The Ultimate
Crowdfunding
Checklist to Raise
$100,000+
Discover the biggest mistakes that crowdfunding
creators make (and why only 30% succeeds)
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Introductio
Thank you for downloading the Ultimate Crowdfunding Checklist. After
working with over 7,000 Crowdfunding campaigns since 2012 and
blogging about Crowdfunding for over 5 years, we’ve gathered all of our
knowledge in a single PDF document to guide creators and brands
through the Crowdfunding process.
In this guide you will learn how to launch a crowdfunding campaign,
how to estimate shipping prices, where to promote your campaign, how
to approach publications and blogs, how to do cross promotions, which
tools and services to use, and everything in between.
Crowdfunding is not just about launching a prototype of your idea. It's
about how you get into the business of transforming the idea into a
mainstream product. Although it sounds like a whole new form of
raising funds for your project, it is still quite similar to any other
business model out there. Our crowdfunding checklist will help you get
started and plan a successful crowdfunding campaign.
You still have an MVP which is why you still need a proper business
structure. This doesn't con ne to the product idea alone. It's about how
you present it to the online audience (aka backers!) and structure your
marketing plan. It's about how you plan the whole business model
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starting with a simple crowdfunding project. So, to keep you on track,
we’ve created multiple sections from pre-launch to ful llment with
valuable resources, and step by step guides.
Pre-Launch Crowdfunding Checklis
Design Your Product Prototype
At rst, you must consider having a proper product prototype chalked
out. In order to do so, you need the right product design tool. Tools like
Sketchfab, Sketchup, and Fusion 360 can be of help. You can also hire
3rd party companies like Alskar, or Trident.
Calculate Your Exact Funding Goal
Next step would be to set up a funding goal. We recommend setting a
budget based on the percentage that you need to raise. This would be
your minimum viable goal. Check our detailed article here.
Do Your Research on Past Crowdfunding Campaigns
You must consider doing thorough research on past crowdfunding
campaigns and create your own crowdfunding checklist based on your
ndings. Gather their strengths and weaknesses and try to incorporate
them in your campaign. For example, if you are coming up with a wallet,
check what other wallet crowdfunding campaigns have been like and
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which ones were successful. Try to nd out that one aspect of those
campaigns that made them tick. It's very important to realize what
works for your campaign and why.
Chalk Out Your Task Calendar
You need to form a proper calendar based on the activities you need to
do. From designing a prototype to shipping the rst version of your
product, the calendar should be as detailed as possible. Here's our
favorite.
Set the length of your campaign
We also recommend setting the length of your campaign for a span of
30-45 days. Once you are done with the campaign, you can go for the
InDemand program on Indiegogo and keep your orders coming. After
the entire crowdfunding phase is over, you must also switch to your
own e-shop. We recommend Shopify or an Amazon Store for the
beginning. If you are a Gadget Flow customer, you will also get hands-
on help from the Amazon Launchpad team. In order to access this, all
you have to do is just head over to your Gadget Flow Dashboard and
then click “Interested in Launchpad” under Add-ons.
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Use Crowdfunding Services
Start planning your budget for using the popular crowdfunding services
that are available online. Platforms such as Gadget Flow, Backerkit,
BackerClub, Yanko Design, Kickbooster and so on will help you get the
maximum outreach possible for your campaign. The best way to
choose which one works for your campaign is to read UGC content in
the form of testimonials and forum discussions. Check our detailed
article here.
Create Your Landing Page to Capture Emails
You can do FaceBook Ads to spread the word. Try doing this at least 2-3
months before you launch your campaign. Also, make a list of all the
sign-ups and use them as your newsletter subscribers. Check how this
campaign got successful with Facebook Ads here. Make sure to nurture
your subscribers by going over your story as well as getting them
familiar with the crowdfunding process.
iOS 14.5 Update and Facebook Pixel / Ad Targeting
With the iOS 14.5 update, it’s a whole new game for Facebook Pixel and
ad targeting. If you’ve been relying on your Facebook pixel to build
retargeting audiences for your ad campaigns, now is the time to
reconsider your strategy. Apple now requires apps in the App Store to
obtain permission to “track” users across apps and websites owned by
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third parties for advertising and measurement purposes through its
AppTrackingTransparency (ATT) framework.
As a result of these changes, advertisers running campaigns that target
iOS 14.5 and later users will be impacted by limitations on data sharing.
If you optimize, target or report on web events from Facebook pixel or
any of our other business tools, you can take steps to update your
event setup and manage these changes. Check out the steps required
for Facebook’s business page here.
Send a Monthly Newsletter with Updates
Create a newsletter and start sending monthly updates to your
subscribers (sign-ups) regarding your campaign. You can use services
like MailChimp, MailerLite or Campaign Monitor. Once you send the
campaigns, track the open rates and click-through rates to see how
many users are interested in your newsletter and work on it
accordingly. Check our detailed article here.
Set Up the Social Media Channels
Go for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Additionally, make sure to
have an attractive cover image that highlights your campaign and
where it is live - Kickstarter or Indiegogo. Add images, videos or GIFs on
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your social posts as they perform better than links (only). Check our
detailed article here.
Prepare a Social Media Campaign Chart
You must be regular on these channels and post your content at least
once or twice per week before your campaign goes live. Twitter is also a
great platform to look for in uencers. You can also tweet and ask them
if they can go through your campaign or give it a shout out if possible.
Prepare a List of In uencers
Look for in uencers based on your product niche and ask them to
spread the word. You can also collaborate with previous campaigns on
Instagram or other social channels. Check our detailed article here.
Prepare Your Visual Assets on Time
This includes good lifestyle images of the product including GIFs and a
crowdfunding campaign video. Try avoiding white background images
as they don't make your product look real. Instead, go for images that
show your product in the real world and how it can be used. Our
statistics say that lifestyle images perform 60% better than white
background images. You can either use an agency, a freelancer, or do it
yourself.
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Set Up a Separate Budget for Video Production Cost
Your crowdfunding video is one of the key features for driving tra c to
your campaign. So, you must set up a budget separately for video
production. A medium range video would usually cost $3K-$5K while a
professional crowdfunding video would cost you between $8K-$12K.
Set Up Your Reward Tiers
Start setting your reward tiers based on your main goal. Your rewards
should be related to the product and not just $1 Thank-You cards or
$10 T-shirts and so on. In fact, those rewards work for the backers who
consider your projects on a charitable ground. But otherwise, it's quite
vague to go for that kind of pledges instead of doing your reward chart
based on the actual product. Think about bundles like 3+1 free or 4 +
free shipping.
Prepare a Draft of Your Story
Craft your story and prepare a draft for the campaign. Always
remember that crowdfunding is about the story and your journey
towards making the product. Narrate your story in a more engaging
way. It's always wise to hire a copywriter to go through the entire
project and make sure it looks perfect. Make sure to go through your
background, how did you come up with the idea, mention your
partners, etc.
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Reach Out to Media for Launch-Day Coverage
Reach out to media outlets for getting coverage on the day of your
launch. Media coverage is essential to get the word out. But you should
always know where to draw the line. Don't try to overdo the whole
thing. If you have a million dollar idea, press attention is inevitable.
Plan the Ful llment Process
Services like Crowdox, BackerKit, Ful llrite can help you in this zone. It's
better to deliver your product earlier than expected. Avoid a delay to
stay in the good book of your backers.
Show Up on Crowdfunding Forums
Start showing your presence in online crowdfunding forums like
Kickstarter Forum as much as possible. This will help you increase your
contacts and enhance your credibility at the same time. Answer
questions or ask your doubts and listen to what others in the same eld
have to say.
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Going Live Crowdfunding Checklis
Create Your O cial Press Release
Once your campaign is live, you need to make sure that the word
reaches out to the media on time. It would be advisable to create an
o cial press release 24 hours before your campaign goes live. Send it
to all the media outlets you have reached out before. That way, you'll be
able to spread the word immediately after your campaign goes live. You
can also use PR distribution services.
Send a Newsletter to your Subscribers
Use a newsletter service like Campaign Monitor, MailChimp or
MailerLite to send your subscribers a dedicated newsletter blast as
soon as your campaign goes live. Keep updating them with the
progress after two days and then after a week. Finally, give them a nal
shoutout ve days before your campaign ends.
Schedule Social Media Posts Beforehand
Ensure to have your social media queue lled up on Bu er. Keep
posting updates about your campaign across social media channels
and discuss its importance through your posts.
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Respond to the Comments As Soon As Possible
Interacting with your potential backers is extremely important. Make
sure to reply to those comments on Facebook, Twitter or your
campaign page on time. You can use a service like Mention for this.
Join Facebook Communities
You can also join Facebook communities related to crowdfunding not
only for sharing your campaign but also for interacting with industry
experts and for gathering more insights regarding your campaign and
how you can improve it for maximum engagement.
Track Your Tra c Sources
It's always essential to keep track of your tra c sources. Tools like
Clickmeter or referral programs like Kickbooster will help you
understand where your tra c is coming from. But also keep it under
consideration that mobile apps are not considered here. This is because
referral attributes are being stripped from mobile apps.
Send Updates
Sending updates about your campaign is vital. Whether it's a stretch
goal or an early delivery, you can do your updates once every two
weeks. Don't overdo it.
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Get to 30% of Your Goal As Fast As You Can
You have more chances to get featured on Indiegogo or Kickstarter if
your campaign reaches 30% of its goal within 48 hours. In fact, you can
grab that attention by securing the rst 30% of your goal from friends,
family, and acquaintances.
Set Up Special Early-Bird Perks
Coming up with special early-bird perks is always a good thing to do. As
a matter of fact, you can o er free shipping or 10% discount vouchers
to websites or blogs or in uencers and grab more attention from their
users.
Prep a Stretch Goal Chart
Once you start getting more attention for your campaign, start setting
up a proper stretch goal chart. That way, you can grab your backer's
attention even more.
Highlight the Press Coverage on the Crowdfunding Page
Just getting press mentions is not enough. You need to highlight them
on your crowdfunding page as well. Follow a speci c structure of
highlighting your most popular press mentions with quotes. This will
increase the credibility of your campaign.
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Post-Launch Crowdfunding Checklis
Be Ready With the Ful llment Process
Once your campaign is over, you must consider delivering the rst
batch to your backers as early as possible. Plan the ful llment process
with services like Far Group and don't let your backers start
complaining because of an unwanted delay and make sure to keep
answering any questions they may have. If you are a Gadget Flow
customer you can access our Ful llment partners on your dashboard.
Keep Updating Your Backers of the Progress
Update your backers about the progress once every three weeks. Let
them know that your project is under work and keep the excitement
going.
Never Delay the Delivery Timeline
Avoid a delay in delivery as much as possible. In case you can't, make
sure to explain why you are delaying the delivery to your backers in
detail. But we would still suggest you avoid a delay especially if you are
planning a second or a third campaign. It would be wise enough to
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choose a later date for delivery in the campaign than delaying your
proposed date.
Respond to All Genuine Queries
Never miss any query from your backers that comes your way.
Additionally, if you have enough budget, outsource your customer
support team and make sure all those queries are answered on time.
Delaying responses can lead to angry backers. Turn on noti cations on
your mobile phone and respond to those emails and questions on time.
Let your backers know that you care.
Switch to InDemand Indiegogo Program for More Orders
Once your campaign is over, you can switch to the InDemand program
on Indiegogo to keep getting more pre-orders. Make sure you take
orders only if you can ful ll them. You need not keep all the perks open
in the InDemand program. Just go for special perks you can ful ll and
keep getting those orders pouring in. Need an introduction? We can
help! Contact our support team.
Launch a Web-Shop if You Can
If you think you can ful ll an entire second batch of pre-orders, then
launch your web-shop. Don't make it too detailed. A simple website
based on Shopify that takes up pre-orders will do.
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Participate on Podcasts for Media Attention
Voice out your success with the help of podcasts arranged by Art of the
Kickstart, Crowdcrux and similar other platforms. It's important to do
these little things and make yourself more visible in the industry. Like
we said before, crowdfunding is not just about a product. It's also about
the story behind the creation of that product. If you truly have an
inspirational story, it's better to spread it out. You can also participate
on the Gadget Flow podcast. Contact our support team to book a date.
Thank Every Backer Individually
You must go for a thank you video clip and newsletter for your
subscribers and backers once the campaign is over. A little gesture of
gratitude always works. It adds a personal touch to your overall
campaign and makes you more visible in front of your backers.
Make the Packaging Attractive
Once you start working on the package delivery, you can also try and
add a personal note to each one of them. Always remember that since
this is your rst batch, you must consider thanking all those who helped
you with your campaign success. It can be anything from a thank-you
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note to a bookmark to chocolate. But whatever you do, make sure your
gratitude shows up.
Conclusio
We believe Crowdfunding can be cracked if you structure the entire
process properly. This checklist is not just about ticking o every point
and moving ahead one step at a time. It's also about getting into the
details of each section of your campaign and working hard to do it
right.
We have had many campaign creators asking us about the “secret” to a
Crowdfunding success time and again. Many believe that it has to do
with the product. But we think it's also about how you do it. Think of
campaigns like Generark or the X-Frame Mechanical Watch. They got
the success because of speci c strategies they had utilized during their
campaign. If you do the same, there's nothing stopping you from having
a successful campaign. We hope our crowdfunding checklist will help
you get along with a smoother ride.
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How can Gadget Flow Help
We o er a series of di erent services to help you kickstart your
crowdfunding campaign, from unboxing videos, to marketing,
validations services and everything in between. You can talk to one of
our sales reps today by visiting our submission page.
Gadget Flow Service
The Agency
Best-in-class e-commerce marketing and crowdfunding services by the
team that has helped over 9,000 businesses thrive. Learn More here.
Marketing Plans
Our marketing plans were designed to bring you tra c, backers and
backers. With 6 plans ranging from $469 to $9,899 you can nd a plan
to boost your tra c, increase awareness and get your campaign funded
by getting advertised in front of millions of potential customers and
backers. Learn More here.
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Unboxing Services
We’ll unbox and review your prototype or physical product with our
Host and tech expert Jonny Caplan. You’ll ship us your product and we’ll
have a high quality 4K review ready within 4 weeks. Learn More here.
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