According to Kickstarter data, the site has had 117,448 successfully funded projects and more than $2 billion total dollars have been pledged to Kickstarter accounts (as of when this was written). It’s no wonder this global crowdfunding platform is the go-to place to launch a crowdfunding campaign.
But it takes more than a killer idea to kill your Kickstarter campaign. You need a straightforward strategy to raise money. Use this roundup of resources to help you start, manage and slay your Kickstarter campaign.
Kickstarter Resources
1. Creator Handbook — This is the how-to Kickstarter guide. It takes you through the basics of setting up your project’s description, choosing rewards, sending out updates and more.
2. Creator Resources Page — This page is a giant list of services that have been tested and approved by creators. You’ll find everything from design services to packaging, fulfillment, shipping and more.
3. Campus — An online chat resource where you can talk to and ask fellow creators about any part of running a Kickstarter campaign.
4. Reward Examples — Kickstarter has listed 96 varying examples of campaign rewards to inspire you when determining your own.
5. Kickstarter Rules — There aren’t a ton, but they’re something you should read and know before starting your Kickstarter campaign, so you don’t ruin your chances of getting the money you need for your project.
6. Kickstarter Blog — Full of tips and tricks and advice for Kickstarter newbies.
Project and Team Management and Collaboration
7. QuickBooks — This tool is used by many small and startup businesses, as well as accountants. as their accounting and budgeting tool. With various features, like tracking expenses, balance sheets and profit and loss reports, it’ll help you easily and efficiently set and manage your budget and expenses with your campaign and your business.
8. Trello — Trello is a free project management tool that will keep track of everything for you, from your daily tasks to the big project details.
9. Google Apps — With Gmail, Hangouts, calendars, docs and sheets, Google provides almost all the project collaboration and management tools you need to stay on top of project communications and creations.
10. Evernote — This is another way to keep organized and share ideas. Type up to-do lists and notes or talk and record your notes hands-free from your computer or mobile device.
11. DropBox — Use this cloud storage service to keep all your documents and other project assets in one place and accessible to everyone on the project from wherever and whenever they need them.
12. BackerKit — User-friendly way to manage data and your fulfillment and communication efforts with funders after your campaign, so you’re not trying to do it all by email or spreadsheets.
13. Basecamp — The best tool to use if you and your team members work primarily out of office. Tasks are visually organized and completed in a clear and concise way, and it’s easy to maintain communication all around.
Social Media
14-17. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn — How you use or don’t use social media can make or break your Kickstarter campaign. Getting the word out about your project, building a fanbase and connecting with influencers is what’s going to help you reach your funding goal. Just look at how these successful Kickstarter campaigns utilized and benefited from social media.
18. Facebook Advertising — If you want the post that links to your Kickstarter campaign to land in more newsfeeds, you may have to spend a little money using Facebook advertising. A little can go a long way, however, and you can even choose the audience you wish to appeal to.
19. Hootsuite — Efficiently manage your company’s social profiles in one user-friendly dashboard and relieve some of the time-consuming burden or constantly posting and pushing content by scheduling posts to go out ahead of time.
20. Buffer — Buffer is another time-saving social management tool. But some prefer it over Hootsuite for its analytics and ability to add RSS feeds to your buffer.
Email and Outreach
21. MailChimp — This email service helps you grow your business, and it’s great for your Kickstarter campaign because you can easily create and send customizable, personal thank you emails to backers and donors and keep them updated on your progress.
22. BuzzStream — A highly-favorable CRM tool that allows you to research influencers, manage influencer relationships and outreach to media people and bloggers.
23. BuzzSumo — BuzzSumo is a free tool that helps you find keyword-related content and industry influencers. There’s no CRM functionality so pair this with BuzzStream.
Landing Pages and Websites
24. Unbounce — A quick tool to build custom landing pages, a must for your campaign.
25. Wix — You need to build a website before you launch, and Wix is a free tool where you can make a personalized, mobile-friendly website.
26. WordPress —WordPress is a good tool to use if you’ve got basic knowledge of HTML and CSS. Plus it provides various free themes and plugins for creating an online blog and website.
27. Weebly — If you’re new to site building and looking for something less daunting than WordPress, Weebly provides fairly inexpensive domain names and makes it extremely easy for users to drop in photos and text.
28. Shopify — If you’re going to be selling products online, Shopify is a great platform for ecommerce businesses. Shopify is the most popular of the ecommerce platforms.
Project Assets
29. Youtube — Want to get people pumped about your campaign? Inspire them with a video. Youtube even makes it easy to link your fundraiser site using annotations.
30. Webcam or Smartphone — Use one of these to shoot a video to tell your awesome story. Kickstarter projects that have a video have a better success rate than those that don’t (50% compared to 30%). So introduce people to your project, your work area, the people involved, etc. Get people excited about your project by showing them why they need to!
31. Apple iMovie — A great video involves some editing. For those of you with Macs, use iMovie. It comes free with your computer and has a good reputation for its editing functionalities.
32. Windows Movie Maker — This is another free and easy-to-use video editor, except it’s for Windows users.
33. Free photo editing software — Photos are also good to have with your Kickstarter campaign, with GIMP and being the best free photo editing platforms out there.
34. Adobe Creative Cloud — If you’re planning on creating the bulk of your campaign’s marketing content on your own, you’ll want to download Adobe software. Photoshop your own campaign photos, edit video footage, or design your logo with their specialized programs.
35. Nik Collection — This complete image-editing suite used to cost $500, but Google is now giving it away totally free. It includes seven plugins with different specialties. Take your campaign photos to the next level with this free resource.
36. Lumoid — This site lets you rent excellent gear for photo and video projects. This is a great way to use stellar equipment when building the media for your campaign without making full, expensive purchases.
37. Rent equipment from school libraries — If you or a team member attend a college or university, another way to rent photo and video gear for your campaign is through a school library. Most schools have updated equipment that can be checked for free out using a student library card.
38. Square — Most donations will be made to your campaign online—but not all. Square is by far the best way to receive money via credit card in person. The Square Card Reader can easily connect to your mobile phone or smartpad.
Video Resources
39. Promoshin — Unable to make your own video? This company specializes in creating professional videos for successful Kickstarter campaigns.
40. Explendid Videos — If you’re on a tighter budget, try this company. All their animated video packages start under $1,000.
41. Ydraw — One way to make your campaign’s video memorable is with a white board drawing. They’ve increased in popularity, and research shows people pay closer attention to scribe videos.
42. Voice Jungle — Depending on the content of your Kickstarter video, you may want to consider hiring a voice actor to read your script. This is much cheaper than hiring and filming physical actors, and a professional voiceover can bring your video to the next level.
43. Fiverr — On a tighter budget? You might be surprised at what you could find at Fiverr. From designers to content writers to voice actors, you’ll find a startling variety of freelance services. The best part is, the vast majority start at $5.
Media Coverage
44. Local Newspapers — Local media is hungry for a good story, so if there’s something unique or exciting about your project, you might be able to pick up some coverage after contacting local writers or newspaper or magazine directors.
45. Local Radio — There could be a local radio station that would be open to featuring you, depending on the content of your Kickstarter campaign. Spread the word and gather support in your area by landing a brief interview.
46. Hunter — It’s easier to contact local reporters and radio stations than you think. This website will help you find any email address simply by entering the site name. Have a press release ready about your campaign that you can send to local reporters in a personal email.
47. Press Release Template Download — If local media is interested in your campaign’s story, they’ll want a sharp press release. Stay ahead of the game by creating your own, using free online templates such as this one.
Advice from Experts
48. Cash from the Crowd EBook — If you’re a bookworm and a notetaker, you may enjoy reading from an expert before beginning your Kickstarter campaign. Dig into this affordable E-Book from Sally Outlaw, easily read on the free Kindle app.
49. Free Crowdfunding Bible — This PDF is completely free and easily skimmable. You could find nuggets of advice that will help guide your Kickstarter campaign into sure triumph.
50. Crowdfunding for Social Good — If your Kickstarter campaign is non-profit based, this free EBook is perfect for you. You’ll find inspiring success stories and solid advice on how to use crowdfunding to allow your campaign to make a lasting impact.
Decide which of these 50 resources are a fit for your project and dive in. Pair them with your determination and great teamwork strategy and you’re bound to get some serious boostage for your Kickstarter campaign!
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