Last Updated on September 15, 2022 by Josh McKenzie

Funding: How to Start Your Kickstarter Project

How are you funding your project? Off-shore investors, generous uncle, or starting it your way? Get involved with Kickstarter to begin your project on the right foot; your own.

Do you dream of being paid to do what you love? Who doesn’t! But if you’re committed to your idea and committed to the cause, check out Kickstarter. It’s the perfect to facilitate global investment, in your local brilliance!

Kickstarter is a huge online platform used for raising funds for unique projects. That includes everything from creating a brand-new board game based around alcoholic spirit distillations, to the poetry of underground Iranian artists – and everything in between!

Ok, so how do you start a Kickstarter project? All you need your project online and ready for investment is, a description of your idea/project (it doesn’t have to be perfect and can be edited at any time) and proof of identification! From here, you can set your funding target, campaign for more investment, and form relationships with your investors; all in an effort to make your dream come true!

How to start your project?

This is the toughest – but easiest – question to answer. Because you already know the answer. Your project starts when you start it. It could be an idea; it could even just be a thought you can’t shake after a particularly interesting conversation. But to ‘start’ your project; that’s up to you.

However, using Kickstarter, you will have to do three things to start your project:

Select a category. It can be anything from Art, Comics, Crafts, Dance, Design, Fashion, Film & Video, Food, Games, Journalism, Music, Photography, Publishing, Technology, and Theater.
Explain your idea. This doesn’t have to be perfect. They don’t need you to write something on an intellectual par with Ulysses or The Catcher in the Rye. Just explain what it is you want to do and why it means something to you. Have faith in your vision. Besides, you can always edit it afterwards.
Confirm your eligibility. Essentially, where you are based and proof of identification. The boring stuff, but the important stuff.

How to fund it using Kickstarter?

With something as limitless and open as Kickstarter, there is no set game plan on how to succeed.

Let’s be honest, if there was a quantifiable strategy for untold success, each of us would already be following that and there would be no need for Kickstarter.

But, here are some helpful tips that we have found when using it:

Tell your truth. Don’t lie, con, or deceive people in your explanation. You need your donators to trust you, and more importantly, trust your story. No one will give money to something that they believe is entirely fictitious. You need to convince people you have purpose and intent – en masse – and the best way to do that, is to speak your truth
Work on your video. This is similar to number one, but just as important. You get one chance at a first impression, especially online. Don’t ruin it by having a shoddy, amateur video where it doesn’t look like you know what you’re doing. That lack of confidence will transmit to the viewer and diminish their chance of believing in your project. Remember, you’re selling your idea – make it sellable!
Pick a number. Choose a total. Do the sums, count those (imaginary) pennies, and agree on a clear target of how much money you will need to achieve your dream
Encourage donations with a clever rewards system. You need people to feel something good from their donation, what better to do that than with rewards? But remember, keep it simple. If you do reach your total, which will be most likely a minimum of several hundred pounds, you don’t want to have to then carry out a lot of intricate rewards. Keep it simple, but it rewarding.
Social media: the free marketing tool! Use it wisely and use it often. Keep driving people toward your kickstarter through links, tweets, mentions, stories – whatever it takes! If you believe in your project, use that intensity to create a community online of similar believers, and direct them toward your donation page!

What are the rules when using Kickstarter?

Projects must create something to share with others. Every project that goes through Kickstarter has to have an end goal that includes sharing it with the world. Basically, you have to be able to say, “here you go, here’s what we created for you!” and have it over to someone to use!
Projects must be honest and clearly presented. This comes down to our earlier principle of truth. Don’t intentionally mislead your investors. For one, it is not morally right to lie to someone who believes in something. And two, if you are manufacturing your project, you will be expected to offer some form of prototype or proof of creation. Which could be pretty tricky if you are lying through your teeth. The same goes for non-manufactured projects, Kickstarter will not allow you to present your idea using distorted/altered images. It will, again, mislead the investor and defraud them of money.
Projects can’t fundraise for charity. This does not mean that money cannot be raised for non-profit organisations. Instead, it means that a project launched on Kickstarter cannot have the sole purpose of accumulating money, to then donate those funds directly to a charity. Any money raised on Kickstarter must go towards achieving a project, the details of which must be outlined by you, the poster.
Projects can’t offer equity. Kickstarter is about making projects become reality, you cannot offer an investor a stake, or equity, in your future business or project. This isn’t Dragon’s Den people.
Projects can’t involve prohibited items. As with any reputable site, Kickstarter has a list of things which it cannot be associated with. They can be found here.