In some cases, hiring a PR professional to help promote your crowdfunding campaign – especially for individuals who do not have much social media reach or marketing experience. Joy Schoffler, founder of Leverage PR and an active member of the crowdfunding industry suggests:
“The team or individual you decide to hire should know your industry as well as you do (or better), in order to aim at the right publications, make strategic introductions on your behalf, get you on conference panels and increase your overall business and presence,” – Source.
With a bit of research, time, and effort most project creators can learn how to promote their own campaigns effectively without having to spend extra money on PR fees. For some advice on how to properly leverage social media to drive traffic and pledges to your campaign, take a look at one of my previous CrowdfundingPR posts here. If you really think you can use the help, here are a few things to look for when attempting to find the right PR professional to help promote your crowdfunding project: A Results-based Approach
One of the best ways to ensure a return on your PR investment is to make sure that the person or team you are considering working with is organized and knows what they are doing. They should use a results-based approach that includes: research, a clear plan with steps, and measurable outcomes. In many cases inexperienced or poor PR professionals may have difficulty demonstrating the value of what they have done; you want to have some degree of certainty here. Previous Work
Along with the approach used, previous work is an important factor to keep in mind when choosing a PR professional with the right area of expertise and fit for your campaign. For example, in a CrowdCrux post called, ‘Types of Crowdfunding Consultants for Your Kickstarter or Indiegogo Campaign’ it is wisely noted that one or two successful projects under one’s belt isn’t enough to be convinced that a crowdfunding expert can bring value to your project; you should also ask about projects they were involved in that didn’t succeed.
Price
Depending on the kind of PR professional you are looking to hire for you campaign, the way they charge tends to vary. According to the CrowdCrux article mentioned before there are three main types:
1) Those who charge an hourly or fixed rate – “These types of crowdfunding consultants charge an hourly rate for their services (and sometimes a consultation fee to have an initial discussion). They may also be willing to invoice a fixed amount for the project, provided a certain amount is paid up front.”
2) Those who work for a commission – “Crowdfunding consultants who embrace the uncertainty of raising money on Kickstarter or Indiegogo may be open to commission based compensation, where they receive a percentage of funds raised if the project is successful. Based on my experience, these types of consultants are rare, or are new to the business. You will find several that are willing to be paid on a percentage of funds raised basis, but often these consultants will only take on the project if a certain amount has been raised already.”
3) Those who do a combination of the two – “A hybrid compensation structure includes partially hourly or fixed rate cost in addition to a percentage of funds raised. Usually, the hourly rate or fixed rate is lower than you would expect in the marketplace. Also, the percentage of funds raised is a lower number than if you were to approach a commission based compensation only crowdfunding consultant.”
Check out the article for more information on the pros and cons of each of these, which should be carefully considered before making a final decision.
Commitment
One final thing to keep in mind when hiring a PR professional for your crowdfunding campaign is the level of commitment you can expect from them. Do they have another job? Are there any other crowdfunding campaigns they will be working on during the duration of yours? The fewer other commitments the professional has made the more time they will have to promote your campaign and help you succeed. Their interest in your story or your project, rate of pay (which can affect how invested they are in your success), and specifics about their career and approach are all small factors that can help individuals judge whether or not a PR professional will have the proper commitment to provide you with their best effort throughout your campaign.
Conclusion
We have seen there are many different things to look for when it comes to hiring a PR professional to help spread the word and encourage the public to back your crowdfunding project. There is plenty of information out there for creators of Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and other crowdfunding project creators to learn how to successfully communicate with the public in a way that increases the chance of reaching their goals. However, if you can afford it, don’t have the time or resources to do it yourself, or simply want to reduce your uncertainty by hiring someone with a better idea of what needs to be done, PR professionals are there to help. Just remember not to choose the first person or service you come across; do some searching and find someone with the right expertise, experience, cost, and commitment to actually make a difference!
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About the author
Krystine Therriault is the community manager for CrowdCrux and has helped creators with their crowdfunding projects on KickstarterForum.org. She loves learning about new trending projects and dissecting them to bring new tips and information to creators. You can find her on LinkedIn here or Twitter here.
