Kickstarter

Crowdfunding has gotten HUGE. Millions upon millions of dollars are pledged every year for board games, and countless projects are launched every week.  The board game industry has benefited more from Kickstarter than any other industry, by far. And this has led to a lot of people turning to Kickstarter to bring their game idea to life.

However, running a Kickstarter is a full-time job. It takes an insane number of hours to get a campaign ready to launch, and it’s more like running a business than anything else. It’s not magic. It’s work.

You’ll notice that this section is GIGANTIC. I combed through thousands of articles to narrow this section down to just a few hundred. But there are this many links for a reason: Running a Kickstarter is extremely difficult. Anyone can launch a campaign, but it takes a crazy amount of work to be successful.

Do not take any of this lightly.

Contents

Start Here

So You Want to Do a Kickstarter

To Kickstart or Not to Kickstart: The Top 10 Reasons to Launch a Product via Crowdfunding

This One Tip Could Make or Break Your Kickstarter

Top 10 Kickstarter Mistakes to Avoid (Video)

Tabletop Games on Kickstarter from 2014 to 2016: A Must-See Infographic for Project Creators

The Most Dangerous Thing a Creator Can Do

Your Target Audience Is Not “Everyone”

Get the Word Out

What the Numbers Say about KS Usage

Kickstarter Myths

Designing for Kickstarter

Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned

Crowdfunding Academy Video Series

What Not to Do for a Kickstarter Campaign

5 Google Spreadsheets That Can Help Every Tabletop Game Crowdfunder

Overestimating and Underestimating Your Tribe

The Hidden Job of Every Kickstarter Creator

The Effort to Run a Kickstarter = The Effort to Make a Game

Kickstarter Expert Panel (Video)

Why You Should Write a Blog

Building Success through Failure

How to Run a Board Game Kickstarter (Audio)

The Top 10 Ways to Survive and Thrive on BoardGameGeek

How 3 Current Kickstarter Projects Say, “Trust Me”

The Power of Certainty

Love Your Competitors

The Danger of Free

Becoming a Publisher vs. Running Kickstarter Projects for Other People

Tastemakers

Unique Tactics Used by Recent Crowdfunding Projects

The Tale of 3 Pledge Managers

Advertising Your Kickstarter Post-Mortem

Is Now an Okay Time to Launch a Kickstarter Campaign?

The Deluxe Dilemma

What Can Kickstarter Project Videos Learn from Facebook Videos

The Starbucks Inspired Stretch Goal System in Practice

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Launch Guides

The Ultimate Kickstarter Checklist

Another Kickstarter Checklist

The One-Week Checklist

Step-by-Step Guide to Launching a Successful Kickstarter Campaign

Pre-Launch Stretch Goals

The Deluxe Dilemma

Is Return to Dark Tower a Perfect Kickstarter Project?


Case Studies

Data on Kickstarter Success Trends

Our 1st Kickstarter: What Went Wrong (Tau Ceti: Planetary Crisis)

How We Raised Over $100K By Relaunching Our Kickstarter (Tau Ceti: Planetary Crisis)

How we turned $140k on Kickstarter into $40k in debt. And how we broke even.

Dead Men Tell No Tales

Genegrafter: A Successful Failure Campaign

5 Kickstarter Mistakes We Made on Euphoria That You Can Avoid (and 1 Regret)

Results of a Money Back Guarantee

Kickstarter Step-by-Step: Making $15,000 in 28 hours


Long Before Launch (The Slow Build)

How to Plan Your Campaign Based on the Numbers

How Long Does It Take to Publish a Game, Anyway?

Defining Success

Picking the Right Name for Your Project

Marketing for a Kickstarter

Preparing Your Kickstarter Campaign

To Use Indie Go Go or not…

Top 10 Websites that Teach You How to Be a Successful Crowdfunder

Top 10 Elements of Kickstarter Projects in 2015

First-Time Creators

Should Your First Project Be Epic or Humble?

15 Indispensable Tools for Every Kickstarter Creator and Entrepreneur

Minimum Viable Product

How to Effectively Research Other Kickstarter Projects

Preventing a Dud

Should You Hire Someone Else to Run Your Crowdfunding Project for You?

Include at Least One Must-Have Component

Should You Offer a Print & Play?

9 Launch Hacks from the Most Successful Board Game Launches on Kickstarter

Can IndieGoGo Bite into the Crowdfunding Market?


Long Before Launch (Building a Tribe)

Start an E-Newsletter

How to Ensure Kickstarter Success

Getting Buzz for Your Kickstarter (Video)

Partnership

Promoting Your Game at Cons

How to Give and Take Tough-Love Feedback

The Value of Ambassadors

Connecting with Bloggers

The Art of the Comment

Help Them First


Long Before Launch (The Money)

Project Budgeting for Tabletop Games (Audio)

How to Budget for Your Game Project

The Funding Goal

How to Request a Quote from a Manufacturer

Why I Prioritize Paying Freelancers

Guide to Game Manufacturers

Getting Quotes and Setting Prices

How to Get a Quote

The 3 Funding Scenarios You Must Plan For

Deciding on Stretch Goals

What to Charge for Shipping

Determining Your Game’s Price for Kickstarter

To Early Bird or Not to Early Bird?

Making Custom Components


Timing

The Best Time to Announce Your Project

Timing and Length

The Psychological Benefits of Launching and Ending a Campaign Within the Same Month

Seasonal Timing

Coordinating Staggered Launch and End Dates

The Profound Impact of Launch Day Timing on Kickstarter


Art

3 Simple Steps to Learn If Your Art Is Good Enough for Kickstarter

Art and Design

Custom Art

Card Frames


Just Before Launch

You Don’t Need to Launch Today

The 7 Mistakes Crowdfunders Make the Day Before They Launch3 Days Until Launch

Google Analytics

What Should Be on Your Kickstarter Launch Day Checklist


The Project Page

Starting and Submitting Your Project Page

Anatomy of a Great Kickstarter Project Page

Explaining Why You Need the Funds

How to Make an Awesome Video

Kickstarter Videos

Creating a Polished Project Video

The Whiteboard Video

Passion Is Contagious

The Main Project Image

When to Use a GIF Instead of a Static Image

The Gameplay or How-to-Use Video

The Psychological Benefits of Showing Your Face

The Psychological Benefits of Framing Your Project’s Potential

How to Include People Who Don’t Know What Kickstarter Is

The Value of Add-Ons

External Add-Ons

The Project Timeline

Risks and Challenges

Finishing Touches: FAQ and Preview

The Value of Agonizing Over Your Project Page


During the Campaign

Launch Day

The Emotional Roller Coaster

Day 1 Down, 29 to Go

The 5 Types of Spam That Creators Receive During Crowdfunding Campaigns…and What to Do About It

Understanding the Kickstarter Curve

Dealing with the Campaign Slump

The Top 10 Ways to Address the Mid-Campaign Slump

Kicktraq

Paid Advertising and How Backers Find Your Project

The Kickstarter Staff Pick

Leveraging Social Networks

Leveraging Reddit

My Thoughts on Campaign Boosting Services

Hometown Press and Local Media

Cross-Promotion Between Kickstarter Projects

Contests

Using Micro Goals to Generate More Funding

Project Creep

The Final Week

What to Do with 3 Days til a Campaign’s End

The Final 60 Hours

The Final 48 Hours

What Do Backers Look for When Returning to a Project via the 48-Hour “Remind Me” Message?

The Final Hour

To Cancel or to Finish


Backers (Customer Experience)

Are Backers Always Right?

It’s Not Kickstarter’s Job to Give You Backers

The 5 Love Languages of Crowdfunding

The 6 Core Philosophies for Great Customer Service

The 10 Elements of Great Customer Service for a Kickstarter Creator

4 More Elements of Great Customer Service

Putting Backers First

Treat Your Backers as Individuals, Not Numbers

People Are More Compelling Than Numbers

Setting Micro Goals

Mobilizing Backers

How Visitors View Your Kickstarter Page

How to Be Fair to Backers when You Make a Change


Backers (Communicating With)

Increasing Your Personal Connection with Backers

Flexibility, Filtering, and Responding to Feedback

How Can Backers Effectively Coach Creators?

Backer Engagement

How to Respond to Happy Backers

It’s Okay to Say No

How to Manage Toxic Backers

When Should You Fire a Customer?

The Vocal Minority vs. the Silent Majority

Give Each Backer a Voice

How to Create Community Through Conversation on Kickstarter

Don’t Copy and Paste

How to Have Fun with Your Backers

The Power of a Personalized Message at First Contact


Backers (Cancellations)

Be Mentally Prepared for Cancellations

Learning from Cancellations

Filtering Cancellations


Backers (Updates)

Project Updates

The Best Opening Lines for Project Updates and Backer E-mails

Backer-Only Project Updates

What You Should Do for 30 Minutes After Posting a Project Update


Backers (Surveys)

The Backer Survey

How Can Backers Change Their Addresses?

How to Automate Backer Address Updates


Getting Reviews

How to Get a Review

Getting Your Board Game Reviewed

Bloggers, Podcasters, and Reviewers

How to Reach Out to Reviewers

Getting Game Reviews

How to Keep from Driving Reviewers Away

5 Things to Consider Before Sending Your Game to a Reviewer

3 Tips for Prepping a Prototype for Reviewers

4 Different Strategies for Featuring Reviews on Kickstarter


Reviewers

Eduardo Baraf

Undead Viking Video Reviews

Dice Hate Me.com

Father Geek

Rahdo Runs Through

Crits Happen.net

On Board Games

I Slay the Dragon

The Cardboard Jungle

Dad’s Gaming Adiction

Cardboard Republic

All Us Geeks


Rewards

Reward Levels

Why Every Project Should Have a $1 Reward Level

Focus Your Reward Levels or Lose Backers

Why You Should Limit the Number of Rewards

A Step-by-Step Guide to Pricing Your Core Reward

The Psychological Benefits of Ending Price Points with the Number 9

Early Bird Pledge Levels

Reward Levels: The Premium Option

Should You Offer Multiple Copies of Your Product at a Reduced Bundled Price?

The “Everything, Forever” Reward Level

Epic-Level Rewards

The Myth of MSRP

Print-and-Play Reward Levels

How to Appeal to Collectors

Exclusive Content

Adding New Rewards During a Campaign


Stretch Goals

Stretch Goals

The Current State of Stretch Goals 

The Achievement System

Achievements vs. Stretch Goals


After the Campaign

What to Do When the Campaign Ends

Don’t Quit Your Day Job (and How to Quit Your Day Job)

How to Maximize the New “Spotlight” Feature

The 4 Questions Creators Receive After the Campaign Ends

Post-Campaign Communication

Communicating Your Progress

How Many Units Should You Make?

If You Manufacture in China, Account for Chinese Holidays

Conventions and Face Time

Should You Offer the Kickstarter-Exclusive Version of Your Product After the Campaign?

How to Sell the Retail Version of Your Product Online Post-Kickstarter

Selling Inventory vs. Accepting Pre-Orders: A Dual Solution

Starting and Sustaining a Kickstarter-Driven Business (Audio)

The Backer Survey

How Can Backers Change Their Addresses?

Replacement Parts

How to Automate Backer Address Updates

Release with a Boom, Not a Whimper

Gauging Demand

How Kickstarter Refunds Work

How to Reboot an Unsuccessful Kickstarter Project

Could Kickstarter Become a Board Game Store by 2020


Shipping

Delivering on Time

Shipping a Game on Time

Maintaining Peace During Shipping Season

Icons for Shipping Options

How to Provide “Free” Shipping Worldwide on Kickstarter: A Comprehensive Guide

How to Ship Stuff Worldwide

Lessons Learned: Insights, Mistakes, and Solutions for Offering Worldwide Shipping on Kickstarter

Making a Project Is EU Friendly

8 Shipping Partners in the EU for Kickstarter Reward Fulfillment

Best International Shipping Companies

4 Shipping Partners for Australia, New Zealand, and Asia

3 Crowdfunding Fulfillment Shipping Partners in Canada

Everything I Learned About Shipping I Learned in Tuscany

Local Pickup

Why I’m Done Selling Through Amazon FBA

Insights from Fulfilling Scythe, Part 1

Insights from Fulfilling Scythe, Part 2

How to Solve Shipping Woes


Legal

Accounting and Finances

The 4 Legal Issues Every Kickstarter Creator Should Know

Everything a Kickstarter Creator Needs to Know About Trademark Law

Everything a Kickstarter Creator Needs to Know About Copyrights

What to Do If You Receive a Cease & Desist Letter Concerning Your Kickstarter


More Reading

 
 
 
 

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