The previous few months have been among the greatest and most eventful at BackerKit.
March was a very notable month of extremes on BackerKit by which we hosted each one of many greatest creators and campaigns in crowdfunding historical past in addition to the largest cohort of enamel pin creators launching and operating over 120 campaigns on the identical time.
These unprecedented breakout campaigns and occasions proved BackerKit was constructed for creators of all sorts and sizes to not solely launch a few of their greatest and most memorable campaigns but but in addition construct their inventive audiences, community, and future with every new challenge.
These breakout moments led to new damaged information, key milestones, and much more pioneering options since our final product replace in January.
Right here’s a fast abstract:
- Pintopia 2024: BackerKit’s annual collaborative crowdfunding occasion for enamel pin designs, Pintopia ran between March 28 to April 18 of this 12 months and featured over 120+ pin creators who collectively generated practically $1m in whole funding – over 14x greater than the inaugural Pintopia in 2023.
- Cross-Collab Campaigns: We launched model new options for Pintopia, concurrently examined by Pintopia creators and their hundreds of backers, which has led to extra explorations round a extra collaborative strategy and our latest function beta – Cross-Collab Campaigns. 100+ creators have already utilized to participate in our beta, which remains to be open for submissions. See particulars under.
- Brandon Sanderson / Phrases of Radiance: In early March, the most important crowdfunding creator Brandon Sanderson launched his large marketing campaign Phrases of Radiance Leatherbound on BackerKit. It raised a whopping $23,756,818 in funding with the assist of 102,089 backers – making it the #2 Most funded crowdfunding challenge of all time. Learn our full case research of this meteoric challenge and the quite a few damaged information it left in its wake.
Figuring out we’d be internet hosting the very best quantity of initiatives, creators, and backers ever on BackerKit, we took it as the proper alternative to develop and take a look at new capabilities at scale, together with these new crowdfunding options you’ll solely discover on BackerKit:
Lastly, we’re excited to announce Comictopia 2024 launching this July!
We’ll be diving into all of those and extra on this product replace. Please be at liberty to click on on any hyperlink above to leap straight to that part.
However for many who wish to begin from the highest, let’s start with one of the crucial thrilling product developments and explorations but…
Pintopia: A case for Collaborative Crowdfunding 🤝
Crowdfunding has primarily been a solo endeavor: 1 creator launches 1 challenge and runs it alone.
However is that the solely approach?
We at BackerKit have been testing one other approach – a extra collaborative approach – that adjustments the foundations of crowdfunding and has helped creators increase their fanbase, funding potential, and inventive community. Some creators say it may be far more enjoyable.
This new approach is constructed on the idea that collaboration may be transformative.
A perception shaped from having labored carefully with creators for over a decade and seeing firsthand how they typically discovered greatest from each other, how open they had been to sharing the instruments of the commerce, and the way keen they had been to accomplice as much as launch greater and higher campaigns.
We needed to make these moments between creators occur extra typically and with extra intention.
So we launched Pintopia as our pilot in communal and collaborative crowdfunding.
And in contrast to different crowdfunding occasions that solely collect creators to launch initiatives round a central theme or class, Pintopia went additional to design a collaborative crowdfunding expertise round particular person, accomplice, and communal funding targets.
Pintopia communal crowdfunding targets: Backers who pledged to 5 (5) or extra initiatives earned the Gold Pintopia 2024 pin.
These targets empowered creators to accomplice creatively on cross-collab reward designs and cross-promote one another’s initiatives, which then inspired their backers to find and pledge to a number of campaigns, which then unlocked much more rewards for backers to get pleasure from.
Greater and higher, collectively
Pintopia 2023’s intimate cohort of 20 creators proved the idea of collaborative crowdfunding, with all initiatives efficiently funding and elevating over $68.5k and supported by 2.6k pledges.
For Pintopia 2, we needed to go even greater – and the outcomes stunned even us. In comparison with Pintopia 1, this 12 months’s Pintopia 2 generated:
- Over 6x extra initiatives: 121 pin initiatives launched
- Over 14x extra funding: practically $1m in whole funding ($973,492)
- Practically 9x extra pledges: 23,140 pledges
However past these funding milestones, Pintopia creators shared the intangible profit they valued simply as a lot, if no more – the power to expertise the curler coaster trip of crowdfunding, collectively.
Pintopia proved how extra creators, extra initiatives, and extra backers – all working in direction of shared targets – can generate greater, higher, and funner campaigns.
Along with shared targets, we additionally launched two new impactful options that helped drive discovery, demand, and among the highest shares of pledges throughout Pintopia throughout the 120+ concurrent initiatives: Cross-Collab Campaigns and the Pintopia Aptitude Board.
And a type of options – Cross-Collab Campaigns – is amongst our latest options now obtainable in beta to qualifying creators who apply right here. Study extra under.
Introducing Cross-Collab Campaigns ✨
Introducing Cross-Collab Campaigns: Crowdfunding campaigns the place two (2) creators launch two (2) separate initiatives concurrently, every with its personal unbiased idea and funding purpose, however collaborate on an incentive (eg. an unique cross-collab reward) in addition to challenge experiences (eg. collaborative livestreams) to cross-promote each initiatives throughout their mixed backer viewers. Backers should again each initiatives to earn the coveted cross-collab reward.
Every Cross-Collab Marketing campaign creator to date has earned:
- Extra followers. Get immediate publicity along with your accomplice’s backer viewers and vice versa. One Cross-Collab pair noticed as much as 80% of their mixed backers pledging to each initiatives.
- Extra funds. Cross-promotion amongst Cross-Collab creators may help increase funding. One creator gained an additional 33% in whole funds raised from their accomplice’s backer viewers.
- And approach extra enjoyable. That is your likelihood to accomplice with a creator that you just admire to make one thing distinctive to you each, run a challenge side-by-side, and expertise the curler coaster trip of a crowdfunding marketing campaign, collectively.
“I’ve been doing this for over three years now, and I’ve by no means had a lot enjoyable with a crowdfunding marketing campaign earlier than; the cross collabs have actually made this small world really feel a lot extra like a group!”
– Odessa Johnsen-Dearing, Key & Crow Studios
Cross-Collab Campaigns are a primary of its form in crowdfunding – and we’re searching for revolutionary creators to be a part of its beta.
Take 5 minutes to use right here to be among the many first to run a Cross-Collab Marketing campaign on BackerKit. 100+ creators have already utilized to affix our beta. Apply right here by Friday, Might 31 to be thought-about.
The New BackerKit Aptitude Board 👾
With over 5x extra initiatives and creators collaborating in Pintopia 2, we would have liked to discover a enjoyable option to encourage discovery throughout all campaigns.
The Pintopia Aptitude Board showcased the range of designs from 125+ creators so backers may view all pins at a look or select from the dropdown menu of aesthetic classes. Be it #Kawaii, #Fantasy, #NatureCore, #Informal Goth, or the entire above – regardless of the vibe, the Pintopia aptitude board had all of the pins to specific it and extra.
Every go to and web page refresh randomized the pin show to make sure every challenge would get equal and sufficient publicity.
“I believe virtually half of my backers had been from the Aptitude Board, a complete new viewers I wouldn’t have gotten by myself.”
– Ash, Flea Circus Designs
The Aptitude Board generated vital backer engagement and pledges to Pintopia campaigns, and our group is presently exploring methods to supply this new and extremely efficient discovery expertise on the BackerKit platform.
Pintopia 2024 has ended, however you may nonetheless discover the Aptitude Board right here.
Saying Comictopia 2024! Launching in July 🚀
By standard demand, and proper on the heels of Pitopia 2’s success, we’re increasing the BackerKit model of collaborative crowdfunding occasions into the great world of comics.
Comictopia would be the subsequent and latest Topia to launch this July – lower than a number of months away! And we have already got an incredible lineup of comics artists and authors collaborating within the first ever Comictopia.
Join our Group Publication to remain up to date on Comictopia information and vital dates.
Brandon Sanderson & Phrases of Radiance Leatherbound: Key Options from the #2 Most Funded Crowdfunding Marketing campaign 🐉
Past setting the document with #2 greatest crowdfunding challenge of all time – Brandon Sanderson’s Phrases of Radiance marketing campaign additionally hit new backer engagement information, particularly:
- #2 Most engaged backer group of any crowdfunding marketing campaign
- #3 Highest variety of backers of any crowdfunding marketing campaign
Fueling that backer engagement had been numerous newly launched BackerKit options examined by Sanderson’s 100k-strong backer viewers. Under are just some of these options which you’ll be taught extra about within the full Brandon Sanderson marketing campaign recap.
Pay Over Time: Give backers selection and suppleness when pledging 🌱
Pay Over Time is BackerKit’s versatile pledging possibility that spreads pledge funds throughout a number of months. Not like different versatile pledging choices in crowdfunding, BackerKit’s Pay Over Time is totally interest-free for backers and obtainable at no extra value.
Pay Over Time is presently in beta and obtainable for campaigns with pledge tiers valued at $150 or extra. If you need to supply Pay Over Time in your subsequent BackerKit marketing campaign, go right here to be taught extra about Pay Over Time and how one can be a part of our beta.
Additional time Mode: A enjoyable, fund-boosting twist to finish your marketing campaign 🔥
Additional time Mode extends your marketing campaign previous its unique finish time to offer backers a closing likelihood to make their pledge and provides an thrilling twist to the top of your marketing campaign.
How lengthy will it lengthen? That’s fully as much as your backers: Your marketing campaign will maintain going for a further 10 minutes so long as pledges maintain coming in – a series of back-to-back pledges we name the Backer Practice. The marketing campaign will finish solely when the Backer Practice stops after a interval of 10 minutes passing with none extra pledges.
Additional time Mode is now the default setting on BackerKit, successfully altering how campaigns finish, and suspensefully lengthen, in crowdfunding.
Enjoyable truth: Brandon Sanderson’s Phrases of Radiance now holds the document for longest and most worthwhile Additional time Mode on BackerKit – lasting 33 hours and 33 minutes whereby 3,601 backers raised a further $543,410.
Trivia Challenges and Leaderboards: Maintain backers engaged via pleasant competitors 🏆
What stored Sanderson’s viewers entertained and engaged all through your complete three-week BackerKit marketing campaign? A wholesome dose of trivia and pleasant group rivalry.
Trivia Challenges and Leaderboards enabled Sanderson backers to choose groups and compete in opposition to each other via every day trivia challenges that examined followers on their mastery of Sanderson lore.
Launch your subsequent challenge on BackerKit 🚀
Join a BackerKit creator account, and get immediate entry to a set of choices which have already set BackerKit aside, together with our industry-leading BackerKit Pledge Supervisor – the primary and premiere pledge administration software program constructed for crowdfunding.
As a BackerKit creator, you’ll expertise:
All it’s good to make it actual.