Something I’ve discovered recently is Comment to DM. It’s a service that will automatically DM a message if someone comments on your post or comments a specific phrase. You might say,
“Leave your favorite emoji in comments if you want me the campaign URL via DM.”
Or you can specify a specific phrase that triggers the DM. I’ve seen a few people using this and it may help people who get lost trying to find the link in the bio. The service I’ve seen is called Many Chat. They also offer other automation features.
Reaching 30% is the threshold where you’ll start to see friends of friends support your project. You’ll need your biggest supporters to pledge early and help reach that 30% to show “social proof” that your project is worth backing.
Here are some screenshots of the email we sent our Launch Team for How it Feels to Me. They were really instrumental in our success in reaching our goal in a short whirlwind campaign.
(Tap the photo on desktop or zoom in on mobile to load full size.)
Full transparency – we had lots of support, but nobody participated in BINGO.
What months do you have big commitments (work, family, etc.)?
When are important holidays or birthdays?
Who are you making your project for? When might they be available?
How long do you want your campaign to last?
Publishing Timelines
It’s worth considering a traditional publisher will take 2-3 years to publish a book.1
My first book was completely written when I crowdfunded. I had proof editions of both Discover Your Creative Ecosystem and Your Creative Ecosystem the Companion. I fulfilled orders 6 months later so they would arrive before Christmas. In retrospect I wish I’d given myself more time to refine some minor issues in the printing and proofing process. There’s always a delay before proofs arrive and everything felt a bit rushed at the end.
It’s so important to give time and space to the publishing process itself. For authors we can feel like the book is “done” once we’ve written it, but there are so many little steps that need to be taken care of to bring a book to life.
Moving forward I will always give myself at least one year between crowdfunding and the projected date to fulfill orders.
Why do we expect ourselves to publish faster with fewer resources, collaborators, and experience?
Before you start working on a crowdfunding campaign the most important thing is that you need to have a strong foundation and belief in the why behind your work. Being rooted in the reason that you’re bringing this project to life makes it so much easier to fundraise.
You are not asking for money for yourself.
You are asking for collaborators to help bring an important project to life. Framing it like this makes it so much easier to do the work that you need to do to have a successful crowdfunding campaign.
I talk more about finding your why in my self-publishing course that is specifically about books but it’s probably applicable to other projects so if you want to take a peek at the why module replace “book” with whatever you are crowdfunding.
Crowdfunding platforms have changed dramatically since writing this course. Indiegogo no longer allows for flexible funding for example. Please do your own research.
