Learning about Kickstarter #2. How to be a backer

Greetings to all! This is BETTER RE.

Now that we learned what Kickstarter is, let's check out how to be a backer!

I'll show you how to back a Kickstarter project with BETTER RE as an example.

(We started funding on May 11th, as you can see in the picture. ;-)

Now, let's learn one by one, step by step!

First of all, you need to find the project page you are looking for.

You might have direct URL address that leads to the project page, 

such as https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/betterre/better-re-upcycling-power-pack-reusing-smartphone.

If not, you can paste in the address into the address bar, 

or go to the Kickstarter page and enter 'BETTER RE' (or the name of the project you want) on the search bar!

Here's the link to Kickstarter page. --> https://www.kickstarter.com

If you don't have a specific project in mind, click 'Discover' and see which project catches your eye!

Then, you'll enter the project page you were looking for.

At the very first page, you can see the project video and current funding status.

1) The project video is one of the key elements of Kickstarter project.

It's quite different from ordinary commercials or advertising videos. 

The project video tries to promote the product (or service, or something else), of course, 

but in most cases, the creator comes out to explain the purpose of the project and the reason he or she needs you backers.

Creators put a lot of effort in the video since it is the first moment they meet potential backers. 

It needs to be interesting, informative and convincing!

Take a look at videos of the projects you are interested in, and learn more about them!

2) The funding status tells you how many people are backing the project, how much fund is being raised, and the remaining time.

+) Below the status, do you see the 'Remind me' button with a star☆ sign? 

If you click that button, Kickstarter informs you 48 hours is left before the project ends.

You may click the button for the projects you found interesting and want to keep track of.

Then, it's time to explore the project page!

There are three menus on the top: Campaign, Updates, and Comments.

1) Campaign: You can find pictures and information about the project.

Creators would have put everything they can tell you into this part. 

For BETTER RE, we explain the problem we faced, the features, how to use it and a lot more.

In most cases, creators inform you the timeline of the progress (when the product will be shipped, etc) and info-graphics of the rewards or stretch goals!

2) Update: This is where you can see recent news the creator updated.

How often do creators update their news? 

It depends - some update even the smallest news, and some post updates only on critical moments.

3) Comment: If Update were the space for creators, Comment is where backers can participate, too.

You can ask questions or give feedback you want to give to the creator. 

The creator would (in most cases) reply to your comment soon. :)

Scroll up and down to explore the project and hear what others think!

Now, you would have noticed the side bar on the right, titled 'Rewards'.

Rewards are what you can get in return for backing the project.

Unlike common shopping malls, crowdfunding platform is where you are a small investor, 

looking for good products or services to come alive.

So what you get for the money you pay is the "reward" the invested team offers you.

You'll be able to see the reward tier, in the order of the minimum amount of money you need to pledge.

What I mean by 'minimum' is that you can pick a certain reward and pledge more than the necessary amount.

For example, if I want to get a reward requiring $89 or more, I can choose the reward

and pledge $100, $1,000, or even more - as much as I want!

As an investor, all backers have the right to choose how much to pledge.

In some cases, backers pledge a certain amount of money but choose to get no rewards at all. 

All up to you!

When you put the cursor on a reward block, it turns green. Click the reward you want to get!

Then, a box will turn up, where you choose the shipping destination and the pledge amount.

As you would have learned from the last posting, 

Kickstarter is a global crowdfunding platform, so projects are created from all around the world.

Projects with tangible products have to ship their rewards to you, so some of them would charge additional shipping bills.

When you choose your shipping destination, the pledge amount will automatically add up the minimum amount!

+) For BETTER RE, we offer you another add-on option.

For every $10 you add to your pledge, you can get a healthy used smartphone battery!

Let me give you an example. 

You chose the reward with $89 or more, and set the shipping destination as the United States. 

Then, your pledge amount would turn into $104 ($89 + $15 shipping bill).

If you want 2 more batteries, you edit the pledge amount into $124 ($104 + $10*2)!

Then, we will know that you need 2 more batteries and send them to you.

Of course, to make everything clear cut, we send backer surveys investigating how many batteries you pledged for. :-)

Now that you decided how much to pledge, it's time to log in.

If you are already a member, good!
If not, you can sign up in less than 30 seconds, quick and easy!
All you need to fill in is your name, email address and password.
Or, you can log in with Facebook as well!





It's time to fill in your card information and billing address.

You need a card with one of Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.
Not sure if your card would work? Check if your card has a small logo with one of those three in the picture!
Fill in the rest of the information and the billing address as well.


One thing to remember is that you WON'T be charged as soon as you pledge.
You will be charged at the moment the project ends SUCCESSFULLY.
If the project you backed failed to reach the funding goal, nothing will happen.
If it does successfully fund more than the goal amount, the amount you pledged will be charged at the very deadline date!




And that's it!
Click the 'Pledge' button and you are done with it. You became a backer~ Yeahhhh!

You can see the projects you backed in your 'backed projects', which you can find at the right top of the page.






For those of you who are trying to back a project on your phone,
backing on mobile is almost the same as doing it on PC!
Actually, it's even more simple, so don't be afraid and log onto Kickstarter page!



Now that we learned how to back a project, you are all ready to back BETTER RE, right? ;-)
Explore the page and see what kind of interesting products are popping up from around the globe.
Who knows, you might get a brilliant inspiration from some projects and become another creator?






Hope this posting would be helpful to those trying to use Kickstarter page.
Thank you for reading, and if you want to take a look at BETTER RE's page, here you go! http://buff.ly/1AQHjz5


Awaken your Energy, Enlighten our World.