Top 10 Edc tips
You can use a plier-type multitool as a phone stand. I've used this a lot since I figured it out.
BE OPEN
This most important point. Photos by EDC @ Insomniac.com
Your product better be trendy AF
Is your product a wallet? A backpack? A minimalist watch? CONGRATULATIONS! It’s PERFECT for Kickstarter… In 2015. #roasted To do well on Kickstarter in 2021, your product needs to be one of two things:
- Insanely COOL (high-tech, unique, jaw-dropping).
- Ridiculously AFFORDABLE (priced to SELL). Want to raise $1 million? It better be both. BONUS: Which Kickstarter categories are poised to EXPLODE in 2021? -Home goods -Kitchen gadgets -Smart apparel -Survival gear -Games P.S. Wallets, watches, masks, sanitizers, backpacks, wireless chargers, weighted blankets, and EDC items were all WAY overplayed from 2017-2020.
Invest in a first-class video that’s less than 3 minutes long
“But my Cousin Frankie says he’ll shoot everything on his iPhone 12 Pro for FREE!” Great. Does Frankie have an once of talent? Or is his only skill getting outrageously drunk at family Christmas every year? Because I’ll tell you one thing… Without a tremendously entertaining video, your 2021 Kickstarter project will fail faster than a caffeine-free coffee shop. These are EXCELLENT examples of the perfect Kickstarter video: Mila Air Purifier – $1.1 million Snowfeet 2.0 – $175,000 Travel Tripod by Peak Design – $12.1 million What do they all have in common? They grab your attention EARLY (within the first 10 seconds). They don’t waste your time (2-4 minutes long). They’re entertaining (funny, clever, unique). Did these take a ton of time to produce? Absolutely. But a top-notch video is THE most important part of a Kickstarter campaign in 2021. Maybe you didn’t hear me… YOUR KICKSTARTER VIDEO IS THE KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS. Think of money spent here as an investment. Because it is. P.S. Check out our full list of 2021 Kickstarter video tips.
Your campaign page should look like a children’s book
What does that mean? MORE pictures. MORE GIFs. WAY. LESS. TEXT. People are lazy. (I’ve been wearing the same underwear for the last 11 days for Pete’s sake.) Kickstarter backers WILL NOT read paragraph after paragraph of text describing your product. They WILL spend time looking at crisp images and eye-catching GIFs. Here are a few stellar campaign pages: Give’r Frontier Mittens – $990,000 Foldeat – $900,000 Travel Shoes by BauBax – $1.3 million
Choose a Kickstarter category that’s insanely popular
Sorry, twinkle toes, but your dance campaign isn’t going to raise $1 million on Kickstarter. Honestly, you’ll be lucky if it cracks $1k. (Or maybe I’m just jealous that I wasn’t cast in my 4th grade musical.) If you want to succeed on Kickstarter in 2021. you need to launch your project in one of these three categories: #1. Games – $1.37 billion* #2. Design – $1.16 billion* #3. Tech – $1.03 billion* *Amount raised since 2009.
Launching in December is THE kiss of death
Launching in December is like going skiing in July — you’re gonna have a bad time. People just spent a TON of money on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. And they’re super busy (getting drunk) during the holidays. In other words, the LAST thing on their mind is checking out your Kickstarter project. This piece of Kickstarter advice is absolutely crucial: Make sure your campaign is live when people would be using your product. That might sound obvious, but so many creators blow this. If you’ve created a revolutionary new swimsuit, you may think you should launch in December so you can deliver in June. That’s backwards. You should launch in June so you can deliver in December. NOBODY BUYS SWIMSUITS IN DECEMBER. Also… What did I tell you about launching in December?!? BAD IDEA. Quick Summary: Launch warm-weather projects in spring/summer, even if you’ll deliver months later. Launch cold-weather projects in fall/winter, even if you’ll deliver months later. “What if my product isn’t seasonable?” Shoot for a March or April Kickstarter launch. Backers’ wallets have recovered from holiday shopping, but we haven’t hit summer vacation season yet when Kickstarter traffic dips. Spring is a GOLDEN time to launch your campaign.
Taco Tuesday is the best day of the week to launch your Kickstarter project
Not just any Tuesday. Taco Tuesday. As a good luck tradition, creators of $1 million projects often eat tacos on the day of their launch. Ok, that’s total bullsht. (But I would like to see it catch on.) What’s not bullsht? The fact that Tuesday IS the best day of the week to launch your Kickstarter campaign. Why? Kickstarter site traffic is at its peak. Why? Because the best projects always launch on Tuesdays.
Your Kickstarter campaign duration should be between 45-60 days
Most campaigns go with 30 days. That’s fine… If you don’t like making money. Here’s the deal: The vast majority of successful Kickstarter campaigns make money EVERY DAY that they’re live. So the longer a campaign lasts, on average, the more money it’ll make. Sure, you’ll have to spend more advertising a longer campaign… But for good projects, the trade off is worth it.
Break Kickstarter’s rules and you’ll be killed immediately
Ok, you won’t really be assassinated. But you may wish you were dead when your $500k project gets suspended. I know it’s boring, but take 5 minutes to read Kickstarter’s official rules. Trust me, it’s worth it. Kickstarter’s approval process isn’t especially thorough. So your campaign could be allowed to launch, only to get shut down later. I’ve seen them suspend $1 million campaigns. They don’t care who you are or how much you’ve raised. These major violations can get your Kickstarter project suspended in 2021: -Your product is already being sold on Alibaba. -You’re selling the exact same product on your website while your Kickstarter campaign is live. -You’ve said that your product can do something that it can’t. (If you claim it’s waterproof, you better be prepared to show that it’s actually waterproof.) Don’t go through all of the effort to launch your campaign only to have it shut down 10 days in. Read Kickstarter’s rules BEFORE you go live.
