We were two weeks into a campaign with a modest $18,000 goal and things were not going well. We shot a good video. We took good photos of the product. We told our friends and family and then we waited for the money to start pouring in. We kept waiting. And waiting. And then we waited some more. We then turned to begging complete strangers on social media to support and share our campaign. Luckily we found a JV (joint venture) partner at the last minute via a personal connection and that saved the campaign.

This was my first run at crowdfunding several years ago. Since then I’ve raised over 50 million dollars and have taught 11,000 people around the globe how to crowdfund.

Are you ready for The $100k Crowdfunding Secret?

It’s called a prelaunch.

In layman terms, it means a set of activities you do before you go live. “Yes, I know that already” you may say. But are you doing it? Do these things to be successful with crowdfunding.

1. Get the PledgeBox backer directory and start building relationships with backers BEFORE you go live.
2. Run a viral contest with the PledgeBox viral contest page builder. It’s a great tool to build your email list.
3. Get your PledgeBox marketing setup. This is the easiest way to build a social following.
4. Write a press release or have PledgeBox write your newsletter by paying a small amount of money. Take it live on launch day.
5. Get a media list. Use this list to pitch/email relevant journalists about your project. I do this EVERY single launch.

Does it work?

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Yes. The first campaign I ever did we barely raised $18k. The second one I did we raised $183,000 and spent ZERO money on Facebook ads or other paid media. Happy Crowdfunding!

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