The tools you need to launch a successful crowdfund project.
Today, we are going to review the tools needed to launch a successful Kickstarter. I have categorized the tools below by the different functions.
You will find a link to their website and a short description of the tool’s pros and cons.
We have collected tools for all the key aspects of crowdfunding campaigns. The categories include Kickstarter, social media, project management, design, email, PR, website, store, fulfillment, accounting, and product development.
It’s a huge list that we’re proud of – enjoy and happy fundraising!
This section is surprisingly light as many tools you would expect to be here actually fall under another category. If you have an application that would fit well here, please let us know in the comments section below and we’ll add it to the list.
KickTraq has both a mobile website and Chrome extension. They offer advanced analytics of Kickstarter campaigns. It is a good way to do research on other campaigns and track your own. Probably the most beneficial feature is the success projection. It allows you to see the probability that your campaign will get funded based on past funding performance.
Managing social media can be a full-time job. Luckily, there is a set of tools that can help you automate that work and save time. You should aim to set up an account for your campaign on all major social media platforms. In particular, we found Instagram is a great marketing tool for crowdfunding.
Buffer is one of the easiest ways to manage your social media presence. There are many options for post scheduling tools, but we find Buffer to be one of the simplest platforms. For this reason, I am not going to recommend other platforms, but if you are interested in using a more advanced platform just search ‘alternatives to Buffer’ on Google.
We wrote a whole post about how to get more social shares for your Kickstarter campaign. Shareaholic was one of the applications which we recommended. It makes it easy for others to share your campaign on social media. They make it easy to quickly add “share and follow buttons” to your website.
I believe that Instagram is an untapped resource for crowdfunding campaigns. When you start to use Instagram to market your crowdfunding project, you will immediately see results. I have seen it generate hundreds of pre-launch emails in a very short time. It has the most engagement of any social media platform making it a necessity for your campaign.
Don’t expect to get the same level of engagement on Twitter that you do on Instagram. Many influential writers and bloggers still use the platform. If you want to reach out to them directly, Twitter is often a great way to do so.
Facebook is another great social media platform for crowdfunding. You can run ads on Facebook which will target your exact target audience. This will help drive traffic to your campaign. If your campaign goes viral, you will find that many people share using Facebook. It can be an excellent way to get organic growth.
Reddit it is a very influential social media site. It is often called “the front page of the internet.” It has a very exclusive member base. Make sure to do your research before posting your link on Reddit to know where and how best to share it.
If This Then That (IFTT) is one of my favorite applications for easy automation between tools. Even though it is not a social media tool directly, I thought it fit best in this category as it assist in social media management. It allows you to automate actions between different applications. For example, you can set it up to automatically post your Instagram post to Facebook. This can save you a ton of time with IFTT
If you are managing a team, or even just yourself, it’s an excellent idea to have project management software. We have included our top three easy-to-use project management tools.
Trello is an intuitive and free project management software tool. It utilizes boards which allow you to be flexible in the organization of your tasks. You can develop your project ‘board’ based on their templates or suited to exactly your personalized set-up. The best part is that it is free to use for unlimited users.
Basecamp is a slightly more robust project management tool. It allows you to communicate with team members, create a to-do list, post documents, send messages, and create a calendar. Basecamp can boast of the millions of accounts who use it and as well as a great support team. There is no free plan for Basecamp.
Many small to medium-size teams fight over what is better, Basecamp or Asana. I like Trello and BaseCamp better, but the Asana has some very powerful tools which Basecamp does not currently have. Asana also has a free tier.
Like many of the applications, I recommend that you try them all out and decide which one works best for your organization. What works perfectly for one team may not be a fit for another.
Canva is an accessible design tool. It can help you create beautiful graphics for your Kickstarter campaign. It also has easy to use templates and a stock image library. If you don’t know how to use Photoshop or don’t have a designer on your project, we recommend using Canva.
If you are a professional designer or have one on the team then you probably already have the Adobe Creative Suite. Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop on the most used graphic design tools. There is quite a learning curve but if you know how to use them they will be indispensable and creating campaign graphics.
I have personally tried out over 20 email clients. I know that sounds crazy, but every time I find one, it seems like it is missing one feature. For that reason, we are only going to recommend a few email tools which have robust features and yet manageable costs.
MailerLite is our new favorite email tool. It is free up to 1,000 email contacts, which offers a ton of great options. These features include being able to build landing pages and opt-in forms that look beautiful. You can also create automation sequences (where emails are sent automatically). These are features that you usually very expensive. MailerLite is also easy to use and has great support. I would try them out first!
MailChimp it is probably the most popular email sending tool. They offer paid automation options. It is also relatively affordable compared to larger platforms. The only downside is that contacts are sometimes hard to manage if you do not understand how to segment them. They also required double opt-in, this means that when someone signs up for your website, they need to click the confirmation email after.
Send In Blue we tried first before deciding on MailerLite. They offer a different pricing model than the other options, which could be beneficial to certain campaigns. They charge you by the number of emails you send each month instead of by the number of contacts. This pricing means you can have a big contact list to which you only email a few times a month and pay a much lower pay than you would with MailChimp.
Drip is a slightly more advanced email tool which allows you to create automated workflows. All of the email providers on this list allow you to send automated emails, but Drip is focused on enhancing your experience and results through email workflows. It is slightly more expensive than the other options starting at $49 a month.
Aweber also has a full suite of email tools. They allow you to create emails from beautiful templates. They have an easy to use mobile app and a high deliverability rate. Their plans start at $19 a month which is a bit more affordable than Drip.
Doing PR outreach is a ton of work. For that reason, it is totally okay to hire a PR agency. But if your budget is tight or you’re interested in learning these skills, there are many DIY options for getting press. Below is a set of the latest services and applications which promise to make it easier to get press. If you are looking to pitch the press, I recommend checking out our list of the best Kickstarter press releases.
Just Reach Out is a platform which allows you to find and reach out to journalists and bloggers in your space. It helps you search for and pitch stories that are relevant to the journalist. They also allow you to scan through Quora and Reddit posts to find the most relevant threads. When you do send an email, this tool tracks whether or not the contact has opened it. They make it easy to organize your media contacts into lists.
BuzzSumo allows you to find the most popular content on the internet associated with a keyword. You can use this tool to find reporters who have written about similar topics before. When you find relevant articles using this tool, you can search the journalists to contact and directly pitch your campaign.
Pitchbox offers an outreach platform similar to Just Reach Out and BuzzSumo. They have easy to use tools for finding and contacting new influencers. They provide powerful tracking and statistics which help to see what pitch is working best. They are not cheapstarting at $195 a month.
If you are looking to get more press, check out our articles on how to write a press release and how to create a press kit for crowdfunding.
If your Kickstarter is successful, it is only a matter of time before you will need to create a website. If you have yet to launch, I recommend you create a website before you launchyour campaign.
If you do not already have a website here are some recommendations for how to quickly create a website for your crowdfunding project.
WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) in the world today. Setting up WordPress is easy because every major hosting provider supports the platform. It is an open-source platform. So, while you can use the framework for free, you will have to purchase website hosting and install a theme on your own. This may sound daunting, but there are many easy-to-follow tutorials online. Or you can use their paid, supported service at WordPress.com. I wrote an article with a great collection of WordPress themes for crowdfunding projects.
If WordPress seems a little daunting to you, then using SquareSpace might be a great fit! They allow you to create a spiffy looking website easily. They also take care of hosting and registering the domain name making it easy for you to set up a site in less than a day. All the themes are very modern looking.
Strikingly is the most basic of all the website building options above. It also makes it the easiest to set up. You can create a Strikingly site in less than an hour. I actually used Strikingly to show how to create a create a landing page for your Kickstarter campaign. These sites are fast to put together but have the most limitations.
Prefundia allows you to easily create a pre-launch page. It also focuses on collecting emails so you can email your supporters when your campaign goes live. Prefundia helps to get feedback and suggestions to improve your project. It has a very impressive list of success stories. Over 68 million dollars has been raised by projects that were pre-launched on Prefundia.
Shopify is an online e-commerce website builder. If you plan on selling products after your campaign is finished (see our Post-Campaign tools below), it might be good to start with a Shopify site. They allow you to build a beautiful e-commerce store. It is easy to setup, and you can start with a free trial.
There are many reasons you would want to run a survey before, during or after your crowdfunding campaign. One of the main reasons is to collect shipping addresses from your backers after the campaign or ask for feedback. Below are two simple tools to collect this information.
Google Forms is first because it is free to use! You can easily make a survey and send it to many users. The added benefit is that the answers are all sent to Google Sheets where you can organize them and run valuable Excel-like statistical analysis.
SurveyMonkey gives you a deeper level of customization than Google forms. If you do not have many backers to survey, you could use their free access subscription. Otherwise, their services are paid. Their surveys are going to look highly polished and they offer more options for question types.
If you are creating a great DIY Kickstarter video, you are going to need to edit the video! Here are some video editors which we recommend for beginners. If you are an expert videographer then you likely already have a video editor of your choice.
iMovie is a popular choice because it is easy to use and comes pre-loaded on every Apple computer. If you already have a Mac, it is probably enough for you to create a great campaign video.
Windows Movie Maker is the free video editor that comes with Windows computers. It makes it easy to create and edit videos. If you do not have a Mac, it is basically the alternative to iMovie. It has all the basic features you need to edit a video.
If you are looking for something more powerful, check out the next recommendations:
Adobe Premiere is a video editing app that is part of the Adobe’s Creative Cloud. If you know how to use Adobe’s tools, it is easy to add to your workflow. You can purchase it through Adobe’s website. It takes a bit more time to learn than iMovie.
Final Cut Pro is the big brother of iMovie. It is Apple’s paid “pro-level” video editing tool. Many professionals have been frustrated as features have been removed over the years. It allows you more customization and advanced tools than iMovie 8. If you are looking for a video editor which is easy-to-use and also powerful, Final Cut Pro is a great solution.
If you are shipping a physical product then you have to fulfill the orders. Fulfillment is an aspect crowdfunding that people think is a lot easier than it is in reality. Below are a few popular options for managing the logistics of campaign fulfillment.
PledgeBox is a full software suite which makes it easy to collect data and pre-orders. You also can run surveys and manage customer support. It is built specifically for crowdfunding campaigns.
ShipStation bills itself as the number one choice of online sellers looking to manage shipping. They have a 30-day free trial when you set up an account. They allow you to connect multiple shipping software tools together. This includes platforms like Amazon, Squarespace, Shopify, FedEx, UPS, and many others. They also have many internal tools which will make things like printing shipping labels much easier.
Shipwire is a major competitor to ShipStation. They allow you to fill orders using your own shipping service or their warehouses. They offer solutions for larger brands looking to streamline their global logistics. If you have run a huge Kickstarter, then this is probably a great solution to manage your expansion.
Each week, we get questions about how you start your own crowdfunding site or use an open-source platform. There are clear advantages and disadvantages to not using a popular platform like Indiegogo or Kickstarter.
Self Starter is a free and open-source crowdfunding platform. You are able to download the code directly from Github. It uses Amazon payments to collect reservations for your campaign. You also have the option to set up your own payment processor if you want.
Thrinacia is a crowdfunding platform which allows you to deploy the software through a widget or website. It allows you to create a completely white labeled crowdfunding campaign.
Crowdfund HQ allows you to create a custom campaign. They allow you to easily customize almost every aspect of the page including the front-end CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. They also support multiple payment gateways which allow you to get the lowest possible fees.
CrowdForce.co gives you tools to create your own crowdfunding campaign. They offer the ability to setup a traditional crowdfunding campaign using a “Kickstarter style”. They also have tools that allow peer-to-peer lending and realty investing. The platform is comprehensive meeting SEC / FINRA regulations and running on dedicated PCI compliant servers.
If you are launching a physical product you may still need to do some sourcing. We have collected the key directories which can help you find manufacturers to create your product.
Maker’s Row helps companies source and manufacture their products. They have helped over a hundred thousand businesses create their product. Maker’s Row is focused on products that are made in America. They can connect you with knowledgeable partners based in the United States. They are able to help you every step of the way, from pre-production, production, and shipping. To access the database comes at a cost of $35 a month.
Alibaba is a well-known directory of international manufacturers. On their website, you can search for specific capabilities and contact them through the app. You can hear of both horror and success stories with Alibaba. I recommend checking out a detailed article on how to source and manufacture products through Alibaba.
Accounting might be the last thing that you think of when you think of launching a crowdfunding campaign. But once you start collecting money, it will be important to record all financial transactions. It will make it a lot easier when it comes time to pay taxes at the end of the year.
Xero is an accounting app that lets you track expenses using its web and mobile app. It allows you to reconcile multi-currencies, invoice clients, and claim expenses. It is a good option if you are looking to build a small business from your campaign.
Freshbooks is another popular accounting software product. It is focused slightly more on freelancers and agencies who managed clients. For this reason, it may not be the best solution for your crowdfunding campaign.
QuickBooks is the oldest of these three options. It is one of the most popular small business accounting platform. For a small campaign, it may be overkill. Yet for a larger company, you may want to take advantage of Quickbooks’ full offerings.
After your campaign is over, you may still want to collect funds. A successful campaign may just be the beginning of a long-term business. These options allow you to develop your project after the campaign comes to a close.
Shopify one of the most popular e-commerce store providers. Like Big Commerce, they offer a full suite of e-commerce solutions. They also have a free trial in which you can set up a store before deciding if you want to purchase the software. They offer a full website builder with many great theme options.
Big Commerce is has a slightly smaller customer base than Shopify. They offer almost identical pricing. They do have fewer options in their theme store.
Both Shopify and Big Commerce offer free trials. Therefore, we recommend trying them both out and choosing the one you like best.
While you decide on these top two recommendations, there are some other tools which are useful to consider for post-Kickstarter stores:
IndieGoGo is unique as you can continue to fundraise or sell your product after the campaign is over. I have seen successful Kickstarters wrap up and then launch on Indiegogo Marketplace so they could continue to raise funds through crowdfunding. Indiegogo makes it very easy to sell your product after your campaign.
Celery is an app which allows you to collect presale orders before your campaign launches. You also can use it for orders after the campaign is done. It allows you to keep more of the funds by only taking 2% per transaction plus fees to Stripe. There is no monthly cost, you only get charged when you make a sale. This makes it a great alternative to a more feature rich platform like Shopify which has a monthly subscription.
If you want to know what fees you will pay to Kickstarter check out this handy calculator I built.
The Jumpstart Theme is very connected to the above-mentioned Shopify. It is the perfect webshop theme for any crowdfunding campaign. It makes it easy to collect money after your campaign has launched. You can check out a demo of the store here.
That’s all, folks! This is our complete roundup of tools to help your crowdfunding campaign. These tools will help promote, automate, optimize and support your project. Let us know if you have a favorite that we have missed in the comments section below. We are always happy to update the list with your favorites!
