There are some important differences between a pre-launch page and a landing page, although some authors put them together. In crowdfunding, they’re two separate things. Today I explain said differences and why you need a landing page to succeed in crowdfunding (even if you have a pre-launch page)
What is a Landing page
A landing page is a website you create where you collect people’s email and contact information so you can reach them when your launching date gets closer.
Do you need it in the pre-launch phase?
Yes. Is there a way around it like only relying on people who follow you on social media? No.
Why do you need a landing page?
People who take the time and effort to trust you with their email address is people who are showing great interest in your project and are the most likely to convert in actual backers. Social media followers just don’t convert as well.
What is a Pre-Launch Page?
This is a page on the crowdfunding platform where you can show visitors all of the information about your campaign BEFORE you launch. Your project will be searchable under “Upcoming projects” in the explore section.
Visitors will be able to check if they want to be notified when the campaign goes live.
Why do you need a Landing page even though you also have a pre-launch page?
Because with a landing page you’re the one collecting the information about your audience. You’ll be able to contact them directly and build excitement in the coming weeks before launch, so they can’t forget about you!
To know how to set up your pre launch page on Kickstarter go here.
Tools you can use to build your landing page
Different tools come at different price points, and offer different integrations. Also, each has a different user friendliness, which will depend on how techie of a person you are.
Here are some of the most popular landing page builder options out there:
I personally use and recommend clickfunnels because of how easy it is to use, and because of the amount of integrations you can create with them. Is super easy to work with, with a drag and drop feature that lets me make my vision a reality easily and without the help of a developer. Here’s their complete guide on landing pages.
The Benefits of Indiegogo
The great new thing that Indiegogo is doing is promoting your pre-launch landing page that you build on the platform with their own segmented email lists. Which is huge! Because they’re helping you have a bigger impact and reach even before you’ve launched.
They’re doing a great job assisting creators to get more subscribers to the platform’s ecosystem.
If Indiegogo is the best platform for your project, then I really encourage you to create your landing page on the platform, and also create your external landing page, so you can have the biggest reach possible pre-launch. Never rely only on the platform’s promotion.
What about Kickstarter?
Kickstarter does things differently. They offer a pre-launch page, like the one discussed at the beginning of this article. I would call it more of a promo page. Is not a landing page, even though some people think it is.
Similar to Indiegogo, Kickstarter is working hard in helping creators get a bigger reach to their target audience in the platform’s ecosystem.
The biggest difference here is that with Kickstarter’s “pre-launch page” you don’t get information about your possible backers. They can only push a button to get notified via Kickstarter that your campaign is alive. But you don’t get the opportunity to write to them directly and build community and excitement around your launch day.
That’s why you also need an external landing page. So you can build your own email list.
The Main Goal For Pre-Launch
The main goal of the pre-launch phase is to build a list, get information, about your target audience. Your goal is to have a landing page where you recollect all of this information so you can communicate with this person from the beginning and all through the campaign.
You want to be able to connect with the audience that expresses real interest in your launch. This is the key.
With a pre-launch page or promo page on a crowdfunding platform, people can opt to get notified when your campaign goes live, but you don’t get access to their information. You don’t know if they’re from the target audience that you had envisioned or if you’re missing something. And most of all, you can’t reach them!
Your main goal is to collect emails.
Why This Is All SO Important
I’ll put it like this: imagine you invest all of your efforts on having 10k followers on social media, but not on email collecting. Although you can build community and excitement through posts on social, you know that the message won’t reach your 10k followers, and it will convert even less.
But if you send the same message directly into someone’s inbox, the opening/view rate and conversion rate are way higher!
This is why having a landing page is so important.
Final thoughts
There might be some people out there who will tell you that email marketing is dead and that no one is using landing pages anymore. But I believe those people are wrong. I strongly believe as a marketer that email marketing is well up and alive.
You want followers yes, you want a pre-launch or promo page on the crowdfunding platform of your choice, also yes. But overall you want a landing page where you can collect emails and work your way into your possible backers’ hearts through their inbox.
If you’re launching through crowdfunding and you’re looking for the ultimate guide on how to do it from a to z check the coaching program to see if you’re a fit.
Please share this article on LinkedIn if you liked it – would mean a lot to me. And since you’re already there, check the Facebook group for crowdfunding creators!
We’re here to help you crush your crowdfunding campaign and fund your dream. Our team has helped creators successfully launch and raise over $13 million on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. We’re so excited to help you on this journey to launch!
