Wait! Before you start that Kickstarter campaign...

You may be considering Kickstarter or one of the many other crowdfunding sites for your next creative/business/socia-good endeavor. The internet has given us many cool things, and crowdfunding has to be one of the coolest of those cool things. If you’re making a Sundance-worthy movie, or starting the next Apple, or preparing to solve the education crisis in America, you only have so much time to get everything done. 

Asking yourself a few preliminary questions before you even start planning a crowdfunding campaign can save you a lot of time and ultimately increase your chance of success.

1. Do you have enough time to plan the campaign, maintain the campaign for a month or so, and then deliver all rewards you have promised donors promptly after a successful campaign is over?
2. Do you know basic online marketing best practices?
3. Is there anything else that you could spend that much time and energy on that would get you better results?
4. Have you ever participated in any crowdfunding campaigns in any way, particularly as a donor?

If answer NO to any of these questions, right now might not be the best time for you to run a crowdfunding campaign. If, for example, you haven’t participated in a campaign as a donor, take some time to look through current campaigns and see if there is one you’d like to support. And don’t stop at just donating - explore the different ways you can participate through sharing, asking questions, and posting comments. If you don’t have a lot of experience with online marketing, take some time to learn about promoting and selling products online.

Once you can say YES to all four questions, CONGRATULATIONS! It’s time to start planning your crowdfunding campaign. Don’t forget to ping me with the link to your campaign site, and let me know your thoughts in the comments section.