BUYER BEWARE - These guys leave their contract super vague and they only take wire transfers up front
Here are my kickstarter Results:
I was successful on Kickstarter - I did $15,600 in 30 days - 45% from family, friends, and network and 55% from outside sources.
I paid $5,000 upfront to Fundedtoday ($3,500 for FB Marketing "set up costs" and $1500 for PR) and they wanted 35% on the backend... I negotiated to 23%.
$1,700 came into from fundedtoday ads.
For PR - we got our write up in gadget flow (no monetary results)
$5,000 total investment - I lost $3,300.
I put together this kickstarter campaign in 3 weeks. I did video shooting, page design, GIF creation, photography, email marketing, etc.I was swamped! I SHOULD HAVE WAITED UNTIL I LAUNCHED and saw my momentum on my own.
My issues with FundedToday:
Communication:
All communication is in a Skype chat. This means that if anything important happens or needs to happen - YOU better see it in this Skype chat or it get's lost. I complained about PR and no one responded to it - it just got lost...
PR:
I requested a refund for PR because I felt mislead and the product and performance were poor. They refused to refund anything.
When you begin - they guarantee one write up for $1,500 or two write ups for $2,500 - in the contract they do not tell you WHERE THE WRITE UPS WILL BE, EVEN THOUGH THEY KNOW they only give you three options. Why is this not transparent? I had already ACH'd them the money when they dropped this on me.
Here are the three write up options (all of which you can get into by yourself for small $ amounts):
Gadgetflow.com
thisiswhyimbroke.com
backerland newsletter (who gives a 100% moneyback guarantee if you work with them directly)
My product isLuxury footwear - this doesn't fit into the options provided - what was I to do at this point? They already had my money...
Here is the press release - notice how many times they say Funded Today... I feel this was lackluster and cookie cutter:
"MarketersMEDIA / Newsroom / High-Performance Footwear Launches On KickStarter High-Performance Footwear Launches On KickStarter
Paul Hardt Footwear has just launched a campaign on KickStarter. They have brought on Funded Today to help bring their shoes to a wider audience and increase pledges for the duration of the project. San Francisco, United States - May 17, 2018 /FundedToday/
-- About The Footwear Paul Hardt footwear features a line of high performance dress shoes. Made with high quality technical fabrics and an athletic insole for maximum comfort, Paul Hardt shoes are water resistant and European crafted for the ultimate combination of professional and casual wear. The KickStarter campaign features multiple shoes including boots, oxfords and sneakers. Each shoe has its own unique design while still maintaining a professional and sleek look.
Pricing and Availability: The Paul Hardt line is available to back now on KickStarter. They are hopeful to see an increase in pledges with the help of Funded Today and their team. Once the campaign ends, the shoes are set to produce and ship to all backers by October 2018. The starting price for one pair is $125 USD. To learn more about Paul Hardt or to back the campaign, visit their page here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulhardtshoes/high-performance-footwear-for-the-uncommon-profess
Organization: Funded Today
Source URL: https://marketersmedia.com/high-performance-footwear-launches-on-kickstarter/346800
For more information, please visit http://funded.today - Source: FundedToday"
Advertising:
They said that the advertising team would check and give updates on a daily basis. Communication was every other or every third day. Here is what their update looked like:
"Hello! Just a quick update as we head into the weekend. I wanted to let you know I am still working on adjusting audiences and ads and will continue to search for ad sets that will generate a positive return. I will update you again on Monday. Thanks for your patience through this testing phase. Have an outstanding weekend and post any questions here as they come! :)"
This is what I heard for two weeks during testing phase, until they told me there was not a good enough ROI for them. Then it was over. They even had the nerve to call me and say - "If you want to continue PR let's talk about a % of results we bring in"
What did I pay $1,500 for?
All in all - I know its tough, but do it yourself. Don't pay these companies up front unless you have loads of cash - it's not responsible. I made a $3,300 mistake and I won't do it again. Wait till you have leverage and negotiate with them - hey come on to my campaign if you want - I'll give you 25% of what you bring in. That's a fair deal. read more