Lessons learned in the middle of a Kickstarter Campaign
[This article was written by jazz pianist and CD Baby artist George Kahn.]
Perhaps you have thought about using Kickstarter to finance your next (or first) album. I have released seven albums on CD Baby, and now my new group, The Jazz & Blues Revue, is using Kickstarter as a platform to bring our album to physical reality. We are seven days into our forty-day campaign, and I wanted to share with you some of the lessons I have learned and am learning as the process unfolds. Here are nine tips that will help you have success.
1. Do your research
I spent about six months looking at and pledging money to various Kickstarter campaigns to see how they work. Which ones were successful? Which ones failed, and why? What was a typical financial goal for a music album project? Kickstarter says that the average pledge amount per person is about $75, so do you have enough fans to help you hit the goal you set? What makes an attractive video (attractive enough for me to get involved with a total stranger)?
I highly recommend pledging to one or two projects, not only to see the process that your fans will go through, but also to see how the people you back keep in touch with you during their campaign.
2. Put thought into every aspect of the Kickstarter page
Your Kickstarter page is going to be the main sales tool to get people to back your project, so every aspect of the page must be designed for maximum effect. You have somewhere between 30 seconds and 2 minutes to hook a person into backing your dream. The cover photo has to be strong and attractive. I embedded a music sample into the page, so people …read more
Source: The DIY Musician
