#seeing people on reddit saying they have around 35 seconds... i am aiming high here

[autoboros]

Trying to get my time as low as I can on the octo samurai since its proven to be strangely fun

I wanna get to at least 45. And then continue lower if I can for funny

[externalartiss]

Kickstarter Project

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/artiss/encore-0

My comic is longer this time around; which means, bluntly, costly printing. I can afford it for sure, but after seeing successes of John Charles and acquaintance Sarah Gordon, I thought I should try it out to ease the strain on my finances. And if it doesn’t work, I figured, it’s no big deal! I was going to pay for it anyway.

I did a bit of research and looked at what makes a Kickstarter successful. A few key notes were that the first 24 hours are the most important, so focus this, and that setting up the page itself should be detailed and not rushed! Video, images, and other graphics, as well as a clear description of what the product will be and your intentions, are VERY important. Why would people bother parting with their hard-earned cash if you can’t be bothered to spend a few hours setting up your page nicely?

A few comments from the Kickstarter reddit stood out especially to me:

“We're in the middle of our first Kickstarter right now. Totally agree with u/murratw - Day 1 is super important and will guide the rest of the campaign.”

 “I've launched 1 Kickstarter and decided to cancel it because I've done so many things wrong. I'm in the middle of creating my second Kickstarter and doing it the right way.

Here are some tips I've learned:

·        don't think of marketing as an after thought

·        Tell your family friends ahead of time to garner their support. The first week of funding is crucial

·        Have marketing and social media ready to go for the whole first week of launch

·        if creating a product, have the product and manufacturing ready so all you have to do is hit the go button if funded

·        set up analytics!”

 “I am just 3 days in to marketing my first Kickstarter, the BabyCrate , and I have noticed I can get a lot more bang for my buck when using facebook ads if I make a post about the kickstarter on my babycrate facebook page and then promote that rather than promote the kickstarter directly. I also get more likes. Slightly technical, early days, but apparently, so far, effective.”

 I took on this advice; I’d already prepped most everything except the stretch goals, which are really down to chance! I also used Reddit as a platform to advertise once my project as launched, as well as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, DeviantART and Instagram. I didn’t want to spam, but wanted to get it out there - I aimed to post around 1 – 2 times a day after the first day! According to analytics, Facebook worked the best for amount pledged (family and friends sharing the posts!!) and Instagram was best for numbers, as it’s the platform I use most and post most naturally on. I’ll share updates on the story feature without really thinking about it! One person even pledged the highest amount as “the rewards looked cool”. That’s good feedback!! I also noticed that 76% of pledges were through external referrers – basically, advertising and sharing – which shows the importance of sharing the project!

 I tried out Facebook ads like suggested. I like to spend a pound a day to gauge interest, then see if I want to spend more or cancel it. The short version? It sucked. I’ve used it in the past and it boosts my interactions, even if by a little. But my post BEFORE the paid post gained more interest just by natural interactions. I heard things about Facebook ads being a bit, erm, not so good… I was even told it’d reach a minimum of 400 people, and it barely reached 4 extra. There’s not even much to reflect on with this, other than the fact I’m glad I didn’t pay more when I can just get more interaction by posting elsewhere, and I probably won’t go to Facebook for ads any time soon.

 One good thing though – the comic got funded in 12 hours! I know people set the goal fairly high, and can get that amount, but I just wanted the amount I needed, so set the goal as £100 minimum.  This was met, and then soared into its first stretch goal the following day!

 BIG BIG credit to Graeme Dobson for funding the project. When I posted about it, he pledged the amount remaining without even selecting a reward. What’s even more incredible is he’s someone who has commissioned me in the past, for a picture of his children. Clearly a good person to have come into contact with..!

 The commission, drawn January 2018:

The pledge – thanks Graeme!

During the whole process, I kept people updated with progress of just about everything. The Kickstarter itself, the projects, stretch goals, my plans, how everything was going on my end. I also kept my audience involved by asking their opinions on how the bookmarks, which was a stretch goal we hit, should be made. Though this interaction, I sent off for mustard colour, faux leather, embossed bookmarks by the helpful Goldpress Promotional.

 It went quiet for a few days, then picked up a tad at the end, but not too much. People really aren’t wrong when they say the beginning is the most important. But, it got funded!

 Now, at the time of writing, I’m keeping backers updated with progress as much as possible. I’ve sent out backers’ surveys, and I have everything prepared (except the bookmarks which are still in production) to send out as soon as Kickstarter has collected everyone’s pledges. All I need to do from this point onwards is send it!

 Finances

 Now, as far as the money’s concerned—I raised £272 on Kickstarter, fees will cost approximately £25, then I spent £137.50 for the comic printing by Mixam and £44 (plus £10 postage) for the bookmarks from Goldpress. Overall, that means I made a £55.50 profit, AND have 36 copies of the comic spare to sell! As they’re quite hefty, I’d like to sell them for £8 each, which would make me £288 on top of everything else if they sell out. I’d say that’s a pretty good result! From my Kickstarter fundraising, I’d like to put a portion of the profits towards the degree show.

 I was worried I was asking for too little money with this Kickstarter, but in fact it was more than enough in the end! It’s turned out very well and I’ll definitely consider Kickstarter for funding in future.

  EDIT: I forgot about postage, which will cost about £35! This will leave me with £20 towards the degree show – I’d like to split the cost between funding my own exhibition and the show as a whole.