How to Crowdfund Your Tarot Deck

Got an idea for a new tarot deck but are unable to find a publisher?

Or maybe you just want to do it yourself (and keep all the sweet profits) but you have no cash to get that sucker printed.

Whatever the case, crowdfunding your tarot deck may be the answer!

What is crowdfunding? Crowdfunding is the practice of raising capital for a project from a large number of people, usually over the internet. Crowdfunding has been used to successfully fund movies, charitable causes, events, books, and yes, even tarot decks.

If you decide to crowdfund your tarot deck, here’s what you need to know to make it successful – and not piss people off:

Before you even start your crowdfunding campaign, you need to get your social network brewing. That means you should be developing a strong online presence. Why? Because people are more likely to donate to people that they “know, like, and trust.” Create strong relationships with peers and people that may be interested in tarot. (And if you hate social media, you’re going to need to get over it.)
Get a team together. Yes, a team is necessary. Why? A combined effort means more people with more leads who may be willing to contribute to your deck! If you have a few team members reaching out to their networks, this is going to build momentum and give your campaign an edge. Doing this solo makes the task much harder. (PS your team can consist of friends and family who will be willing to drum up some pre-buzz before the launch!)
Next, it’s planning time! You’re going to need to be specific and practical. That begins with research, research, research. Check out other successful crowdfunding campaigns. What did they do right? How long will your campaign run? Reach out to manufacturers. How much money do you need to print your deck? How much will it cost to distribute? How about postage if you plan on mailing your deck personally? How much do you plan on allocating for giveaways and perks? What about your marketing budget? Will the deck have it’s own website, and, if so, how much will it cost to maintain it? In order for you to have a solid plan, you need to be ultra clear on the monies needed. If you’re not, you risk having to dig back into your own pocket. In addition to the budget, you need to craft a strong marketing plan. Sounds boring? Yep. But if you can’t articulate your plan and budget, you’re setting yourself up for an epic fail.
Pick your crowdfunding source. The two most popular are: Indiegogo and Kickstarter.
Get your perks and giveaways lined up. The key: make it appealing so people are happy to donate. For example, you may want to give copies of the deck, custom made tarot bags, prints, tarot readings, etc. Be sure to have multiple entry points starting at one or five dollars. Why? Some people don’t have a lot of cash but may still want to contribute. (For small donations, you can offer a mention on social media or an acknowledgement on the website.)
Write your webcopy. You need to get people excited about your deck! Good writing makes all the difference between a ho-hum campaign and one that sells out. Think this: why would people want this deck? It’s not enough to put up pictures – they need to be able to read about the big why. Don’t just write a business pitch – tell a story.
Make a pitch video. Do not skimp here! Like the webcopy, you want people to get excited to donate. A crappy video shot in your mother’s dank basement isn’t going to cut it. Take time to make your video polished, entertaining, and appealing. If you can afford to hire a pro to shoot the video, do it. This investment may make all the difference. Ideas for your video: behind the scenes creation, testimonials from fans, prototypes of the deck, stories about the deck from your team, etc
Start dropping “seeds” a few weeks before you launch your campaign. Write blog posts, mention it in your newsletter, talk about it on social media. This will build some momentum before you open the doors.
Get your crowdfunding site set up (instructions are on the sites). You may also want to set up a special Facebook page and/or Twitter account for the deck.
Reach out to tarot peers to help promote your campaign. That being said, here’s where you need to practice some social etiquette and common sense. Do not just hit up random tarot people that you find through Google. Get to know them first. That means starting a friendly conversation and developing a “real” connection. There is nothing more annoying than getting an impersonal email from a stranger asking you to promote or donate to their campaign. (Memo to the persons who send me obvious cut ‘n paste emails where you don’t even address me by my name or seem to know one thing about my world: at the very least, TRY to make it sound like you are genuinely interested in my work and I may be more inclined to help you.)
Contact the media. A word of caution: some media will be tarot shy and may not want to help you out. Don’t take that personally. Instead, look for tarot friendly media such as tarot blogs or podcasts where you can promote your campaign.
Launch time! Once your campaign is up and running, you need to start getting people to the site. If you have created a smart marketing campaign, you’re probably already getting interviewed on tarot podcasts, writing blog posts, blasting social media, etc. Keep pumping up the jams and promoting the heck out of it everywhere you can. You’ll need to keep this up until the campaign is fully funded – or ends.
Don’t go silent. Keep your donors updated on the progress of your deck. Let them know when they can expect to receive their perks.
Honor your commitments. There is nothing worse than a promise that is not delivered. Don’t make excuses – even if you bungled the budget and have to reach into your own pocket to get those giveaways and perks to your supporters, do it. Otherwise you look like a rip off or a joke. (I have still not received my perks from some campaigns that I supported YEARS ago. Not cool, friends. Hence, I’m now wary of donating to any project.)