The success of any Kickstarter project depends on its ability to reach its funding goal. If your project is falling short, it might feel pretty frustrating and disheartening. But understanding why your project is failing to fund can help you identify the necessary steps needed to turn things around.
Here are some of the potential reasons a Kickstarter project might not reach its goal and what you can do about it.
Unrealistic funding expectations
Your goal should be realistic and achievable for the category your project falls under. If your goal is too ambitious (sometimes WAY too ambitious), potential backers may not feel confident the project will ever fund. No funding means no reward, so there goes their interest.
It’s VITAL that you set an attainable goal that’s enough to get a minimum batch of goods into production. Kickstarter’s “Make 100” category is a perfect example of this. If you’re expecting enough pre-orders to make Walmart blush, you probably need to rethink your funding goals.
Lack of engagement
Engaging potential backers is key to a successful Kickstarter project. You should reach out to your audience in whatever way you can to build interest in your project. Updates are crucial for all Kickstarter campaigns. Period. Backers need to see you’re following through with creation, and POTENTIAL backers need to see your engaging with existing backers. If possible respond to every comment, both positive or negative.
Poor rewards
Your rewards should be enticing, valuable, and unique. If they are too generic or boring, they won’t drive backers to support your project. The rewards you offer should be relevant to your project and clearly communicated to backers.
Their value should also be in line with each pledge level. If you’re asking $40 for a sticker set everyone knows costs $4, people are usually going to pass.
Insufficient promotion
Just launching a project isn’t always enough to ensure its success. If you don’t promote your project and get the word out, it’s unlikely enough people will stumble upon it to make it a success. Promote your project both in the lead up to launch, and during the live campaign.
Remember, promotion doesn’t just mean dumping money in Facebook ads – reach out to your friends and family, bloggers, relevant Youtubers, review platforms, Kickstarter aggregators and any other places your project would be a good fit. It only takes one strong link to get momentum going and bring In potential backers.
Bad Kickstarter page layout
This should be a no-brainer, but the presentation of your project page is incredibly important. If backers can’t understand what your project is about or find the information they need quickly, they’ll move on. Check out how successful projects in your category are laid out for inspiration.
Don’t be afraid to test changes and see how they affect your project performance. Experimenting with different messaging, graphics, and even pledge levels could potentially make a big difference to your efforts.
Need help improving your page? PageCheck specializes in crowdfunding analysis and offers detailed reports to improve your Kickstarter page. Get started here!
If your project doesn’t reach its goal it might feel discouraging, but it doesn’t have to be the end. Take the time to understand why your project didn’t succeed and make changes to ensure success in the future. Everything can be a learning opportunity!
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