I live in New Zealand

Land of hobbits, Flight of the Conchords, Xena, Peter Jackson, and Lorde.

It’s a little country at the bottom of the world. We have a tiny population (around 4 million people), a lot of cows, and everything costs a lot of money.

It’s a long way from pretty much everywhere else

Getting things here costs quite a bit. We share no borders with any other country. It’s 3 hours to Australia on a plane.

We’re just a little life raft at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

We create cool things, and we like to use cool things, but sometimes the postage  to get it here costs a bloody fortune!

When I back a project, I want to watch/read/listen to the thing you’re making

Without fail, this is true of most backers on most platforms, for most projects.

Your backers don’t simply want to help you create your movie, or book, or album, or product. They want to participate as well!!

For creative projects, there is a really easy solution to this problem. It will save you money, and headaches, and make it really easy for everyone involved.

The solution? Offer digital rewards

If you are able to offer a digital version of your final product, you should do it.

Allow your backers to participate in the process and enjoy the final output that they helped to create.

Digital rewards are substantially cheaper to fulfill and they are just as rewarding to your backer. Plus, some backers even prefer them.

Three tips to consider before you do though:

Digital rewards have a straight-forward value proposition, but there are downsides as well.

1. Work out how you will distribute them

Do this before you go live. Know what platform you will distribute on, and how it works.

This will mean your wording is correct when people buy the reward, and will avoid problems with fulfillment later on.

One project that failed to do this was Zach Braff’s Wish I Was Here. Having promised two “online backer screenings”, Braff renegged and instead provided a link valid for 24 hours. The link didn’t work for some international backers. I got an hour into the film before the streaming died on me.

I still haven’t seen the whole thing, despite buying the digital reward category purposefully (and approaching them for a resolution). This wasn’t the reward I bought.

To help you out, I’ve published an epic list of digital distribution platforms.

2. Talk to some other creators in your category

Movies especially can run into distribution problems with online streaming agreements in place.

Some distribution companies aren’t all that fond of taking on films where many of the potential audience has been granted digital downloads. In general, for these projects, I recommend you look at streaming, rather than download options.

It’s worth talking to other people who have successfully navigated the waters. Ask them what services they used, and whether it affected the long-term viability and profitability of the project.

3. Price accordingly

In New Zealand at least, it an album on iTunes can sometimes cost $5 more than it does for the same album on CD.

It makes no sense. With reduced production and distribution costs, should come a reduced total. Your digital option should be cheaper than the physical alternative. Add a premium to the physical copy and your distribution processes will be simplified considerably.