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Ask HN: How to escape the momentum trap?
Just this last Friday I launched a Kickstarter project (http://bitly.com/kxz0E2) that I thought would be really interesting for the community I live and work in - namely - the startup community. You can see from my prior posts that I was working on getting the project right for awhile in the runup to the launch, and I have to confess that when I flipped the switch I expected something to happen...except that nothing really did! Of course, I don't mean this literally - I spent a great deal of time publicizing the project on Facebook and Twitter and Linkedin and every mailing list to which I belong, but the project didn't seem to immediately catch.
This is probably fine, since building buzz about something like a web series takes some time, and there are so many competing messages out there. But I have already figured out a couple things, which I thought I would share.
Momentum - the trendy word for it is traction - is a funny thing. No one is interested in joining your cause unless you have it, and you can't have it unless you have people joining your cause. To be honest I haven't discovered a way to get out of this after just a few days of running the Kickstarter project. Bloggers respond with "come back when you have some pledge traction." So here's what I plan to do - I'd be curious to get some suggestions on these items:
1) Make personal pledge requests to interesting people: even if they only pledge $1, if they are OK with me sharing their participation then hopefully this helps with momentum.
2) Cameos: this one is tough - I only have 6 slots. Robert Scoble agreed to take one of them, which is a great start, but I need to build on that this week.
3) Personal presentations at meetups: I have contacted a bunch of meetups and asked if I can make announcements at their next session. I'll be doing several of these a day for the next few weeks. I'm hoping that a personal request gets retweets, if not pledges
4) Mailing lists: I've reached out to every list for which I am eligible that has a readership that might be interested: startups, school, Yahoo alumni, Disney alumni. Where else to go?
There's another thing too, which is that I haven't gotten any direct feedback on the project itself - I don't know if I come across in the video as committed and passionate, which I am, or something else. I don't know if the description is long enough or detailed enough...any thoughts?
- hugh3 15y agoMomentum - the trendy word for it is traction - is a funny thing. No one is interested in joining your cause unless you have it, and you can't have it unless you have people joining your cause. To be honest I haven't discovered a way to get out of this after just a few days of running the Kickstarter project. Well shoot, if I knew a way to solve that problem I'd be a very, very rich man right now.
- fapi1974 15y agoI don't know if I'm trying to become very rich - but I'm definitely trying to get my project funded! Let's be honest - trying to drum up a discussion about the process is an attempt to get through the process. How meta!
- Mz 15y agoI'm wondering what these folks are getting in return -- the people you are asking for help from (permission to make announcements and so on). Maybe there is something in it for them and maybe you aren't getting that across very well. You have stated you will make no profit from it. Lots of not-for-profit projects are promoted with a combination of desperation/begging and high-horse lecturing ("this is the RIGHT thing to do!" kind of spiel). I've spent plenty of time doing volunteer work and did a fair amount of reading on the topic and what not. Even if you don't expect to turn a profit personally, what value are you bringing to the table to hook potential supporters? Because begging and lecturing typically don't accomplish much.
- fapi1974 15y agoThat's a very good question. I think the starting point is seeing a series made about their lives and realities, though perhaps this isn't enough. The way the Kickstarter project itself is structured, of course, is that contributing gets you tshirts, movie credits, dinner with the cast, and so on - there are tons of rewards. But as for why someone would like or retweet it/spread the word...I'll have to give it some thought. Perhaps have some rewards based on retweeting? Something like a random draw of people who retweet and the person gets a role in the production?
- Mz 15y agoI have no idea what you need to be offering. Just hoped to get you thinking strategically on "what's my motivation?" (from their perspective). FWIW: A scene from "Take the Lead" comes to mind where he has his Aha! moment about how to sell underprivileged kids on learning ballroom dancing. If you haven't seen the movie and have no idea what I am talking about, here is a 10.5 minute clip that should cover the gist of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGrnv-FnWxA&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGrnv-FnWxA&feature=relat...
- fapi1974 15y agobookmarked for tomorrow - will revert.