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The Launch

In order to have the most successful campaign possible, it is important to spend time creating a game plan for how you are going promote your project and reach the people who will become your contributors.

 

Building Momentum:

The success of any crowdfunding campaign depends largely on momentum; as key thresholds are passed, such as 30% and 50% funded, confidence in your project’s success will grow, which will help in attracting new contributors. Because of this, it is vital to come out of the gate strong, having lined up support from your friends, families, and colleagues before your campaign even starts. Posting on social media is good, but personal messages and phone calls are even better.

 

Project Promotion:

In addition to the support of your close circle, it is wise to plan how to reach out to the largest network possible on launch day. One thing to keep in mind is that because projects on Lifespan.io are expressly dedicated to aging research, there is already a passionate and ever-growing audience of people keenly interested in this work. Here are some ideas to help you get started:

 

Facebook:

Announcing your project on Facebook is a great way to let a wider circle of your friends know about your research. You can even create a Facebook page just for your project 
and post updates therein, re-sharing such posts on your personal page and related group pages to increase exposure. There are many Facebook groups relating to life extension, longevity, and transhumanism, for example, that would likely be interest in what you are up to. Also, the amount of people who see your posts on Facebook is directly proportional to how many people like and comment on your post in the first few minutes, so encourage your friends to engage with your posts early and often.

 

Twitter:

Twitter is a great way to find new connections with interests pertaining to your research. In addition to tweeting about your project and encouraging your friends to retweet, you can use twitter’s search functionality to find people with relevant keywords in their profile, or who are discussing terms related to your research. Tweet @ them and let them know about your project, being sure to thank them with a reply or retweet if they support you.

 

LinkedIn:

In addition to announcing your project on Linkedin, you can reach out to prominent members in the aging research / life extension communities and respectfully encourage them to share your project with their networks as well. The right person
 taking interest in your work could create a massive boost in your campaign’s momentum.

 

Your University or Institution:

In addition to sharing your project with immediate colleagues, there may be a variety of other networks to share with through your institution or university. For example, your project could be featured on your lab or department’s webpage. Student newsletters or alumni publications are another avenue to look into as well.

 

Contacting the Press:

Connecting with the Press is a powerful way to broaden the reach of your campaign, 
and it is well worth your time to contact any media connections you might have. Creating an official press release to announce your launch will help this process greatly, and online resources such as prweb.com offer a great benefit / cost ratio in this regard.
 If you go this route, be sure to keep the release accessible to the public, focusing on why your research is exciting and matters for human longevity. You can also reach out to bloggers and popular science news websites, such as sciencedaily.com and io9.com, sharing your project ideas (and press release if you’ve made one). Typically such sites have a specific writer or two that deal exclusively with stories pertaining to biotechnology, aging research, or life extension; making friends with them on social media such as Twitter or Facebook might be a good idea, as writers are always searching for great stories and would likely be interested in yours.

 

Have a Launch Party:

Organizing a party for your launch is a great way to build up excitement among your friends and close colleagues. You can even set up a computer or laptop opened to your project so that attendees can contribute right then and there.