Have you ever seen a Mystic Unicorn poop creamy, delicious, ice cream?

If you caught the viral sensation ad for the Squatty Potty then you are familiar with some of Derral’s work.

But Derral was not always making millions of dollars for himself and his clients creating incredible direct response video ads.

After Derral Eves graduate from college with a degree in Public Relations and Advertising he landed his “dream job”:

As a Hospital Administrator.

No Really. That WAS his dream job. And he loved it… at first.

Within six months of diving in he had saved his new company $680,000 and went to his boss for a $10,000 per year raise. A 1.5% commission seems like a pretty good deal eh?

Well, not according to his boss, because if Derral got the tiny raise he was asking for he would be making more money than his direct supervisor. We wouldn’t want to rock the boat over a measly $680,000 saved in the first six months on the job, would we?

“I knew right then and there that I needed to get out... I needed to work somewhere where my work was appreciated.”

Despite having a brand new baby and wanting the security of a salary for his family, in 1999 Derral ended up in business for himself generating traffic for websites and doing internet marketing.

In the early days, Derral was being paid a base for his work but ALSO a commission of final sales, so he was looking for every possible way to get visits to convert into sales.

And video was his Golden Ticket.

Fast forward to 2016, Derral has been the Executive Producer and Project Lead for the Squatty Potty ad, he’s launched the musical careers of the Piano Guys from retail piano store owners to  global sensation, and recently celebrated over 1.8 BILLION total views on Youtube from videos he has produced.

This episode is NOT about a specific crowdfunding project or crowdfunding necessarily.

But it IS about the most crucial element of your crowdfunding campaign that you have to nail if you want to beat your funding goal: Your Video.

People who come to your page will base the majority of their buying decision on quality of the MESSAGE in the video, (fortunately, NOT the “expensiveness” of the production). In this episode, Derral is going to teach you exactly how to make a video with a MESSAGE that sells.

Derral considers himself a student of crowdfunding videos and offers up a number of wildly successful crowdfunded campaign videos as examples of his concepts at work.

This could be the most actionable podcast I have ever recorded. Pay attention, listen to it at least a half a dozen times.

Especially pay attention to how to study successful crowdfunding video online, and it will all but guarantee you hit your crowdfunding goal.

You will learn:

• The 5 Step The Power Pitch Formula Derral uses in EVERY single one of his videos, beit a sales video for a Shark Tank client, a 1 minute sneak peek video for his own sites, to drive traffic, sales, and virality.
• How to get someone like Howard Stern to endorse your product, and how to leverage that endorsement into credibility and sales.
• Why your crowdfunding video MUST inspire for it to have a chance.
• Why Derral doesn’t work on the FIRST 15 seconds of his videos until the AFTER the rest is done, and why he spends MORE TIME working on the intro than the rest of the video combined.
• Why every single video you make needs just ONE Call To Action.
• The biggest mistake most video marketers make that kills sales, and how to avoid it in your campaign.
• Why video is the BEST way to sell your products and services without you being in the room face to face with your prospect.
• Why “30 seconds ads” are a relic from TV and long form “edutainment” ads on the internet are crushing them in sales.
• How to study the most successful Crowdfunding videos to be able to model their structure to basically guarantee your success.
• Why “authenticity” is so important, and how a low budget iPhone video can beat a high budget production if it is more aligned and authentic to your story.
• The importance of having at least three “credibility pieces”, and how you can get them even if you consider yourself an “unknown, inexperienced, rookie”.

In 2010, Nicole Keating’s boyfriend of four years died suddenly and unexpectedly.

In the months after tragedy, while working 80 hours a week in the restaurant industry, Nicole came to a startling realization:

“I am either going to drown in this grief or I am going to do something meaningful with my life.”

With her training as an artist, she started a Therapeutic Art Practice creating art with Alzheimer's and Autistic patients in nursing homes.

It was her dream job.

Her life had a purpose.

She was happy… but not healthy.

Looking up her symptoms on WebMD she “discovered” she was “dying five different ways”.

Nicole hit a tipping point and vowed to take control of her health and her life.

In this podcast, follow along with Nicole as she describes how that journey for wellness and meaning lead to discovering the power of habit and ritual and how it changed her life and can put the afterburners on your crowdfunding campaign.

You will learn:

-Why a morning ritual is so crucial for starting your day on the right foot, and how you can create your own.

Why “taking a day off” is crucial for the success of your crowdfunding campaign.

-Why defending your sleep with an evening ritual is almost as important, and Nicole's specific rules for her own sleep space.

-The only difference between Oprah, Tony Robbins, Barack Obama, and YOU.

-How a new, healthy, habit can become effortless, and in fact, more difficult to NOT do than to do.

-How Khierstyn skyrocketed her own productivity after committing to a morning ritual, moving her business forward more in two weeks than in the previous 3 months combined.

-How Nicole uses meditation to improve her focus or give her an energy boost, and the tool she uses to do it.

Resources mentioned:

The Art of Epic Wellness Website

The Miracle Morning - Hal Elrod

Headspace Meditation App

In 2010, Nicole Keating’s boyfriend of four years died suddenly and unexpectedly.

In the months after tragedy, while working 80 hours a week in the restaurant industry, Nicole came to a startling realization:

“I am either going to drown in this grief or I am going to do something meaningful with my life.”

With her training as an artist, she started a Therapeutic Art Practice creating art with Alzheimer's and Autistic patients in nursing homes.

It was her dream job.

Her life had a purpose.

She was happy… but not healthy.

Looking up her symptoms on WebMD she “discovered” she was “dying five different ways”.

Nicole hit a tipping point and vowed to take control of her health and her life.

In this podcast, follow along with Nicole as she describes how that journey for wellness and meaning lead to discovering the power of habit and ritual and how it changed her life and can put the afterburners on your crowdfunding campaign.

You will learn:

-Why a morning ritual is so crucial for starting your day on the right foot, and how you can create your own.

Why “taking a day off” is crucial for the success of your crowdfunding campaign.

-Why defending your sleep with an evening ritual is almost as important, and Nicole's specific rules for her own sleep space.

-The only difference between Oprah, Tony Robbins, Barack Obama, and YOU.

-How a new, healthy, habit can become effortless, and in fact, more difficult to NOT do than to do.

-How Khierstyn skyrocketed her own productivity after committing to a morning ritual, moving her business forward more in two weeks than in the previous 3 months combined.

-How Nicole uses meditation to improve her focus or give her an energy boost, and the tool she uses to do it.

Resources mentioned:

The Art of Epic Wellness Website

The Miracle Morning - Hal Elrod

Headspace Meditation App

When The Right Cup CEO, Isaac Lavi, was 30 years old he was diagnosed with diabetes and, by doctor’s orders, eliminated the sugary beverages in his diet.

Pretty quickly he got sick of drinking just plain old water and wished there was a better alternative to artificial sugars.

Luckily, Isaac happened to be an expert in “scent marketing” and began researching a solution. Six years of testing, technology development, and patent applications later, he finished development of “The RIght Cup, an FDA approved, flavor infused, plastic cup that tricks your brain into thinking you are drinking a fruit juice when you are drinking regular tap water.

With all the work done to this point, Erez Rubenstein, The Right Cup Marketing and Creative Director, couldn’t leave anything about their crowdfunding campaign to chance.

Luckily, 6 years of product development also teaches patience.

In this interview, you will learn directly from Erez, who goes into detail about how they slowly and methodically approached the “Pre-Launch” phase of their campaign. Because they took their time and planned and executed their plan effectively, The Right Cup raised 30% of their goal in the first 48 hours, crushed their original $50,000 funding goal by the end of the first week, all on the way to a $542,038 campaign.

Listen and you will learn:

When The Right Cup CEO, Isaac Lavi, was 30 years old he was diagnosed with diabetes and, by doctor’s orders, eliminated the sugary beverages in his diet.

Pretty quickly he got sick of drinking just plain old water and wished there was a better alternative to artificial sugars.

Luckily, Isaac happened to be an expert in “scent marketing” and began researching a solution. Six years of testing, technology development, and patent applications later, he finished development of “The RIght Cup, an FDA approved, flavor infused, plastic cup that tricks your brain into thinking you are drinking a fruit juice when you are drinking regular tap water.

With all the work done to this point, Erez Rubenstein, The Right Cup Marketing and Creative Director, couldn’t leave anything about their crowdfunding campaign to chance.

Luckily, 6 years of product development also teaches patience.

In this interview, you will learn directly from Erez, who goes into detail about how they slowly and methodically approached the “Pre-Launch” phase of their campaign. Because they took their time and planned and executed their plan effectively, The Right Cup raised 30% of their goal in the first 48 hours, crushed their original $50,000 funding goal by the end of the first week, all on the way to a $542,038 campaign.

Listen and you will learn:

"The smartest thing we did was reject old fashion, old media, old world advice of how to trick people into giving you their money" - Max Temkin

 If you are becoming frustrated, depressed, and disillusioned learning about how to raise money to fund your project, then then this podcast will inspire you.

Max Temkin has directly raised, or advised in a number of projects that have raised over $10 million total on Kickstarter. 

You MAY have heard of them…

In December, 2015, Max raised $1,479,046 for "Secret Hitler", a social deduction table game based in pre World War 2 Germany. Players have to help or hinder the beautifully illustrated Junta-Komodo-Dragon-Adolf-Hitler from taking over the government. His goal was $54,450 and he raised over $100,000 in the first 24 hours.

But that is not where he started.

His first project was Cards Against Humanity, one of the first games in the early days of Kickstarter, raised "only" $15,540 but since exploded and has been #1 Best Seller on Amazon for Toys and Games for as long as we can remember.

(...and is a staple at every games night I host with friends!)

In fact, Cards Against Humanity, as of publishing, occupies 3 - WOW! -  of the top 20 spots on the Amazon.com Best Seller List including the TOP 2, besting classics like Jenga and Connect 4.

Max also helped advise his friends who made the Most Backed Game in Kickstarter history,  Exploding Kittens, which raised $8,782,571.

Max understands Kickstarter, the Kickstarter Community, and his audience, probably better than anyone on the planet.

But Max is not a "marketer". He hates "gimmicks" and "tricks" and "gurus who don't know what they are talking about".

If you are feeling jaded by the Kickstarter Marketing World, and think that in order to fund your project you need to sacrifice your vision, then listen now. It will be the best 38 minutes of your day, guaranteed!

You will discover

"The smartest thing we did was reject old fashion, old media, old world advice of how to trick people into giving you their money" - Max Temkin

 If you are becoming frustrated, depressed, and disillusioned learning about how to raise money to fund your project, then then this podcast will inspire you.

Max Temkin has directly raised, or advised in a number of projects that have raised over $10 million total on Kickstarter. 

You MAY have heard of them…

In December, 2015, Max raised $1,479,046 for "Secret Hitler", a social deduction table game based in pre World War 2 Germany. Players have to help or hinder the beautifully illustrated Junta-Komodo-Dragon-Adolf-Hitler from taking over the government. His goal was $54,450 and he raised over $100,000 in the first 24 hours.

But that is not where he started.

His first project was Cards Against Humanity, one of the first games in the early days of Kickstarter, raised "only" $15,540 but since exploded and has been #1 Best Seller on Amazon for Toys and Games for as long as we can remember.

(...and is a staple at every games night I host with friends!)

In fact, Cards Against Humanity, as of publishing, occupies 3 - WOW! -  of the top 20 spots on the Amazon.com Best Seller List including the TOP 2, besting classics like Jenga and Connect 4.

Max also helped advise his friends who made the Most Backed Game in Kickstarter history,  Exploding Kittens, which raised $8,782,571.

Max understands Kickstarter, the Kickstarter Community, and his audience, probably better than anyone on the planet.

But Max is not a "marketer". He hates "gimmicks" and "tricks" and "gurus who don't know what they are talking about".

If you are feeling jaded by the Kickstarter Marketing World, and think that in order to fund your project you need to sacrifice your vision, then listen now. It will be the best 38 minutes of your day, guaranteed!

You will discover

Famous last words:

"Finally, I am not the funniest guy in the room"

-Del Close

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Max on Twitter

Secret Hitler

Cards Against Humanity

Max’s Other Projects

 Exploding Kittens

CONNECT WITH KHIERSTYN: K(at)crowdfundinguncut(dot)com

For any crowdfunding campaign, connecting with the target market early is essential to getting backers and achieving your goals. Peter Li of Atlas Wearables shares the pre-campaign process and the value of building an email list early in order to achieve the goals of his campaign. He shares with Khierstyn many tips and strategies that truly set his brand apart from others and allowed Atlas to well exceed their goals. Peter offers advice to new funders who are ready to tackle their goals.

The first product launched by Altas Wearables was the Atlas Wristband, a high-tech fitness tracker that leaves its competitors in the dust. The mind-boggling capabilities of this one-of-a-kind tracker sets it apart from the rest, which Peter knew would give him the edge when it came to crowdfunding. The key was to start spreading the word early and gain the attention of the target market in order to get the backers they needed. Peter shares the timeline leading up to the campaign and how he approached building his email list. Because of the unique nature of his product, it was all about connecting with the people who were looking for a solution to the problem the Atlas Wristband solves.

Peter Li believes in keeping your foot on the gas throughout the campaign when it comes to networking. In the 9 months prior to the campaign, the Atlas team attended events, meetups and conferences where their audience would be. This allowed them to build their list, network, and connect with people who could propel the campaign forward. The most important part of building an email list? Understanding the problem and how your product solves it. Peter also shares why they chose crowdfunding instead of going straight to retail, knowing how unique the product was.

Maintaining momentum is key to the long-term success of your campaign. Altas Wearables started off strong, hitting their goal early in the game. But, how did they maintain this momentum? According to Peter, it’s all about continuing to network even after your campaign has started. He shares the importance of continuing to get the word out and how it really lies on the shoulders of the funder to make sure that happens. For Altas, that meant going to gyms, races, and fitness events because that’s where they would find people who needed their product. Peter goes on to share the role of PR and paid marketing in the Atlas campaign.

The Atlas Wearables campaign was a huge success and Peter offers his advice to crowdfunders who are approaching their first campaign: Underpromise and Overdeliver. He explains the importance of this in the long-term success of the company and the satisfaction of the backers. Peter also explains why they chose Indiegogo and if they would go with Indiegogo again for a future campaign. This chat with Peter Li is filled with valuable insight into the pre-campaign process you can implement into your own strategy.

For any crowdfunding campaign, connecting with the target market early is essential to getting backers and achieving your goals. Peter Li of Atlas Wearables shares the pre-campaign process and the value of building an email list early in order to achieve the goals of his campaign. He shares with Khierstyn many tips and strategies that truly set his brand apart from others and allowed Atlas to well exceed their goals. Peter offers advice to new funders who are ready to tackle their goals.

The first product launched by Altas Wearables was the Atlas Wristband, a high-tech fitness tracker that leaves its competitors in the dust. The mind-boggling capabilities of this one-of-a-kind tracker sets it apart from the rest, which Peter knew would give him the edge when it came to crowdfunding. The key was to start spreading the word early and gain the attention of the target market in order to get the backers they needed. Peter shares the timeline leading up to the campaign and how he approached building his email list. Because of the unique nature of his product, it was all about connecting with the people who were looking for a solution to the problem the Atlas Wristband solves.

Peter Li believes in keeping your foot on the gas throughout the campaign when it comes to networking. In the 9 months prior to the campaign, the Atlas team attended events, meetups and conferences where their audience would be. This allowed them to build their list, network, and connect with people who could propel the campaign forward. The most important part of building an email list? Understanding the problem and how your product solves it. Peter also shares why they chose crowdfunding instead of going straight to retail, knowing how unique the product was.

Maintaining momentum is key to the long-term success of your campaign. Altas Wearables started off strong, hitting their goal early in the game. But, how did they maintain this momentum? According to Peter, it’s all about continuing to network even after your campaign has started. He shares the importance of continuing to get the word out and how it really lies on the shoulders of the funder to make sure that happens. For Altas, that meant going to gyms, races, and fitness events because that’s where they would find people who needed their product. Peter goes on to share the role of PR and paid marketing in the Atlas campaign.

The Atlas Wearables campaign was a huge success and Peter offers his advice to crowdfunders who are approaching their first campaign: Underpromise and Overdeliver. He explains the importance of this in the long-term success of the company and the satisfaction of the backers. Peter also explains why they chose Indiegogo and if they would go with Indiegogo again for a future campaign. This chat with Peter Li is filled with valuable insight into the pre-campaign process you can implement into your own strategy.

Atlas Wearables

Techstars

Kickstarter

Indiegogo

CONNECT WITH KHIERSTYN: K(at)crowdfundinguncut(dot)com

We hear a lot about how to build successful crowdfunding campaigns. But, what we don’t hear a lot about is what to do after your campaign. In this chat with Netta Shalgi of G-RO, Khierstyn investigates the importance of understanding how to maintain momentum beyond your crowdfunding campaign. Netta explains that crowdfunding isn’t just a product launch; it’s also the creation of an online business. Dubbed by Khierstyn as “The James Bond of Luggage”, Netta headed a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign for his business G-RO. Along with his co-founder, Netta was able to launch a unique, innovative product, which saw huge success in gaining backers. This conversation is filled with practical tips that can transform your next campaign.

Netta Shalgi and his partner approached crowdfunding with great care, paying attention to every detail along the way. They understood the value of refining the product before launch and ensuring that they were offering something that backers would love. The pre-launch process was lengthy – with many months of preparation. Netta explains the role of PR companies as they moved towards product launch and how this paved the way for a fast start. After meeting their original goal in a mere few hours, it’s clear G-RO was well-received by backers. Netta shares with us how they made sure they would launch with a bang.

Netta shares with Khierstyn one of the most important aspects of his campaign – being prepared for anything. Before they even considered starting the campaign, they knew they had to have a fully functional product with every kink worked out beforehand. This was an integral component of finding footing early in the campaign. From PR to marketing efforts, the G-RO reached out to friends, family, and their extended network to spread the word about the product pre-launch. This helped them gain a significant amount of referral traffic in the early days, which made a big impact on the early success they saw.

As the start date of the campaign grew closer, Netta wanted to make sure they did everything right. The team considered a 30-day versus a 60-day campaign, landing on the latter because they felt it was the right choice for the product. Early momentum ensured success, but maintaining that momentum would be a greater challenge. Netta shares a “secret” to his success: revealing new sides of the project throughout the campaign. This helped them keep backers interested, and attracted new backers as the project moved forward. In retrospect, Netta says he would be more diligent about setting stretch goals to improve the project, but overall the G-RO campaign is certainly a success.

Netta Shalgi shared many useful tips and tricks to help fellow crowdfunders launch with confidence. With over 7000 backers to date, G-RO is poised to move to the next stage at the top of its game. Netta shares with Khierstyn some tips on what comes after crowdfunding, offering ideas that can take any business to the next level. This episode is filled with inspiration on how to prepare for and manage a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign. Netta Shalgi gives us a new perspective on how to approach crowdfunding with long-term goals in mind. If you’re ready to think beyond crowdfunding, you don’t want to miss this week’s episode.