Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, entertainment, kickstarter

Success Without A Following? The Power Of The Kickstarter Community For The Unknown Creator

James E Roche writes,

Going into the Wretches campaign I was completely and utterly unsure of myself, like most unknown indie creators entering that arena. Unsure of whether or not I really had any storytelling abilities or if people would really give a crap and take the time to check it out. The thought of the project being a horrible failure, to be laughed out of the game and off social media forever, is daunting. And that doesn't go away.

I'm sure it keeps people from even dipping their toes into a creative endeavor. But, you won't know how it'll go until you put it all on the line. Enter, Wretches.

While planning the pre-launch marketing for the campaign I took into account my Twitter and Facebook presence, ads on both of those platforms, interviews and previews. What I did not account for, and severely underestimated, was the Kickstarter community itself.

The support I've gotten from this community is outstanding. As I write this on March 11th backers who've pledged directly from finding Wretches on Kickstarter make up 43 of the 80 backers we have, and 39.44% of the current funds pledged. Amazing! The eagerness to support indie comic book projects on this platform blows me away. I know this isn't breaking news, but I never knew to what extent it went before experiencing it for myself.

This leads me to believe that anyone can do it. The only catch, you have to devote every waking hour to the thought of your campaign months in advance. Free time? Write or draw it. Driving? Think about campaign page layout. Pushing a child on the swing? Think about the rewards you are going to offer and at what price points. At work? Study Kickstarter campaigns similar to yours on your phone. I have thought of little else since planning to take Wretches to Kickstarter. My kids have been crying upstairs since I started typing this – and I type slow. They'll be fine. The point is, you have to go all out if you want your project to get noticed.

Treat your campaign with the same reverence as a pitch to a publisher. Load up the campaign with as much finished product as you can manage. Use the preview as short scene showcasing what people can expect from your story in the long run. Get a cover done. Get a logo done. All of this is going to instill confidence in potential backers. If you're not bringing many to the table, you're going to need a page that shows just how dedicated you and your team are to telling this story and delivering it in the highest quality that you can.

Give them every reason to back your campaign and absolutely no reason to click away. You do that, and the Kickstarter community is going to take notice.

If you have the time, please give Wretches a look on Kickstarter. We're live until 4/06!

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