[DennisP]

I helped out with the recent Focus Fusion crowdfunding. Our goal was $200K, we raised $180K, but it also brought in some new investors who took us well over the goal, and who gave the crowdfund the credit for their interest.

We had a very low budget so our marketing was bare-bones.

We had a lot of excitement, but also a lot of skepticism and pushback. Our hired marketing team insisted on an extremely optimistic presentation and that turned a lot of people off. Of course I don't know whether we would have done better with a more measured approach. With LPP being such a small team and so far off the beaten path we faced a lot more skepticism to start with.

The Solar Roadways campaign ran on Indiegogo at the same time and raised over $2 million. They managed to make a video go viral.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/focus-fusion-empowerthewo...

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/solar-roadways

[mrfusion]

That's very interesting. So what do you think solar roadways did better? Or is their concept just more reportable by media because it's more understandable.

What role did you play? Do you think a marketing team is necessary for a successful campaign?

By the way, email me if you want to chat sometime. I've been kicking around an idea for a better kickstarter.

[DennisP]

This video helped a lot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlTA3rnpgzU

I don't know whether they had a bigger marketing budget or were just good at it. It does seem like an easier-to-understand hook. Various people have criticized the idea's practicality but say "solar roadways" and you've got the concept. That probably helped media coverage. For us, it was complicated to explain why it was more than "here's another guy in a garage who thinks he's solving the world's energy problems."

I'm on the board of the Focus Fusion Society so I debated and voted on various decisions, got interviewed a couple times, and spent a lot of time commenting online various places, mainly reddit.

A marketing team at least helps do a lot of legwork. If you want to pay more for expert advice it can be hard to determine who's expert enough to give good advice for your particular situation.

I'll email later.