For the Fire Escape, we knew that Kickstarter was critical for launching the product. KS provides the ability to test the market with a new product and also minimizes risk. Crowdfunding platforms make it possible for individuals or small businesses to no longer seek out VC groups to fund an idea. I feel there is a place for VC investment, but platforms like KS provide another avenue for entrepreneurs to develop ideas. This platform provides more options for startups to try before being “forced” into an early equity sharing.

We don’t have a tiny social media following and because we have experienced other successful KS campaigns, we were able to reach out to our audience and let them know this new Fire Escape was being developed and invited our early supports to join us in this next journey. We also reached out to some industry experts and requested collaboration. Thru collaboration efforts over the past 2-3 years, we have been able to grow our customer email list to a modest size (for a startup).

A few weeks before the campaign and during the campaign, we did our best to contact any media outlets that regularly covered crowdfunding campaigns or products in this outdoor/emergency preparedness space. We prepared a news press release and images for any bloggers and reporters. We have discovered that earned media is gold. It’s not always easy to find someone to take a chance to write about you…but the dividends are great when an article publishes.