Will trade huckleberry pie for Kickstarter promotion ideas!

Hi, I'm Jen, and I'm a boot in permaculture bootcamp at Wheaton Labs. Alas, I am on Kickstarter promotion duty instead of getting to play in the garden and build lovely things out of cob. If the Kickstarter hits $100,000, we can get a well up at the Lab, and I know that this will increase our forward velocity enormously. We will also be able to double the interior size of the greenhouse and add two passive solar garden heaters if we meet our $100,000 stretch goal. We have exceeded $48,000--almost to our first stretch goal at $50,00!--but $100,000 is still a long way away. I am hoping that some of you will have ideas about how and where to promote the Kickstarter. Please share them with me and save me from eternal desk duty!

If your idea turns out to be the best idea and brings in the most coin, we will send you a huckleberry pie! (But you have to be in the United States--sorry!)

Thanks!

P.S. If we get to $50,000 within 24 hours of this post going up, I will post pictures of our tiny, fuzzy baby kittens.

VISIT THE KICKSTARTER!

Fuzzy baby kittens!!! Awwwww!

From talking to Paul there seems few different methods to get people into the kickstarter. I was thinking about how to get more views on a mass scale and not necessarily a targeted audience.

One idea I had:

What if a couple staff/permies/supporters paid for adds on Facebook? I know Facebook is not a benevolent organization, but it could be used to get more views. You could have a handful of people do paid ads that targeted people in their local area. This may be more effective if those people already lived in a more Northern climate.

I don't know, it was the only thing I could think of that hasn't already been suggested. I would be happy to be a guinea pig and I already have kickback link for myself so the effectiveness could be monitored. I'd be willing to pay for the add too.  

I worry about boosting a post (paid ad) on facebook, because they seem to send them to people who haven't even liked the page. We have over 6,000 followers on both Permies facebook page and Paul Wheaton's facebook fan page. And yet, when we make a post on facebook, facebook only shows it to 300-800 posts.

Recently I posted the Goldilocks comic



According to facebook, it's "doing better than 95% of other posts on this page"...and it's only been SHOWN to 950 people. We have 6,000 followers! Facebook hasn't even shown it to 1/6th of our followers.

If I manage to get something to go viral (aka, I make/post a meme) it gets seen by 20,000-40,000 people. But, that's only happened three times. And it hasn't happened with the kickstarter.

Anyone have an idea for a meme about the greenhouse? Or, honestly, any ideas for other things to share on permies facebook? I think it'd be great to have something posted there at least once or twice a day, most of it just being fun/informative stuff.

Reddit has a Permaculture sub with 112,000 members.  Post there if you haven't already done so!  

kittens ...

facebook:



https://theoatmeal.com/comics/reaching_people

you are correct about Facebook.

Cross-platform announcements via Hootsuite et al. Get it outside the Permie community. Identify a handful of culture's hot-button behemoths who would be likely to support it or be against it. The more quixotic the combos the better. Trump, Duchess of Cambridge, Obama, Bieber, Ariana Grande--whoever) Find contact info for their managers/agents/handlers. Send them a well-crafted email/snail mail/whatever media succinct package outlining the project. Also target a handful of high-profile "Greenies" who are likely to support it and give same pitch to them (Eliot Coleman, Nigella Lawson, Monty Don, Leo Di, Joel Salatin, etc.)

Most of them will not support it or not respond. But then you can lead your posts/Igrams/Youtube segment/boosted Fbooks, etc. by shouting "Taylor Swift, Donald Trump and Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary DID NOT support this world-changing pitch. But Chris Hemsworth (or insert name of surprise high-profile supporter), Eliot Coleman, and Joel Salatin love it. You decide for yourself--here's what it is...."

The high profile names should garner some traction and fringe audiences will hopefully be piqued by the few but excellent images you include with many, many hashtags & contact info.

Maybe even consider paying someone a small sum who does this stuff for a living... .

Failing that, there's always Youtoobs of scantily clad people with bizarre animal headdresses picking and eating greens while wallowing in a Mike Oehler greenhouse!

"One day Paul thought 'Winter is too cold for my growies, but in summer I have more heat than I want. Wouldn't it be awesome if I could store some to give to my growies in the winter, without using fuel to make new heat or electricity to pump it around? I should try to design a way to do that.'

Dick knew that was a stupid idea, and that it would never work. Somebody on the internet told him the right way to build a greenhouse. Besides, if that 'passive' thing was possible, everyone would already be doing it. Who does this Paul think he is, anyway?

It's your choice: be a Paul, and let's see what can be done.

Or..."





C'mon, you guys know how that ends, don't make me SAY it.

How to PROPERLY build a greenhouse. You know that minutes of internet research can't be wrong...



I know that's pretty rough. If it's any good, feel free to tweak and polish it.

Hi Jen,
I shared your Kickstarter on my social media, Good luck with the kittens and cobs!

Thanks, Michelle!

not a million dollar idea, but maybe a $1000 idea.

New SM Platform taking on twitter called Parler: https://home.parler.com/social/

It's getting a lot of buzz right now and, because its new, our posts will not be buried by the millions of other folks on there - granted, it's a smaller audience, but i'm sure there's a ratio of platform user base/post view that works in our favor here?

Dustin, I made a kickstarter link specific to you and Parler: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulwheaton/greenhouse-1?ref=4i8is7

Go ahead and see how it does on Parler!!

I am a big fan of podcasts, and I think a lot of other people are as well. I enjoy Paul's podcast along with a bunch of other permaculture podcasts, but there really is something for everyone. Maybe it would build some more interest if Paul was a guest on someone else's podcast that isn't necessarily in the permaculture circle. I could see the wofati greenhouse kickstarter being of interest to general gardening, education and business podcast listeners.

My thought in supporting,joining the kickstarter is that for the price of a magazine subscription or book I can help something happen at Wheaton labs instead of just reading a few disappointing articles. And this is like having the chance to help Alexander Graham Bell or Thomas Edison refine inventions. How cool is that? And there are gifts given to supporters too.  As far as hearing, spreading the info I heard about Permies on Justin Rhodes great American farm tour. So yes it can work to promote through other folks. And yes fbook is not set up to let people see many posts even if they are subscribed to them. Having many subscribers tells you nothing. But getting Google hits in response to searches is actually more important. It can help to search for your own piece because it boosts that item in the search engine.

Jen,

Write a high quality press release and send it to a variety of news organizations. Your congressional rep may be willing to submit on your behalf to increase the likelihood of attention. The media wants good news stories and new green technologies are popular. Don't even mention the kickstarter. Let any interest generated do the work of exposing your campaign.

Maybe we could try promoting the Kickstarter through some of the platforms that we used to promote Building a Better World in Your Backyard book?

Youtube video ala "As Seen on Tv" Ads...

A couple of shots of people failing at very simple tasks (greenhouse related: Putting a little seed in a pot, next shot is of a sadly wilted seedling with the planter shaking their head despondently. Another person bent over a plant and dramatically wiping sweat from their eyes, looks up and does a big huge shrug. Someone trying to untangle a water hose, another lugging a watering can and then having "back pain") Dramatic Voiceover talking about the failings of greenhouses.

Then the flip! little snippets of all the same tasks and the people easily succeeding, giving big thumbs up, looking happy with hands on hips, etc. Voiceover explaining the BEST NEW greenhouse, magically solves all these problems!!

You could have people on permies.com submit little video snippets for the different sections, so it's easier to get it all made. Have one person record the voiceover, and then have someone with a bit of video skill mash them up!

It would be hilarious and fun, probably could get some views just for the spoof aspect, but it would raise awareness!

Here is a big list of organizations I've contacted for marketing purposes. Any ideas that aren't already on the list?

the guardian
The Independent - Environment
Ecochimp Blog
Yale E360
The Seattle Times Environment
The Old Farmer's Almanac
treehugger
EcoWatch
inhabitat
Green Living Guy
Clean Technica
Mother earth news
Green Biz
grist (no reply)
Peak Prosperity
Eartheasy
Earth 911
yes magazine
conservation.org/blog
Go Downsize
Resilience.org
Eco Warrior Princess
Green Matters
350.org
Green america
Civil Eats
Family Focus Blog
Fungi Perfecti
the ecologist
The Healthy Home Economist
eco friend
Mindful Momma
ic.org
Permaculture magazine
Low Tech Magazine
Joel salatin/Polyface Farms
Trash is for Tossers
Eat The Weeds
Get Green Be Well
Global Stewards
Zero Waste Home
The Zero-Waste Chef
Nature's Nurture Blog
Earth Island Journal
Creative Green Living
hivos.org
SFEnvironment
Environment America
Moral Fibres
Green Living Ideas
the savory institute
ecovillage.org
Natural Papa
Nature Moms Blog
Greenmoxie
Nature Moms
Fruition Seeds
My Plastic-free Life
Kiss the ground
Bioneers
EcoKaren
planet ark
Local Futures
Ecology Global Network
Transition Network
Earth Times
CalEarth
Environmental Defence Canada
Post Carbon Institute
Planetsave
The Green Mama
Big Green Purse
Green Divas
groovygreenliving.com
Growing a Green Family
Eco Child's Play
Eco-Chick
The center for alternative technology in wales
Edible acres
Green Talk
Green & Clean Mom
Good Girl Gone Green
HomeGrown Herbalist
Earth Mama's World
The Chic Ecologist
Eco Thrifty Living
No Impact Man
Little Eco Footprints
This Cob House
The Urban Garden Initiative
Mama on a Green Mission
Mommy Greenest
EcoGeek
Little Green Blog
Kirk & The City Repair Project
The Eco-Friendly Family
The Holistic Mama
Accidentally Green
Environmental Protection Information Center
sustainablehuman.org
The Crunchy Chicken
andrewwinston.com
The Clean Bin Project
Simple.Green.Organic.Happy.
The Green Samaritan
The daily green
Exploring Alternatives
Easy Eco Blog
Petite Planet
EcoFriendly Sask
thegreensted.com
terrainfirma.co.uk
Cob Workshops
The Greenists
Permaculture Saskatchewan
The greenhorns
The Green Gal
Environmental Booty
Life the Green Way
r/environment
Wild Wonderful Off-Grid
John D. Liu

I posted a comment w/ K link on Justin Rhodes' vlog (a great one! and a permaculturist ;) ... other ones possible, also.

Where / how can we get the suggestion out that our 'purchases' on the Kickstarter would make great Xmas presents?   Any way to 'give' anything to someone else?  to be given as a 'gift card' (for future delivery) ?   Hmmm..or, maybe not...

A lot of stuff being given is via gift code.  

Are you saying that if we put some emphasis on christmas gifts that that might help?

Well maybe  not much...but I just posted a positive comment on Amazon re: 'Sacred Cow' with title... "Xmas shopping done..in July!"  to encourage supporters to buy more books.  Wondered if it could be done with Kickstarter.... solving the perennial Xmas buying conundrum.. early!... appeals to a lot of us ;)   But ...probably tech problems with Kickstarter... and I'm an IT idiot.