How Henrike Dijkstra Successfully Created and Launched An Online Course Through Kickstarter
by Clay Adams
Henrike Dijkstra had no idea what to expect.
Her course on “How to Start a Comic” was ready to launch, but she didn’t have a lot of case studies to examine. There weren’t many other courses offered on Kickstarter, and those that did well already had a massive audience.
So Henrike took a leap of faith that all her hard work over the past few years would pay off…
And hit launch.
In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:
- Why focus is your friend when it comes to creating online courses
- Tips for creating a good lead magnet and growing your audience
- Plus: Henrike's top takeaways for launching a course on Kickstarter
Focus is Your Friend: Finding Your Niche
Before she decided to create her course on making comics, Henrike tried several different things: she created a webcomic, she wrote a blog from 2013 to 2017, and she tried to grow an audience using social media.
“I...
How Bitsy Tandem Fought Burnout and Doubled Her Previous Comics Kickstarter Haul
by Clay Adams
For Bitsy Tandem, the Kickstarter dead zone was “emotionally crushing.”
She found it hard to think about anything else, let alone keep up with any work. And as her campaign for Maiden in Disguise Manga #1 dragged on, she couldn’t help but think…
How would she ride it out to the end without going crazy?
In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:
- Why Kickstarter burnout is real—and what you can do about it
- How drop shipping can help take the pain out of fulfillment
- Plus: first steps on breaking into a foreign market
Why Kickstarter Burnout Is Real—And What You Can Do About It
Many creators know the pain of Kickstarter burnout: your campaign becomes all-consuming, and the feeling that you should be doing something to promote it at every possible moment overwhelms you. For Bitsy—like most creators—that promotion didn’t come easy.
“There was a lot of pressure to promote...
How Nima Afshar Fought Distractions and Found His Audience on His Way to a $10,000 Kickstarter Campaign
by Clay Adams
Nima Afshar felt like his whole campaign was a challenge.
In the lead up to his Kickstarter, he couldn’t find a printer to take on his glow-in-the-dark comic, BREAK:RUN. Then he lost his day job amid the Covid Crisis. And once he hit launch…
It seemed like every possible distraction tried to derail him, including his mother breaking her ankle halfway through the campaign. (Maybe he shouldn’t have called his comic Break?)
Then his son developed health issues that needed immediate attention, and Nima knew that moving forward while staying positive was going to be a challenge.
Did he have it in him to see the campaign through to the end?
In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:
- How to stay focused when life throws you curveballs
- Why you should find your printer before you launch
- Plus: how to choose the right viral giveaway for your audience
How To Stay Focused During Your Kickstarter
Despite all...
How Michael Penick Raised $13,000 From 550 Backers With His First Comics Kickstarter
by Clay Adams
Michael Penick knew he was playing a risky game.
It was his first campaign, and he wanted to keep his costs down. Lucky for him, he was an artist as well as a writer, so he could mostly produce the book—and various rewards—by himself. But with the bulk of his mid to high level tiers built on original artwork, the campaign’s success depended on how people reacted to his art.
And if people didn’t like it?
He was going to have serious problems.
In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:
- Why writing a business plan can help you focus
- How to study the crowdfunding market ahead of your launch
- Plus: The (Kickstarter) Money is in the List
Why Writing A Business Plan Can Help You Focus
For Michael, it all started with a plan—a business plan.
“My goal here was to be able to kickstart not only this comic, but the second half of my career, one where I could do nothing but focus on my own...
Husband and Wife Comic Creators Lisa Moore and Brant Fowler On Their Best Launch Ever
by Clay Adams
Lisa Moore and Brant Fowler were nervous.
They’d just hired a new art team to help relaunch their flagship series, THE LAST EMBER, and the costs were mounting. This time, the husband and wife publishing team would need to raise far more than they ever had before.
As they set out to hit their highest goal to date, they couldn’t help but wonder…
Would they make it?
In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:
- Why stacking launches leads to growth on Kickstarter
- How to find collaborators and “launch buddies”
- Plus: the pros and cons of working with your spouse
HOW STACKING LAUNCHES LEADS TO GROWTH ON KICKSTARTER
Like many indie creators, Lisa and Brant took on far too many projects in their early days as publishers of Last Ember Press. And while they are still struggling with some of the choices they made when the company was young, one benefit is that it allowed them to grow their audience over...
How Shaun Keenan Used a “Live Launch” to Propel His Comics Kickstarter to Profitability
by Clay Adams
Shaun Keenan needed a bigger reach.
He’d launched multiple campaigns on Kickstarter, slowly but surely growing his audience. Cross promotions with other creators helped him reach people who are already active on Kickstarter, and he was adept at scheduling podcasts to promote his projects.
But Shaun couldn’t shake the feeling that he could be reaching more people. He didn’t feel comfortable with Facebook ads just yet, so he knew he was going to have to try something different in order to expand his reach.
That’s when he decided to go live.
In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:
- How to use a “Live Launch” to propel a bigger first day
- Tips for making your series profitable
- Plus: how to run five campaigns a year without going crazy
How To Use A “Live Launch” To Propel A Big First Day on Kickstarter
Shaun decided to test a “live launch” strategy as part of his Talos of...
How Andrew Clemson Beat the Kickstarter Trolls and Raised Ten Times His Previous Campaign
by Clay Adams
Andrew Clemson was in a panic.
He’d added an “I’ll Write Your Comic” tier to his Kickstarter, and it was immediately picked up by a stranger. Now Andrew was worried about where his words would end up, and what kind of market it might be pushed to. He hadn’t anticipated the stress the tier would cause—or how much a hotly-contested presidential election in the U.S. would suck the oxygen out of his campaign.
As his Kickstarter for DAMSEL FROM D.I.S.T.R.E.S.S. entered its final 48 hours, he wondered:
“Did I make a huge mistake?”
In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:
- Best practices for arranging creator cross-promo
- A great option for UK creators shipping books to the U.S.
- Plus: why Kickstarter trolls can be a huge headache
Best Practices for Arranging Creator Cross-Promo on Kickstarter
Despite his concerns, Andrew had set himself up to do well with his latest campaign. In the lead-up...
How Jeff Messer Beat the Kickstarter Dead Zone and Learned to Bet on Himself
by Clay Adams
Jeff Messer felt worried.
His campaign for ROBIN HOOD: The Legend of Sherwood had hit the dreaded “Dead Zone”, and now, not only was his project not seeing any new pledges, but backers were cancelling, sending his funding total backwards.
With his Facebook ads not doing much to bring in new backers, he had to wonder:
Would his campaign make it?
In this edition of the ComixLaunch spotlight you’ll learn:
- The importance of setting milestone goals
- A simple way to expand your audience
- Plus: why working on someone else’s dream project can help yours
How To Expand Your Audience On Kickstarter
As with anything, the seeds for Jeff’s ultimate success were planted well before he hit launch. When it came time to prepare for his latest campaign, Jeff made an important decision:
“This project was not aimed exclusively at kids, like my first one, even though they share the same...
How Convention Warrior Bill Coulombe Embraced Kickstarter and Funded Two Campaigns for His Superhero Comic KINETIC
by Clay Adams
Bill Coulombe was a battle-hardened convention warrior.
In a typical year, Bill might attend 35 - 40 shows a year. The schedule has been grueling, but it allowed him to build an audience for his superhero comic KINETIC.
But with the world changing and online purchases becoming the norm, Bill knew he needed to try his hand at crowdfunding. The only question was...
Would his audience follow him?
In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:
- How selling on Kickstarter is different from selling at a comic convention
- Why it's important to break your Kickstarter goal into several smaller goals
- What NOT to do for your first Kickstarter campaign
How Bill Built His Fanbase Ahead of His Kickstarter Launch
Bill's approach to building his audience through cons had been successful so far. The only problem? He had no way of reaching them outside the convention hall.
“At my first conventions, I didn’t even...
How Melissa J. Massey Bounced Back From a Failed Kickstarter Campaign And Grew Her Audience Ahead of a Successful Launch
by Clay Adams
Melissa J. Massey was determined.
After her first Kickstarter campaign for THE ALCHEMIST OF AURILLIA failed, she knew she had a lot of work to do to get the relaunch funded.
With a community at her back and a plan for success, it was time to roll up her sleeves and make it happen.
In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:
- How to expand your audience and re-engage backers
- What to do when your audience isn’t who you think it should be
- Plus: How to balance your day job with running a comics Kickstarter
How to Expand Your Audience Between Kickstarter Launches
One takeaway from Melissa’s failed campaign was that her audience wasn’t big enough to support her goals. So she immediately set out to remedy that using Facebook ads.
“Paid ads are very tricky—you really have to know what you’re doing. Thankfully we have Ad Launch as a resource, and I’ve done a lot of...