A Crowdfunder's Strategy Guide

CHAPTER 11You Are Your Own Gatekeeper

In Chapter 2, I talked about how the crowd is the new gatekeeper. Now that you’ve read the book, here’s my M. Night Shyamalan twist for you: you are your own gatekeeper.

That chapter began with the story of how the Kickstarter campaign for Tuscany: Expand the World of Viticulture—my first project after quitting my day job—raised over $158,000 in the first twenty-four hours (the original funding goal was $20,000). Because of the excess of beautiful components in the game through stretch goals, positive word of mouth, and the reputation we built for excellent customer service, the campaign maintained momentum throughout the twenty-nine days—even on the slowest day of funding we raised $3,753. It helped that ...