How to Become a Kickstarter “Project We Love”

What are the benefits of being a Staff Pick?

One major benefit is that you will show up in the ‘magic’ algorithm which functions as the Kickstarter advanced discovery default. “The default sort of our Advanced Discover tool, “magic,” displays a rotating cross section of compelling projects on Kickstarter by surfacing a mixture of Staff Picked and Popular projects from each of our 15 categories.”

Another is the potential to be included in the Kickstarter newsletter that highlights projects the team has backed or supported: “Our weekly newsletter featuring projects we think are creative, inspiring, and fun.”

There is also the chance that you will be included in the less-well-known Happening Kickstarter Newsletter: “Our twice weekly newsletter featuring arts and culture from the Kickstarter universe and beyond.”

Finally, being a staff pick makes it easier to break down that initial skeptical barrier everyone faces when trying to pitch a project, idea, or product to strangers online. It’s hard to stand out from the crowd and convince potential backers that not only are you serious about the project, but that you also have the capability to pull it off. The badge helps back up your efforts, as well as makes your project more compelling when you are reaching out to journalists or online communities.

How do you become a Staff Pick?

1. You can email stories@kickstarter.com and share your story. Kickstarter itself recommends this course of action.

“If there’s a project you think is exceptional, and think we should highlight for the rest of the Kickstarter community, just let us know in the comments, or email stories@kickstarter.com.” – Source.

It also promotes the email in the Happening Newsletter: “Have a story, a photo, or a video about a project you want to share with us? We’d love to see it! Share them with us here: stories@kickstarter.com”

Finally, it recommends this course of action via their twitter account. “Recently featured in your local press? We want to see! Email us at stories@kickstarter.com” – Source. 

Recommendation: DO NOT just email them sharing the link to your page or pitching your project in a long 1,000 word email or a short 10 word email. I’d recommend sharing a blog or news article that has been written about your campaign, or if you’ve had a reddit post go viral, share that! You can also encourage your backers to share your story with them and have your backers explain why they love your campaign. For more general pitching tips, click here.

2. You can tweet to @kickstarter or share your story on their Facebook page.

Kickstarter has community and social media managers for the Facebook and Twitter pages. While not confirmed, if they see a particular story or project blowing up, they are likely to make a note of it for a possible Projects We Love mention. Remember, Kickstarter is in the business of highlighting remarkable projects that are gaining traction. This is literally how they generate revenue (5% commission). You can bet if a project is getting lots of shares or seems cool, they are more likely to highlight it.

3. Get on their Google Alerts

Google Alerts are a simple way to monitor the web for new content. I use them to stay up to date on the crowdfunding industry. Companies use google alerts to collect news, articles, and popular content regarding keywords like “kickstarter” or “kickstarter campaign” that pops up over a particular duration (day, week, etc).

For you, they are just one other avenue to get on Kickstarter’s radar. The best way to get into google alerts is to find a website that is consistently being included in google alerts and google news. You should then do journalist outreach and pitch them your story using these principles. Some press release sites will also get you into google news/alerts.

4. Project Dynamics.

Kickstarter will naturally pay attention to projects that are taking off, becoming more popular, and have lots of engagement from backers with their updates. Simply having a good project that quickly attracts funding dollars, social media shares, and comments in the first few days will increase the chance of being considered as a Staff Pick.

Getting that initial funding dump is done through a dedicated pre-launch strategy — the most important part of any campaign. Learn more about that here.

5. Play to the Company’s Values

All companies are founded on a certain set of values. These are the values that they use when making business decisions and they are usually highly related to the organization’s overall mission or the impact they want to have in the world.

Kickstarter is very unique in that they’ve vowed they never want to “sell out.” They want to remain a private company forever. In an interview with FastCompany, cofounder Perry Chen says, “This is a founder-controlled company… Our investors understand that we want to stay independent forever. We have no intention of selling this company or doing an IPO.”

I believe that you will have a much better chance of standing out to the staff and becoming a staff pick if you keep their values in mind when you are making your pitch. Check out the Kickstarter about page. Read through interviews of the founding team. Watch a few videos on their youtube channel. How does your project embody the values the company was founded on? How does it push the envelop and why is it unique? Include that in your pitch.

Key Conclusions

We hope that this article was helpful for you as you set out to become featured on Kickstarter’s “Projects We Love Page.”

Here at CrowdCrux, we’re all about giving you the education and resources you need to pull off a wildly successful crowdfunding venture. Check out some of our resources:

• Subscribe to the CrowdCrux email newsletter for weekly insights directly to your inbox.
• Visit our Youtube Channel for all the best insider tips, tricks, and secrets. 
• Check out the Crowdfunding Demystified Podcast and this book for interviews with wildly successful creators who have run six-figure campaigns.
• The Kickstarter Launch Formula book and/or course that gives A to Z processes for launching your campaign.

Good luck with your Kickstarter campaign! And remember, CrowdCrux is here to help if you need us.