Kickstarter Introduces ‘Launch Now’ Feature
Users can now launch their project immediately, bypassing review from a Kickstarter community manager.
Crowdsourcing giant Kickstarter has just recently unveiled a new Launch Now feature that allows for qualified users to launch their project immediately, instead of waiting for a community manager to approve it. Along with the introduction of of Launch Now, Kickstarter unveiled some simplified rules for projects looking for funding. The three rules are:
- Projects must create something to share with others.
- Projects must be honest and clearly presented.
- Projects cannot fundraise for charity, offer financial incentives, or involve prohibited items.
The three rules are a simplification of Kickstarters more detailed rules and will hopefully make crowdsourcing available to a wider array of projects (except energy drinks and other ‘vice’ products).
For those interested in using the Launch Now feature there are a few things you must know. First the Launch Now feature uses an algorithm to determine if your project is ready to be released. Things like description, rewards, funding goal, and whether a creator has previously launched a project will all determine how qualified a project is for the Launch Now feature. However, the Launch Now feature isn’t mandatory. If a user want a Kickstarter community manager to review their project they can do so for free, just as before.
An additional feature added this week gives backers the ability to get multiple quantities of a single reward.
The Launch Now feature doesn’t cost any extra money and is available today to 60% of Kickstarter projects, with more being accepted in the weeks to come. We see the new Launch Now feature as a great tool for people trying to get their project out ASAP. However, this announcement might effect Kickstarters brand image because they now have less control over project curation which made them distinct from similar sites.
What do you think of this new feature? Share in the comments below.
For more info regarding the update check out Kickstarter’s press release.
