What number of occasions this month have you ever already been requested to donate to crowdfunding campaigns? One may simply go broke donating to each play, quick movie, or web-series that pals are starring in! I’m pondering of beginning a crowdfunding marketing campaign merely to assist replenish my checking account for the entire campaigns I’ve contributed to.
Right here’s the factor. Crowdfunding is fashionable for a motive—it’s a useful gizmo for actors who need to create their very own initiatives with out coping with the effort of traders and sponsors (or begging their households). It’s palms down the best and most reasonably priced option to get a challenge off the bottom. As a substitute of ready round for auditions, we are able to self-produce, write dream roles for ourselves, and lift cash for initiatives we’re really enthusiastic about. As a substitute of asking our lengthy misplaced Aunt Cathy for $10,000, we are able to ask all of our pals (actual and digital) to chip in small quantities, and provide signed posters and social media shoutouts in return. Sounds straightforward, proper?
However a variety of us are affected by “crowdfunding fatigue,” and albeit can’t afford to help each challenge on the market. As a creator, you now it’s important to go above and past to create a profitable crowdfunding marketing campaign, one that basically grabs the viewers and stands out from the gang.
A number of months in the past, I raised $17,000 on Indiegogo for a marketing campaign I did for my quick horror movie “Conceal/Search”, which I directed and is now on the pageant circuit. Our authentic objective was $10,000, and we had been capable of elevate 178% of our objective, which is taken into account very profitable. At present I’m in the midst of my second marketing campaign for a brand new webseries I’m directing known as “Fairly Folks, Inc,” utilizing the identical platform. I’ve realized lots about this course of, have accomplished a variety of analysis, and I’m right here to go alongside some tricks to you.
1. Select the proper platform to your challenge.
Enormous platforms like Indiegogo and Kickstarter are used for every part from movies to bodily product launches, whereas different, smaller websites like Seed and Spark are extra particularly focused to funding movies. All of them take a proportion of your whole quantity raised. Do your analysis. Some provide versatile funding (the place you retain the cash raised irrespective of how a lot), and a few provide mounted funding (the place you solely preserve the cash when you attain your objective).
2. Determine on a funds.
You must be life like right here. When you ask for an excessive amount of, individuals will assume you might be loopy. What’s life like? It’s at all times good to get a line producer to present you an concept of what your challenge will price earlier than you resolve on a marketing campaign funds. Are you doing a check pilot for a web-series, or a full-scale characteristic movie? In your marketing campaign, clarify to your viewers precisely the place that cash goes, be trustworthy, and break it down into line objects. With these campaigns, belief is every part, and you’ll want to let your viewers know you have got accomplished your analysis. Don’t overlook so as to add in post-production prices, like sound mixing, enhancing, and pageant submissions!
3. Know your viewers.
Who’re you advertising this to? Mates? Horror followers? Is your viewers area of interest or are you reaching out to a extra numerous group? Whenever you begin to market your marketing campaign on social media, you need to be particular and provide perks that cater to that viewers. To encourage engagement, I stored a weblog the place I posted behind the scenes photographs and wrote articles on the casting course of, manufacturing, in addition to put up manufacturing.
READ: “ Get Solid in a Horror Movie”
4. Provide particular perks.
Whenever you ask your viewers for cash, you get to supply nice perks in return. These can vary from “particular thanks” on the finish of the movie, to a downloadable hyperlink to the completed challenge, to dinner with the inventive workforce, and even an affiliate producer credit score for the highest donators (often reserved for individuals who donate $1000 or extra). These perks get your viewers excited, and extra invested within the challenge.
Once I created the marketing campaign for my quick horror movie “Conceal/Search,” I catered to horror followers, in addition to my performing college students at MN Appearing Studio. In return for his or her funding, I used to be capable of provide perks that might be engaging to this group similar to personal performing teaching and enterprise consultations.
Realizing who your viewers is and providing perks that relate to them is essential. Preserve it private, and join! And as soon as the movie is over, be sure to ship in your perks! When you don’t, they’ll by no means donate to your initiatives ever once more.
5. Make an incredible video.
The marketing campaign video is every part. The standard of the video is immediately associated to the manufacturing worth of the challenge. When you spend the time and power to make an thrilling, top quality video describing your challenge, why you might be enthusiastic about it, and who’s concerned, your viewers will probably be extra prone to donate. I’ve seen too many individuals do that incorrect, and never spend sufficient time on this.
6. Preserve the momentum.
When you create a 30-day marketing campaign to boost funds, likelihood is the preliminary pleasure of donating will put on off after just a few days. That is the place you need to get savvy, and proceed to put up about it on social media in fascinating methods, with the intention to maintain curiosity as you get nearer to your finish date. Preserve your viewers excited, remind them how a lot you have got left to boost, what number of days, and provide them thrilling tidbits into the pre-production course of.
Good luck! I look ahead to donating to your challenge.
