How to win at Kickstarter

Niko Klanšek

Heather Corcoran

Kickstarter’s mission is to

help bring creative projects to

life.

pledged to design &

tech projects

294

846

1,531

2,416

3,618

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Successful D&T Projects

Design &

Tech

mission

statement

Design and Technology on

Kickstarter is about

involving backers in the

creation of new products,

spaces and experiences,

in authentic ways that

reveal compelling details

about how things are

made.

How to win at Kickstarter

What does ‘winning’ mean to

you?

Caption Text Caption Text Caption Text Caption Text Caption Text Caption Text Caption Text Caption Text Caption Text Caption Text

Single-Batch

Production

NeoLucida

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Small

Sustainable

Business

Makey Makey

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Venture-Backed

Business

Spark.io (Particle)

Be intentional

Know the purpose of your

campaign

Make sure

your funding

target

supports

intentions

Fund engineers and development

costs

Build community of early

adopters

Launch product and validate a

market

Be intentional

Target a specific scale of

production

Bigger is

not always

better

What level of production have

you planned for?

What size community can you

manage?

What is the cost of acquisition

you can support?

How to win at Kickstarter

Telling your product story

Before you

start, the

basics:

• Distill your product's top 1-3

core features.

• Consider scenarios that

communicate those features in

user experience.

• Define the value proposition -

through title & subtitle, and

main project image.

Prototypes Matter

Realistic Lifestyle Demos

User Experience Matters

• Body copy

• Body copy

• Body copy

• Body copy

• Body copy

Category title

on Kickstarter

How to win at Kickstarter

Building a community

Treat backers as collaborators

…not consumers!

1. Document Your Progress

2. Demo Your Product

3. Build A List

Some

notes on

outreach

• Go to events. Demo your

product.

• Get email addresses. Create a

landing page.

• Talk about your product on

social media.

• Build relationships with press.

They are human beings - learn

about them.

• You product isn't news, it's

part of the news.

Launch right, not fast.

There is no right way.

There are no guarantees.

Campaign failure does not

mean startup failure!