By connecting backers and makers, Kickstarter has lead to the realization of thousands of projects, including many documentaries and short films. The website provides you with all the tools you need to launch your next creation.
How It Works:
Kickstarter is a fundraising platform for innovative creators. Have a project in mind? Make sure it meets Kickstarter's guidelines, create a fundraising profile, and share it with the world to raise money to make your idea into reality. Interested in backing an interesting endeavor or helping out a friend? Check out Kickstarter to browse thousands of awesome projects worthy of donations. Kickstarter protects the interests of both creators and backers; it's free to create a project, and donations are only collected from backers if a project reaches its fundraising goal.
Getting Started with Kickstarter:
Whether you want to be a backer for an interesting project or create your own, you'll need to sign up for a Kickstarter account. You can either get connected with your Facebook login, or create a new account by providing your name, username and password.
Create a Project:
Once you log in, navigate to the "start your project" tab. First, you'll need to agree to the aforementioned guidelines for Kickstarter projects, and then you'll be able to start building a profile of basic information for your project. It's important to allow yourself ample time for fundraising - Kickstarter lets you choose from one to sixty days, but recommends a duration of thirty days or less. Also, choose your fundraising amount. It's better to allocate too much than too little, but keep in mind that Kickstarter only disburses funds to creators that meet their projected budgets. Kickstarter keeps 5% of the total amount of funds raised, and Amazon takes a 3-5% credit card processing fee.
A great way to encourage project donations is to set rewards for each dollar amount. Think of low-cost, fun opportunities to provide your backers. Guaranteeing a copy of the project or giving your backers an invitation to a party or opening is a great way to make people feel involved in what you're doing. The most common donation for Kickstarter projects is $25 dollars, so pay special attention to that award - make it affordable for you and exciting for the backer.
Next, you'll be able to upload a project video from your computer. Kickstarter accepts a variety of formats, but limits the file to 250 MB so you'll need to compress your video file before uploading it. Your project video will give potential backers insight into who you are, why you care about your project, and why your project is important. Then, give a project description. Try to make it accessible and engaging, and keep it to a reasonable length to keep readers engaged. The better you make your project pitch, the greater the chance you'll have of fundraising to completion. Take full advantage of all of the resources Kickstarter offers for creators, including this Kickstarter School guide to starting your project.
After providing a biography and uploading a profile photo if you so desire, you'll need to set up your Kickstarter account so that you can receive funds from your backers. You'll need to register with Amazon payments, verify the email address you provided on your profile, and also verify a current phone number. Once you've gone through these steps, you can review your project profile and make it public.
