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Crowdfunding: 5 Helpful Hacks with Patrick Lugo
Virtual Workshop
Saturday, May 13th
1 – 4pm EST
$60
Powerfully tweak your approach & mindset to run a successful campaign!
How the heck does crowdfunding work? Can you run a successful campaign even if you don’t have a big audience? How can you make sure that you reach your financial goal?
OVERVIEW
This 3-hour workshop is for any creator with a project in need of funds for publishing, distribution and/or publicity. The project doesn’t have to be a complete graphic novel – it could be a single chapter, a zine, or a mini-comic.
- You will come away with:
- A step-by-step action plan designed to prepare and launch a crowdfunding campaign
- A method for easily brainstorming and taking advantage of accessible and novel PR opportunities
- An understanding of how to use your crowdfunding campaign not just to pay for your project, but also to grow your fans and build a long-term relationship with them
WHAT WE’LL COVER
Get Clarity On Your Goals
- Identify and get clarity on your project and its scope – and also understand yourself and your campaigning style.
- Learn how to assess and deploy your Primary, Secondary & Tertiary strengths.
- Understand who your target audience is and how to craft a narrative that strikes a chord with them.
Determine Your Budget
- Learn what to consider when planning your internal and external budget.
- Get tips for researching realistic shipping costs.
- Accurately estimate your initial costs and upfront investments, as well as what professional help you might want to pay for.
Plan Your Outreach
- Develop strategies for bringing YOUR crowd to the crowdfunding campaign.
- Learn how to assess levels of commitment, ranging from hot (ready to be with you every step of the way) to cold (indifferent/too busy elsewhere).
- Flesh out your list of connections; it’s bigger than you think.
Create Your Assets & Media
- Get a complete breakdown of the assets you’ll need to create or commission in advance of the campaign.
- Learn where to find templates and how to create your own.
- Find out which design and campaign organization factors are especially important.
Build
- Get the nuts and bolts on how to build your page.
- Learn tips and tricks on how to launch with a bang and maintain momentum over the full length of your campaign.
- Plan for your post-launch! Keep up the good vibes with your old and new supporters.
TESTIMONIALS
“Navigating the challenges and pitfalls of a crowdfunding campaign can be a daunting task. However, Patrick Lugo’s ability to advise in the matter is equal parts mentor, strategist, and seer. My successful kickstarter campaign, Shadow Ghost, is a testament to his guidance in this regard.”
Sifu Kurtis Fujita: Martial Arts Master/Comic Creator The ShadowGhost.com
“Patrick knows how to cross pollinate skill sets to set up platforms, individuals, and Kickstarters for success. He provided illustration for a reward tier in my public health benefit zine project crowdfunded on Kickstarter, Zine100, that left backers with a concise takeaway postcard to compliment my writing skill set…. Patrick is the real deal: business savvy, sincerity, and heart.”
Stephanie Nina Pitsirilos: Author – StephanieNinaPitsirilos.com
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Patrick Lugo
My first professional comic pages saw print in the pages of indie comic publisher Double-Edge comics in the early 90’s, while I was attending SVA. Carmine Infantino would let me use those pages as class projects but just before the big boom of the 90’s, I left comics to work for my other favorite publishing niche – Kung Fu Magazine.
While devoting decades to making that magazine a mainstream publication, I simultaneously created the long-running comic series TIGER’S TALE and illustrated the picture book LITTLE MONK AND THE MANTIS. Along with a number of album covers, I also illustrated the middle-grade kindle chapter book LUCY VELOZ: HIGH-FLYING PRINCESS (2020). In 2021 my short comic story CONTRABAND saw print in the anthology Speculative Fiction for Dreamers was published by the Ohio State University Press. It was called a knock-out in a Publisher’s Weekly starred review.
Along with freelance illustration work, I’ve spent the past couple of years self-publishing the graphic novel series A TIGER’s TALE (volume 1. 2022 & volume 2, 2023) exclusively via crowdfunding.
May 13 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm EDT
Let’s do this together!
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