In November of 2016, Kickstarter announced an exciting new feature that’s going to make it even easier for creators to interact with backers and involve them in the crowdfunding process. That feature is live video.
Kickstarter isn’t the only platform that has embraced live video lately. Facebook Live launched in April 2016 and Twitter’s Periscope came out in March 2015.
Kickstarter Live was developed in collaboration with Vancouver-based start-up, Huzza. This feature is a great way for creators to capture attention. It gives viewers a chance to actively participate in what’s going on by asking questions, sending in pictures, chatting with each other, or choosing rewards and backing the project while they watch. Creators can even choose to simultaneously stream their video on Facebook Live.
“Over the past few months a select few creators have beta tested Kickstarter Live. They’ve used it to broadcast cooking shows, host live product demos, perform songs, play test games, rehearse a new play, countdown the final seconds of their campaign, and much more,” said CEO Yancey Strickler, “It’s brought their communities closer together, their creativity into the light, and their projects hundreds of new backers.”
Kickstarter Live gives crowdfunders the tools they need to plan live events and find creative ways to draw in more pledges. Backers are going to love the opportunity to watch creators live, rather than seeing video updates after the fact. Oh, and not to worry, if they can’t make it for the actual live broadcast, backers will still be able to replay them later on. Backers can find a calendar with past, present, and future Kickstarter Live broadcasts here.
Already, Kickstarter has provided creators with some tips on how to make the best use out of Kickstarter Live, like remembering to promote live streams in advance and making sure all your equipment works properly before going live.
“Over the years Kickstarter has become known as a powerful and unique way to bring creative projects to life. It encourages radical transparency in the creative process, a generous spirit of community, and independent creative expression. Kickstarter Live takes all of that even further. We can’t wait to see how you use it,” Strickler concludes in the company’s introduction Kickstarter Live.
Creators have been hosting Q&As and other live events with success now by following Kickstarter’s easy set up process. Elan Lee, creator of Exploding Kittens and the recent $3 million-dollar campaign Bears and Babies, ran a design session live stream on November 18. All of this is exciting and makes me wonder how quickly other crowdfunding platforms are going to join in on the live video trend!
Check out this post for some of the most funded Kickstarter projects in October.
Feel free to tell us what you think of this new Kickstarter feature in the comments below!
