Photo Credit: Emma Rodrigues (click pic for site)

‘Artist Answers’ is a weekly feature that will help to deliver one of my three guide words for this year: Serve. I ask some like-minded creative types for their most burning new media questions, then set about providing some insight into the topics it raises.

This week, Parisian-based pop/folk (polk?!) artist Lynette jumps into the fray with a detailed question about Kickstarter campaigns. Currently in the last few days of a campaign on the platform, to fund recording of her debut album – you can listen to her music here and, if you dig, back the campaign here – Lynette asks the following:

“We started our Kickstarter campaign at the same time as a couple of other similar music projects and  noticed that one, with the same $25K target, met their goal sooner than we have. We have 1000+ Facebook “likes” to our Kickstarter page, while this particular project just cleared 800.  With what looks like more Facebook exposure, how could we translate that awareness into the $1-$50 donor level participation?”

Levels & Layers

As with the fluffy adage about a snowflake, no two Kickstarter campaigns are exactly alike. At least, they shouldn’t be, if the artist is truly seeking to build the project around their own particular fans and the community that they represent. That said, it can be more difficult to distinguish campaigns, especially those related to music, at the lower levels of rewards.

One of the crucial factors is to layer rewards so that each one offers something just a little sweeter than the last. Find the balance between having too many, which can overload a potential backer (paralysis by analysis), and creating enough to suit a number of single and  double digit level backers. The difference between just $10-15 is larger than it seems in this region, so be sure to throw in neat flourishes that will encourage and excite your backers.

Above all, focus on injecting these levels of your campaign with fun and making it accessible to all who wish to support you. Focus on the “every pledge counts!” mantra and show that you value each reward, by weaving some of your (soon to be) famed creativity into each level.

Some examples of neat little extras at these lower levels, that can be achieved with minimal expense to yourself, might include:

• Handwritten, personalized thank you notes,
• A link to their web presence and thanks for donating,
• A blog post on your site, about or including the backer,
• Smaller merchandise items, such as stickers, tattoos, pins, drink koozies etc,
• Oddball random items of your own that are limited in number…song notes, guitar picks…I know someone who gave away socks used in the update video…. (you know who you are

Let the Music Play…

Of course, in all of the excitement about personalized rewards and creative merchandise, it can be easy to forget about the music.

Don’t! 

Your music is the crucial element of these lower reward levels, as it will be the core of what draws people in to support you. Plan to weave as many of your songs as possible into the fabric of your campaign video, project updates, social network promotions, and, of course, the end reward outputs.

Some additional thoughts:

• At the very entry level rewards, up to $10, find ways to include perhaps a song or some advance streaming, so that not only those that pledge at the full album reward levels are included in the musical side,

• Remember that you can send exclusive updates to just the project backers, something that you can communicate in the reward levels, so those who have not yet pledged understand that they get the inside track on the development of your songs once they back you,

• Including exclusive previews of music can be exciting to media outlets such as blogs or local press, furthering your reach into their audiences and potentially bringing in curious new listeners, willing to back at the lower levels to explore further,

• Your existing fans will likely pledge at a level that gets them the full album, regardless of the lower rewards. This effectively acts as a pre-order facility. Newer listeners, perhaps even first timers, however, often need an easier entry point. This  means staggering the music you have available so that they can listen to some for free, get on board, then commit at whichever reward point gets them the music they desire,

• Also remember that once someone pledges, you have them on your updates list and they can be reached with new music, notifications, and any new rewards that you choose to add. This can be a useful way to bring new listeners into the fold, then persuade them to a larger pledge as their relationship with you and and your music develops.

A Note on Facebook

And Your Good Self?