Are you an author, musician, filmmaker, visual artist, photographer, dancer, or other creative-type looking to raise funds for a project on Kickstarter?
If so — congrats! Kickstarter is one of the most powerful tools out there for creators like you to bring passion projects to life, as artists have raised hundreds of millions on the platform over the years.
One of the most important elements of any campaign is the structuring of reward tiers that convert. Killer rewards can help you to:
- Attract strangers to your campaign
- Upsell potential packages for a larger pledge
- Make connections with your biggest fans
In this article, we’re giving you 11 Kickstarter reward ideas guaranteed to rile up the crowd. Keep in mind that you’ll likely have a core product as your primary reward (think music album, book, or film), and these suggestions are designed to help you enhance that core reward to make more money.
Ready to rock?
Let’s roll!
Merchandise
Everybody loves extra merch. Take some time to think about what your backers would enjoy, whether that be a t-shirt, hat, poster, or something similar.
Personally, I love the idea of a merchandise reward. Why? Because not only is it a great way to upsell your backers, but it’s also free marketing!
When someone wears a t-shirt representing your band, per se, people are prone to ask about it and check you out. It’s a win-win!
Signed / Autographed Editions
In the digital age, sometimes it’s easy to forget about this classic past-time of American (and global) culture.
I’ve seen many campaigns have successful reward tiers centered around signed copies of their product, whether that be a painting, a book, or an album cover.
This reward is great because it’s super easy to pull off, just scribble that signature, leave a personal note if you feel so inclined, and send it out!
Multiples
What’s better than one copy of your piece of art?
Two copies, of course!
This is a class Kickstarter technique, regardless of category. Some of your backers might want multiple copies for themselves, or one to give as a gift to someone else. Give them that opportunity!
Let’s say your product is $50 on Kickstarter. Offer two of them for $90, incentivizing people with a mini bulk discount, if you will.
Early Access to Future Content
One of the most attractive things about the Kickstarter platform is you can use it to build momentum far beyond the duration of your campaign.
As a reward, you could keep your backers anticipating more by offering early access to future projects you create.
Or maybe, you offer them a free month to a Patreon subscription.
I love this reward because not only does it make you more money now, but it also keeps your fans engaged with what you’re producing down the road!
Insider Access
This is another classic reward for artists on Kickstarter — giving backers the opportunity to go behind the scenes of your creative process.
Backers on Kickstarter are addicted to ideation and creation, not just the final product.
Offer initial drafts, behind-the-scenes footage, early sketches, or whatever is relevant to your project!
This takes a little bit of advanced planning. You’ll have to hold onto materials that aren’t finalized, and keep them organized for streamlined delivery to backers.
In my opinion, this is an indispensable reward tier for artists — I see most successful artist campaigns using this insider technique. Make sure to include it in your project, if you can!
Exclusive Content
What can you offer your backers that they can’t get anywhere else?
This is a great incentive for people to take action in supporting your Kickstarter campaign. If they feel like they’re going to miss out on something by not backing now, they are much more likely to convert.
Think deleted scenes, extra chapters, alternate endings, supplemental prints; whatever it might be.
Make sure that you’re true to your word about the content being truly exclusive. It’s a bad look to make people pay more for something and then release it to the public down the road. You want your backers to feel like they’ve got something that no one else can have!
Meeting With the Creator
For your biggest fans, some facetime with you is going to mean a lot to them, and you’d probably be surprised how much they’re willing to pay for it.
You don’t have to over-extend yourself here. It can be as simple as a 30 minute zoom call. Or if you’re in their town, you could meet for a cup of coffee. The more intimate and time-consuming the experience, the more you can charge for the reward tier.
Hopefully, this reward tier will be just as fun for you as it is the backer. Bring your personality, get to know them, and at the end of your call or meeting, encourage them to spread the word!
Naming Rights
Let a backer name a character in your graphic novel.
Or name a song on your album.
Or provide a line of dialogue or your book.
When you give backers the opportunity to actually participate in your project, they tend to get really excited. Everyone wants to feel like they’re a part of something.
You’re giving up some creative freedom here, but only a fractional amount. And if it means another several hundred dollars being pumped into your campaign, it’s likely to be well worth it.
Artist Coaching
Imagine if you had the opportunity for an hour’s worth of coaching with the artist you admire most. You’d probably get a ton out of that, right?
And believe it or not, people feel the same way about you. Offer to look over a chapter of someone’s novel and give them notes. Help someone to choreograph a section of a dance number. Give a guitar lesson.
Usually, this can all be performed remotely. This will be super rewarding for you, make your backers feel special, and of course, pump more money towards smashing that funding goal!
Social Media Shout-out
We all want to be famous, right?
Haha — maybe that’s not true. But lots of people do. This reward idea gives you the opportunity to utilize your platform to monetize! So you may as well take advantage.
I also like this reward tier because it creates yet more hype around your campaign. Someone scrolling along will notice that you’re shouting people out for supporting a project you’re doing, and they might just check it out.
Combine For a Mega-Tier
Let’s say you settle on five rewards:
- T-shirt
- Signed Edition
- Artist Coaching
- Naming Rights
- Multiples
Have them all separated in an al-a-carte kind of experience (along with your core product, of course).
And then, combine them all into a mega-tier that gives a backer everything you’re offering. Call it Deluxe or Hero or Royal Package. Even if you only get a couple of backers at this tier, it should be the most expensive, and could serve as a big boost to your campaign!
Conclusions – Kickstarter is Bigger Than Rewards
Here’s the deal — rewards can go a long way in catapulting your Kickstarter project to success. But running a campaign takes more than just building a desirable offering. A lot more.
There’s marketing, pre-launch, order fulfillment, and much more.
Just as you should research other campaigns to come up with reward ideas, make sure you’re doing all the research necessary to prepare for a successful launch. This takes a lot of time and effort — you don’t want to get caught unprepared.
Here at CrowdCrux, we have some great crowdfunding educational resources for you:
- Book: Artists Guide to Crowdfunding Domination
- Founder Salvador Briggman’s Youtube Channel
- The Crowdfunding Demystified Podcast
- The CrowdCrux blog (you’re here right now!)
- The CrowdCrux weekly newsletter
Looking for more comprehensive support?
Here at CrowdCrux, we love working with artists like you. Join our thriving Mastermind Community for personalized guidance, connections with other creators, free downloads, and much more!
It’s the proven way to have success with your campaign. We hope you’ll join us!
Cheers to your Kickstarter journey to come. We’re rooting for you, and remember to call upon CrowdCrux for help if you need us!
