I feel so fortunate that our first CodeSpeak Books Kickstarter has gone so well that I want to share with others how we did it, in that hopes that it gets even more people piloting innovative education products!
I'll link to the detailed review of all of the steps I took to launch CodeSpeak Books on Kickstarter, but first I wanted to share 3 very specific examples of emails every Kickstarter Creator should send:
1. An email to your personal friends to get early backers
2. An email to your organization's network to get early backers
3. An email to partner organizations to get social media mentions
Below is the exact text from the emails I sent.
1. Personal friends appeal
Hi friends--
I just launched my first Kickstarter for CodeSpeak Books: Children's Stories about Computer Coding!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jenchiou/codespeak-books-picture-books-for-inspiring-little
It's like "See Spot Run" for the Coding Generation. We took the computer programming concepts that we teach in our classes at CodeSpeak Labs and simplified them into funny stories for kids ages 2-6+.
Projects with early backers get boosted in the Kickstarter system so we're using today as a "soft launch" day so we can get early pledges from friends and family before we send it out more widely.
Also, Maxwell and I made a cute video, so that's worth checking that out just to see him being his crazy self.
THANKS SO MUCH!!
Jen (and Maxwell)
2. Official Company Email Blast (sent via MailChimp with Pledge button)
We took the computer programming concepts that we teach in our classes at CodeSpeak Labs and simplified them into fun, interactive stories for kids ages 2-6+.
This first hardcover book is called How to Turn Your Grownup into a Robot and Other Coding Stories. It's perfect for introducing kids 2-6+ to computational thinking during story time with you! And it's gotten rave reviews from my son Maxwell and our young CodeSpeak Labs' students!
3. Asking partners to share
Hi NAME,
Since we're both part of the CS4All consortium in NYC, I was wondering if you'd be interested in CodeSpeak Books: a new coding picture book that aims to inspire kids (ages 2-6+) to not just be consumers of tech, but also creators. We launched on Kickstarter on Tuesday and hit our goal within 8 hours. Now we're 70% of the way toward a stretch goal that would enable us to gift books to the Boys and Girls Club. Check it out here: kck.st/2ua8j31
Facebook How can kids ages 2-6 get more inspired to create, not just consume tech? CodeSpeak Labs just created a picture book and you can order it here! With your support on @Kickstarter, they can make #CS4All a reality! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jenchiou/codespeak-books-picture-books-for-inspiring-little
Jen