Wow, this is our 100th Music Kickstarter Profile!

And to celebrate, here is sort of a “course capstone” using…

The. Simplest. Band. Kickstarter. Ever.

When I first saw this one, it definitely made me go “hmmmmmm, not much there.”

But really, there
is an important lesson to be had here, especially for relatively inexperienced artists… this Kickstarter project is the perfect example of knowing your fans and how to connect to them.

Knowing Your Fans & How To Connect

What I really mean by “knowing your fans” is appropriately estimating your circle of influence.

Who knows how Danny did this?  I sure don’t but let’s pretend…

An Imagined Scenario:

I can just picture a dude sitting in the bar with his band or a buddy or just the bartender and scribbling names on a napkin.  After about 3 beers, he gets up from his barstool and says, “yep, that oughta do it.”

He heads home to create his project.

It’s now 12:30am and, after an hour or so at the computer and a few more beers, he gets up from his computer and says, “yep, that oughta do it.”

The next day, he sees a few buddies in the bar, “hey, I launched my Kickstarter last night, let me buy you a shot.”

The buddies go home and check it out.  They like that it isn’t fancy and that they don’t have to spend time watching Danny’s yap on a video.  And they like his music.  They pledge.

Really?  Can I Do That?

No, probably not.

But only you know the answer because nobody knows your fan base like you do.

The primary point is to sit down and list out your Circle of Influence, whether you use a napkin or a spreadsheet doesn’t matter.

Determine a realistic goal based on what you think your Circle of Influence can support.

Create a project that will appeal to your fan base.

You are not required to have a mailing list, a tour schedule, a previous EP, or anything else (although those things all help).

You just have to know your fans and how to connect; you can have success!

Optimize: How To Succeed Wildly With Your Music Kickstarter

Obviously, you are not likely to eschew the video, gloss over the project description, and slap up some rewards.

In addition to the above, you will want to optimize your Kickstarter:

1. Inventory your Circle of Influence and set your goal based on realistic assumptions AND your minimum viable project.

2. Convey your Purpose Worth Backing and Personal Connection Points through your video and project description.

3. Include a direct Call To Action asking viewers to choose a reward level, pledge immediately and to share.

4. Include the Big 5 rewards and design a killer palate of mid-level rewards that will appeal to your fans and boost your average pledge per backer.

5. Personally contact everyone in your Circle of Influence via email, Facebook, phone, face to face, or whatever else you can imagine.  Multiple times may be necessary.

This is it, can you believe it?!

It doesn’t sound too hard and really it’s not as long as your are mindful during project creation and keep these important, overarching principles in mind while being genuine in your presentation.

For more specifics, study our series of 100 Music Kickstarters!

THE TAKEAWAY

There is so much learning to do while preparing your Kickstarter, it can seem overwhelming…

And there is much fear and uncertainty while you bumble around during project creation and deployment….

But remember, you are on your way to doing something amazing!  DO NOT FORGET THAT!

Envision the people who want you to accomplish this project, most likely people whom you are comfortable with and with whom you’d bare your soul.  Think about what you would say to them as you talk about your dreams, your artistic vision, and the important role that they play in propelling these forward.

Now, deliver that to your whole audience!  They may like your tunes and/or you, but they need to be included in and understand what your project is and what it means…  Then, they will flock to your side.

I know this is scary as hell, but you CAN do it and you WANT to do it.  But the only way you WILL do it is to DO IT.  The only real risk here is doing nothing!