Podcast 374 - How to do a kickstarter - part 1

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Summary

Paul, Erica and Julianne talk about what it takes to make a successful Kickstarter. The conversation is based on Paul and Erica's experience with running Kickstarter campaigns that got more than fully funded.

Relevant Threads

Dirtpatcheaven thread at permies
Dirtpatcheaven Youtube channel
Julianne's podcast with Paul about residual income streams
Erica's book, The Rocket Mass Heater Builder's Guide
Live Stream Permaculture Design Course & App. Tech Course Kickstarter

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This podcast was made possible thanks to:

Julia Mason
Josh Phillips
wade L
سليمان العقل
Jason Hower
Bill Crim
Chris Holly
Doug Barth
James Tutor
The Rayhawk Clan
Mark Allen
Kelton Mitchell
David Ingraham

Putting this here for my own reference as much as anything else

awesome kickstarter podcast part 2
and part 3

This is so great, thank you for this podcast. I have such respect for your candid information. The format is like eaves-dropping, wonderful. I have a very limited budget but I managed to make sure there was 60 dollars in my account when the time came to fund your book, Building a Better World in Your Back Yard, then you offered the Audio at 100, I literally cried there was no way I could do it in time. But I'm so glad you have all these other podcasts to console me.
Erica your book on building Rocket mass heater is the second gem in my library next to Bill Mollison's Permaculture, A Designers Manual. And when Pauls book shows up it will be my third gem. I was even more broke when yours came out so it was two years before I could get it. I still want the DVD's... Eventually.

Well the reason I'm listening besides I like to is because I am planning a kickstarter, and wanted to know some stuff. Like what book did you suggest to Erica to read? Any way I was going to try to make this happen by November but you have clearly shown me, that, that is a little over energetic and I may be doomed to fail. I do not want to fail.

My issue is immediate though, I have a house full of fleas and I wanted to do a book or video on how to get rid of them naturally. Not just a 3 minute whatever thing that tells people what to buy, but an in the trenches move the junk and clutter, box or bag the stuff to wash or solarize (cook them in black plastic bags in the sun) and basically hold peoples hand as they go through the process with me. I also wanted to be friendly to their natural predators, spiders, ants and beetles. Yes I am a typical girl, but I also value the ecosystem. Any way I am low income I am in at least 4 facebook groups and people seem to like me. In one, which is "The Idea Party with Barbara Sher" I posted my wish to be rid of the fleas and the obstacles to making that happen. One member suggested I try a GoFundMe page. So I started looking around and remembered you did crowd funding for your book and came here to find out what you knew that I could use. I also realize I will have to actually do the job, video and all before I can make a Kickstarter or be eaten alive, me and my two cats. And worry about the making money part later. I want to call it "How to Get Rid Of Fleas Naturally in Less than a Month" if I don't get the money I will have to add... On a Shoestring!

Yay!! I found this podcast, so thank you all three, I am moving on to part 2 now, but I still want to know the title of that book you recommended to Erica. I love to read!

Sincerely,
Evelyn

Hi Evelyn,

I believe the book Paul recommended was "Launch" by Jeff Walker. It's a pretty short read but has some good tidbits.

Shawn,

Thank you, Paul finally gave the name of the book in the 2nd part, thank you for getting back to me with that. I have been teased like that before, and it's not fun. I staid up 'til 4 in the morning, and listened to all three podcasts. I will have to listen again. There is such wonderful information in those. Especially with Erica in there too. I can't recall the other ladies name but she asked some really good questions.

I also listened to one of his residual income podcasts too.  I want to try some of it myself. I am thinking of ways to incorporate products into stories. Another podcast I will have to listen to again, or three times. I love listening to him talk though so it's easy.

Thank you again, for getting back to me.

Sincerely,
Evelyn

Shawn,

Oh, I meant to say I ordered the book.

Evelyn

I hope to have an alpha version of a kickstarter book out in about a month.

Paul,

After hearing your podcasts, I think that is such a great idea. I'd love to read that. Your success inspires me, as does the success of the people who listen to you. So I ordered that book "Launch", I figured if it was good enough for you to put so much emphasis on it for Erica, it must be a necessary step.

I am so behind in my internet-stuff education; things are just moving on as I struggle to comprehend what's in front of me. Oh and if an emergency life change happens... well... more behind and confused. It almost seems like I'm starting over every time I try to do something.

Is there any basic stuff that doesn't change, that I should know about?

Sincerely,
Evelyn

Paul

I wanted to do this in email, it might be a bit sensitive. Question first.

Did you ever buy Jeff Walkers course on Launching, or were you able to get what you needed from his book?

I got the book "Launch" and reading it "Wonderful recommendation" thank you.

Jeff Walker is having his Launch for this year "2019, September" now. I went through the Free Master Class, totally excited to join. But also totally scared, a lot of "what if's" are creeping in. And he is a master at selling, I am usually pretty immune to this kind of stuff, but he hooked me. I'm glad I didn't have the cash ready by the end of his open cart video. I've got 'til midnight on Friday now to decide.

I have a small website for box patterns that I totally broke and am way frustrated over, so I've been just paying for it's space until I can fix it and reignite the spark that got me started. You can still get on the site and look around. I am totally lost with the constant changes that happens in a WP website, every time I think I understand whats going on they update it, or a plug in updates, and make it hard to understand again. So all I'm doing is figuring out how to fix it rather than using it. By the time I have it put back together I'm totally deflated, and all my creativity has been sucked right out of me. It also feels so bulky, it's the only way I know how to describe it, like I can't breath when I'm working on my website.

I get tunnel vision when I start working on stuff, nothing else matters, so if I get sucked into a detailed problem I'm in trouble for days because nothing else gets done.

A Launch, might work for my little website. It'll likely never be a site to retire on but I figured if I launch twice a year, once for jewelry crafters (July) and once for Christmas shoppers (early December), it would be a nice little up-tick in my finances at the right times of year.

I never thought to post it here in Permies because it's not about permaculture, but here it goes, www.giftboxesnow.com

Well, if you can comment that would be appreciated but I totally understand if you don't.

Thank you
Evelyn

Before I forget, I should mention that I have put up a draft version of my book "kickstarter techniques"

https://permies.com/t/123522/Kickstarter-Techniques-eBook-DRAFT

I bought the launch book as an ebook and read the first third of it.   And then when i was on my back with cervical radiculopathy for three months, jocelyn got it for me as an audiobook.  Audiobooks helped distract me from the pain so i could go to sleep - i listened to the whole book this way many, many times.  In other words, I slept through a lot of it, waking enough to hear bits and falling back asleep.  It was a miserable three months, but I think it is safe to say that I read the book.

I don't think I am a launch pro.   I think what I learned from the book was mostly "marketing today is much different from marketing before the internet."   Further - there is a huge amount that I don't understand.   For example, I have had the concept of "the funnel" explained to me a dozen times and I still have no clue.

If you wish to talk to somebody that does understand it, I suggest that you take it up in the proper forum in the monies category:  https://permies.com/c/20

Paul,

Thank you, I will.

I really hate being in this position, sort of damned if I do, and damned if I don't. Though 2000. is a lot of money for a person in my current situation, even with a payment plan. If it really does work it might pay for it's self. I will seek the advice of the forum, thank you.

Evelyn

Well didn't have anyone post anything but a lot of lookers.

I got impatient so I posted the abbreviated question on google, ended up at a site that had 7 comments, so I read the article, then read the comments.

It is essentially all based on scarcity, usually manufactured, false or phony scarcity, but some businesses do have real scarcity like one of a kind stuff, or a finite number of items.  

Basically kick starter is based on the launch principal. The kick starter provides the platform or open cart portion of the program, which is in this case also the container, for the whole sideways sales letter formula based on Jeff's Launch formula, 1) the Opportunity, 2) the Transformation, 3) Ownership/Buyer, 4)Enrollment/Product Delivery.

It removes/hides the ethics problem by creating real scarcity.

Holey Moley, wow.