Yesterday Lauren and I launched the Kickstarter project for our new project: Apothecary Box. So far – we’re at almost $800 of our $10k goal and have high hopes that it will succeed!
Apothecary Box Kickstarter Project
It’s only day 2, but there have already been lots of lessons / takeaways on how we could have (and still can!) make the project stronger.
Targeting the Right Audience
This includes understanding the market and what people are willing to pay (we were surprised that the most backers chose the $100 man box, which, was the only $100 level – so $100 boxes seem to be the way to go – but likely for one-offs).
So while when we launch we will still do the $25 monthly sample subscription option, I think that periodically releasing $100 boxes that can be purchased individually without a subscription will be key to the success of the project.
With the Right Message
After posting the Kickstarter link on Reddit for the first time, I got a message from someone saying they didn’t see the value in the sample box and that it looked like any other beauty box subscription (just more expensive).
I’ll be honest: this kind of ruined my entire morning. I didn’t even share it with Lauren so that it wouldn’t ruin HER morning. (Though she’s probably read this by now).
But here’s the lesson: I read through the Kickstarter description and rewatched the video and realized that we didn’t really specify a lot of the key selling points of this box! So I sat down, re-evaluated and decided that new messaging should focus on the following:
What’s different about this box: it’s geared towards building your knowledge – not your makeup cabinet.
For example: did you know that keeping certain beauty products on hand (such as virgin organic coconut oil) can eliminate about 10 of the products that are already in your bathroom? Coconut oil can be used as a skin and face moisturizer, shaving oil, hair mask, cuticle cream…the list goes on and on.
Each box will also contain a sample of essential oil (a different oil each month) and an informational card on it’s therapeutic benefits, and how it can be used.
Is this subscription box for everyone? Nope. It’s for people consciously switching from chemical-based to natural products who want to know exactly what they’re putting on/in their bodies and who is making those products. We’re putting a face behind that bar of soap !
Ask for Support
So far I’ve messaged a couple of people individually who have previously indicated interest or who I think would be fans of the project. All of those people have supported so far in some capacity (though I don’t want individual sales pitches to be an ongoing thing, it works for things like Kickstarter when you need to meet a specific goal within a specific period of time).
I’ll also be posting more social media specific info on lessons learned in this week’s Social Media #SundaySchool !
