Film Handbook | 1

Film Handbook

Film Handbook | 2

Table of Contents3 1. THE FUTURE OF FILM

5 2. FINANCING YOUR FILM

6 3. CREATING YOUR CAMPAIGN

11 4. MAINTAINING MOMENTUM

13 5. WRAPPING UP

15 APPENDIX I. Dos and Don’ts II. John T. Trigonis’ 10 Commandments of Social Media for Film III. Indiegogo Calendar IV. Campaign Amplification Kit V. Additional Resources

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The Future of FilmFade in. There’s been a creative explosion, due in large part to new ways of bringing films to life. Filmmakers once faced a multitude of gatekeepers and no’s, whether it was not enough money to secure equipment, or having to work with (and be accepted by) a studio for production and distribution. For most folks, filmmaking was the stuff of dreams. Now, with the help of Indiegogo, it’s possible to not just fund a film, but it’s also easier to reach a large, global community and build an audience.

It’s all part of why Slava Rubin, Danae Ringelmann

and Eric Schell formed Indiegogo—to help people

find and fund ideas that matter. The trio had met

to discuss creating a new way to raise money for

projects, and at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival

solidified their plans—to help anyone, anywhere

bring ideas to life. Thing is, films don’t just come to

be—when using Indiegogo, filmmakers have been

able to find great success, in part due to their ability

to stretch their creative freedom. Take Dear White People, for example. Justin Simeon used Indiegogo

to raise $41,405 to make a trailer to raise money

for a film he had little faith the studio system would

pick up. Not only he surpassed his financial goal,

he activated powerful word of mouth and built an

audience for his feature film. Dear White People went

on to win a swath of awards, including the Special

Jury Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, and

was picked up for distribution by Lionsgate and

Roadside Attractions.

Indiegogo founders Slava Rubin, Danae Ringelmann and Eric Schell

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Life Itself, the wonderful documentary on legendary

movie critic Roger Ebert, has also found great success.

Kartemquin Films raised over $150,000 on Indiegogo

before premiering the film at the 2014 Sundance

Film Festival, and it was shortlisted as a 2015 Oscar

contender for Best Documentary.

We’ve helped countless other filmmakers premiere

projects at Sundance, TIFF, SXSW, Cannes, Tribeca, Hot

Docs, LA Film Fest and dozens more festivals around

the world. We’ve seen filmmakers win an Oscar and

Best Documentary at Sundance, named a “Director to

Watch” by Variety, receive Audience Awards at SXSW

several times over, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Films funded on Indiegogo have been picked up for

distribution by Magnolia, IFC, HBO, CNN, Tribeca Film,

Lionsgate, and more.

That fateful forming at Sundance 2008 set the scene,

and now, seven years later, Indiegogo still remains

the world’s most open, global crowdfunding platform.

Filmmakers can raise funds in over 229 countries and

territories around the world. We’re available in four

languages (English, French, German and Spanish)

and capable of funding in five currencies (US dollars,

Canadian dollars, Australian dollars, euros and pound

sterling), making Indiegogo more accessible than any

other platform of its kind. We offer multiple funding

options, including flexible funding, so you can keep

what you raise, and our new InDemand—which

allows you to continue raising funds even after your

campaign has ended.

We’re Indiegogo. Let’s Go Make Films Together.

Image from “Life Itself” ©Kevin Horan/Kartemquin

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Financing Your FilmGone are the days of gatekeepers; funding your next project can be easy. Here’s how: Indiegogo helps you raise money online through contributions made by many different people who share the same passion for your project.

The benefits of raising funds this way include:

• 100% creative control.

• Early feedback from fans and followers.

• Building an audience before and while making your

movie, not just after.

And Indiegogo makes raising money even easier:

• Multiple funding models allow you to keep

what you raise.

• Receive contributions right away.

• Continue raising money—and engagement—after

your campaign ends, with InDemand.

• Get more exposure: every month, Indiegogo

receives more than 7 billion press impressions in

North America and campaigners are featured in top

national and international publications daily, such

as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and

USA Today.

• Fully connect on social media with your existing

network and expand your reach by activating word

of mouth.

• Gain access to insightful data through Indiegogo’s

exclusive platform.

• Low fees (just 4% when you hit your goal).

• Breadth of payment options (PayPal, Apple Pay,

credit cards).

• Build an international audience (229 countries and

territories; 5 currencies; 4 languages).

• A vigilant Trust & Safety team.

• More than 15 million monthly visits.

• Access to comprehensive educational materials

• Questions answered within 24 hours via our

exceptional Customer Happiness Team.

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Creating Your CampaignBUILD YOUR COMMUNITY The first step in creating your campaign is building

your brand—and audience. Give yourself a few weeks to

prepare, beginning with growing your online community.

Here are some social media tips to start strong:

• Create your online presence and keep it consistent

across your website, social media profiles, and blog.

• Find other filmmakers and connect with related

communities by following #supportindiefilm,

#indiefilm, #filmmaking, and our very own

#gogofilm, as well as other relevant hashtags.

• Support other filmmakers by commenting on

their posts, and share your favorite resources, as

well. Build relationships online just like you would

offline, by giving and receiving, slowly building

mutual trust.

• Start blogging, and be sure your posts are relevant

for your desired audience.

• Be yourself: never underestimate the power of

authenticity. Let your passion shine, and you’ll

attract the right fans and contributors for your art.

BUILD YOUR TEAMHere at Indiegogo we believe that together we can

achieve more. Make this your own mantra, and form

a team to help you raise money. We’ve found teams

of two or more people typically generate 94% more

funding than projects run by a single campaigner.

Finding the right people is key, of course. You’ll want to

assemble a campaign ‘team’ much the way you would

a crew. Find people who can help you with specific

aspects of the campaign—for example, a friend who

specializes in social media, or graphic design.

It’s also important to make sure your Indiegogo

profiles are up-to-date and complete with photos,

bios, Facebook info, email verification, and contact info.

The more transparent you are, the more the crowd

will trust you to use their money wisely.

For more “pre-campaign” advice, check out the

Indiegogo Playbook, as well as Crowdfunding

for Filmmakers author John T. Trigonis’

‘10 Commandments of Social Media’, in the Appendix.

Already have a fan base? Tap into it to boost your funds. The Wong Fu

creators for example used their YouTube

audience to help them raise money and

beat their film campaign goal by 79%.Dario Argento’s Sandman starring Iggy Pop

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DO NOT USE A FILM TRAILER OR SCENE as your video. People give to other people, not

necessarily to projects. You need to share who

you are, and how your contributors’ money

will be used. Say a few words to your potential

funders, be as personable as possible, and

chances are, you’ll be rewarded.

CREATE YOUR INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN PAGEOnce you’ve established a community base and team,

it’s time to take the next step and create a campaign.

The process is simple. An Indiegogo campaign has three

main components:

1. The Video

2. The Story (Text)

3. The Perks

CREATING A PITCH VIDEOThe pitch video is the single most important element

of your film campaign. It’s essentially the elevator pitch

you’d give to Harvey Weinstein while traveling from

the lobby to the penthouse. You’ve got that much time

to convey who you are, your film idea, and why people

should care about your project enough to help you

fund it. Campaigns with a pitch video raise an average

of 114% more than campaigns that don’t. Do it—and

keep your video to 2 ½ to 3 minutes in length.

Take a look at how the team behind Band Aid pitched

their project. Their video is funny and engaging, and it

clearly details how they’d use their funds.

Here’s a basic outline of what a compelling pitch

video should include:

1. Introduction – Tell us about yourself. Many

filmmakers make the mistake of not appearing in

their pitch videos. Be. In. Your. Pitch. Video.

2. Pitch – Tell us about your film project, and include

the following:

• Logline – What’s your story in one sentence?

Be succinct.

• Purpose – What’s the point of the campaign?

Is it for production? Post-production?

Theatrical distribution?

• Perks – What’s something unique you’re offering

in return for a contribution? Entice your funders.

3. Showcase – Show us what you can do as a

filmmaker. Maybe share a few clips of your past

work, or some footage from the project at hand.

4. Call to Action – Don’t leave your crowd hanging.

You need to tell them what to do next—which is

to contribute.

Campaigns with a pitch video raise an average of 114% more than campaigns that don’t.

Here are some extra examples of great pitch videos:

Rooster Teeth raised $2,480,334Miles Ahead What Lola Wants

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YOUR STORY This is the area of text that will go below your pitch

video, on your campaign page. You’ll want to tell your

story, and offer additional details about the project,

such as a breakdown of the budget, a synopsis, and

cast/crew bios.

Keep the text concise and clear, and put yourself in your

readers’ shoes. Answer a few simple questions:

• Who are you?

• What are you raising these funds for?

• How else can people support your project?

Even if you covered much of this in the pitch video, it’s

good to have it clearly written, too. Think of the video

and written story this way: before, you were pitching

to Harvey Weinstein in an elevator. Now he’s reading

the script. He needs to know more. Tell a compelling

story of why you’re passionate about your project, and

present it all in a way that makes others want to be a

part of the story, too.

*Bonus: Add GraphicsCustom headers, infographics, and additional

embedded video content tell a more complete and

exciting campaign narrative—and they can help the

overall package feel more engaging.

Custom campaign perk graphics from Iron Sky: The Coming Race Custom campaign perk graphics from Project for Awesome 2014

Cost breakdown custom graphic for Band-Aid

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YOUR PERKSIndiegogo allows you to add up to 20 active perks

during your campaign. These can be mugs and T-shirts,

yet also be ‘experiences,’ like screenings, set visits,

and Skype sessions. Perks can be cute, too: remember

Batkid? Perks for film contributions included a hand-

drawn print by Batkid himself!

If you need some ideas, here are some ways to think

about creating perks:

1. “The Mandatories”

• Social Media shout-out ($10)

• Digital download of the film ($20)

• DVD/Blu-ray of the film ($25 - $50)

2. “The Unique Experience”

• Livestream a film festival premiere ($25)

• Skype/Google Hangout with the director/cast ($100+)

• Associate/Executive Producer credit

($1,000 - $5,000+)

3. “The Personal Touch”

• A one-off ukulele song for the funder ($20)

• Postcards written from Paris ($100)

• Call “action” on set! ($500+)

It’s important to remember that perk fulfillment takes

time and often money. Including digital perks (like

film downloads, PDFs of the script, etc.), or offering

only limited editions of ‘handmade’ perks can help

make things easier. You can also use Indiegogo’s

partner, Amplifier, a full-service production and

fulfillment company that produces, packages, and

ships perks such as shirts, hats, mugs, stickers, and

more. Any Indiegogo campaign that uses Amplifier receives a 10% discount on Amplifier fees, as well

as personalized support from Amplifier’s customer

service team, which includes coaching, a best

practices toolkit, and shipment tracking tools.

Keep in mind, when crafting your perks, make sure

they’re as relevant as possible, as they’ll represent

your brand. Your Indiegogo campaign should be an

extension of the film it’s funding.

Me and My Mates vs the Zombie Apocalypse offered

the opportunity to be a zombie extra. For a bigger

contribution, contributors could receive a role as a

zombie extra who gets killed! The Me and My Mates

creators actually ran a second campaign, too, to give

away more zombie spots!

Make sure your perks are as relevant as possible, they’ll represent your brand.

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YOUR CAMPAIGN GOALIndiegogo lets you choose how you want to raise

funds, however you won’t be able to switch once your

campaign goes live. Here are your options:

• Flexible Funding: You keep your contributions

whether or not you hit your goal.

• Fixed Funding: You keep your contributions only

if you hit your goal.

Now, just because your film will cost $50,000 to shoot

doesn’t mean that your goal should be $50,000. To help

determine your goal, ask yourself these three questions:

• How big is your email and social media influence?

• Do you know how you’ll collect the first 30% of your

funds? Ideally, this portion should come from your

friends, family, and close network.

• If so, can you get that 30% within two to three

days of launch? You’ll need momentum early on.

Strangers, on average, do not contribute to your

campaign until they see it’s reached the 30% mark.

Use your answers to these questions to set your goal

to a number you’re confident you can hit. For instance,

if you know you can get $15,000 from your immediate

family, friends, and supporters, and you’re relatively

certain you can convince them to contribute within the

first couple of days, setting a $50,000 goal should be

doable. If there’s any doubt, go for a lower amount.

It’s important to remember that you can always

fund your campaign beyond its goal. In fact, 89% of Indiegogo campaigns that reach their goal go on to raise 30% more. Set a target at an achievable amount,

look to hit that number in half the time, and then “aim

high,” and surpass it by the time the campaign closes.

Before all of this, be sure to research the expenses

associated with making and/or finishing your film.

It’s also important to take into account any physical

perks you’re offering, their costs (plus domestic and

international shipping), and any fees associated with

Indiegogo and payment processing. Add it all into the

amount you’re setting as your goal.

For larger film projects, you might want to consider

funding in stages, and running multiple campaigns,

each with a modest goal. Or, you can fund separate

aspects of the project, the way the filmmakers did

for Wyrmwood. They ran two successful campaigns,

helping them to eventually premiere their film at

Fantastic Fest, and sell the North American rights to

IFC Films and Raven Banner Entertainment.

SETTING YOUR CAMPAIGN DURATIONLonger campaigns don’t necessarily mean you’ll raise

more money. The longer the campaign, the harder it is

to sustain momentum. Campaigns that run between

30-40 days tend to raise the most money.

Be sure to leave about three weeks between the end of your film campaign and the date you’ll need your funds, to account for payment processing and disbursement.

For more campaign creation advice, check out the

Indiegogo Playbook.

Set a target at an achievable amount, look to hit that number in half the time, and then “aim high,” and surpass it by the time the campaign closes.

Image from Wyrmwood

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Maintaining MomentumLaunching a campaign is just the beginning. The next step is maintaining momentum.

SOFT LAUNCH VS. HARD LAUNCHA soft launch is when you launch your Indiegogo

film campaign by quietly reaching out to your inner

circle and securing their contributions within the first

48 hours. This way, when you announce a hard launch

(telling EVERYONE you know about your campaign—via

social media, blogs, etc.) people will see your campaign’s

existing momentum and be quick to contribute.

THE HUSTLEGone are the opening night jitters. Here you execute

your planned strategy.

• Activate your network. Reach out to your Twitter

followers and Facebook friends.

• Find a balance between sharing your campaign and

other informative content.

• Tweet and post photos and videos as some of your

promotional material.

• Always include your Indiegogo link.

• Don’t go nuts with hashtags: Nothing spells #newb

like #hashtageverything.

• Dig up that email list of contacts you’ve compiled

over the years. Instead of sending out a single email

“blast” to your contacts, compose more personal

and direct messages to smaller groups.

All of your outreach should describe the project

succinctly, and not necessarily solicit a contribution,

but rather inspire and elicit a reaction. You want your

network to feel a part of your team, and to want to

make this film with you.

ALWAYS include the link to your campaign at the end

of communications, but focus on the invitation, not the

ask. You will quickly see the impact.

Implement a Public Relations StrategyDraft a press release and send it to bloggers and film

influencers who might be interested in your story and

film campaign. Reach out to newspapers, TV stations

and radio personalities. Press only gets you more

attention, and should not be relied on to convert

page views into contributions.

The press will want to see two things:

1. The project has already raised money

(momentum).

2. There’s a story to tell besides, “Filmmaker launches

a campaign.”

This is why it’s important to seek out press and PR at

the proper time in a campaign’s lifespan, usually once

the 30% contribution mark is hit.

A soft launch is when you launch your Indiegogo film campaign by quietly reaching out to your inner circle and securing their contributions within the first 48 hours.

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Go OfflineThink of ways to spread the word in the real world.

You could attend meetups or other events armed

with a pocketful of campaign postcards to hand out,

each complete with your campaign’s short URL.

Always start a conversation first, then share your

campaign’s information.

Keep Spreading the WordUse the update feature on your campaign—and use

it well. Update your followers every three to five days.

Otherwise, you risk people forgetting about your

project. Updates get posted to your campaign page, and

are emailed to everyone who has already contributed

or is currently following your campaign. Post about

campaign progress, new videos—anything your

audience might find interesting. Be sure to call out any

major funding milestone, too: $25K, $50K . . . $100K!

Don’t be afraid to get funky: Try a stunt in the closing

days or hours of your campaign, such as a dance-a-

thon, live stream, or party. Spending a little extra for

an event can often deliver many times over. The Young Turks raised nearly $100K with their 24-hour stream-

a-thon. Maybe you can, too!

THE LAST STRETCHA film’s third act is when we start to question whether

or not our hero will succeed. The same holds true for

an Indiegogo film campaign. People are watching. To

convert those who haven’t contributed, try creating a

sense of urgency. This should occur when you have

one week or less left in the campaign.

It’s also a good idea to add new perks. Twenty percent

of repeat contributions are for perks that were added

after the campaign went live. You can also remove old

perks that haven’t sold to help keep the campaign

looking fresh.

Stretch for the StarsIf you’ve played your cards right, you’ll hit your goal

quickly. Here’s where stretch goals shine. These are

additional goals detailing what you can do with

more funding, which will entice your crowd to

continue contributing.

It’s a good idea to be modest. Hitting $50,000 and then

stating you want to go for $200,000 to complete the

film doesn’t work. Instead, after you hit $50,000, set

your first stretch goal at an easily reachable number like

$60,000. Then set the next one at $75,000, and with

your third one, go long and go for $100,000.

For even more advice on running a campaign,

check out the Indiegogo Playbook.

The team behind Canadian comedy “How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town” kept

momentum steadily rising through engaging

updates (see the ‘Lightning Rounds’ with each

cast member), creative stretch goals and

challenges (the production team promised

to go streaking if they hit 100K!), and a two-

way conversation with fans. Fans created the

#TeamOrgy hashtag, so the team came out

with #TeamOrgy t-shirts and underwear!

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Wrapping UpRoll the credits: Your campaign has ended.

Now it’s time to fulfill your perks. If you believe there will be any delays, let your contributors know right away.

It’s now important to continue nurturing the relationships you’ve established with your contributors and followers

through email and social media: these folks are now your community—your fan base. Now that your campaign has

wrapped, you can continue to raise awareness around your project. Your Indiegogo campaign page will remain live,

so you can still use it as a platform, to post updates to your community. You can also continue to offer new perks

and raise funds! Indiegogo’s InDemand allows you to keep raising money even after your campaign ends—for as

long as you’d like. For more information, click here.

Our favorite part of the fundraising process was the point to point interaction with contributors from all over the world. It wasn’t just the money, but the ability to build a fan base for our film. Indiegogo recognizes this benefit and provides tools to give you that edge.

- Monnie Wills, Producer, What Lola Wants

Thinking about distributing your films on

Vimeo On Demand? Here are just some of the

benefits you’ll be able to tap into:

• Matching funds: Vimeo’s new Creator

Fund will commit up to a million dollars in

matching funds for select Indiegogo film

campaigns in 2015.

• Free unlimited fulfillment: Participating

campaigns will have access to free

fulfillment on all digital download perks via

Vimeo VOD.

• Featured collection on Vimeo: An

“Indiegogo Funded Films” collection will be

featured on Vimeo, which reaches over 170

million global users a month.

And that’s just the start. Read all the details on

our blog and sign up for more information here.

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Case Study: The Space Between (or How One Creative Campaign Got It Done)

Actor Amy Jo Johnson ran an Indiegogo campaign for her film, The Space Between, and she did it right. From beginning to end, she gave 110%. Here’s how:

• Johnson and her producer created attractive

marketing materials and images for specific

perks, and proudly used the Indiegogo logo,

to add branded exposure within her network.

Johnson did this without any assets from her

film, as it had yet to be shot.

• Johnson tapped into her massive social

following: 52.6K on Twitter alone, and engaged

them. She let her Power Ranger fans know about

The Space Between.

• Johnson created several video updates, because

video speaks louder than words.

• She had fun! (You could tell in her videos, that she

was enjoying engaging her audience, and she took

the time to do it.)

• Johnson offered a bevy of ‘personal’ perks, and

refreshed them—from various photo books to

limited-time-only photos of herself busking as the

Pink Power Ranger.

• Johnson was creative and asked her friends for

help. She had her fellow Power Rangers each

record a video essentially “daring” her to busk in

her pink costume, if the crowd helped her reach

her $75,000 goal.

• Johnson set a realistic goal. For example, she knew

she could receive 30% of her goal, early on.

Amy Jo Johnson, writer and director of The Space Between

I truly think one of the reasons why the campaign worked were the video messages and voice messages that everyone got on certain days. I would do a 24-hour sale. Anyone who donated in the next 24 hours got a personal video message. Other days it was personal voice message. Then we would deliver these a few days later while the campaign was still running. It seemed to really bring in a ton of traffic every time we did this.

- Amy Jo Johnson

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Appendix

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I. DOs and DON’Tsoffer a $25 perk. It’s the most

claimed perk level.

overuse the words “help” and

“money.” You’re giving fans the

opportunity to participate in your project.

your research. Search the site. Find films

similar to yours, and look at their results.

Figure out what they did right, and what they did wrong.

spam via email, social media,

or through too many updates.

Remember the old saying: Do unto others… You don’t

like a clogged inbox, either.

host online events. Reddit AMAs, Tweetchats,

Google Hangouts on Air, or even a YouTube

live stream hosted by the Indiegogo video player.

forget to encourage your crowd

to share, tweet, post, and email.

They’ll help you grow.

seek out potential large, sponsor-driven

contributors. Think of a brand or business

that might go in for that $10K+ “executive producer”

perk, to have their name mentioned.

send passive messages. Each

tweet or Facebook post should

either inform or be a direct call to action.

regularly update your campaign page. It

will allow you to continue updating your

contributors all the way to the film’s release.

be a stranger. Stay in touch with

Indiegogo. We’re here to support

you throughout your career—and we want to hear your

success stories!

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II. John T. Trigonis’ 10 Commandments of Social Media for Film1. You shall engage an audience before you launch a campaign It’s not enough to build an audience anymore. You

must engage and interact with one, and before your

campaign even starts. Social media should be treated

like a dialogue between friends—a two-way street

rather than a one-way road with no turns.

2. You shall give value with every update In crowdfunding, it’s not in a filmmaker’s best interest to

talk all or mostly about her or his projects. You’ll want to

show your followers that you’re worth the follow. That’s

how you build yourself into the online film community.

3. You shall be active on no more than five social media sites Leslie Poston, co-author of Twitter for Dummies, says that

you should be on no more than five social media sites

at a time. Any more and your own level of engagement

is bound to wane, and thus you won’t be able to interact

with as many fans and fellow filmmakers.

4. You shall always include your campaign link When tweeting about your campaign, always include a

link to its Indiegogo campaign page, so the first thing

a potential contributor sees after they click the link is

your campaign video.

5. You shall always use relevant #hashtagsOn Twitter, and even on Facebook, too, be sure to

hashtag words and phrases relevant to your film

campaign. It makes it easier for random people to find

your project. Unsure which hashtags would be best?

Check them out at hashtagify.me.

6. On Twitter, you shall not use all 140 characters People need their space, and some prefer to append

their own messages instead of quickly clicking

the retweet button. Once your message is written,

hashtags appended, and link included, you want to

have around fifteen characters remaining.

7. You shall use images because they speak louder than words Statistically, there is a greater click-through rate on

Tweets, Facebook and Google Plus posts when an

image or video is included. Include an image –– the

thumbnail of your campaign or specially designed

social media promotional materials –– or a video like

your campaign video, to give people more of a reason

to check out your campaign and possibly contribute.

8. You shall schedule your outreach in advance It’s okay to use a service like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite

to schedule Tweets and other updates ahead of time.

Since crowdfunding is a full-time job, you want to

make it as seamless as possible. The one thing you

can’t really schedule are your replies, comments, and

retweets, and those are just as important as promoting

your campaign.

9. You shall not spam While crowdfunding is a full-time job and you should

maintain a steady presence on your social media

sites while in “campaign mode,” you should still be

interacting with your followers in ways unrelated to

your Indiegogo campaign.

10. You shall keep up your activity even after the campaign ends Even while filming your movie, and while you’re locked

away in the editing room, keep the interaction with

your audience going strong. The minute you drop off,

they drop off.

John T. Trigonis is the author of Crowdfunding

for Filmmakers: The Way to a Successful Film

Campaign and Indiegogo’s Film Campaign

Specialist. Follow him on Twitter.

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III. Indiegogo CalendarSunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 5 6 7Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

8 9 10 11 12 13 14Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

15 16 17 18 19 20 21Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

22 23 24 25 26 27 28Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

29 30 31 1 2 3 4Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

5 6 7 8 9 10 11Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayBuild a team Start campaign draft:

decide on goal & campaign length

Fill out Marketing Workbook

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayBegin campaign pitch and video

Write a Press Release

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayFinish filming video Draft Press outreach

(stories on embargo until public launch) / Pre-campaign email / 'Thank You' email

Set up & verify PayPal account

Design perk structure (Make sure fulfillment is feasible)

Create visual resources (infographics, etc.)

Finish editing video

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayEmail outreach, lock in host committee

Let PayPal know you're running a campaign

Design Stretch Goals

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdaySOFT LAUNCH Trigger Host Committee outreach

PUBLIC LAUNCH Email Blast Group 1

Reply to comments on your campaign page

Shareable UpdateReply to comments

Reply to comments Reply to comments

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayPost new gallery imagesReply to comments

Email Blast Group 2Reply to comments

Shareable UpdateReply to comments

Reply to comments Shareable UpdateReply to comments

Reply to comments Reply to comments

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayPost new gallery imagesReply to comments

Reply to comments Reply to comments Launch new perkShareable UpdateReply to comments

Reply to comments Reply to comments Reply to comments

Film Handbook | 19

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

19 20 21 22 23 24 25Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

26 27 28 29 30 31 1Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

2 3 4 5 6 7 8Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayPost new gallery imagesReply to comments

Reply to comments LAUNCH CONTESTReply to comment

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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayPost new gallery imagesReply to comments

LAUNCH FINAL PUSH PROMOTIONReply to comments

Reply to comments Send 48hr countdown update via campaign page update or emailReply to comments

• 24hr countdown update• Enter bank account

information on “Get Funded” if you haven’t already

CAMAPIGN ENDSReply to comments

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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayBEGIN PERK FULFILLMENTReply to comments

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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayUPDATE

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayUPDATE

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayUPDATE

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Film Handbook | 20

IV. Campaign Amplification KitYou’ve successfully launched your campaign and have engaged your network. Now it’s time to maintain your campaign’s momentum and promote your campaign beyond your own network.

WEBINAR PRESENTATION • Amplification Webinar

• Amplification Webinar Slides

BUILDING CAMPAIGN MOMENTUM• How to Run a Referral Contest

• Building Stretch Goals

• Campaign Updates

CAMPAIGN OUTREACH• 4 Steps to Email Outreach Success

• Tracking Paid Placement in 4 Steps

• Campaign Marketing Workbook

• Cross-Promotion Best Practices

SOCIAL MEDIA• Promoting Your Campaign With Social Media

• Reddit 101

• Post, Pin, & Tweet: The Best Time to Outreach

(courtesy of SurePayroll)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES• Explore successful Indiegogo campaigns

• Indiegogo Playbook

• Indiegogo Blog

• Have questions? Email the Customer Happiness Team

(All listed resources are linked to Google Docs.)

Film Handbook | 21

V. Additional ResourcesINDIEGOGO PARTNERSIndiegogo has many great film partners:

• Vimeo

• IFP (Independent Filmmaker Project)

• IDA (International Documentary Association)

• CFC (Canadian Film Center)

• DOC (Documentary Organization of Canada)

• YouTube

• Austin Film Society

• Columbia University

• Fractured Atlas

• VHX

• Slated

• IndieReign

• Amplifier

Partnering with one of these groups before you launch

your campaign adds a source of promotion and support,

thanks to their branded pages on Indiegogo.com. You

can be a current member of these organizations, or an

alumnus. If the organization is a 501c3, you will receive

a 25% discount on your fees. If it’s a standard partner,

you will receive a 10% discount on fees.

CROWDFUNDING NEWS RESOURCES A growing variety of film and digital news sites have

created their own crowdfunding columns. When

reaching out to these sites, keep in mind that you’re not

the only one. Be direct and personable, and make the

site’s editor realize your project is special.

• Twitch Film

• Indiewire (see their “Project of the Day/Week/

Month/Year)

• Tubefilter

• Bloody Disgusting

• io9

• Nerdist

• No Film School

INDIEGOGO RESOURCES• Playbook

• Blog

• Start your campaign

• Browse film campaigns

• Indiegogo Film on Twitter

• Indiegogo on Twitter

START TODAY!