Let’s talk about the Kickstarter funding curve.
Generally, the three most talked-about elements of the funding curve are:
- The initial funding dump
- Mid-campaign plateau
- Final days spike
But I’m going to let you in on a little secret:
You can manipulate the Kickstarter funding curve to your advantage.
That’s right. And this article is going to show you how to do it.
You’ll come away with an understanding as to what it takes to build a funding strategy that not only meets your goal — but smashes it.
Let’s dive right in.
Initial Funding Dump
One of the biggest mistakes we see at CrowdCrux from creators is that they take the initial funding dump to be a “gimme” — as if funding is going to just fall out of the sky because they launched their campaign.
Don’t fall into this trap.
Ideally, you’d like to raise at least one-third of your funding goal within the first week of your campaign. With our clients, we usually try to shoot higher — around 50%.
But why is this initial funding dump so important, anyway? Your campaign duration is 30-60 days, after all, so why would you need half of your goal in the first week?
When strangers browse Kickstarter campaigns, they want to see proof that the product is on track to being successful before they back.
And this makes sense. There’s no reason for a backer to support a campaign that they don’t believe has a chance of getting funding.
But when they arrive at a project that already has 50% of their goal in the first week, you’ll already have their attention in a big way.
Equally important, a big funding dump hacks the Kickstarter algorithm.
That means that your project has a good chance to start trending on the platform, which leads to key additional exposure through mediums such as:
- The Kickstarter Trending Page
- The Kickstarter Newsletter
- The Kickstarter ‘Projects We Love’ Page
So how do you get this all-important funding dump?
To put it simply: marketing. And more specifically: through a dedicated pre-launch strategy.
This means that you can’t wait until you launch your campaign to go after that initial spike; you have to build a crowd in advance.
Your pre-launch strategy should start a month (or more) before your campaign and include steps such as:
- Use of social platforms to create hype, build interest, and start the conversation.
- Running targeted ads on platforms like Facebook (an awesome agency can really help with that). These ads should funnel leads to…
- A landing page. The easiest way to build a beautiful, effective landing page is through Lead Pages. To learn more about this process, make sure to visit this article.
- Once you’ve got them to your Lead Page, there should be a large button where people can opt-in to your email list. This is usually done through an early-bird offering discount of 30% – 40% to incentivize opt-in. Always remember: your email list is king. To learn more about this vital portion of your pre-launch, check out this article.
Now that you’ve got your email list and built a social media presence to get people talking, you can blast out emails and social posts in the days immediately leading up to your campaign to get people chomping at the bit to back your product.
By the time you hit ‘Go Live,’ there will already be a dedicated crowd waiting to give you that initial funding dump!
Mid-Campaign Plateau
Ah, the dreaded Kickstarter drought — every creator fears it, but not enough of those creators actually address it.
While you can expect a drop off after the first week, it doesn’t mean that you should settle.
There are still many things you can do to keep the momentum rolling, including:
- Press Outreach: Contact blogs and publications in your niche with all the social proof from your initial funding dump. Reporters are looking to talk about things that people are excited about — position your project as something that deserves hype!
- Influencers: Reach out to influencers in your industry and ask them to promote your product. When a trusted voice directs people to your campaign, you don’t even have to warm them up yourself.
- Send Frequent Updates: On the Kickstarter platform, through your email list, and on social media. Take a personalized approach by making people feel like their backing is important to the success of the campaign and always show appreciation for those who have already backed (they’ll feel good about it and tell their friends!)
Do these things and you’ll keep getting backers, especially the ones that are on the fence!
Final Days Spike
The final days of your Kickstarter campaign can tend to be the most intense.
Hopefully, you’ve already reached your funding goal and you won’t have to be too dependent on the final days spike.
Because here’s the deal: while some campaigns show a significant spike (like Coolest Cooler which raised $3 million in the last week) — most do not.
That’s right — the final spike is pretty much a myth, though I hate to break it to you. So don’t count on raising a big chunk of your goal in the home stretch.
With that being said, there are things you can do to increase your chances of a spike.
Think of it like a toothpaste tube. Before you throw it out, you want to get every last drop to the surface. And that means pushing.
Send out emails that create urgency. Personally reach out to people on your email list who haven’t backed yet and let them know how much their support would mean to you. Communicate through every channel that this is their last chance to get in on the action.
People don’t want to feel like they’re missing out. Cultivate that anxiety in them through your marketing. If they don’t act today — they’ll miss their chance to be a part of the revolution!
Key Conclusions
When it comes to dealing with the Kickstarter funding curve, it’s all about taking a proactive approach so that it works to your fullest advantage.
As you can probably tell, launching a Kickstarter campaign is a lot of work.
You don’t have to do it all yourself. Here at CrowdCrux, we’ve helped hundreds of campaigns smash their funding goal — with our speciality being pre-launch.
If you’d like our expert help in building a crowd, book a coaching call with our founder Salvador Briggman.
Not quite ready to commit to coaching just yet?
No problem. CrowdCrux is all about providing the resources you need to be successful. Check some of these out:
- Subscribe to the email newsletter and Youtube Channel for all the best insider tips, tricks, and secrets.
- Check out the podcast and this book for interviews with wildly successful creators who have run six-figure campaigns.
- For the most in-depth information available anywhere find The Kickstarter Launch Formula — through this book or this course.
We hope that this article has been helpful for you and that you’ll take us up on these additional resources!
Good luck with the launch of your campaign. CrowdCrux is standing by to take your project to the next level!
