Kickstarter
One year ago I successfully funded my first Kickstarter film project. The film was called Stay. It's currently winging its way around the world and screening at various film festivals. Now I am embarking on my second Kickstarter campaign for a completely different project. I wanted to discuss how I am approaching the campaign differently based on my previous Kickstarter success and also the merits of the new project.
Firstly I want to say that I'm nervous. I'm nervous for a couple of reasons.
Reasons #1
My last film had 84 backers. 82 of those backers came directly from my FB page. Friends and family have backed my project which is amazing. It does however suggest that they've backed the project because they believe in me as opposed to falling in love with the concept behind the film. This makes me nervous because I'm wondering how many of those backers would back me for a second time. It's all very well putting your faith in someone once but to do it again is asking a lot.
Reason #2
I'm aiming to get more money than the first time. With Stay my goal was £2000 (which we raised £2600) but with my next campaign I'm looking to raise £4000 with the hope that we might even get a stretch goal.
So what's different? Well Stay was about loss and regret. Very universal themes that everyone/anyone can relate to. At the time I thought it made the film appealing to the masses. I have since rethought that. I'll explain below.
It's important
My new project is called Padlock. It explores domestic abuse against men. I have spend 8 months researching, writing and developing the script (with my cowriter). A big difference between this project and the last is this is about something important. It's a divisive subject matter but there is some weight behind it. This makes engaging with a possible follower more interesting. People might not know about it being an issue. People might be impacted by it. It makes starting conversations easier.
Reach beyond FB
The big key will be expanding backers from outside my FB group. I may raise a few hundred pounds from that source but I need to have a further reach. Twitter is great for that. I have made great connections with domestic abuse charities, survivors and support groups. Most of those that I speak to want to support a film that will ultimately raise awareness. These connections outside of my friendship group will be essential if the campaign is going to be successful.
Working as a team
When I funded Stay it was pretty much just me running the campaign. This time I have a Producer working on Padlock with me. This means we'll both be reaching out to people on social media, both making phone calls to relevant bodies, both be pushing the campaign hard for the 30 day period. It's much easier doing this as part of a team.
Passion
I care about this subject matter. It bothers me that people don't discuss it. It upsets me when I speak to male survivors of domestic abuse and I hear their harrowing stories. People can see my passion for this project when I speak about it. People know that I have spent months researching the area. People understand that I'm looking to shine a light on a problem within our society. You can't fake that and hopefully it comes across when I talk about the project.
Updates
I'm going to be posting new videos, new stats, new information on a daily basis. I want to keep the campaign fresh and interesting. I want people to want to share it with their friends and family. Myself and my Producer have a 30 day marketing plan to ensure that we're maintaining interest. We want to engage without spamming. Start conversations without being intrusive.
So in summery I'm approaching this Kickstarter very differently. Only time will tell if it's successful or not. If you have found this interesting why not watch the Kickstarter video and see if it's something you'd like to pledge towards or share across your social media.
You can catch me on Twitter if you have any questions. @Ben_S_Hyland
