After the huge success of the American Circumcision Kickstarter, I had a number of people ask me about our Kickstarting process. Here are the two most important metrics you’ll need to know if you’re interested in running your own Kickstarter:

• The average Kickstarter contribution is $50.
• Only 10% of people who visit your Kickstarter will contribute.

With these two stats we can figure out how much attention you’ll need to raise your goal.

Let’s say you’re trying to raise $50,000. If the average contribution is $50, you’ll need 1,000 contributors. If only 10% of people who visit your Kickstarter contribute, you’ll need ten times that – 10,000 people – to see your Kickstarter page.

But each click reduces the number of people who convert.  If only 10% who see the link to your Kickstarter will click (and that’s being very generous – real talk, it’s probably closer to 1%) you might need 100,000 impressions across social media (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.) to lead to the 10,000 who actually see your page, to lead to the 1000 who actually contribute.

Obviously, these numbers may change depending on your particular Kickstarter. Someone coming to your page from a organization that supports your cause is more likely to convert than a random person browsing Kickstarter. If your pitch is really good, more may convert. And you might get higher contributions depending on the rewards you offer or the supporters you target. But the principle is the same. The more attention you get, the more you can raise.

You can also use this metric to work backwards. If you have 50k twitter followers, at least 500 will probably contribute, which means you could raise $25,000 with a few tweets, and nothing else – and that’s not even counting the retweets.

If you already have a big audience, this process is easy. The challenge is when you’re trying to raise more then your current audience. For reference, our film American Circumcision had 200 Facebook likes and 20 twitter followers when we started, and we raised 90k. If you’re going to do that you have to hustle – and reach out to people with bigger audiences.

So then it comes down to two things:

1. How good is your content?
2. How much attention can you get on your content?

That’s it. We can get more complex and talk about what makes content shareable, how to figure out what content is valuable to your audience, how to offer value and reach out to people with bigger audiences, etc. – but it all basically comes down to those two questions. Can you get people’s attention and convert it to support?

The better you are at one, the easier the other becomes. If you have lots of people’s attention, you might be able to upload a Kickstarter video of you saying “trust me, it’ll be cool” and only 1% convert, but it’s 1% of your million person audience, so you get funded. Likewise, if not many people see your Kickstarter, but everyone who sees it contributes, you could also get funded.

Of course having one makes the other easier. Great content will get shared more and get more attention, and already having a big audience gives whatever content you have more authority and social proof.

That’s Kickstarting in it’s simplest form. So make great content, and start building your audience now.

Read More: The American Circumcision Kickstarter Was A HUGE Success

The American Circumcision Kickstarter raised over $90,000 – 180% of it’s goal. When we started, we had 200 likes on Facebook, around 100 people on our email list, and maybe 20 twitter followers. Raising the amount we did from such low starting numbers is almost unheard of.

Because of this, I’ve had several friends suggest to me that I should release a product on “How To Crowdfund.”

While finishing the film and delivering on the promises of our Kickstarter is my first priority, releasing something on crowdfunding is definitely a possibility. Plus, I have several friends who’ve done this process even better then me, who might be willing to collaborate.

I’ll have space to work on a crowdfunding video series after the main edit of American Circumcision is locked – probably while we’re waiting on sound or music to do their part, in early spring 2017. However, while we’ve still got some Kickstarter momentum, I’d like to throw the question out now – would you be interested in buying a “How to Crowdfund” video series?

If you’re interested in a “how to crowdfund” video series, subscribe to my email list below:

This email list is just for people interested in crowdfunding. If you subscribe, I’ll let you know once we have something available.

Thanks again for the massive support our film has received. If you want to follow our film project, you can do so here.

The American Circumcision Kickstarter ended with $90,442 – 180% our original goal.

THANK YOU to everyone who contributed.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We have a lot to be grateful for.

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• For a recap of the Kickstarter, check out this video here.
• If you want to keep following our project, subscribe to our email list here.
• If you still want to contribute, but didn’t get the chance, you can donate (for no reward) here.

I did an interview Stefan Molyneux of Freedomain radio on my upcoming film American Circumcision.

I have been a fan of Stefan’s work for a long time, so it was really great to finally talk with him.

By the way, there are only a few hours left in the Kickstarter we mention!

If you like our work, contribute here now.

After the 2016 election, there were protests across the country. Riots. Some of the worst were in Oakland CA. They lasted five days.

Then a group healers held a peaceful event in the Bay Area call “Hands Around Lake Merritt.” It started as a few friends, and it became around 10,000 people. And afterwards the riots nearby stopped.

I’m not suggesting they caused the riots to end. I don’t even know how’d you’d prove such a thing if it happened.

However, persuasion is a very powerful thing. Right now the country is deeply divided. This event may be worth looking at from a persuasion perspective to see what sort of words, actions, and attitudes might help bring the country back together.

Disclosure: The organizers of this event are good friends of mine. Because of that, I’ve been given more insight into their way of thinking then a typical reporter might have.

Don Ramer, one of the organizers, explains their thinking here (edited down from a longer conversation):

The basic theory behind the event was simple: What you resist persists. If you throw a lot of energy into protest, telling someone they are evil, bigoted, wrong, etc. then you’ll only cause them to become more defensive.

If you create an event affirming what you do believe in –  peace, inclusion, tolerance – and hold the event in a way that is aligned with those values, then you give your so-called “opponents” the room to say “we agree with those values too” and join you in that new space.

This event follows a few persuasion principles:

Congruence

One of the six principles Robert Cialdini outlines in his seminal book Influence is consistency. We want our actions to be consistent with our values. An event like this forces both sides to be consistent.

For the anti-Trump protesters – you say want to create a world with greater peace and tolerance? Then act like it.

For the Trump supporters – you say you are not the people portrayed in the mainstream media? Then act like it.

It invites both sides to become congruent around their shared values, and shift from activities that cause conflict to looking for ways they can affirm what they really want.

Go There First

There is a principle in hypnosis that you have to “go there first.” If you shift your state, you can draw other people into.

Ever had someone who was angry start talking to you, and you started feeling angry too for no reason? That’s an example of “going there first” working in a bad way. But it can work for any state.

If you want a more peaceful world, you have to find peace within yourself and “go there first.” Once you do, you can start drawing other people into that state.

The organizers of this event went there first. Then they drew all their friends into their peace. Then their community. Then their city.

If you don’t think this is possible, imagine the opposite. Could one angry person draw a few people, and then a crowd into their state? Isn’t that how riots start?

We’ve had riots around the country. Let’s use this group mind for a more positive change.

Pacing & Leading

Pacing and leading is a hypnosis technique where you say things that are obviously true to get your audience to buy where you want to lead them. So right now you are breathing (pace), while reading this article (pace), and you’re really deeply considering what I have to say (lead). The first two are obviously true – if you weren’t breathing you’d be dead, and you’re obviously reading this – but the second is a lead. Maybe you’re not really thinking much about what I have to say. However, because the first two statements were obviously true, you’re more likely to accept the first someone.

Calling someone a “racist” isn’t persuasive because it doesn’t pace anyone’s reality. Most people don’t think of themselves as racists, and the ones that do don’t really care what you have to say. Trying to lead before you pace can close the door to persuasion.

Listen to Don speaking again. He is looking for the values that we all share in common.

I know my blog is read by both people who are very pro and anti Trump. Aren’t all of you still nodding when he says we care about peace?

If you’re pro-Trump, aren’t you more open to dialogue with these people then the rioters? If you’re anti-Trump, doesn’t this seem much more easeful then yelling at people in red hats?

Why I’m Writing About This

I’m writing about this because I have friend on both sides. I’ve generally considered political disagreement secondary to friendship.

However, this past election season I’ve seen a few people get programmed by the media into believing that anyone who disagrees with them must be evil. People have even ended friendships over the election. While it’s a testament to the power of media persuasion, on a personal level it’s harmful.

I think there may be a model here for shifting political discourse in the country. It’s a first pass, that I’m certain will evolve over time. But I like the direction it’s headed.

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If you’re interested in shifting the world around another controversial issue, check out my upcoming documentary, currently on Kickstarter.

Many great people have supported the film, but our Kickstarter ends Wednesday, so contribute here.

This is probably the most personal interview I’ve done for the documentary I’m working on, American Circumcision. It’s about how my parents reacted to my film.

That interview is part of a series of interviews, which you can watch here.

American Circumcision is currently live on Kickstarter – but not for much longer.

If you find my writing or speaking interesting, you’ll definitely be fascinated by this film.

Contribute here.

In October 2015, I wrote that I thought Trump would win the US Presidential election.

Let’s back-up for a moment:

In 2015, there were sixteen – sixteen – Republican candidates. Jeb Bush was assumed to be the front runner. People thought this election was going to be a re-run – Bush v. Clinton. Democrats were just starting to “feel the Bern.”

Then this Trump guy declared his candidacy and everyone assumed it was a joke. No mainstream media covered it. The Huffington Post said they’d put it in their entertainment section, because it wasn’t real news. Trump was totally written off as a clown by everyone.

Everyone except Scott Adams.

In August 2015, Scott predicted that not only would Trump become President of the United States – but we would win in a landslide.

People laughed. “Stick to cartooning.” (Scott Adams is the creator of Dilbert.) Was this a joke? A gimmick for blog traffic?

When I read his piece, I knew he was right.

It took me a while to publish anything saying that. I debated the decision for a few weeks. Writing on Trump had an ever bigger stigma then than it does now. But at the end of October, I wrote a short piece saying that based on what I knew about storytelling, Trump is the most likely candidate to win.

Scott shared it on his blog. Readers liked it. Then the real fun began.

How Did We Know?

Scott predicted Trumps win through the lens of persuasion. His basic thesis is that people are not rational. If you want to persuade people, reason is not effective, because all important decisions are not made rationally – they are made based on identity.

What Donald Trump says may not be factually accurate, but he uses weapons grade persuasion. Every time the media would say Trump was “done” after some outrageous statement, trained persuaders would say, no – what you thought was clown behavior was actually skilled persuasion. He meant to do that.

So how did I know this identity level persuasion theory was true?

Circumcision.

I’m serious.

For the past couple years, I’ve been working on a documentary called American Circumcision on the modern circumcision debate. When I began working on the film, I thought “I’ll just share new information with people, and then they’ll change their mind.”

Wrong. Working on this documentary taught me that no amount of reason, facts, or logic can change an identity level belief. You can’t use reason against what isn’t reasonable. If you want a masters class in persuasion, study what convinces people to cut body parts off their children.

When Scott said “people are not reasonable” that perfectly paced 100 hours of documentary interviews I’d filmmed. While every candidate was autistically explaining their policy positions, Trump was doing the only thing that actually mattered – persuading. Creating images, telling stories, getting attention.

How Did Others Miss it?

When I wrote that I thought Trump would win a few people hated me for it.

I travel in artistic circles and lived in Berkeley for couple years. I have lot of friends who were feeling the Bern. When I said “Trump will win,” they were mad – even though I explained in my blog post exactly how he was doing it and how they could use the same principles. It didn’t matter. You can’t use reason against what isn’t reasonable.

(I also wrote that I thought Bernie didn’t have courage and would fail them – which he later did, giving all their donations to the establishment and telling them to vote Hillary.)

I later learned people have a biological response to losing – even vicariously – so if a character you identify with loses, your hormones actually drop – something I’m certain many Hillary supporters are feeling now. When I wrote “Trump will win” I’m certain many took it as a biological attack, rather then just a prediction. But again, this has nothing to do with reason.

Rather then use the tactics Trump was demonstrating right before their eyes, they chose to social signal, and attack the messengers.

Well, how’s that working out for you?

Many are probably feeling shocked now. I’m not. I’ve been expecting this for a year. I outlined this blog post Monday, so I’d have it ready to go the day after the election.

An Education

This election has been the greatest education anyone could ask for.

Those who’ve been paying attention have read new books, made new friends, improved their writing, studied hypnosis…

Don’t worry if you missed it. You can still catch up. It’s even better reading in hindsight.

A few places to start:

• Scott Adams Persuasion Reading List
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini (required reading)
• Speaking Ericksonian by Richard Nongard & James Hazlerig
• How To Fail At Everything And Still Win Big by Scott Adams

The Choice

At least half of you are probably feeling bad. I get it.

But you have a choice: You continue doing what you’ve been doing – which will get the same results – or you can learn from the story of this election – all the good, the bad, and the ugly – to benefit your own life.

If in that past year, worldview has not had a fundamental shift, you haven’t been paying attention.

Can you imagine what it would be like if you could use all the skills that lead to this for your cause and your mission in the world?

No matter what your politics, everyone just learned a major lesson.

This stuff works.

Today is the beginning.

Start implementing.

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You might want to check out my film American Circumcision on Kickstarter, because it’s going to be a master class in why people make irrational decisions.

Many people have backed it, but time is running out. Watch here.