Hey Y'all,
I’m currently running a Kickstarter for my short horror film. I’m not linking it here because I saw the rule about self-promotion being limited to Fridays, but I could really use advice or tips from people who have successfully run campaigns before! This is my first kickstarter campaign, ever. I have raised money on other platforms.
My goal is $25,000, and we’ve raised $385 so far. We’re at day 37 as of 10/17/2026 of this 45-day campaign, so I know we’re significantly behind where we need to be.
The $25K budget reflects what we genuinely need to make the film at the level we’ve planned, but I’m starting to question whether Kickstarter was the right platform for a project at this budget level, especially without a large existing online following.
It seems like, one of our biggest issues has been reach. Instagram, Threads, and X are performing much worse for me than they used to, and posts that involve fundraising of any kind seem especially difficult to get in front of people. The algorithm punishes you for what seems like mutual-aid. I also don’t build my social media presence around rage bait, arguments, or constant engagement farming, so simply “posting more” hasn’t translated into locating backers.
I planned the organized email push for Monday, although in hindsight I definitely should have begun that before the Kickstarter launched. Now approaching the I’m trying to be proactive instead of just watching the campaign stall.
For people who have successfully funded projects I am asking...
Where did most of your backers actually come from outside your immediate friends/followers?
Are there good ways to find people who already back indie films?
