Having a pre-existing audience is one of the biggest predictors of success for a Kickstarter campaign. While that’s great if you already have thousands of followers, it can be very intimidating when you’re just starting out. How are you supposed to get people to follow you when you haven’t released anything yet?
This was the exact situation we were in when we decided to crowdfund Captain’s Gambit. When we started out on our journey five years ago, we knew basically nothing about marketing or community management. But through a lot of research (and a lot of trial and error), we’ve managed to cultivate a fun, kind, and growing community.
So how did we do it? Well, today we’re going to share some of the steps we took to build an audience from scratch. Follow this guide and you’ll be well on your way to a sizeable following in no time!
Step One: Make an Account on Every Social Media Platform
One of the first things you want to do is make a company account on every social media platform you use. You should also make an account on every platform you don’t use but think that your target audience uses. At a minimum, you want to have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. But from there, there are a lot of other platforms you can consider. Tik Tok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Discord, WhatsApp, Tumblr, the list is endless.
Once you have your accounts ready, be as active as you can on each of them. Each platform has its own optimal cadence for when to post and how often. Try to learn what posting pace works best and stick to it. Your main goal should be to post regularly and consistently.
Step Two: Build a Website
In addition to having a presence on social media, you want to have a space that is purely your own. A website is great for this because it gives a centralized location where people can learn more about you, your brand, and your content/products. You also have complete control over your website, so you can make it look and feel however you want.
At a minimum, you should have a home page, an about page, and a contact page. But from there, feel free to customize and expand however you want. Don’t worry about making the website perfect right out of the gate. Just get the barebones ready and then iterate on it from there.
Step Three: Start a Mailing List
Now that you have a website, you want a way to keep everyone up-to-date on you and your projects. The best way to do that is with a mailing list. This gives you a direct communication channel to talk to your audience and give them important updates/announcements.
When you’re just starting out, it’s enough to just have a list for people to sign up to. But eventually, you’ll want to send things out regularly to your mailing list so that they don’t forget about you. A monthly newsletter is perfect for that and gives you a good way to share updates and announcements (such as when your Kickstarter is launching).
Step Four: Invite Your Friends and Family
At this point you might be thinking “ok, I have a bunch of social media accounts, a website, and a mailing list, but no one is following me on any of them. How do I get more followers?” The thing is, you already have a bunch of loyal followers ready to go! The best place to start is to mass-invite your friends and family to follow you. These people already like and trust you, and can give you that initial surge of support you need to get the ball rolling. Honestly, it’s totally fine if for the first while the only person who likes or shares your posts is your mom. Your audience will keep growing as long as you keep at it.
Step Five: Create Free Content
One of the best ways to keep people engaged with you is to give them something for free. If you’re just starting out, you might be thinking you don’t have anything to give away. But there are lots of cool free things you can share! If you’re making a game, consider sharing a free demo or a print & play. If your game isn’t playable yet, you could share screenshots, gameplay videos, or dev diaries about your game. You can also create a blog, where you share your thoughts and insight on whatever you are passionate about. And if you can’t think of anything, you can always curate and share cool stuff made by other people (just make sure to always give proper credit and attribution when sharing someone else’s work).
Your goal with all this is to build trust. Show people that you are capable of making fun and interesting stuff, so that when you ask them to financially support you in the future they know you’re honest about it.
And there you go! Five steps to get you started on your audience growing journey. Here are a few extra tips you should keep in mind:
Growth is Exponential: Every time you get a follower, the chance of getting another one goes up. This means that at the start, your audience growth is going to feel pretty glacial. But trust me, as long as you can keep momentum your growth will speed up over time.
Don’t Count On Going Viral: While there’s always a chance you can get lucky and ride a sudden wave to popularity, the odds of that happening are pretty slim. So instead of banking on beating the odds, focus on slow, consistent growth rather than a rare unpredictable spike.
There Isn’t a Magic Number: When you’re getting ready for your crowdfunding campaign, you might be thinking there’s a special threshold you MUST hit before you can launch. Audiences don’t really work that way. Think of your audience like a gradient rather than a target. The larger the audience, the better your chance of success. But you aren’t suddenly more likely to fund because you have 5000 followers instead of 4999.
When in Doubt, Copy Others: If you aren’t sure what to do to grow your audience, look at what other people are doing. Write about topics other people talk about, use relevant tags, and mimic the pacing and structure of their posts. While ultimately you want to have a style and voice that is distinctly yours, copying what others are doing can help you find it faster.
Always Be Kind and Helpful: Don’t be mean online. The internet is a public space, and everything you do can and will be eventually traced back to you. So no matter the setting, always be courteous and compassionate. Treat people online the way you would want them to treat you.