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Launching oKickstarter: A premium dress sock that can confidently be worn from the office to the gym

A detailed account of a Fastlane process...

powderhound100

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After considerable product development, I'm excited to launch say we'll be launching soon (March 5th). We've developed a premium dress sock that's designed to be worn all day, from the office to the gym. They're designed to make life that much easier for the active professional.

You can check out our video and page preview here:
Introducing the Pro-Formance Sock by ALMI

I've been sharing product development etc. on an INSIDERS thread, but figured I'd put the kickstarter launch info out here.

Rotation-vid-callouts.gif

Excited to get it there and start testing to see what works. We are working with an agency to help with prelaunch and facebook ads for the campaign. Have a press strategy setup and are looking at some other strategies and partners. I'll share here what ends up working out...or no working out.
Any questions, feedback or suggestions, let me know.

-Jonas
 
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Eskil

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I was really impressed by the video you showed me at the meetup a few weeks ago. Stellar job on that!

As I mentioned earlier though, the page loads pretty slow on mobile so you might want to reduce the number of heavy gifs and images and see if you can replace at least some of it with text.
 
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Zcott

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Really interested to see how this plays out.

Are you marketing to high end professionals? $22 for one pair of socks seems really expensive, but I trust you've done research.

Good luck to you!
 

powderhound100

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I was really impressed by the video you showed me at the meetup a few weeks ago. Stellar job on that!

As I mentioned earlier though, the page loads pretty slow on mobile so you might want to reduce the number of heavy gifs and images and see if you can replace at least some of it with text.

Greatly appreciate that Eskil, just want to confirm, is it the gifs or the whole page?
Thinking most people will watch the video first, but maybe that's wishful thinking.

Got our press release all prepped:
Anyone know if larger packages are worth the investment: Home - Online PR Media
Here's our press release: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DsYYvmEb6AMt4MwrhnV-5ERPQ_Wwhk3U2YSrbsnZG1c/edit
 
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MTF

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3b2f2395453e6ad962e7894c5f80312a_original.png

There's a typo here - should be "domestic." Also, if your social and environmental beliefs are so important, why not mention it in the main sales copy? Your target audience is probably wealthier people, many of whom are probably interested in supporting ethical companies.

bf2d3f438f132decc5fe20f571babf7d_original.png


Another typo - should be "targeted."

I'm not a lawyer, so I'm not sure. Are you allowed to use the logos of other companies when mentioning that the Swiss silver you use is used by Mammut and Prana?

Why only $10,000 as a goal?
 

powderhound100

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Really interested to see how this plays out.

Are you marketing to high end professionals? $22 for one pair of socks seems really expensive, but I trust you've done research.

Good luck to you!

Here is our reasoning on price.
This is a premium product, our goal of $22 was as an anchor to A: show its premium, B: get people to buy multiple (we really don't want to sell single pairs.)
3 for $45 for example, which brings it down to $15 a pair. Totally reasonable when you look at performance socks.
 

c4n

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There is defenitely a market for $22+ performance socks, I'm a regular buyer.

I've been using socks made of two fabric layers daily for years (Wrightsock brand) as I spend a good part of the day in boots. I love it and am interested to see how yours compare.

The main issue I have with the current brand I'm using is they tear up rather quickly - either below the heel or near the toes, where two types of fabric are stiched together.
 
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Eskil

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powderhound100

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I'm not a lawyer, so I'm not sure. Are you allowed to use the logos of other companies when mentioning that the Swiss silver you use is used by Mammut and Prana?

Why only $10,000 as a goal?

Greatly appreciate you pointing out those typos.

In terms of the logo's, HEIQ uses them on their site so figured it wouldn't be a problem....may be wrong though.

"Why only a $10,000 goal?" That is the minimum amount to hit, not the maximum.

The faster you hit your goal the better for the kickstarter algorithm. We decided $10k because it sounds like a good, realistic number.
Honestly, I'd prefer to put $5,000 or something so we could hit the goal really quick.

If anyone has thoughts on that matter, would love to hear them.
 

powderhound100

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There is defenitely a market for $22+ performance socks, I'm a regular buyer.

I've been using socks made of two fabric layers daily for years (Wrightsock brand) as I spend a good part of the day in boots. I love it and am interested to see how yours compare.

The main issue I have with the current brand I'm using is they tear up rather quickly - either below the heel or near the toes, where two types of fabric are stiched together.
We had some issues with that when we tested some really great fibers (like Nylon 6.6) Since the fiber was so fine there were issues at the crossover point. WE used a different Nylon blend and it's cleaner and much more durable.

I tried to upload pictures to explain, but it doesn't seem to be working atm.
 
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AgainstAllOdds

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"Why only a $10,000 goal?" That is the minimum amount to hit, not the maximum.

The faster you hit your goal the better for the kickstarter algorithm. We decided $10k because it sounds like a good, realistic number.
Honestly, I'd prefer to put $5,000 or something so we could hit the goal really quick.

If anyone has thoughts on that matter, would love to hear them.

Look at stats of previous projects.

Setting a lower goal is the appropriate direction for a product like yours. Once you hit $10k, you have the social proof to go forward. The last thing you'd want is a $100k goal and to raise $91k -- meaning that you get none of it.

$10k goal is appropriate, after which you can rake in as much as possible on Kickstarter and have a solid basis for manufacturing and distributing to retailers (honestly that's where I think the easier money is vs ecommerce for something like socks).

Good luck.
 
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Eskil

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Yup. I had a relatively low goal (35k) on my Kickstarter too, which definitely helped because of how their algorithm for exposure works. Once the goal was met, it just went upwards from there.


Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

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Anyone know if larger packages are worth the investment: Home - Online PR Media

They can be worth it if you’re looking for backlinks, google news indexing and some obscure automated news site pick up. The latter can be used as social proof by including their logos on your Kickstarter page. Don’t expect any major cut through with the mass blast service; individual pitching will be more effective.

I’d also look to bulk out your press release with more detail/stronger angle. And if you haven’t already, get a press kit filled with images, video, graphics and bios hosted online to go with your press release.

All the best with it, will be watching!
 

powderhound100

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They can be worth it if you’re looking for backlinks, google news indexing and some obscure automated news site pick up. The latter can be used as social proof by including their logos on your Kickstarter page. Don’t expect any major cut through with the mass blast service; individual pitching will be more effective.

I’d also look to bulk out your press release with more detail/stronger angle. And if you haven’t already, get a press kit filled with images, video, graphics and bios hosted online to go with your press release.

All the best with it, will be watching!

Thanks, appreciate your feedback.
Any suggestions for what type of detail or stronger angle's to go after?
 
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powderhound100

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Well shit. We setup to work with Matix labs, have worked on lots of campaigns and had great results in the past. They cut our video into a shorter version and were running facebook lead gen ads... however, the cost per lead has been $6.11....way to high. They haven't really been communicating well either so trying to figure out how to move forward, not at all happy about that.

Got a deal worked out with Backerclub, will update on details later.

Realized we may need some better content, so about to go on a photo shoot to see what we can come up with.

Just put this this add together: Sequence 01Facebook.mp4
 

Blake_Writes

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One PR strategy to consider (if you haven't)
When you get a great media hit (ideally something digital that links directly to your kickstarter)
Throw some paid social behind that article (instead of only driving traffic to your KS page)

Lots of things happen here:
1) The journalist/platform LOVE YOU, potential for followup article
2) Their 3rd party credibility skyrockets your CT % rate
3) Your paid ad probably performs better as people are more likely to CT to read than to buy (lower pressure sales)

--Grain of Salt--
I just heard this on some podcast the other day as I research my own KS launch (early May)

Best of Luck!
 
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powderhound100

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@powderhound100 how many have you sold?
Wish I had a better answer for you.
Although I may approach this different next time, launching on Kickstarter Tuesday so hoping to sell as many as possible then.

I did have a meeting with a sock store here in San Diego, wasn't the right demographic for our product though. Once the kickstarter's rolling and we start getting product in, will definitely push other channels.
 

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sell before the socks get here! push all channels at all times
quit waiting on kickstarter
 

powderhound100

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We're working with Backerclub to try and sell to their audience and they made this post to try and get some buy-in, thought the giveaway was a pretty good idea, Got a few good suggestions from there:

The Two Functional Fibers (TFF) Sock by ALMI Apparel - Feedback for Giveaways (Valid till March 5th, 2019) - BackerClub Forums
Curious to see how much comes in from backerclub.
 
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powderhound100

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Sent some emails out to our list from facebook ads:

Hey Everyone,

We are super excited to be launching this Tuesday.
We wanted to give you an exclusive look into the Pro-Formance sock.
Time to roll out the red carpet because here comes the world premiere of our Kickstarter video..

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O9x6Ry2wrg&feature=youtu.be


We’ve also landed on our early backer promotions for this pre-launch group, which will include, but not be limited to, access to a 25% lifetime discount code.

Be sure to open our next email for those details. Stay tuned.

Best,

Jonas & Conrad



To our close friends and family, we had a little different email. Including you all for that :


Hey All,

Really appreciate all the love, feedback, and support from friends and family. We’ve gotten some great suggestions are looking forward to what the future holds.

Launch day is this Tuesday at 9:00am and we couldn’t be more excited. We are launching a business and every purchase made gets us one step closer to reaching our goal, so we appreciate the support, but also want to make sure we’re taking care of you, too.

Purchases early in the campaign - first 12 to 24 hours - have the biggest impact. Something to keep in mind when reading through this:
  • For any purhases within that first 24 hours, we’ll be adding to your order:

    • 3 pack + 1 (total of 4)

    • 5 pack + 2 (total of 7)

    • 10 pack + 5 (total of 15)

    • 30 pack + Something awesome (surprise)

rY4kP4dYMMgjzJjGUVpZiHUKmLzo7rGTZpil2PuwZqltsOp5d3m5CNb22Z29Ce2EgD9cnvla12Tym9XcyBL3QitwgFxTMh4pJHRqk_ZODCh97kLeWAH7LmmVthBDNXrVsVlNkAYx
LILedij3bXNy7qP-f-P3prBe2KaSHc25WhFNNxPqkgw7CkAExgtO2xd97VJo_-z_mS_t7xhSWCS_ZOALIxH4VPc00vW8GBkzEzPgQwH1kTXj_uY6Lyvp1K0iLSHuXjpe3mbIUqV8



Tuesday at 9:00am we launch.

I'll shoot through an email in the morning with our Kickstarter page link. And if you're one of those super organized types, here are some handy calendar links to make it easy

Apple Google Outlook Outlook.com Yahoo

Thanks so much,

Jonas & Conrad
 

powderhound100

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And we're live, nervous, excited, lets see what happens.

Email I just sent out to our close friends and family list.

Hey All,

By the time you finish reading this email, we are going to be live.
We officially go live at 9am PST, but as promised, have opened it up early for you.

Just a reminder that purchases early in the campaign have the biggest impact. There are also some early bird deals that won’t last throughout the campaign and we’d prefer if they went to you.

You are helping us get a great start and we are eternally grateful for the support.

  • Buy 5 socks or more ->40% discount code… for life. (Works for the earlybird discount to)
  • Additionally, for any purchases within that first 24 hours, we’ll be adding to your order:
    • 3 pack + 1 (total of 4)
    • 5 pack + 2 (total of 7)
    • 10 pack + 5 (total of 15)
    • 30 pack + a surprise
Introducing the Pro-Formance Sock by ALMI
Thanks for being an early supporter. We are excited for you to experience the product of our hard work.

-Jonas & Conrad


For non-friends and family, (facebook lead gen emails etc.) had to buy 10 to get discounts and didn't give away all those Freebies. This community has been awesome, so counting you all as family. Send me a note if you purchase so I can be sure to hook you all up.
 
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