What to know for your campaign
Start with an “invite only” campaign for just your network to secure the first 20% of your target raise prior to the public launch. This allows you to test your message with a safe audience and ensures you have proven success and social proof prior to your public launch.
What is a private launch?
Prior to your campaign launching publicly into Investment Opportunities on FrontFundr, it will go into an invite-only private link launch. This is where your shareholders, customers, followers, fans, friends and family have the exclusive opportunity to invest before anyone else. You will have a unique URL that you can send to all of these groups so they can support your campaign from the start.
The 20% to move from the private launch to your public launch will be calculated from your target offering. The target offering is what displays on the campaign tracker to communicate your goal for the raise to investors.
How long should I expect the private launch to be?
The amount of time the campaign is private is different for every company. We recommend aiming to secure 10% of your target offering within the first day. This helps to build momentum with your network so that after a few weeks we’re ready to open the campaign to the FrontFundr community and to potential investors who aren’t yet familiar with your company.
What changes on the campaign page when moving from the private to public launch?
Nothing changes other than you are now visible in Investment Opportunities on FrontFundr.com. Your unique URL stays the same and your campaign advisor will ensure the campaign page is moved from the private launch to the public launch once the 20% has been reached. Once moving to the public launch with your 20% traction being achieved, it’s the perfect time to start reaching out to investors outside of your existing network. This is also when we’ll begin promoting the opportunity to our network of investors.
Why is a private launch important?
This is the perfect time to test your messaging, gauge interest and build momentum in the campaign before it goes public. In our experience, the private launch helps to gain traction for the public launch by establishing social proof for the campaign. People rarely want to be the first person to buy a product, especially without having read reviews first, and the same principle applies to making an investment. By seeing that others have invested, those who are less familiar with your brand will feel more comfortable making their own investment.
What are some promotional strategies to use during the private launch?
During the private launch you are reaching out to your network. We recommend using all your existing communication tools such as email marketing and social media. We also suggest adding an investor page to your website where existing and new stakeholders can learn about the opportunity. Consider also writing some blog posts and hosting webinars to talk about your vision and explain the investment opportunity.
Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone to call those in your network or send them a personal email. A company’s existing network can often be the strongest supporters throughout the course of the raise.
Below is a campaign timeline chart with various marketing activities. We recommend starting each marketing activity at the associated checkpoint and continuing it for the duration of the campaign.
To help manage all the various promotion activities during the live campaign, we’ve developed an activities calendar template. Reach out to the campaign team for questions about this template if you haven’t already discussed it.
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Thanks so much for reading our guide! As always, reach out to us at any time if you want to chat further about how to best articulate your company for an effective crowdfunding campaign.