Can You Cancel a Kickstarter Campaign?

Kickstarter Campaign Cancellation & Relaunch: A Detailed Analysis

Key Concepts:

• Kickstarter Postmortem: A thorough analysis of a failed or underperforming Kickstarter campaign to identify successes, failures, and areas for improvement.
• Qualitative Data: Information gathered through direct communication with backers (surveys, messages) regarding their motivations and feedback.
• Quantitative Data: Numerical data from Kickstarter analytics and tools like Google Analytics, tracking traffic, conversion rates, and other metrics.
• Relaunch: Restarting a crowdfunding campaign, typically after significant revisions based on learnings from a previous attempt.
• Transparency: Open and honest communication with backers regarding campaign status, challenges, and future plans.
• Fulfillment (via Fulfill): The process of storing, packaging, and shipping Kickstarter rewards to backers.

I. Can You Cancel Your Kickstarter Campaign?

The video directly answers this question: Yes, you can cancel a live Kickstarter campaign, but only before the final hours. Crucially, cancellation is not possible if the campaign has already failed to reach its funding goal. This highlights the importance of making a decision during the campaign, not after it has concluded unsuccessfully.

II. The Process of Cancelling & Communicating

The speaker outlines a three-pronged approach when considering cancellation:

1. Backer Outreach: Immediately message all existing backers to understand why they pledged support. This is not just about gathering data, but also about potentially securing their contact information for future communication, as Kickstarter makes this difficult post-campaign. A suggested method is deploying a survey to gather this qualitative data.
2. Kickstarter Update: Post a transparent update on the Kickstarter platform itself. The speaker emphasizes Kickstarter’s marketplace nature and the importance of building trust with backers through honest communication about the decision and potential relaunch plans.
3. Email Communication: Supplement the Kickstarter update with a direct email to backers, reiterating the situation and outlining next steps. This provides another avenue for qualitative data gathering – understanding the initial motivations for backing.

III. Should You Cancel Your Campaign? – A Strategic Evaluation

The core argument revolves around why a campaign is struggling. The speaker differentiates between two scenarios:

• Scenario 1: Fundamental Issues (Cancel) – If the product itself isn’t resonating, and significant changes are needed to the campaign page, pricing, targeting, or marketing angle, cancellation is recommended. This allows for a “back to the drawing board” approach and a stronger relaunch.
• Scenario 2: Audience/Marketing Issues (Don’t Cancel – Yet) – If the product is connecting with backers, but the campaign lacks sufficient reach or marketing effectiveness, cancellation is not advised. Instead, focus on maximizing remaining time to improve marketing, drive traffic, and leverage PR, affiliate marketing, and collaborations. The analogy of a plane taking off with limited runway is used to emphasize the need for swift action. Examples of campaigns salvaging a slow start are cited, though acting quickly is paramount.

IV. The Kickstarter Postmortem: Turning Failure into Fuel

This section is presented as the most important step, regardless of whether a relaunch occurs. The speaker stresses that failing to learn from a failed campaign is the true failure. The “Kickstarter Postmortem” is a structured analysis involving:

• Data Analysis: Deep diving into Kickstarter’s built-in analytics and external tools like Google Analytics to understand traffic sources, conversion rates, and campaign performance.
• Qualitative Data Integration: Combining the analytical data with the insights gathered from direct backer communication (Step 1 in the cancellation process).
• Written Report: Creating a comprehensive written document outlining what worked well and what didn’t, covering every facet of the campaign.

V. Preparing for a Relaunch

Following a thorough postmortem, a relaunch should be carefully considered. The speaker emphasizes a deliberate approach:

• Pros & Cons Evaluation: Weigh the potential benefits and drawbacks of a relaunch.
• Micro-Adjustments: Identify specific, actionable changes to improve the campaign. Examples include:
  • Pricing adjustments
  • Reward tier revisions
  • Branding refinements
  • Marketing strategy overhaul
  • Video improvements
• Strategic Timing: Avoid an immediate relaunch. Allow time to implement changes and build momentum before going live again. The analogy of a slightly off golf swing is used to illustrate how small adjustments can dramatically improve results.

VI. Beyond Kickstarter: Recognizing Platform & Product Fit

The speaker acknowledges that Kickstarter isn’t always the right platform. Factors to consider include:

• Platform Suitability: Exploring alternative crowdfunding platforms.
• Product Readiness: Assessing whether the product is genuinely ready for crowdfunding.
• Seeking Expert Guidance: Suggests one-on-one coaching (linked as crowdcrux.com/coaching) to evaluate the overall strategy and determine the best course of action.

VII. Key Takeaways & Conclusion

The video concludes by summarizing the key steps:

1. Cancellation is possible during a live campaign (before the final hours).
2. Transparency and communication with backers are crucial.
3. A Kickstarter Postmortem is essential for learning and improvement.
4. Relaunch requires careful planning and strategic adjustments.

The speaker emphasizes that failure is common in crowdfunding, citing numerous examples from his podcast, “Crowdfunding Demystified.” He encourages creators to embrace the learning process and persevere, highlighting that many successful campaigns required multiple attempts. The final call to action is to subscribe to the channel for more crowdfunding advice and resources.

Notable Quote:

“Counting your campaign is not failure, but failing to learn from that experience most certainly is failure.” – Salan (the speaker)