Funding An App On Kickstarter – Interview with the Creator of The Walker App
Crowdfunding
November 30, 2018
While writing on how to get funding for an app, we wanted to give real insight on why you’d want to do that and how to do it effectively. We got a chance to ask a few questions to Raul Rea, the creator of The Walker App, that got $4200 in funding on Kickstarter (which was more than 160% the initial funding goal).
Thanks for answering our questions, Raul. For starters, can you tell us a few words about your app?
The Walker App is a smart productivity app that guides your through the daily grind. Instead of being a blank slate where you add tasks to it randomly, Walker will ask you questions based on GTD by David Allen, making sure your tasks are always filed efficiently .
Why did you decide to start a campaign on a crow funding platform? Why Kickstarter?
From previous experience on publishing an app on the AppStore, coding it is only half of the work. There is a ton more to do that is better left to professionals in each field (Icon design, UI design, press release and description writing, marketing) plus extra expenses like domain, hosting and developer fees.
The Kickstarter community is awesome. Besides helping you fund your project they provide invaluable feedback needed to make it succeed.
What kind of rewards did you come up with? What would be your advice to others regarding the rewards?
Rewards included getting the app at launch, suggesting and voting for features, getting to beta test the app before it comes out in october and for higher pledge backers I’m going to teach them the basics of iPhone programming.
My advice would be the same as kickstarter gives you: make sure your rewards are fun, interactive and always include a few bellow $25.
What would be your advice regarding creating a project on Kickstarter in general? How important was the video?
- The video is really important. It is the first thing backers look for. Make sure it has nice background music and keep it as short as possible.
- Post updates often. Your backers love to know where you are at with your project and any obstacles you’ve overcome.
- Read the guidelines provided by kickstarter as they are.
What did you do to promote your Kickstarter campaign?
Over 91% of the backers were people that found the project in the technology section of kickstarter. The other 9% came from twitter promotion and making my previous app free, stating that it was discounted to promote Walker’s Kickstarter project.
What have been the results so far? Would you start another project on a crowd funding platform, and what would you do differently?
Feedback for the project has been great. It gives you a great sense of community and it feels that you are developing the app with a team provided via backer’s suggestions and comments. I’d definitely start another project on Kickstarter, probably to fund the android version of Walker if there is enough demand for it.
One thing I would do differently would be to hire a marketing company to help me spread the word about my project to a bigger audience and also a better/shorter video.
That gives you a good idea of the Kickstarter experience, and how to make it a success. If you’d like to share your own experience or comment on Raul’s, leave a comment below!
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