10 simple tips to get you started and to ensure that your kickstarter campaign goes off without a problem
27 January 2026
10 simple tips to get you started and to ensure that your kickstarter campaign goes off without a problem
Crowdfunding can be an invaluable tool for start ups, however not many people are aware of the do’s and don’ts when it comes to running a crowdsourcing campaign. Its harder than it looks! Here are our 10 simple tips to get you started and to ensure that your kickstarter campaign goes off without a problem.
1. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Crowdfunding is powerful, vibrant, challenging and fun, but very different from anything you might have worked on before. If you are a seasoned marketeer or a bright CEO, don’t think you can reach your goal without any obstacles; most campaigns fail that way. In fact, only 44% of campaigns reach their targets. Get advice and support from those who got it right, whether through another business or specialised agency which can help you run the campaign. Which we can help with at CAD.
2. Do it for the crowd!
Money should be the extra of your campaign, rather than the main purpose, though it is important and rewarding in some cases. Crowdfunding is first of all a marketing platform. It helps in building your brand, trust, image and credibility. Which should be the main focus of your entire campaign from day 1 to delivery. It allows you to build a community of advocates, and a network of partners, developers, makers and users. It provides you with the most valuable thing in business- direct, spontaneous and honest market feedback from people.
3. Inspire a change in people
Make a great marketing campaign this should include videos and graphics. Be as transparent as possible- needs to be clear and concise, demonstrating your idea, your product and your passion. The shorter the video the better as long as you can fit everything you need in it.
Keep everything else in your project description short and simple too. If you need to get 500 backers to support you, you’ll need between 30,000 and 50,000 people to watch your video to the very end. It must tell people what you want to do and how, but especially why you exist and why backers should support you. If you don’t answer these two questions, you will most likely fail. Through this you need people viewing your page to trust you enough to support your project. Make them want to support you and your product.
4. Set a realistic preparation timescale
Don’t rush into your campaign. It needs to be prepared it well. 2 or 3 months of preparation is the minimum you need you will need to build a solid group of people interested in your project before you even launch the crowdfunding page. Check drafts with as many partners and people you can find; share it, enhance it, share it again. Don’t hesitate to throw away your early drafts and start all over again. Preparation is everything. Record everything so it can all be used during your campaign so you can take your supporters on the journey with you.
5. Rewards make the difference
So you have you video now, but how do you get further attention from this and make your audience click ‘Back This Project?’ Rewards are essential for that. There are no rules on good or bad rewards, I believe. Just make sure they are meaningful, unique, appealing, fun, innovative, special and relevant.
6. Understand your audience
Your audience will mainly be a USA-based audience. No matter which projects you develop and where you run it from, make no mistake, more than 50% of the folks backing you are in the United States. So, make sure your project is appealing to them. Others are as important, but can wait.
7. It can be a full time job!
You could lose it all right at the last minute of the last day. That is the way it works. And that can happen, if the community of backers loses confidence in your project and in you, if they feel you are not reliable, consistent, committed and passionate. So be prepared to be 24/7 for the entire duration of the campaign and provide them with constant information, continuous, meaningful updates and immediate answers to comments and messages.
8. It never ends you need to make sure to nurture your campaign
Your campaign doesn’t end on its last day. You must continue to feed your backers with updates and ultimately deliver them what you originally promised, likely for months and quarters after the campaign ends. If you do so, they will become your best support team and your best brand advocates for your product to continue to grow past your campaign.
9. Keep it short!
Set a short deadline. The shorter the duration of your campaign, the better. Extending the length of your campaign does not necessarily mean more backers or higher success.
In any case, if your project doesn’t reach its goals by the end of the 1st or 2nd week, it is unlikely that it will ever do. The additional days or weeks are there for you to set stretched goals these will increase your community of backers and supporters, and to get picked up by the press. Much of the media will only cover successfully backed projects. A backed project is also more likely to be featured on the platforms themselves such as Kickstarter featuring the project.
10. All the above…is very time sensitive
There is a lot to say about crowdfunding, and much more than I’ve said here. One thing to add is that crowdfunding is relatively new and rapidly evolving, very rapidly.
Make sure to have fun with it! Crowdfunding is above all fun, rewarding, adrenaline intensive, and almost unavoidable! Get in touch today with any of your questions- give us a shout on 02920 713 855 and mail@cardiffappdevelopers.com!
