What You Need to Know About Project Update on Kickstarter (Part 1)

Crafting effective updates during your online crowdfunding campaign can be a game-changing move. Check out how it keeps backers informed, builds trust, and positively impacts the project's success.

Echy Wong

August 24, 2023

Updating your backers during your crowdfunding campaign can bring significant advantages to your project. It not only keeps your backers informed about important progress but also creates a sense of connection and trust that can have a positive impact on your project. Check out this guide for tips on how to craft effective updates while your project is still online.

The Prelude: Initiating Engagement

At the inception of your project, set the stage for enduring engagement with these inaugural updates:

- Extend a warm welcome to your early backers, expressing gratitude for their presence.

- Introduce your team, offering a glimpse into the personalities driving the project.

- Encourage backers to introduce themselves and share personal anecdotes, fostering a community spirit.

- Offer a tantalizing preview of what lies ahead in your upcoming updates.

The Momentum: Nurturing Progress

As your project advances, sustain the momentum with a stream of weekly updates, tailor-made for different days:

- When numerous projects launch on Tuesdays, share regular progress updates to seize user attention.

- When most projects come offline, Thursdays present unique content to cater to diverse segments of backers.

- Leverage weekends to interact with backers, gather valuable feedback and deepen connections.

Topics for Ongoing Updates

Throughout your project, deploy updates that resonate:

- Celebrate milestones your project crosses.

- Engage in cross-promotion by spotlighting like-minded projects.

- Mobilize backers to amplify your project across social media platforms.

- Highlight noteworthy comments from backers.

- Shed light on reward tiers.

- Tease with progress updates and sneak peeks.

- Unveil exciting stretch goals.

- Share the thrill of your project being endorsed by "Project We Love" or other prominent channels.

- Offer exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpses into your creative process.

- Extend invites to backers for demo testing.

- Infuse festive spirit with holiday blessings.

- Disclose dates and locations of upcoming events, inviting backers to meet you in person.

The Grand Finale: Countdown to Triumph

In the final 24 hours of your project, craft an update that encapsulates your journey:

- Revisit key milestones and cherished moments.

- Address any shortfall in funding, emphasizing the achievable goal.

- Rally backers, noting how few additional backers are needed for triumph.

Finally, please note that Kickstarter updates can be marked public or private (for backers only). They can be emailed to all project backers, or to a specific segment of backers (location, pledge tiers, etc.).