5 Simple Ways To Fund Your Crowd Sourcing Campaign

Aug 11, 2015
3 min read

So since I’ve doing a small crowdfunding campaign for my graphic novel Out of Frame, I decided I would reach out to some of the experts to see what I should know.

Through LinkedIn, I met Annelise Larson, who not only specializes in crowd funding, but also works with Telefilm and Chapters on their digital strategy.

These are some of the things she told me.

Plan 6 to 8 Weeks of Preparation

You need to do as much of the prework as possible before you start your campaign. This means creating much of your content such as videos, podcast interviews, or blogs ahead of time as possible.

If they are done, you’ll find it much easier to respond to the day-to-day needs of the campaign such as thanking or pitching people.

You should set out a schedule or content calendar of when you want to post everything. You’ll want to be flexible of course as things change that aren’t working, or things that are working really well but for the most part you’ll want to make sure you adhere to a structure.

Communicating on a Daily Basis

You have to find the sweet spot from being present but not annoying. For most people this can be tricky. They are your friends after all. How many times have you heard of that annoying person who just won’t stop haranguing you for money.

As with selling anything, people need to see something a minimum of 4 times before they consider buying (or funding) anything. That is why commercials run continuously, not just once.

But again be present, not annoying.

The best way to do this is through entertainment and then have a soft sell at the end. Unless you have a strong connection to the person a pure pitch won’t work. People like to be entertained and they are more likely to share something that is entertaining.

You Can Never Plan Too Much

You need to plan for a number of different scenarios to happen, especially if you fail to meet your goals but also plan some stretch goals just in case.

If your campaign isn’t going very well, you should consider shutting it down early and then reboot at a different time. There is no sense in flogging a dead horse.

But also on the flip side, you need to plan your stretch goals and what you’ll do if you fund your campaign early.

This can mean the difference from just reaching your target to far exceeding it.

Have An Investor For the Beginning and the End

The beginning and the end of your campaign are super important so it’s good to have an investor who will start things off with a bang, but also have one that comes in at the end to give you that little extra push. This can be the same person or a different one.

This will give you momentum when you most need it. Nobody wants to fund a campaign that doesn’t have any backers so start off with your friends and family and work your way further afield.

Pitch Video Is Your Most Important Asset

Your pitch video is by far your most important tool so make sure it’s good.

It’s going to be the one people watch to see if they want to donate or not. Go that extra mile for good lighting, sound and effects. It’s worth it.

Spend some time thinking of a good concept that will go with your project. Be creative. If you can add some humor to it then it will be more likely shared. People love to share funny videos on the internet.

Communicate the Why

Why should people care about your project? Why does it deserve to be set out into the world?

The why of any crowd funding campaign is what will get you investors.

Everybody has a movie or a book or some project they want money for, but it’s the why that will set you apart, that will make you different from everybody else.

You have a unique why that only you can tell. Make sure you tell people about it and even if they aren’t passionate about the same thing as you are, they will see your passion and will be more likely to donate.

Conclusion

I hope that gives you some ideas for your next crowdfunding campaign. Drop me a line and tell me what you’re working on at contact@joelmarkharris.com.

Joel Mark Harris is a writer, film producer and marketer. (@joelmarkharris) He is the founder of Story Laboratory which helps artists market their work. To get a free ebook on How to Make Money Blogging and a Content Marketing Tool Kit sign up HERE