Conor Lewis has a really cool story. He is the Founder of GetTheFort.com, a magnetic pillow fort that he designed, crowdfunded, and brought to market in under a year. What’s really cool about Conor though is that he is entirely self-taught on eCommerce, but still managed to build a huge audience through social channels by tapping into his previous branding, design, and video experience.
In this episode, we dive into how Conor was able to pull off a super-successful $2.8 million Kickstarter campaign, how he built his 80,000 subscriber email list, and what he learned about Facebook groups through this launch. Conor is a great reminder of what you can get done in a short amount of time if you can hustle hard and have the drive to make it happen.
You'll learn:
- Where Conor got the idea for his very effective Kickstarter video. (4:30)
- The metrics behind his launch. (8:20)
- The catalyst that prompted him to launch, and launch quickly. (9:00)
- How he validated and tested the product. (11:30)
- How he built the momentum behind his launch. (14:30)
- Why he used Facebook Groups as part of his early ecosystem. (19:00)
- Where Facebook ads fit into the launch process. (26:20)
- The pros and cons Conor has found with using Facebook groups. (29:20)
- What he would change about using Facebook groups if he could do it over again. (39:40)
- How he built his SMS list. (46:15)
(With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Conor Lewis of GetTheFort.com)
What Was Mentioned
- Conor Lewis: Website | GetTheFort.com | LinkedIn | Twitter | Fort on Kickstarter
- Sheets and Giggles
- Kickofflabs
- 1,000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly
- Discourse
- Postscript
- Dirty Laundry – Trailer
- eCommerceFuel Forum
- Klaviyo
- One Click Upsell – Increase Sales 15%+ with Pre-and Post-purchase Upsells. (On average, Shopify users increase sales 15% immediately after installing the app!)
Ideas Worth Sharing:
“Crowdfunding is a great way to test out the kinks in your supply chain.” – @conorblewis
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“The most important thing for crowdfunding is that prelaunch email list. It all comes down to that.” – @conorblewis
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“I don’t think the Facebook algorithm is conducive to building a healthy community.” – @conorblewis
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The post Building an 80,000+ Person Email List in Under 8 Months appeared first on eCommerceFuel.
