Written by Let’s say you’ve had a brilliant idea and you want to make it happen – but you’ve got no audience (yet). Zero. Nothing. No social media for the project. No mailing list. No customer database. No organisation whose contacts you can lean on.
Can you still run a crowdfunding campaign?
The answer is… maybe. It’s not going to be easy, and the larger your funding target, the harder it’ll be – but there are a few things you can try.
The more time you have, the better – so if you’re thinking about this at least a few months before your campaign needs to run, that helps. Ideally, you want to try and build up a base of people who know about your plans and who you can contact directly (maybe you get them to follow your new social media accounts, maybe you have a group WhatsApp, maybe you start an email mailing list).
Where might you find potential backers, and how can you build up a few audiences before you launch?
Friends and family
Friends and family may be the bulk of your backers, especially if it’s a target under about £5k – but when you approach them, think hard about why this is interesting for them (rather than just because they care about you).
Don’t bombard them, but share thoughtfully what you’re doing: “I know you really liked the piece I produced last year, thank you so much for your kind words – I thought you might like to see this which I’m launching next month”; “Great to see you at the gig last month; did you know I’m recording an album soon? Here’s a bit more about how I’m making it happen.”
Existing networks
Are there any organisations or clubs you’ve previously been part of? Might your old school be willing to share what you’re doing? Have you been a regular at any meet-ups? Do you have any previous work that’s been well-received by venues or particular communities?
Even better if it’s directly related to your work and shows the organisation in a good light – eg a local pub might be very open to sharing something about your album launch if they can also mention you’ve been a regular at their Thursday open mic night.
Community networks
Who else out there is similar to you? Everyone likes to support their own communities – and you can draw a circle around a lot of different and overlapping communities. Those could be geographical, cultural, professional, lifestyle, hobbies, and more.
This will be much easier if the networks you’re hoping to approach are places where you’re already known and recognised, especially if you have a history of giving help before you come to ask for it. Nothing coming to mind? Maybe you have time to start connecting with community networks and sincerely offering your expertise and time free of charge – make yourself valuable.
Interest groups
So far the previous three have all been about your personal connection, as an individual. But if you want your campaign to really get off the ground, you’ll need backers who aren’t personally known to you.
Who might be interested in the outcome of your campaign? If you’ve written a book highlighting a political cause close to your heart, where are the people who also care about that? If you’re creating a community resource to benefit your local area, are there neighbourhood Facebook groups, schools, cafes, or businesses who’d appreciate it? If you’re exploring a particular type of music or art or theatre, there are bound to be others out there who want to know more.
Key thought
There will be people out there who want to support what you’re doing. It might be because of their connection to you, or because of your work. Your job is to find them!
And the sooner you start, the better.
If you’d like a bit of inspiration and to talk about how you could reach your audiences, why not book in a quick chat with me? It’s free, and I’d be happy to help you think about who your backers might be.