On March 23 2015, Pangea Designs launched a Kickstarter campaign for their new product PiCO, a titanium micro bottle opener. PiCO is made in the USA and is the smallest bottle opener around. Despite the fact that this is Pangea Designs’ third successful Kickstarter campaign (the first two were the Enigma Key Hook and The Pickpocket), this tiny bottle opener has far surpassed what was raised by the other two projects!
Pangea Designs reached their $3,000 goal in two days and with just over a week to go the campaign has raised over $95K from more than 4,500 backers. The project has been featured as a Kickstarter Staff Pick and reached three of five stretch goals listed on the page so far. I recently had the chance to interview PiCO’s creator, Michael Dickson, to get his tips about how to succeed on Kickstarter:
1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your project?
My name is Michael Dickson, and I’ve been a product designer for 10 years. Pangea Designs has been my first venture into designing and producing my own products, as opposed to designing for clients. The Pickpocket was our first product, also funded via Kickstarter, and was a minimalist keychain pocketclip/bottle opener. The PiCO’s micro-sized design takes minimalism in a bottle opener to a whole new level, and was inspired by both a desire to reduce a bottle opener to its bare essentials while retaining an elegant aesthetic, as well as re-utilize scrap material left from other Pangea Designs projects.
2. This is your third successful Kickstarter campaign. What are some important lessons you have learned about crowdfunding from your experiences?
I’ve learned a lot about how to be a good project creator, by backing other projects. I get to see how the projects tend to move along, what kind of challenges the creators tend to run into and how they are addressed. This way, as a project creator, you are able to treat your backers as you yourself would like to be treated. Hiccups are bound to occur with any new product being released. It’s how these hiccups are overcome that determines the level of satisfaction backers have with your project in the long run.
3. You far surpassed your $3K goal, raising more than $95K from over 4,500 backers. Do you have any suggestions for drawing attention to your campaign?
I wish I had a better answer, or some magic trick for getting the word out, but a lot of it seems to come down to having a project that people WANT to talk about. I’ve done nearly the exact same ‘marketing’ of two separate projects, and had vastly different results getting websites and other media sources to share my project. Social Media is a great way to spread the word, but hardly compares to when a well-known blog or website features your project.
4. What are some of the steps you take to prepare for a Kickstarter campaign launch?
I try to do all my homework in advance, so I can devote as much of my attention to the Kickstarter Project itself while it is live. I compile lists of all the blogs and websites I’d like to send hi-res images to (and have these images ready to go, of course), have a handful of short ‘elevator speeches’ prepared for when I tell people about the project (both online and in person). And most importantly of course, know exactly how you plan to produce the product and meet backer expectations. Going into a Kickstarter with a half-cocked production plan is asking for disaster…
5. Have you used any tools or resources to help you manage your projects?
I’m currently looking into using Backerkit for the PiCO, in hopes of streamlining the order fulfillment process. Previously, I’d managed the Pickpocket project ‘manually’ using Kickstarter’s integrated backer reports and surveys, along with postage software that could import backer’s addresses from spreadsheets, and it went smoothly enough.
6. Do you have any final advice for other product designers or creators in general?
Producing a new product can be very daunting for an entrepreneur, costing tens of thousands of dollars or more to produce even the simplest of products. Kickstarter provides an excellent way to ‘test the waters’ before investing much of your own capital into an idea. Listen to your backers, and don’t be afraid to let a product ‘evolve’ based on their feedback. This is the most exciting time, when something transforms from an idea, and into a tangible product. Be proud of what you have created!
Conclusion
Michael Dickson and Pangea Designs show us that simplicity is still appreciated on Kickstarter. This minimalist bottle opener caught people’s attention. Dickson pointed out the importance of preparing as much as you can before a campaign so you can focus more on other things once it starts, like providing backers with honest and attentive service. Things that creators should at least start to plan before launching on Kickstarter include things like social media, outreach to bloggers and other publications, manufacturing, and order fulfillment.
If you’re preparing to launch a Kickstarter project check out this Campaign Checklist on CrowdCrux for more useful tips or enroll in our free e-course!
