Crowdfunding an audio drama is an incredibly daunting task. Funding the show becomes a secondary and time-intensive job to the primary (and also time-intensive) job of making the show in the first place. If you’re thinking about crowdfunding a fiction podcast and wondering where to start, this article is for you.

There are many aspects to crowdfunding, here we’re going to touch on the major ones in brief. Because there’s not a single correct way to crowdfund, I’m going to talk about what you should be thinking about in a more general sense instead of providing hard and fast answers – because there aren’t any.

Which crowdfunding platform should I use?

On Kickstarter, you need to hit your goal to keep your funding (called “fixed funding”). Kickstarter did some union busting two years ago, and as a result I can’t recommend them in good faith, but many shows have had success with them. 

IndieGoGo has the option of flexible funding. You can keep what you raise even if you don’t meet the goal. This is a great option for shows that will be happening regardless of how much is funded. IndieGoGo also offers the option to extend your campaign.

For Seed&Spark, you need to reach 80% of your goal to keep your funding. The benefit of this platform is that they review all campaigns before approval, giving you advice and feedback to make your campaign the most likely to succeed. Seed&Spark says that they have the highest success rate in crowdfunding for creative projects. 

iFundWomen is a lesser known platform for podcasts. They describe themselves as “the go-to funding marketplace for women-owned businesses and the people who want to support them,” and offer flexible funding as well as the option to extend your campaign. 

All these platforms take 5% of what you raise. There are other options for crowdfunding platforms, but this is what I’ve seen used in the past for audio drama!

When should I crowdfund?

The short answer for when you should crowdfund is: probably don’t do it in December, as people tend to be focused on holiday spending. Additionally, avoid crowdfunding during a panini at all costs. Summer is a popular time for audio drama crowdfunding, but it also comes at the risk of running your campaign alongside 10 other podcasts. But in general, the specific month(s) you run your crowdfunding campaign in does not directly correlate to its success.

How long should my crowdfunding campaign be?

Usually about 30 days is the go-to, though I’ve also seen some shows go for 50 days and I haven’t observed a significant difference in success between the two. Personally, I’ve chosen to do 30 day campaigns for the shows I’ve crowdfunded for solely because I didn’t want to manage a campaign for longer, and have not regretted it.

Some platforms will give you the option to extend a crowdfunding campaign, and if you think you need to do that, it’s okay! Multiple shows extended their Indiegogo campaigns in 2021, and they raised more at the end of the campaign than if they hadn’t extended it.

What should my goal amount be?

The lowest goal for an audio drama I’ve seen was $750, and the highest was $10,000. Unless you are one of the creators of Wolf 359, I would suggest not setting a goal higher than that. The average goal of 61 campaigns on this spreadsheet made by Anne Baird of Hug House Productions was $4258. Excluding Unseen, a spiders-georg style outlier, the average amount raised by 50 campaigns was $3624 – this data set accounts for both new shows and returning seasons. (Disclosure: Managing editor Wil Williams is the CEO of Hug House Productions.)

The goal you set should depend on if you are utilizing a platform with fixed or flexible funding. If you don’t need to reach 100% of your goal to keep your funds, you’re safe setting a higher one. If you need to reach your full goal, you might want to consider using stretch goals. An important question to think about is: “Will you be making this show regardless of if you hit your goal?” If the answer is yes, consider utilizing a platform with flexible funding and setting a goal that matches your budget. If the answer is no, consider utilizing fixed funding and setting a goal for what you need to make your show. Don’t forget to factor in the cost of platform feeds and physical reward. And showrunners – don’t forget to include a stipend for yourself! Your time is valuable too. 

Read more: How to Audio Drama 202: Creating Your Audio Drama’s Budget

How much of the show should be finished before crowdfunding? 

This is a complicated question. Shows funding a second (or later) season and shows being produced by a known podcaster always do better than crowdfunding campaigns for new shows and new creators. Having something to show for your work is always extraordinarily helpful when crowdfunding, be it a trailer, pilot episode, previous season, or different show. 

You should have enough of the show finished to share a proof of concept. Maybe this is a trailer. Maybe this is a pilot episode. Maybe it’s literally the whole show! Even if it’s not the final audio of the podcast, I’d recommend having something people can listen to. But it isn’t the end-all-be-all if you don’t! Shows that are written can release script excerpts. Shows with a cast can do cast announcements. You need enough of your audio drama finished for people to get excited about it, but this doesn’t mean you need to make the entire podcast for free first. 

What perks should I offer?

I think it’s really important to have some digital perks. This can be something like naming a character in the show, being thanked on the website or in the credits, or getting annotated scripts. You won’t have to pay for postage and you can get people these perks right away in a lot of cases. 

Don’t spend a lot of money on rewards, especially up front. For physical perks, I’d recommend having photos of the item on your page so that people know what they’re signing up to get. Getting product samples (or just ordering low quantities initially) can be a good way to do that. Stickers are a super popular physical perk, and as a bonus, they’re really easy to mail! Meteor City is crowdfunding its second season as this is being published, and they’re offering a sticker at every backer level.

The best advice I have is for you to have perks that you personally are excited about, and if you can tie them into the theme of the show, even better! I made a mission patch as a perk for my sci-fi show, and sewed one onto my jacket before the campaign even started. From an outsider perspective, I loved Twilight Over Midgard’s offering bottles, Descendant’s Baby Gorgon plushies, and Queer Pride and Prejudice’s tea party kits, all unique and very cool perks!

How do I promote a crowdfunding campaign?

Post about it on social media! Email your friends and family! Tell as many people about it as possible! If people don’t know about your podcast, they can’t help you fund it. If people know about your podcast but don’t know you’re crowdfunding, they still can’t help you fund it. 

Tell people about your show. Who’s making it? What are the characters in it? What is it about? I’d recommend posting on social media at least once a day about your campaign, if not more. I found it helpful to remember that not all posts are showing up on everyone’s timelines, and you often need to make multiple posts to beat the algorithm, even if it feels spammy at times. (But please do avoid actually spamming people. Don’t overuse tagging or bots!).

It’s also useful to make graphics – I love using Canva for this. They don’t need to be super professional, either – a silly meme can go a long way too! I liked having a mix of well worded tweets and shitposts coming from my twitter account. Having fun is great for your stress levels and your social media engagement!

How do I take care of myself while crowdfunding my audio drama?

You’re probably not thinking about this, but I’m sneaking this question in for you because you should be. Crowdfunding is hard work. You can’t just set up a campaign and expect free money to roll in – you need to promote it, and that’s exhausting!

My advice for you is to do as much as you can in advance. I made almost all of my graphics for the campaign the month before it went live, and I was so happy I did. You can also schedule posts on most social media platforms, which means you can even queue up posts ahead of time. You don’t have to be online 24/7, so take breaks! You will burn out before the month is over if you don’t. It’s always okay to ask for help.

Consider leaving a gap in your production schedule for crowdfunding if you’re doing both at the same time. It’s really hard to sound design an episode and coordinate a recording session and manage a crowdfunding campaign. I may be speaking from experience here… 

And most importantly: your worth is not tied to how successful your crowdfunding is. You can fall short of your goal and still make a wonderful show and be a fantastic showrunner. We’re all doing our best in a capitalist hellscape, and you are not a failure if your show isn’t fully funded. You’re making art, and that’s GREAT.

Related posts:

Podcasting Burned Me Out A Beginner’s Guide to the Internet for Podcasters 3 Valuable Podcast Content Takeaways From The Best TV Of The Worst Year