Placing a crowdfunding campaign in a website like Indiegogo or Kickstarter is not enough. While those are undoubtedly large platforms, you have to promote your project in order to get exposition on them and out of them.
There are several actions you can do to get a good exposition. The key to raise the ranks is funding levels. The sooner you make your amounts climb, the sooner you’ll get exposition on the platforms. But bear in mind, however, that exposition out of them is as much important.
First and foremost, you should contact a newswire company (like yours truly, iCrowdNewsWire), write a press release and spread it to the press. Press attention is a key factor in achieving success in crowdfunding. Not only that will make your campaign be boosted outside of the platforms, but many people actually take action to buy your product or service because of this exposition, helping you get featured on the platforms homepages. Being featured in a credible news site can be a big boost to your project.
Second, you should definitely run a sound social media campaign. A video is a requirement in most larger platforms and is certainly a must do if you want to gather attention. It is actually one of the cheapest forms of market to reach out to your public.
You should not, however, ignore established channels. If you don’t own your own, you should try and contact major websites and portals to tell them about your product. That can be expensive, but depending on your goals, worth your while. Don’t forget to create your own website and pages, and direct people to them. Promoting on Facebook and advertising on Adwords can be cheap and effective ways to get your project in front of your public if done right.
Last, as most platforms feature projects based on how fast they raise money (plus, there is a network effect as many backers decide to put their money at stake because others are doing so), it helps a lot if you put your own money and ask friends and family to do so. Calculate your costs accordingly so you don’t risk too much of your own funds and keep in mind that, if you chose an all or nothing campaign, you’ll have your money back if you fail to achieve your results.