KickstarterForum.org

Hey, everyone!

So, last year I launched my first ever kickstarter campaign for Issue #1 of my four issue comic book mini-series, Sidekicks.

You can find that campaign here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/15 ... idekicks-0

As you can see, it was a HUGE success, with 343 Backers Pledging $7,647. Over 250% of our $3000 goal.

This was also the first time I had ever tried writing a full length comic book with original characters (I had written short stories for Marvel in the past, but never got any published).

The reception on Kickstarter was overwhelming. We were 100% funded within the first 3 days.

I raised enough money to pay my art team to not only finish Issue #1, but to also finish the pencils for Issue #2-4 and begin the Inks (the comic book process is: pencils, inks, colors, letters). It helped that I have also been selling my personal comic book collection to help keep costs down (which is why the initial goal was only $3000).

But the money ran out and I had to bring Sidekicks back to Kickstarter.

I made two HUGE mistakes right out of the gate.

First, I named the project: "Sidekicks - Issues #2-4"

Now, to be fair, that is exactly what the project was for. It didn't occur to me that that would be a huge turn-off to new Backers. I had assumed that the campaign picture and profile would be enough to bring people to the project and THEN find out how to get the first issue. But comparing the analytics of "Recently Launched" between the two campaigns, I realize that people clearly weren't clicking through.

The second, mistake was not making it easy enough for people to buy the first issue. I included an "Add-On" section in the Story, letting people know they could add the first issue by increasing their pledge for $5, but it was buried deep on the page. Once again, people were not reading through the entire Story to find out how to get the first issue (which was not included in any of the Reward Tiers).

It probably took me about five days before I realized these mistakes and how to fix them. I changed the title to be a little less specific, and I added "Catch-Up" Reward Tiers that include issue #1 (along with putting a big "Missed Issue #1" header at the very top of the campaign page along with how to add the first issue to ANY Reward.

So despite the massive success of my original campaign (or perhaps because of it), my current campaign has floundered.

With 2 weeks left, we are 46% funded. It's still doable, but I would feel a LOT more comfortable if we were closer to the goal (a much more ambitious, $10,000).

Thanks for reading (and check out the campaign if stories about super-hero sidekicks getting disrespected by the heroes they work with, ignored by the media, and taken for granted by society in general sounds interesting to you).

Russell Brettholtz
Sidekicks (Writer & Co-Creator)
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/15 ... issues-2-4

Nice job getting funded!

gobachoaf wrote:Nice job getting funded!

Thanks, gobachoaf.

Last year's campaign was easy. I'll be honest, beyond building my audience ahead of time on Facebook and a few targeted web sites, I did very little promotion once the campaign launched.

Compare that to this year where we stalled pretty quickly and I have sent dozens of e-mails to web sites and blogs trying to gain exposure.

I'll admit, I was counting on a better retention rate from my previous Backers (we only have about a 30% return rate), even though they are still the bulk of the current Backers.

--Russell Brettholtz
Sidekicks (Writer & Co-Creator)
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/15 ... issues-2-4

I think it's becoming harder to stand out on Kickstarter also, the more popular it becomes.

Ah.....So, this is where you keep your theories stashed, eh, Russell?

Well, at least is saves me the trouble of creating a new thread for your current Kickstarter project.

You're currently sitting at 182 backers pledging a total of $5,889 on a goal of $10,000. You've got just a hair over 5 full days left in your project's campaign cycle.

You will get a boost, most likely, as you approach the end. You really might want to make the most of it. One way to do that would be to add some more colored art of the current project on your main project page, so that the last flurry of project page visitors encounter it, when they make the final (and perhaps, first) pilgrimage to your Kickstarter's project page. Visually, this project's page isn't vastly different from its predecessors that preceded it. You getting reduced visual mileage from the same images, I believe.

Also, how you are approaching communicating with your current mass of backers, all 182 of them, could probably be enhanced. Make it more fun. Actively call for them to join in. Make it more about the superhero aspect, and less about the crowdfunding aspect.

Is this the end of Gotham City?

Can the Dynamic Duo foil the Joker's sinister scheme??

Tune in tomorrow - Same Brettholtz Time, same Brettholtz Channel!

Didn't you ever watch the old Batman TV show? Make it come alive, more. Narrate the final days of your campaign. It will allow you to be in story mode (you are a writer, right??), and it will give you an excuse to churn out MORE updates, rather than LESS, without them feeling all spammy to the recipients of your narrative overtures.

Sounds like a good idea, but maybe too flashy? I don't know...

endorphin wrote:Sounds like a good idea, but maybe too flashy? I don't know...

Well, since the project did not meet its funding goal, it is rather moot, now.