• Free crowdfunding course (click here).
• Websites in our learning network: KickstarterForum, CrowdfundingForum, CrowdfundingPR (Free press release), PitchFuse (beta).
• My thesis on crowdfunding.
• The Luna crowdfunding campaign, which raised over $1 million on Indiegogo.
• SideKicks comic book campaign, which raised over $7,000 on Kickstarter.
• iNeed crowdfunding campaign, which raised over £200,000 through equity crowdfunding.
• The different types of crowdfunding.
• Buffer social media analytics and scheduling.

You will learn

• Mistakes to avoid when creating your video.
• How crowdfunding videos are different from video advertisements.
• The best way to structure the video for your crowdfunding campaign.
• Do you need a script or storyboard for your video before filming?
• How to make your project stand out from the crowd.
• Tips for conveying emotion and encouraging engagement with your video.

Show Notes

– Our free crowdfunding course (gain access here).

– Start Motion Media serves the Bay Area crowdfunding community since 2010 with video production and crowdfunding services.

– The Summer of Solutions Oakland Indiegogo campaign, which got the company interested in crowdfunding.

– Example project videos that the team has put together.

The jamstik+ team raised $813,803 on Kickstarter from 2,991 backers for their new smart guitar, which connects via Bluetooth LE to your iPad, iPhone, Mac so you can play guitar with any of the 100's of compatible MIDI apps available.

The project has received rave reviews from backers, and media publications like TechCrunch and Digital Media Academy.

In this episode of the CrowdCrux Crowdfunding Podcast, we'll talk about the team's approach to crowdfunding, how they've run two successful campaigns, and the best practices that they've discovered by running their campaigns.

In this podcast episode, you will learn

• Why the Jamstik team decided to go with Indiegogo for their first campaign and Kickstarter for their second.
• The importance of education marketing and handling questions about crowdfunding when running a campaign.
• How the team maintained momentum throughout the Kickstarter campaign and kept backers interested in the project.
• Conducting community outreach and building a community around your product.
• Whether or not ads were effective for the project and ways to improve organic sharing.
• Where the pledges came from throughout the campaign.
• The importance of lead generation leading up to the launch of the Kickstarter.
• How to rank well in the "Kickstarter discovery" section and get organic pledges.

The 3D Racers Indiegogo campaign is a great example of a crowdfunding campaign that, through thorough preparation and pre-launch marketing, raised a fair amount of capital and surpassed their $25,000 goal.

Get the show notes: crowdcrux.com/podcast

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why 3DRacers went with Indiegogo over Kickstarter.
• The reason 3DRacers launched a crowdfunding campaign.
• How the team decided to set their Indiegogo goal.
• Where backers came from throughout the project.
• How Marco and his team were able to get on so many online publications.
• The research and planning that went into the launch of the Indiegogo.
• How the Indiegogo InDemand program works.
• The evolution of new products from idea to prototype.
• How launching a crowdfunding campaign is different in Italy.

Get the show notes: crowdcrux.com/podcast

When I first met Alice at a networking event in New York City, I was blown away by the prototype of what is now a breakout Kickstarter success, SolarPuff, which has raised $363,508 thus far from more than 5,000 backers.

SolarPuff is "a little lantern with a HUGE impact." It functions as a foldable solar-powered lantern that can be used to by backpackers, hikers, boating enthusiasts, and even to illuminate homes and gardens.

The great thing about this lantern is that it can expend as much light as it takes in. That means if you charge it for 8 hours in the sun, it will light a 10 x 10 room for 8-12 hours.

Not only does the lantern function as a great item to decorate your home, it's also a great product for developing areas that may not have access to the traditional electrical grid.

"Globally there are at least 1.6 billion people without reliable access to electricity. This lack of access to efficient energy becomes even more apparent in rural areas of developing countries where most lighting is fueled by kerosene, which is not only toxic but extremely expensive, creating a vicious cycle of poverty."

In this podcast interview, we talk about the extensive preparation that went into the launch of this campaign and how Alice and her partner Stacy Kelly had a dream, bootstrapped their business, and brought an amazing product into the world.

Get the podcast notes here: crowdcrux.com/podcast

Josef Holm is a serial entrepreneur in the crowdfunding space. He is the co-founder of Tubestart.com, the co-owner of Crowdfunding.biz and is the Founder & CEO of the new site Krowdster.co.

He entered the crowdfunding industry about two and half years ago when he found out about Kickstarter and Indiegogo. He then began to research and start working on Tubestart.com, a crowdfunding platform for film and video creators. As an entrepreneur he likes to build products that help people achieve their goals.

In this podcast interview, we discuss how these products help creators run successful campaigns and his insights in the future dynamics of the crowdfunding industry.

Get the full notes at: crowdcrux.com/podcast

Podcast Show Notes

• Tubestart.com and Krowdster.co are focused on solving some of the problems of mainstream platforms like rewards fulfillment and coming up with interesting rewards.
• Brand integration (on TubeStart) is when the platform will connect project creators with brands to offer rewards that are sponsored by the brands.
• Josef is finding new ways to integrate rewards that help crowdfunders and make the whole process much easier so they don't have to run to post office everyday to ship out merchandise or spend a lot of money on fulfilling rewards. This way they have more time to actually promote  their campaign.
• The TubeStart platform has funded 16 campaigns with a total volume of about 130,000 in just a year and half.
• Krowdster.co is the first big database on crowdfunding and is a promotion and analytics tool that allows crowdfunders to connect with targeted audiences on Twitter and Facebook and other social networks to promote their campaign.
• Film and video is the second most active vertical in crowdfunding.
• Everyone who wants to crowdfund successfully must become an online marketing expert.
• The networking effects aren’t very strong on the mainstream platforms as there is a lot of competition on these platforms.
• Funding is one of the major issues that bests filmmakers and crowdfunding is filling the void.
• He is working with a couple of companies in LA to build a network that offers a 360 solution to creators.
• Come to Tubestart.com and get your film or video project funded. It will also connect you with the right producers and distribution channels. 90% of all movies don’t make it up to festival screenings.
• There are a lot of very smart and interesting people in this space. Check out Crowdfunding.biz to connect with some of them.
• Crowdfunding is not gonna go away. It's here to stay.

Get the show notes: crowdcrux.com/podcast

Luna is a cool new mattress cover that makes any bed smart. Using the product, you can "intelligently manage the temperature of your bed, track your sleep, and integrate with your smart home."

After being featured in numerous online publications like TheNextWeb, Forbes, TechCrunch, TheHuffingtonPost, and more, Luna went on to raise $1,114,482 on Indiegogo, with the original campaign having been funded to 1,104% of its goal on March 26, 2015.

Matteo Franceschetti, the cofounder and CEO of Luna was nice enough to sit down with CrowdCrux and have a chat about his experience using Indiegogo and what he's learned from the crowdfunding campaign. You can listen to our podcast interview below or on iTunes.

Show Notes

• Links: Indiegogo Campaign. Company Website.

• Matteo had problems with sleeping and was looking for a product to help him. He couldn’t find a product he liked, so he and his team developed their own.
• Your social life and business life is correlated to the quality of your sleep.
• Luna is a team of 10 people with 6 engineers and employees who assist with marketing and manufacturing.
• Crowdfunding is the best way to see if people like your project and to learn through the iterative process, especially if you are in the middle of a hardware startups’ journey.
• The team is using InDemand, which "lets you continue raising funds after your campaign ends."
• The Luna campaign hit the 100k goal in 5 hours and kept going strongly for 3 days and then hit a little bit of a plateau.
• You can’t rely only on organic traffic. You must always be actively marketing your campaign and sharing information about yourself.
• Indiegogo was helpful throughout the campaign. The Kickstarter community is larger than the Indiegogo community, but you can also run the Indiegogo campaign on your own website and you can learn more information about potential backers on your own website.
• Indiegogo accounted for about 25% of total sales.
• The project’s news got picked up in 75 countries all over the world and a lot of journalists and bloggers wrote about the campaign on their own. They had more than 250 articles about the product. They worked for the first 20-30 articles, but the rest came on their own.

• Matteo was surprised about the engagement and size of the community.
• The team used the Indiegogo referral program and they found that the first program (refer 5 friends to get a Luna for free) was less successful and less viral than the second, where if you refer a friend, you get $25 off and for each additional friend you refer, you get $10 off.
• The Luna team might launch other crowdfunding projects after fulfilling the rewards for this project. 

Russell Brettholtz is the creator of the Sidekicks comic book series, which follows the lives of five super-hero sidekicks as they get mistreated by their respective heroes and ignored by society.

After leaving his job, he was determined to finally embrace his dream goal and publish a comic book with high quality artwork and a compelling storyline.

Having successfully raised $7,647 from 343 backers for the first series of the comic book, Russell is now running a second campaign to help fund issues 2-4.

In this podcast interview, we discuss how he managed to be successful on Kickstarter and tips that he has learned the hard way and wants to pass on to other comic book creators.

Get the show notes here: crowdcrux.com/podcast/26

Podcast Show Notes

- Russell Brettholtz's two comic book Kickstarter campaigns:

Sidekicks: Sidekicks follows the lives of five super-hero sidekicks as they get mistreated by their respective heroes and ignored by society.

Sidekicks - 4 Issue Mini-Series: Sidekicks follows the lives of five super-hero sidekicks as they get mistreated by their respective heroes and ignored by society.

- The Sidekicks Facebook page and Twitter page.

- Russell was inspired to do a Kickstarter and launch his comic book after being let go from a previous job. The money raised for the first campaign was used to "complete the artwork for Issue #1, print, ship and successfully deliver all of the backer rewards."

- Russell updated threads on various forums for his comic book, sharing updates and comic book renderings (posting at least once a week for over a year) including ComicBookResources, Digital Webbing, and CXPulp.com.

- It's important to have a sounding board for your idea and the accompanying implementation stages. Getting feedback on your project's artwork, storyline, and even characters can improve the chance that other people will fall in love with your project.

- "If it's not going to look good, don't do it at all."

- When the campaign is running, there is a an addictive component to checking your phone for new backers. A lot of backers will come in during the beginning and the end. It's important to find ways to engage potential backers in the middle.

- If you run into any unexpected delays, be sure to keep your backers updated. Otherwise, you might risk getting angry emails or comments.

- "In sales, they say always be selling. In crowdfunding, it should be always be communicating."

- It's important to manage your expectations before you launch a Kickstarter campaign. Be sure to check the statistics and success rates in your individual category.

- Don't be afraid to reach out to media publications regarding your project. Russell found that more people than he initially thought were willing to help out in some way with the promotion of the project.

- You must have a prototype or initial sample to show backers and get them interested in your project.

In this episode of the CrowdCrux Crowdfunding Podcast, I interviewed Rose Spinelli, who is a crowdfunding consultant and the founder of The Crowdfundamentals. She also runs the “Rose Recommends” advice column on Crowdsourcing.org.

Entering the crowdfunding industry at the same time I did, Rose brings a unique perspective to the table. We discuss how the industry has evolved, best practices for campaigns, and how she helps creators run successful campaigns. 

Show Notes (Get them online here).

- Rose helps creators at all stages of their campaign, but can have the most impact in the planning stages.

– Rose does not manage campaigns or manage PR for a campaign.

– Rose is a journalist and has a fundraising background, which ended up feeding into the needs of a crowdfunding campaign.

– Rose mainly works with nonprofits, campaigns that have some kind of a social impact, and entrepreneurship-related projects.

– Crowdfunding is an online tool. If you don’t have a strong presence on social media, you’re going to have a harder time. People like to play catchup and do a lot of broadcasting, but it’s a less-effective way to go about marketing.

– People need to learn how to engage and tell their story. You must produce quality content to survive in a social media-driven world.

– Pretend that you are at a cocktail party, but it’s online. You must use your personality, be curious about others, and be generous to network effectively.

– You must learn how to communicate your value. Avoid technospeak. Avoid hyping it up too much. Be transparent.

– Robin Roberts: “Make your mess your message,” a quote from Everybody’s Got Something. It’s important to humanize yourself.

– ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

– Potato Salad Kickstarter Campaign

– Nonprofits are still adopting modern fundraising techniques.

– Positive emotions trump negative emotions on social media.

– It’s important to do your research if you’re going to use any consultants or service providers in the crowdfunding industry.

– Rose recommends a ramp-up period of 3-6 months. It depends on how established they are online.

In this episode, we talk about some of the rapidly funded Kickstarter projects in early April. You can find a list of the projects here: crowdcrux.com/6-rapidly-funded-kickstarter-projects-to-start-off-april/

Show Notes

Get the show notes at CrowdCrux.com/podcast/23

Kickstarter campaign link for 36 Letters: Click here.

Kicktraq Statistics Link: Click here.

Amount Raised: $11,590 from a pledged of $10,630 goal.

Campaign Duration: 25 days

Number of Backers: 102.

Avg. Pledge per Backer: $114

36Letters Company Website: Click here.

Books/Authored mentioned: 

- 48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller

- Chris Guillebeau - The Art of Non-Conformity (website link).

Notes:

- Local shopping from local creators or craft hobbyists is a growing movement that creators can capitalize on when launching a campaign.

- Nathaniel decided to go with Kickstarter because he found the user interface easier and more intuitive.

- Before launching the campaign, it's important to "prime the pump" and put hours in before you launch to gather a bit of a fan base.

- The pledges in the first week mainly came from Nathaniel's social network and their social network.

- The feedback has been incredibly since launching the project, both on Nathaniel's new initiative and his artwork. He believes it was his compelling and genuine story that motivated people to back him.

- Nathaniel is big on deadlines and made sure to be realistic. He also scheduled a launch party for when the project ended. He found that having a tight deadline is better than having a long and drawn-out deadline.

- The marketing aspect of a campaign will continue to bear fruit into the reward-fulfillment phase because new people will come across or see your artwork/product and ask where they can get one.

- Looking back, Nathaniel would give more thought to the best way to market the campaign to complete strangers.

What city do you want Nathaniel to come to next?

Let us know in a comment below! You can check out his artwork here.

In 2014, David G. Forés and Play Attitude launched their first Kickstarter campaign for an Edgar Allan Poe illustrated anthology entitled "Ravings of love & death." Despite setting an initial $58,000 goal, the team managed to blow past that and raise $87,530 for the campaign over the course of 29 days.

What started as a modest dream in David's imagination two years prior turned into staggering crowdfunding success story, attracting backers from all over the world. After the buzz settled down and the last few orders had been shipped out, the team behind the project turned their gaze to the next potential Kickstarter launch.

Having conducted one successful project, David and Play Attitude were familiar with the process of launching a campaign and what it took to fulfill rewards in a timely manner. They also were now aware of the power of crowdfunding and how it can enable a local Spanish artist to reach art enthusiasts and graphic novel lovers all over the globe.

Armed with these bits of knowledge and healthy dosing of experience, the team launched their second Kickstarter campaign for Forgotten Colors, a limited edition art book for all ages. Remarkably, this project hit it's funding goal even sooner than the previous and ended up raising $44,604 out of a $19,000 goal.

In this episode of the CrowdCrux Crowdfunding Podcast, we talked with Naiara, who is one member of the team behind these two wildly successful projects to learn what makes them tick and how they were able to gather a community on the crowdfunding platform.

 Show Notes

- Ravings of Love & Death campaign Kicktraq Statistics can be found here.

- The team researched similar projects to gear up for the first Kickstarter campaign. Since they've been working in the publishing field for 4 or 5 years now, they have experience on the fulfillment aspect. They have worked for clients in the past and are now doing illustrated books.

- The artwork for David G. Forés is showcased on Instagram, tumblr, facebook, pinterest, and more. It's clear that building up a community is important before launching a project.

- The team worked a lot in the first two weeks explaining the project and the new initiative. Towards the end of the campaign, some backers that already pledged actually increased their pledge to a higher reward tier.

- You must be aware of what kind of feedback you are getting for backers. Although you need a plan, that plan should be very flexible.

- After the campaign finished, people were still asking where they could order books. There is a big post-Kickstarter effect to launching a successful project. Lastly, David became more well-known.

- You can check out the post-campaign website at PoeKickstarter.com.

- The Forgotten Colors campaign Kicktraq statistics can be found here.

- The first campaign required a lot of research. In the second campaign, the team drew from their previous experience to be successful. The main difference in this project was that people are not as aware of the main character in the second campaign, compared to Edgar Allen Poe.

- The team took advantage of the marketing potential of the thumbnail on their video in the second campaign more-so than others. They also introduced members of the team.

- It's important to understand the "target market" with regards to your project. Are there more horror lovers and lovers of a family book? These are questions to ask yourself and are a good way to set realistic expectations for the project.

- The team has a different strategy for each social network and had a different way to engage the users on each network. Don't forget to explain what Kickstarter is and how it works!

- You can check out the post-campaign website at kickstarter.forgottencolors.org.

Greenbelly is a healthy meal on the go that provides 1/3 of your daily nutrition. It serves as a great supplementary or replacement meal for travelers, athletes, cyclists, adventurers, and executives. They've raised over $17,000 on Kickstarter from 250+ backers. We conducted an interview with Chris Gage, the creator of the project. You can access the show notes at crowdcrux.com/podcast/21

Show Notes

- Chris sought out a food scientist from NYC who is also a trained chef to help improve the quality of the product's nutritional and to enhance the flavoring. 

- There was a lot of planning that went into the Greenbelly food campaign and the strategy was to get as much energy going in the first few days to build up some buzz. 

- Kickstarter made sense because it didn't require the company to acquire debt, sacrifice ownership, or bring on investors. It was similar to launching a product online in a marketplace where there is a great opportunity to get PR and get eyeballs on the new initiative. 

- The PR outreach came down to contacting bloggers and publications through cold emailing and developing relevant media lists. 

- There is a growing trend in consumer awareness about the products they are purchasing and it's important to have a fundamentally good product and not one that just looks good. 

- The video and the story stood out so well because it had an element of personality and was something that other people could resonate with (also check out the Esington Glass podcast for a great personal video). 

- It's important to heavily research shipping/reward fulfillment to make sure that your backers will get the items they pledged for. 

- Chris has been using Shopify thus far to manage orders and set up the online shop for GreenBelly. He also recommends GoShippo app.

- Looking back, it's a good idea to think about the middle of the campaign ahead of time with regards to stretch goals and post-launch marketing. 

In this episode, we talk with Simon Grice, the founder of iNeed, who has used equity crowdfunding through CrowdCube and Seedrs to help finance their startup company. Get the show notes here: crowdcrux.com/podcast/20

In this episode, we talk about equity crowdfunding with one of the emerging players in the UK, Syndicate Room. You will learn how this method of funding differs from angel investing and how to use it for your startup or established business. 

In this episode, we're going to be highlighting a few rapidly funded Kicsktarter projects in the past week. These crowdfunding successes should serve as inspiration and projects to learn from, particular if you are thinking of launching a tabletop or technology campaign. Notes: crowdcrux.com/podcast/18

In this episode, we discuss some PR mistakes to avoid when doing outreach for your Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or other type of crowdfunding campaign. You can get the show notes at crowdcrux.com/podcast/17

JookBox raised over $50,000 from the crowdfunding platorms Indiegogo and Kickstarter for their new WiFi Speakers. They explain how they did it in this episode. You can get the show notes at crowdcrux.com/podcast/16 or reach out on twitter @sbriggman.

In this episode, the Vincero Collective explains how they were able to launch two successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaigns for luxury watches. They also detail their choice to launch an in-house crowdfunding platform. Get show notes at: http://www.crowdcrux.com/podcast/15

These recent college grads share their story raising $80k+ on Kickstarter for the Most Affordable Desktop CNC Router, which helps engineers and hobbyists make prototype. Get the show notes at crowdcrux.com/podcast/14

The Esington Glass Kickstarter campaign raised $196k on Kickstarter in 30 days from over 2,000 backers. In this podcast episode, Rudy explains how he managed to gain the support of the crowdfunding community.

In this episode of the CrowdCrux Crowdfunding Podcast, Jared Green, who helped manage the Budstraps Kickstarter campaign talks about how project was able to raise over $16k in 32 days. 

This information is invaluable if you are thinking of launching a design or technology crowdfunding project. It covers marketing, PR, social media, and calculating fulfillment costs for his campaign. For a full transcript and show notes, see the accompanying CrowdCrux.com post. 

In this episode, I talk with the creator of the V-Commandos Kickstarter project, which raised $86k in 30 days from 663 backers. We discuss the preparation that went into the crowdfunding campaign, Thibaud's experience with Kickstarter, and finally go over some tips that you can implement if you are planning on raising money for a new tabletop game. 

In this episode, Pubslush, a crowdfunding platform for publishers and authors, shares their top tips for raising money online for a book project. 

In this episode, we're going to be talking about some of the differences and similarities between Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and GoFundMe. We'll also outline some points to consider when picking the best crowdfunding platform for your fundraiser. 

In this episode, Lawrence, the general counsel of Realty Mogul, explains what real estate crowdfunding is and how you can take advantage of this new financial tool. We cover everything investors and sponsors need to know to set up an investment opportunity online.