Humbled by Fans
When we were running our Kickstarter campaign, we had several tiers of rewards for backers. One of them was for the purchase of a 10 pack of Ubis. If someone pledged to the campaign at that level, not only would they receive 10 devices but they would be among the first to receive a device.
I recall one backer who was so enthusiastic about our project that they wanted to design their home around the device. I blushed. While I was honored that they loved what we were doing, I was concerned about the long-term relationship. What if we change the dimensions of the device, what if we had to change the shape of the adapter?
It was a bit like receiving a marriage proposal during a first date. However, by engaging with early fans, it gave us a huge amount of strength to push through really difficult times. By sharing with them our progress and making the experience of the Kickstarter their experience, they provided us with a lot of feedback, spread the word about what we were doing, and defended us among other backers who were concerned about delays. Some even brought in or became investors.
Engaging with fans early, especially when doing something in public is really important to helping overcome those very difficult early stages. They provide a morale boost for the team and want you to succeed. Of course, the other edge of the sword is that there’s a need to temper rampant fanaticism and apocrypha that might come from fans as they speed ahead and spread the word about your work.
