How To Crowdfund Successfully
HAVING helped start and fund 100s of campaigns on PledgeSports, TalentBacker’s new owner and CEO Richard Pearson knows what it takes to run a successful crowdfunding campaign.
Now he’s letting the cat out of the bag by giving you his best hints for how to crowdfund successfully in this handy Q&A.
Lets begin…
How To Crowdfund Successfully
What’s the first of your tips for successful crowdfunding?
Good content is the foundations for every successful crowdfunding campaign. Make sure you have good quality pictures and videos, along with a clear, concise story that shows off your passion for what you do.
And get clued up Social Media marketing as you will need to maximise the exposure you can get through all your Social Media channels. This is key.
Do you need to use social media to create a successful campaign?
Absolutely! Campaigns work on momentum; The more people that see your campaign, the more successful it will be. Social Media is king in this area.
When your campaign is really well-publicised on Social Media it can even attract mainstream media attention and commercial sponsors. It allows scale that word of mouth cannot. It can spread to all corners of the world so utilise every platform you use, like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Always ensure you include a link to your campaign with every social media post, tagging TalentBacker to get the message out to our followers too.
How many people need to be involved in a campaign?
To create make your crowdfund work, you need the help of all your supporters, friends, and family. The more links to your campaign that you can share, the more coverage you will get. Ask your friends and family to share your campaign on social media as often as possible, while tagging you and TalentBacker.
What factors help me choose the right target?
Choosing the right target is one of the most important aspects in making a crowdfunding campaign successful. Most people choose a target that is too high and this can work heavily against them.
With crowdfunding – people like to back successes. If you choose a target that is way too big and you are a long way below that target, it makes your campaign less appealing to potential supporters.
Should my target be the full amount I am looking to obtain?
Its always better to choose a smaller target and hit 100%. If it looks like your campaign is really popular, further support will come – campaigns very rarely stop at 100%.
Should I let potential supporters know how I will use my target?
Definitely. If people are donating they want to know how the money will be used. Your funding goal should be clear and it should explain why you need the money. You don’t need to outline the exact details – like the brand of the new instruments you want to buy for example – but you do need to be more specific than simply ‘I need this money to sing’.
What’s the best way to attract potential supporters?
One of the best tips for crowdfunding successfully is to personalise your online messages to potential supporters. This can be time-consuming, but it is worth making it a priority as receivers will appreciate the effort. Access as many groups of people as possible, using social media to your advantage and making the most of tagging and hash-tagging.
How can rewards help to gain supporters?
Rewards add value and incentive to your campaign. Keep them simple and as unique as possible – like money-cant-buy experiences. Why not hold an open day where people can meet you and listen to or watch you perform? Backstage passes to your events, merchandise, pictures from events, and personal thank you notes are also popular to use.
Finally, what is your number one tip for successful crowdfunding?
If you want to know how to crowdfund successfully, the best advice I can give is to use your assets to reach the most amount of people. This can be done by using all the content you have including images and videos.
Videos of yourself thanking supporters can prove to be a great driver for support – in fact video works really well at all times and people who make good video content will have the greatest reach on social media. So dust off your phone’s record button and get videoing!
