ultimate kickstarter press plan - fundbeam...kickstarter press release [free template & example]...

wwwfundbeamcom Harris Roberts

PRESS STRATEGY How to get a press for your crowdfunding campaign

Hello My name is Harris Roberts and I founded Fundbeam to help create

clarity around marketing for crowdfunding campaigns

Creating a crowdfunding campaign is a TON of work The first crowdfunding

campaign I was the director of marketing for raised over $180000 But it took

weeks of hard work There were times we were not sure if it would work out

Most difficult is getting press Today I have pulled together the best free

resources from years of helping crowdfunding campaigns Enjoy

You will learn how to

bull Write a Crowdfunding Press Release

bull 12 Great Examples that Collectively Raised Over 70 Million Dollars

bull How to Create a Press Kit amp Get Press

Crowdfunding Marketing Tips on fundbeamcom 1

Press is the fastest

way to get

momentum and help

your campaign tip It

is also one of the

most difficult parts of

crowdfunding


How to Write a Kickstarter Press Release [Free Template amp Example] If yoursquore looking to get more press for your

Kickstarter campaign creating a press release as one

of the first steps A press release is an easy way to

provide quick information on your campaign It is

helpful when your campaign goes viral and you are

getting many press inquiries It also is helpful in

streamlining your thoughts and creating a clear pitch

for a journalist

Today we are going to review the parts to a

successful press release We also will include a

template for creating your own personalized press

release for your Kickstarter campaign We will review

best practices and worst practices when writing At

the end of this article you will be fully equipped to

write a professional quality press release

What is a press release

A press release is an original document produced for the media by an organization or

business It conveys official communication and information which the media then

reports on Press releases are usually one page and range from 400 to 500 Words It

is not uncommon to see longer press releases for

more detailed news Over the years PR agencies

have sent thousands of press releases which have

created a standardized format which you should

follow

Today the elements which go and a press release

change depending on who is issuing the press

release Below we will outline the important

elements of a press release


At the end of this

article you will be

fully equipped to write

a professional quality

press release

ldquoYour press

release needs

to stand out

against the

crowdrdquo

-HARRIS ROBERTS


Parts of a press release

Headline (in bold)

The headline is the first thing that a viewer will see when they look at your press release It should be used to

grab the attention of your reader and Briefly summarize the contents of the document

Dateline amp City

It is important to include the date and city in the press release Often this is added right before the first

sentence Similar to how you see in a news article

For immediate Release

If you want the press to publish your story as soon as they receive it make sure to include for ldquoimmediate

releaserdquo It is often a good idea to send the press release before you actually want to publish it This way

journalists have time to add the News 2 there editorial queue

Intro amp Summary

The introduction is the first paragraph of the press release It often serves to summarize the content which will

follow It is important to be clear and to the point in this section The reader should be able to understand

what your press release is trying to convey by the end of the first paragraph Then you will go into more detail

in the body section

Body Who What Where How Why

In the body section of your document you want to cover the details of your campaign To ensure that you

have not missed any critical information make sure to cover who what where how and why In this section

make sure you cover all the information which you want the media to include

Quote

Adding quotes to your release makes it easy for the press to quote you If yoursquore creating a full press kit you

can include an additional document which has multiple quotes for them to choose from This is helpful if they

are going to rewrite the press release into their own article

Often it is common to have the press revise your release into their own article This makes it more meaningful

to their readers For this reason I always encourage creating a press kit to supplement your press release It

will make it easier for reporters to write about your crowdfunding campaign

Images

Traditionally press releases did not include images The internet is a visual place and therefore we have seen



more and more press releases that include images If you are creating a press kit for your crowdfunding

campaign you can include high-resolution images for download in the media kit

Facts

Make sure to include clear facts and statistics in your press release This will give it more credibility I also

encourage including a quick fact sheet for the Press when you release a press kit Facts will allow them to

pick and choose the statistics would fit best with the narrative they are writing

Boilerplate Statement ndash (about section)

The boilerplate statement comes at the end of your press release It contains all the relevant company bio

information You want to keep this section under 100 Words and be clear and to the point Do not use industry

jargon or make it cells eat Just say clear bio of your organization or in this case your Kickstarter campaign

End in

This little bit of formatting is specific to press releases Though it is not necessary today in the age of the

internet it is a formality which she will often still see It is advised that you still and your press release three

pound-signs () ensure that the media knows that they have reached the end of the press release and not

to publish any information underneath these down signs For example itrsquos a good idea to put your contact

media below this section

Contact Media

The contact media section provides additional contact information if a reporter is looking to get in touch

Make sure to include your phone number and email This will make it easy for the reporter to Contact you if

they have any questions

Creating The Content Reverse content triangle

When writing your press release you want to use the

reverse content triangle strategy The reverse content

triangle says that you start your article from the most

basic and high-level perspective As you can see it

continue down the document you become more and

more detailed

This is the format which journalists use to write articles

It ensures that the reader can understand the entire

story with just reading the first paragraph If theyrsquore

interested they will continue to read and learn more

details about the story



Tell a story

Make sure to tell a story during your press release Crowdfunding campaigns are exciting and often some of

the best news which journalist get to cover For this reason it is best to tell a story and not just be a lot of

facts and figures

Tips For Your Press Release

Here are some tips on how to create a great press release Remember to use your discretion and you do not

need to add all of these tips to have a successful release

Numbers ndash Use figures and statistics to build credibility and create concrete facts for your

press release

Quotes ndash Used quotes from your team to engage the audience

Be Unique ndash Make sure to focus on what makes you different

No Grammar Mistakes ndash It only takes one mistake for the journalist to hit the delete button on your email

or reject your press release Make sure you have no spelling or grammar errors

Keep to one page ndash As a general rule of thumb keep your press release to under one page

Tone amp Voice

You may have a crazy Kickstarter video but your press release should be relatively neutral in tone and voice

This makes it appropriate for the majority of Publications At the same time ensure that it is not too dry You

still want to have an engaging press release

Goals

The goal of the press release should be to get more press and drive traffic to your crowdfunding campaign

page Make sure to include a link to your website or your campaign URL

Example Sample Press Release

Below we will include the 12 Press releases that raised over $1 million dollars collectively Before we get to

them I wanted to show some generic press releases

Regular Press Release Examples

I wanted to include three press releases from standard companies These do not relate to crowdfunding but

are good examples of a crowdfunding campaign Click to open in browser

1 CDC Government Release

2 Golf Week Press Release

3 Macys Press Release



Template

You can download our press release template here You can use this template to help create your own press

release Remember that you have some flexibility in your press release so you can customize it as you see fit

Publish amp Promote

Once you have published your press release it is time to promote Make sure to post your press release on

your website so it is easy to access You also can look into using a press release distribution service though

their effectiveness is debated as of late

You want to email your press release to relevant organizations Make sure the email has a strong content

hook so they become interested after reading the subject line Also make sure to personalize the email with

their name and other custom information You do not want to have the email look like a mass email Let them

know if you read a previous article of theirs which was similar or how you know each other Keep your initial

email short and to the point Journalist are very busy people

Bloggers

Donrsquot be afraid to reach out to blogs Blogs may not have as large of a following as a traditional media outlet

but they are still very valuable Reach out to them the same way you would a journalist

Journalists

Find writers would have written about similar campaigns before You can use an online tool called Buzzsumo

and search for a campaign names similar to yours I search for potato salad Kickstarter and found the most

popular articles written about that campaign Then I could find the individual journalist and reach out to them

via email or on Twitter

Media

Reach out to Media organizations which previously covered Kickstarter campaigns They are more likely to

cover your campaign Let them know what article you saw that they published

Presskit

Now that you have written a complete press release for your Kickstarter campaign you may want to think

about creating a press kit A press kit includes other relevant information for the media This includes images

quotes facts and HD images You will learn exactly what to put in the press kit below

Remember that the press release is just meant to start the conversation with the media You will have to send

it out too many contacts before you start to see articles being published Therersquos a great discussion on the

Kickstarter Forum about how to create and promote a press release If you have any questions or

suggestions make sure to drop them in the comment section below

The next step after making a press release is putting together a press kit for Kickstarter



PRESS KIT How To Create A Press Kit For Crowdfunding

Creating a press kit for your Kickstarter isnrsquot about throwing a series of documents at the nearest reporter and seeing what sticks In fact thatrsquos actually one of the fastest ways to ensure that whatever purpose you intend for the press kit to be ignored

No to create a press kit yoursquore going to put together various bits of information including your

press release and information on your team A press kit builds on your crowdfunding press release

and creates an entire media hub If this press kit is for a product then yoursquore also going to need

some images to go with it

For the purposes of this article we will be focusing on creating a press kit for Kickstarter

campaigns

Step 1 Create Your Press Release

First and most importantly yoursquoll want to write

a press release for your Kickstarter campaign

The press release should concisely detail the

product your Kickstarter campaign is pushing

It should also be written like a journalist would

write That means it should tell a story but

should do so in a short format

If you have yet to do this scroll up and read

the steps to creating a press release



Step 2 Organize Campaign Images

Yoursquoll need some very good high-quality images of your product for the press kit too And high-

quality typically excludes smartphone images unfortunately Thatrsquos not to say that all smartphone

cameras are bad but typically speaking they donrsquot have the image quality necessary for this

purpose Instead you should try to get images from a dedicated camera if the product is a physical

one

If you donrsquot have a prototype of the product already made then you can use renders of the image

instead All you need to do is open up whatever modeling software you used to make a model of

the product and render some images from it Preferably images should be taken from multiple

angles and include some of the more important components if the product has multiple

components Make sure your images are optimized for Kickstarterrsquos width

Or if yoursquore Kickstarter project is for some form of software such as a video game then yoursquoll need

a logo image and some images of the UI The product doesnrsquot need to be finished as long as you

have an idea of what the end result will look like and a good artist to render the image you see in

your head



Step 3 Fact Sheets and Team Information

Now you need a fact sheet and some information about your team for your product The fact sheet

should contain simple facts in an easy to read format It should be even shorter than the press

release and include only facts about the product or your plans Therersquos no need for speculation

here

The team information sheet should contain images of the team captioned with their name and

purpose in creating the project At the very least it should include one person because Kickstarters

arenrsquot run by no one

Ideally a quote sheet should be included to give the people reading your press kit an idea of what

your team thinks of the project and each other If you are the only team member donrsquot fret Just

make sure to be careful about what to say for your quotes if you decide to include a quote sheet

Step 4 Host the Press Kit on a Website Or Cloud Storage

Now yoursquoll need to find a place to host the press kit files

Itrsquos typically better to use a website and digital press kits

because you can save a lot of time and money on the kit

while also reaching a much larger audience That much

larger audience will translate into higher views of your

Kickstarter page and could increase the amount of

funding you receive drastically

Yoursquoll want to shop around for various sites to host your

press kit on A blog on Tumblr wouldnrsquot be a good idea

for hosting but a file sharing website would There are

many free ones that provide enough storage space for a

press kit which should be relatively small (even with the

high-quality images) Try Google Drive or Dropbox to start

Step 5 Ship to the Press

Now yoursquoll want to take the link to your press kit and begin shipping to the press or other influential

members of whatever your target audience is

But donrsquot just send the link and hope that it gets read Most people especially the more popular

ones arenrsquot going to open random links that get sent to them



Instead you should send out feelers to those people Send a very short pitch to them and see if

theyrsquore interested in more If they are then you can send your press kit Once they have it let them

look it over for a bit

If theyrsquore interested then ask them to disseminate the information to their fans The press kit should

contain everything they need to put together something for their fans be it a video or a news article

And donrsquot forget to include a link to important places like your campaign website (if you have one) or

your Kickstarter campaign page

Congratulations If you made it this far yoursquore probably on your way to success Good luck with your

press kits and your Kickstarter campaigns Next check out some of our favorite Kickstarter press

releases

12 EXAMPLES 12 Kickstarter Press Releases Raised Over $1 Million

We have found 12 of the best Kickstarter press releases to help provide examples when you write your press release Each of these press releases helped these projects raise over one million dollars Together they collectively raised over 70 million dollars

Reviewing the best Kickstarter campaigns can help you understand how to create a successful

campaign The press release is an important part of a larger crowdsourcing PR plan

Press Releases are short simple descriptions that the media use to relay information to their

viewers A great written press releases contain only pertinent information They often include quick

facts images in a press kit and quotes

To show just how valuable a press release is letrsquos take a look at a few Kickstarter campaigns (and

their respective press releases) that managed to generate these impressive funding numbers

Once you have read these examples you can learn how to write your own Kickstarter press release



1 The Micro

$3401361 RAISED OF $50000 GOAL

READ THE ORIGINAL MICRO PRESS RELEASE

Described as the first truly consumer-based 3d printer the Micro managed to raise 34 million

dollars during itrsquos Kickstarter campaign The press release for the campaign appealed to both

everyday users and hardcore 3d enthusiasts It includes examples such as ldquocustom toys jewelry

and chocolate moldsrdquo These impressive examples appealed to a large number of potential users

which helped garner their impressive funding numbers



2 The Dash

$3390551 PLEDGED OF $260000 GOAL

READ THE ORIGINAL THE DASH PRESS RELEASE

The Dash is an oddly named but very well performing Kickstarter campaign They are great wireless

in-ear headphones It raised over 33 million dollars during the campaign smashing its initial goal in

less than two days The press release for the Dash contained stimulating language like ldquobeautiful

marriage of helliprdquo the tone of this press release is very unique



3 The G-RO


READ THE ORIGINAL THE PEBBLE TIME PRESS RELEASE

The G-RO is described as a ldquounique companion bagrdquo designed to meet the needs of any and all

people who frequently travel It reached its Kickstarter goal of $125000 in 6 hours and raised a total

of just over 33 million dollars during its campaign time The press release for the G-RO detailed the

new design features of the G-RO over other luggage They used real world examples to describe

the functionality of the bag Without these examples itrsquos highly likely that the new design choices

which were radically different from previous luggage might have been overlooked



4 The Pebble Time

$20338986 PLEDGED OF $500000 GOAL

READ THE ORIGINAL THE PEBBLE TIME RELEASE

The Pebble Time is a smartwatch a wearable mini-computer that does much more than tell time

The month-long campaign ended with over 20 million dollars The Pebble is one of the most funded

Kickstarter campaigns of all time Pebble began as a crowdfunded company several years before

the Pebble Time was introduced Their many campaigns are worth checking out They began their

press release with a reminder of their previous crowdfunding success before going into a

description of the newest technology they developed for their brand The Pebble Time news release

qualifies as one of the Best Kickstarter Press Releases ever



5 The Coolest Cooler


READ THE ORIGINAL COOLEST COOLER PRESS RELEASE

The Coolest Cooler is as its name would suggest a cooler Although it contains other gadgets that

users in the modern world would find helpful According to its press release it contains useful

gadgets like a blender and essential cooler necessities such as a bungee cord and ceramic knife

Itrsquos a cooler with all the extras you never really knew you needed Perhaps with additional thanks to

its extra features it raised over 13 million during its Kickstarter campaign making it the most

funded Kickstarter in 2014 Its success also dictates that it qualify for one of the Best Kickstarter

Press Releases of all time



6 The Worlds Best Travel Jacket


READ THE ORIGINAL WORLDS BEST JACKET PRESS RELEASE

Perhaps the most interesting campaign on this list is The Worlds Best Travel Jacket Itrsquos said to have

15 features including a drink pocket for on the go drinkers an iPad pocket for on the go iPadders

handwarmer pockets for those cold winter days a neck pillow and eye mask for those who like to

sleep on the bus and much more Apparently its features detailed in the press release earned it

enough support to reach a surprising 91 million dollars during its campaign time



7 The Oculus Rift


READ THE ORIGINAL OCULUS RIFT PRESS RELEASE

The Oculus Rift is probably one of the most popular devices that received its initial funding through

Kickstarter Boasting a lofty goal of being the worldrsquos first real virtual reality headset the Oculus Rift

set an initial goal of 250000 dollars and then blew right past to a total of 24 million dollars The

press release for the Rift claimed that it would be the first system to let gamers step into their

games rather than just playing them This press release is unique in that it included more quotes

from developers and less technical data This uniqueness certainly didnrsquot hinder the campaign as

the Rift project was ultimately acquired by Facebook



8 Dark Souls the Board Game

pound3771474 PLEDGED OF pound50000 GOAL

READ THE ORIGINAL DARK SOULS PRESS RELEASE

The original hellacious game Dark Souls has decided to make a return this time as a board game

Described as the ldquohardest board game you have ever playedrdquo (fans of the series will realize almost

immediately how much of an understatement this is) Dark Souls ndash The Board Game reached an

astonishing 37 million British Pounds (about 54 million US Dollars) during its campaign This level

of crowdfunding is a real feat considering just how much the Dark Souls game loves to make its

players suffer They also sent an amazing press kit to media organizations



9 The Everyday Messenger


READ THE ORIGINAL EVERYDAY MESSENGER PRESS RELEASE

A Messenger bag designed for professional photographers the Everday Messenger set a lofty goal

of redesigning every element of the conventional messenger bag Professional photographer Trey

Ratcliff started the whole campaign with a simple complaint about how his camera bags were

terrible and a wish that he could have a messenger bag that doubled as a camera bag It apparently

worked as they raised 48 million dollars during the campaign The press release included Treyrsquos

original complaint in full which resounded with other professional photographers This is a great

example of a campaign that is not focused on technology that raised a large amount of money



10 Torment Tides of Numenera


READ THE ORIGINAL TIDES OF NUMERNERA RESS RELEASE

Another project from the video game category the CRPG (Computer Role-Playing Game) Torment

Tides of Numenera managed to raise an impressive 41 million dollars This putts it in the top 5

video game Kickstarters Itrsquos described in the press release as a ldquothematic successor to

Planescape Tormentrdquo and is said to have been created by a team made of mostly creators of

Planescape This certainly appealed to fans of the Planescape game Itrsquos currently available for Early

Access on the popular gaming platform Steam



11 The Kokoon Headphones


READ THE ORIGINAL KOKOON RELEASE

The press release for the Kokoon headphones positions it as a truly new product It claims that the

Kokoon headphones use ldquomedical-grade EEG technology to help users achieve better sleeprdquo The

Kokoon includes hidden EEG sensors to assist in determining the patterns of the wearers sleep

cycle allowing them to adjust the audio levels automatically throughout the night It also helps

determine the most opportune moment to awaken the user This can prevent a groggy sleepy-eyed

start to the day Kokoon partnered with Onkyo and Pioneer Corporation to build the audio for the

headphones This helped to create a high-quality audio headset They also offer active noise

cancellation to help block out sound while sleeping The successful 19 million dollar campaign just

proves that people everywhere are tired of noisy buses and would like a little bit of peace and quiet

on their way to work



12 The OLO Smartphone 3d Printer


READ THE ORIGINAL OLO PRESS RELEASE

The OLO rounds out this particular list with an interesting press release It starts out with the

following situation ldquoImagine being able to print 3D objects directly from your smartphone for just

$99 Thatrsquos the reality of OLOrdquo

That certainly sounds impressive And the rest of the press release doesnrsquot fail to deliver either The

OLO won the World Markers Faire Editorrsquos Choice Award in 2015 The printer can produce 3d

objects with a resolution of 42 microns or 000003937 inches which is very precise The OLO

managed to earn 23 million dollars in its campaign thanks to smartphone users everywhere (and a

good press release)

As these examples show good press releases (especially ones that include impressive examples

and imagery) are a significant element in launching a successful Kickstarter campaign

Thatrsquos it Let me know if you have any questions or ideas You can checkout the contact form

at fundbeamcomcontact or on Twitter



How to Write a Kickstarter Press Release [Free Template amp Example] If yoursquore looking to get more press for your

Kickstarter campaign creating a press release as one

of the first steps A press release is an easy way to

provide quick information on your campaign It is

helpful when your campaign goes viral and you are

getting many press inquiries It also is helpful in

streamlining your thoughts and creating a clear pitch

for a journalist

Today we are going to review the parts to a

successful press release We also will include a

template for creating your own personalized press

release for your Kickstarter campaign We will review

best practices and worst practices when writing At

the end of this article you will be fully equipped to

write a professional quality press release

What is a press release

A press release is an original document produced for the media by an organization or

business It conveys official communication and information which the media then

reports on Press releases are usually one page and range from 400 to 500 Words It

is not uncommon to see longer press releases for

more detailed news Over the years PR agencies

have sent thousands of press releases which have

created a standardized format which you should

follow

Today the elements which go and a press release

change depending on who is issuing the press

release Below we will outline the important

elements of a press release


At the end of this

article you will be

fully equipped to write

a professional quality

press release

ldquoYour press

release needs

to stand out

against the

crowdrdquo

-HARRIS ROBERTS



Headline (in bold)



Dateline amp City







Intro amp Summary




in the body section





Quote







Images






Facts








End in






Contact Media










more detailed








Tell a story



facts and figures





press release






Tone amp Voice




Goals














Template



Publish amp Promote









Bloggers



Journalists





Media



Presskit


















campaigns


















one









your head







here





































releases













1 The Micro










2 The Dash









3 The G-RO











4 The Pebble Time

$20338986 PLEDGED OF $500000 GOAL

































7 The Oculus Rift







































































good press release)








Headline (in bold)



Dateline amp City







Intro amp Summary




in the body section





Quote







Images






Facts








End in






Contact Media










more detailed








Tell a story



facts and figures





press release






Tone amp Voice




Goals














Template



Publish amp Promote









Bloggers



Journalists





Media



Presskit


















campaigns


















one









your head







here





































releases













1 The Micro










2 The Dash









3 The G-RO











4 The Pebble Time

$20338986 PLEDGED OF $500000 GOAL

































7 The Oculus Rift







































































good press release)









Facts








End in






Contact Media










more detailed








Tell a story



facts and figures





press release






Tone amp Voice




Goals














Template



Publish amp Promote









Bloggers



Journalists





Media



Presskit


















campaigns


















one









your head







here





































releases













1 The Micro










2 The Dash









3 The G-RO











4 The Pebble Time

$20338986 PLEDGED OF $500000 GOAL

































7 The Oculus Rift







































































good press release)







Tell a story



facts and figures





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Goals














Template



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Bloggers



Journalists





Media



Presskit


















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here





































releases













1 The Micro










2 The Dash









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$20338986 PLEDGED OF $500000 GOAL

































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Template



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Bloggers



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Media



Presskit


















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releases













1 The Micro










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$20338986 PLEDGED OF $500000 GOAL

































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$20338986 PLEDGED OF $500000 GOAL

































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releases













1 The Micro










2 The Dash









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$20338986 PLEDGED OF $500000 GOAL

































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releases













1 The Micro










2 The Dash









3 The G-RO











4 The Pebble Time

$20338986 PLEDGED OF $500000 GOAL

































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releases













1 The Micro










2 The Dash









3 The G-RO











4 The Pebble Time

$20338986 PLEDGED OF $500000 GOAL

































7 The Oculus Rift







































































good press release)







1 The Micro










2 The Dash









3 The G-RO











4 The Pebble Time

$20338986 PLEDGED OF $500000 GOAL

































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good press release)







2 The Dash









3 The G-RO











4 The Pebble Time

$20338986 PLEDGED OF $500000 GOAL

































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good press release)







3 The G-RO











4 The Pebble Time

$20338986 PLEDGED OF $500000 GOAL

































7 The Oculus Rift







































































good press release)







4 The Pebble Time

$20338986 PLEDGED OF $500000 GOAL

































7 The Oculus Rift







































































good press release)





























7 The Oculus Rift







































































good press release)


































































good press release)






ultimate kickstarter press plan - fundbeam...kickstarter press release [free template & example]...

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