Crowdfunding Nerds: Kickstarter Marketing, Business, & Beyond!

How To Leverage YouTube & The BGDL Journey

Gabe Barrett of The Board Game Design Lab joins the Crowdfunding Nerds to talk about everything he has learnt about YouTube along his journey in the Games Industry.
00:01:54 – How Gabe Started In The Board Game Space
00:03:34 – YouTube & A Podcast?
00:06:39 – How To Leverage YouTube Livestreaming
00:09:57 – Design Thumbnails & Titles Before Videos
00:12:29 – How To Define & Track Success
00:21:27 – We Are Not Robots – The Importance Of Rest
00:25:47 – How To Stand Out On YouTube (Tell A Story)
00:32:36 – Click Worthy Vs Click Bait
00:38:51 – Understanding YouTube Algorithm
00:42:22 – The Future Of The BGDL
Shut Up & Sit Down - https://www.youtube.com/@shutupandsitdown
The Dice Tower - https://www.youtube.com/@thedicetower
Guards Of Atlantis II: Tabletop MOBA - https://gamefound.com/projects/wolffdesigna/guardsofatlantis2new
Board Game Design Lab - https://boardgamedesignlab.com/
Board Game Design Lab YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@BoardGameDesignLab
Gabe Barrett YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@gabebarrett

How To Leverage Miniatures In Marketing

Marco Pecota of Raybox Game joins the Crowdfunding Nerds to discuss his use of miniatures in crowdfunding marketing.
00:02:13 – Marco Pecota Introduction
00:05:12 – The Rise Of Solo Board Games
00:11:24 – How To Leverage Miniatures In Marketing
00:19:37 – Using Story & Narrative In Marketing
00:22:04 – Recommended Miniature Painters
00:24:32 – Leveraging Professionally Painted Miniatures
00:30:37 – Staging Your Price Points Around Miniatures
00:39:59 – Stretch Goals & Miniatures
00:48:52 – Develop Stand Alone Expansions
00:50:20 – Summary
Escape From Stalingrad Z - https://www.rayboxgames.com/copy-of-ks-landing-page
Escape From Projekt Riese - https://www.rayboxgames.com/efpr-landing-page
Tabletop Analytics - https://www.tabletopanalytics.com/
Den Of Imagination - https://denofimagination.com/
Chest Of Colors - https://chestofcolors.com/
Jason Gibeault - https://www.twitch.tv/splinteredbrushstudio/about
Surveying Your Community – Why & How You Should Do It - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode99/

Playing The Long Game In The Board Game Industry

The Crowdfunding Nerds discuss catastrophic success and cover some things that will help you think about the long game success in the board game industry.
00:04:43 - Mythic Games Was Interested In Publishing Deliverance00:05:38 – Mythic Games Kickstarter History 00:10:58 – Steamforged Games Kickstarter History 00:12:35 – The Dangers Of Success 00:14:09 – Breaking Down Deliverance Funding And Expenses 00:25:15 – What Is Causing Companies To Fail? 00:30:13 – The Importance Of Building A Brand 00:33:41 – Be Customer Focused 00:37:58 – Be Careful Scaling Up 00:44:49 – Course Correct Quickly
Shownotes
Board Game Reveolution Community Post About Grimlord Games - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1539155319709734/?multi_permalinks=3345589549066293&ref=share Andrew’s Reply - https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=9169430543098089&set=gm.938368980764884&idorvanity=383263609608760 Mythic Games’ Kickstarter Sucess - https://www.tabletopanalytics.com/creator/mythic-games-inc-4321 Grimlord Games - https://www.tabletopanalytics.com/creator/grimlord-games-2659 Steeped Games - https://steepedgames.com/ Steamforged Games - https://steamforged.com/ 4.5 Outcomes You Need To Consider Before Going To Kickstarter - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode5 Steamforged Games Redundancies - https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/board-game/news/steamforged-games-redundancies-hit-20-board-game-workers Gabe Newell: Reflections of a Video Game Maker - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8QEOBgLBQU Crowdfunding Nerds Course - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/course

Product Placement In Board Games With B2B Partnerships

The Crowdfunding Nerds continue their discussion with Mo and Jad of Cation Arts in a second episode to address B2B opportunities for revenue generation in the board game design space. 
00:00:36 – Kickstarter Vs Gamefound – Which Is Right For Your Game?
00:08:55 – Seeing Crowdfunding As An Investment 
00:10:38 – 75% Of Revenue From B2B Partnerships? 
00:18:20 – Exploring Government Grants 
00:18:51 – Games For Corporate Leadership 
00:19:46 – Board Game Designers’ Misconceptions 
00:21:35 – Mistrust Of First Time Creators 
00:24:18 – Your Word Must Be Your Bond 
00:29:05 – Dangers Of Playtesting 
00:34:31 – Marketing At None Board Game Related Conventions 
 
Shownotes
Part 1 - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode125/
All Time Wrestling: Extreme Edition – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alltimewrestling/all-time-wrestling-extreme-edition 
Let’s Go! To Japan - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alderac/lets-go-to-japan-from-aeg?
Cation Arts - https://cationarts.com/en-gb
The Ultimate Kickstarter Marketing Course For Games – https://crowdfundingnerds.com/course

Running A Campaign Outside A Kickstarter Friendly Country

The Crowdfunding Nerds chat with Mo and Jad of Cation Arts to discuss the unique challenges of running crowdfunding campaigns from a non-friendly Kickstarter country such as the United Arab Emirates.
00:01:23 – Cation Arts Intro00:04:35 – Running Multiple Projects At The Same Time00:08:34 – Playtesting Tips00:13:19 – Designing With Theme In Mind00:16:25 – Diversity In Design Philosophy00:23:19 – The Importance Of Customer Service00:28:18 – Running A Campaign Outside A Kickstarter Friendly Country00:36:44 - Running A Campaign Outside A Gamefound Friendly Country
Shownotes
Cation Arts - https://cationarts.com/en-gb
All Time Wrestling: Extreme Edition - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alltimewrestling/all-time-wrestling-extreme-edition
Shelfside’s Review Of All Time Wrestling - https://youtu.be/az9tHRtqwSM
Who Can Use Kickstarter - https://help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005128594-Who-can-use-Kickstarter
The Ultimate Kickstarter Marketing Course For Games - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/course

Min-Maxing Amazon Board Game E-Commerce

The Crowdfunding Nerds are joined by Amazon Ecommerce expert, Jack Dunbar to discuss everything you need to know about min-maxing your post-campaign selling strategy!
00:00:56 – Who Is Jack Dunbar00:06:31 – How Amazon Ecommerce Works00:08:35 – Take Charge Of Your Sales00:11:43 – Am I A Fool For Not Selling On Amazon?00:13:54 – Minimum Advertise Pricing (MAP)00:18:35 – 80% Of Product Searches Start On Amazon00:22:31 – MAP Violations00:23:59 – Step-By-Step Guide Of How To Get On Amazon00:29:26 – You Don’t Want High Volume On Amazon00:33:59 – Multi-Channel Fulfilment00:39:28 – Lean Into What Is Working00:43:39 – Advertise Your Website In Your Rulebook00:46:32 – Understanding Amazon’s Buy Box00:52:01 – Have Exclusives On Your Website00:56:11 – Working Out Shipping Costs
How To Stop Amazon Crushing Your Post-Campaign Sales - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode116/
Cease & Desist Letter Generator - https://legaltemplates.net/
Amazon Brand Registry: https://brandservices.amazon.com/
Kaspien Amazon Agency - https://www.kaspien.com/
Deliverrr Amazon Agency - https://deliverr.com/
Sellbrite Multi-Channel Selling Tool - https://www.sellbrite.com/
Zentail Multi-Channel Selling Tool - https://www.zentail.com/
Bqool Amazon Repricer Tool - https://www.bqool.com/ 
Aura Repricer Tool - https://goaura.com/ 
Seller Snap Repricer Tool - https://www.sellersnap.io/
Fulfilment By Amazon (FBA) Guide - https://www.junglescout.com/how-to-sell-on-amazon-fba
Fulfilment By Amazon Video Tutorials - https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/reference/external/200249180
Andrews Review of Jacks’ Board Game - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZi55c75FWs
Crowdfunding Nerds Marketing Course - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/course
Jack’s Game New Kingdom: Gardeners - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/newkingdomgaming/new-kingdom-gardeners

Maximizing Physical Energy & Mental Focus For Crowdfunding

The Crowdfunding Nerds interview weight loss coach and personal trainer, Dan Whaley on how to maximize your physical energy and mental focus for crowdfunding
00:03:30 – We All Need More Energy00:05:11 – The Big Three00:06:41 – How Long Does It Take To Feel The Difference?00:12:47 – Adapting To Changes In Lifestyle00:16:25 – Start Small And Build Up00:22:20 – Eat REAL Food!00:27:16 – Plan For Events With Bad Food Temptations00:31:03 – Filter Your Water00:33:45 – Plan Treats00:38:15 – Developing An Exercise Routine That Works For You00:45:57 – How Does Being Healthy Help You Crowdfund00:49:47 – Fighting Parkinson’s Law00:55:04 – How Dan Helps People
Einkorn Flour - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einkorn_wheat
The Water Filter Sean Uses - https://www.osmiowater.co.uk/osmio-fusion.html
Connect With Dan Whaley - https://en-gb.facebook.com/danny.whaley.144
The Ultimate Kickstarter Marketing Course - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/course
The Crowdfunding Nerds Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/crowdfundingnerds

Playtesting Is Marketing

How to make a good game? The Crowdfunding Nerds discuss game design and playtesting in the context of marketing.
00:00:34 - Crowdfunding & Tee Shirts?00:08:24 – You Can’t Crowdfunding With A Bad Game00:12:33 - Iterate Quickly00:15:38 – Be Open To Feedback00:23:28 – Be Aware That Playtesting Is Burdensome For Gamers00:24:52 – How To Get Playtesters00:30:25 – Ask Playtesters What They Like About Your Game00:33:54 – Don’t Undermine Playtesters Feedback00:41:08 – Be Aware Of Unnecessary Complexity00:53:59 – Design With An Experience In Mind00:56:13 – Involve Your Community In Your Game Development
Sam Healey Deliverance Tee Shirt - https://youtu.be/fxTiDiMBK8E?t=1816
Most Games Are Good Alex Radcliffe - https://youtu.be/q0LaGj9Cfcw?t=447
Steve Jackson On Game Development - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBAjrTxrgEs&t=2743s
Last Fish! Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/whiskers/last-fish
Gabe Barrett Board Game Playtesting Tips - https://youtu.be/strkQM8P9F4
The Ultimate Kickstarter Marketing Course - https://course.crowdfundingnerds.com/p/facebook-ads-for-crowdfunding
Crowdfunding Nerds Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/crowdfundingnerds

Is It Possible To Predict Crowdfunding Results?

Keven reached out to the Crowdfunding Nerds with a questions on how to work out his potential revenue from running a crowdfunding event.
00:01:28 – Keven’s Question00:05:21 – Thinking Of Average Pledge Value00:07:36 – How To Increase Income For Your Company00:11:07 – Funding Goals00:14:56 – You Need A Crowd To Crowdfund00:16:08 – Email Conversion Rates00:22:19 – How Big Must My Email List Be?00:31:30 – Great Products Don’t Always Sell Well00:35:57 – Working Out Your Marketing Budget00:42:51 – Nerd News 
Shownotes
Kickstarter Success Calculator - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/kickstarter-success-calculator/
Kickstarter Referrals Explained - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/kickstarter-referrals-explained-deep-dive-into-4-tabletop-campaigns-that-funded-successfully/
7 Critical Mistakes You Need To Avoid When Crowdfunding - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/essentials/
The Virtuous Cycle of Kickstarter Marketing - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/the-virtuous-cycle-of-kickstarter-marketing/
Fund On Day One - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/course
Nerd News Items
Everette Taylor On Kickstarter - https://fortune.com/2023/03/01/kickstarter-ceo-everette-taylor-inclusion-ai/
BBC Documentary The Century of the Self - https://youtu.be/DnPmg0R1M04
BattleTech: Mercenaries - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cgl/battletech-mercenaries
Tabletop Analytics - https://www.tabletopanalytics.com/

Use Games To Level Up Your Marketing Skills

The Crowdfunding Nerds are joined by Dina of Dina Said So Studio to talk about how understanding tabletop games can make you better at marketing!
00:01:39 - How Did You Get Into Marketing?00:09:58 – Dina’s Game Design Experience00:14:05 – What Services Do You Offer?00:17:57 – Organic Social Media Tips00:24:42 – Understanding What Social Media Platforms Are Trying To Do00:30:11 – Marketing As Role-playing00:33:29 – Most Valuable Results of Marketing00:37:21 – Troubleshooting Failed Campaigns00:43:57 – Training People For Launch Day00:48:51 - Neuro-Linguistic Programming For Marketing?
Kagan Productions - https://www.kaganproductions.com/
Instagram Marketing: How Kristen Made 7 Figures On Instagram Via Hairstyling! - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode59/
The Virtuous Cycle of Kickstarter Marketing - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/the-virtuous-cycle-of-kickstarter-marketing/
4.5 Outcomes You Need To Consider Before Going To Kickstarter - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode5/
Dina Said So Studio - https://dinasaidsostudio.com/