Monday Jan 09, 2023
How To Write A Good Kickstarter Update
Crowdfunding Nerds: Kickstarter Marketing, Business, & Beyond!
Since 2019, Crowdfunding Nerds has helped over 200 crowdfunding creators raise over $30M on Kickstarter and Gamefound. In addition to that, we have generated over $100M in ecommerce sales and had clients featured on Shark Tank, ”As Seen On TV,” and more. We work with IP’s like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Star Trek, Mass Effect, Dune, and more... But we have also helped a TON of first-time creators fund on day 1, too! Our podcast exists to help you with your journey before, during, and after crowdfunding using real-world examples from our clients. We share what’s working and what is not in today’s market. We build pre-launch e-mail lists, get backers during live campaigns, and drive pre-orders and e-commerce sales after your campaign ends! If you’re DIY marketing (doing it yourself), we created the Crowdfunding Nerds Academy to help, which has specialized courses designed to make sure you’re doing it right! Buckle up; it’s about to get nerdy.
Listen on:
Episodes
Episodes
Monday Jan 02, 2023
Monday Jan 02, 2023
The Crowdfunding Nerds discuss strategies that will help you become a better marketer based on their own experience, and why being good at marketing matters!
00:00:36 – Washington Post Article00:03:30 – Focus On The Theme Of Your Game00:06:25 – Gamefound Updates00:14:06 – Meta Quest 2 Facebook Ad Account Issue00:18:48 – Take The Time To Learn00:22:32 – Get A Book On Logic00:30:47 – Practice What You Are Learning00:36:39 – Understand Propaganda00:45:38 – Caring About People
Washington Post Article - https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/12/24/board-game-popularity/
Gamefound Update - https://gamefound.com/blog/post/communication-management-vat-reverse-charge-and-more
Introduction to Logic - https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Logic-Irving-M-Copi/dp/1292024828
Propaganda - https://www.amazon.com/Propaganda-Edward-Bernays/dp/0970312598
This Is Marketing: You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn to See - https://www.amazon.com/This-Marketing-Cant-Until-Learn/dp/0525540830
Interviewing A Sales Master: Dan Boe - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode61/
Interviewing A Sales Master: Dan Boe Part 2- https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode62/
Share Your Marketing Tips - https://www.facebook.com/groups/crowdfundingnerds
Monday Dec 26, 2022
Monday Dec 26, 2022
The Crowdfunding Nerds are joined by Galen McCown of Galen’s Games to talk about troubleshooting the mid-campaign slump of Super Snipers.
00:00:59 – Important Updates From Gamefound00:05:45 – Altruistic Pledge Levels?00:09:35 – Troubleshooting The Mid-Campaign Slump00:17:26 - Honest Kickstarter Case Study00:35:27 – Galen’s Changes To Future Campaigns00:50:38 – Building Good Will
Gamefound Update - https://gamefound.com/blog/post/introducing-installments-on-gamefound-celebrating-1000-projects
Andrew’s Prediction Came True (28:47) - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode52/
Super Snipers - https://super-snipers.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
Galen’s Blog / Case Study - https://www.galensgames.com/blog/thoughts-from-a-first-time-self-publisher-3-months-from-the-kickstarter-prologue
Gabe Barrett’s Marketing Book - https://gamenightoutfitters.com/collections/game-design/products/board-game-kickstarter-advice-pdf
Jamey Stegmaier’s Book - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1626564086
Fake Influencer Video - https://youtu.be/FRClNMC_z-s
Let’s Talk Zombicide With Ross Thompson - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode102/
Galen’s Blog: "What Would I Do Differently?" - https://www.galensgames.com/blog/thoughts-from-a-first-time-self-publisher-part-20-lessons-part-3
Galen’s Games - https://linktr.ee/galensgamedesigns
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Andrew Lowen describes a mistake he made with stretch goals on the last day of his Kickstarter campaign. The Crowdfunding Nerds talk about obligations to delivering to backers, even when it hurts!
00:01:38 – Kickstarter Update: Easy Ship & Referral Links00:07:03 – Andrew’s Stretch Goal Mistake00:14:17 – Be Careful Making Promises00:15:34 – Thinking About Retail00:19:24 – Selling Shirts Through Kickstarter00:23:27 – When You Should Launch In December00:25:00 – Think Through Stretch Goals Before Launching00:26:52 – How Does Your Community Perceive Your Decisions?00:37:58 – Sometimes It’s Ok To Lose Money
Shownotes
Kickstarter & Easy Ship - https://updates.kickstarter.com/were-partnering-with-easyship-to-make-shipping-less-of-a-headache/
Kickstarter Pre-Launch Referral Links - https://updates.kickstarter.com/new-tools-to-help-creators-market-their-projects/
Monday Dec 12, 2022
Monday Dec 12, 2022
The crowdfunding nerds discuss their 2023 predictions on economics, manufacturing and board game demand.00:01:13 – Facebook Bands Ad Accounts For Personal Posts00:05:35 – Andrews Social Media Philosophy00:08:58: - Facebook’s Ad Model Vs YouTube’s Ad Model00:10:23 – Why Sean Uses RSS00:15:20 – China’s COVID-19 Restrictions Impacting The Board Game Industry00:18:41 – Andrew’s Prediction #1 – Manufacturing Is Going To Stay In China00:25:02 – Richard’s Prediction #1 – Increased Costs For National US Postage00:27:57 – Sean’s Prediction #1 – Big Video Game IPs Are Going To Bring More Board Gamers To The Hobby00:32:53 - Sean’s Prediction #1 – Global Economic Crash / Fiat Replaced With New System00:39:18 – Richard’s Prediction #2 – Manufacturing Costs Will Go Up & Backers Will Go Down00:46:13 – Andrew’s Prediction #2 – FOMO Will Be Less Applicable To Larger IPs00:50:30 - Andrew’s Prediction #3 – Kickstarter Is Going To Lose Traffic To Backerkit & GamefoundShownotesFacebook Ad Restrictions Document - https://www.facebook.com/business/help/975570072950669?id=434838534925385Twitter Files: Secret Blacklists - https://twitter.com/bariweiss/status/1601007575633305600Being Intentional About Sharing Politics On Social Media With Ross Thompson - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode102/Effective Altruism - https://www.effectivealtruism.org/Brave News With RSS - https://brave.com/brave-news/ Feeder RSS Browser Extension - https://feeder.co/Thunderbird - https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/Homeworld: Fleet Command Board Game - https://www.modiphius.net/pages/homeworld-fleet-commandSandwalkers Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/goblinzstudio/sandwalkers-a-roguelike-turn-based-exploration-gameHallow Knight Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/11662585/hollow-knightSteam Wishlist Breakdown - https://www.gamesindustry.biz/a-game-developer-guide-to-steam-wishlists
Monday Dec 05, 2022
Monday Dec 05, 2022
The Crowdfunding Nerds review last years predictions and discuss the developments and trends of the board game industry in 2022.
00:04:02 – Reviewing Rick's First 2022 Prediction00:07:31 – Reviewing The Elden Ring Kickstarter Campaign00:21:27 – Reviewing Rick's Second 2022 Prediction00:23:58 – Reviewing Andrew's First 2022 Prediction00:30:19 - Reviewing Andrew's Second 2022 Prediction00:36:07 – Reviewing Andrew’s Third 2022 Prediction00:46:51 - Reviewing Sean’s Only 2022 Prediction
Shownotes
Gabe Barrett’s YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@gabebarrett
2022 Crowdfunding Predictions & Forecasts For Tabletop Marketing - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode52/
Elden Ring The Board Game - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/steamforged/elden-ring-the-board-game
Summer Vacation Spend Up 91% - https://www.travelagentcentral.com/your-business/stats-summer-vacation-spend-91-percent-over-pre-covid-levels
Tuesday Nov 29, 2022
Tuesday Nov 29, 2022
The Crowdfunding Nerds continue their discussion with Ross Thompson on marketing big games while diving into the Zombicide Kickstarter campaign.
00:00:44 – Pricing Big Games00:06:48 – What Steamforged Games Does With Their Kickstarter Campaigns00:11:25 – Focus On The Experience of Big Games00:14:41 – The Need For A Schedule00:18:37 – Being Intentional With Social Media Feed Scrolling00:20:57 – Being Intentional About Sharing Politics On Social Media00:33:30 - Kickstarter Comment Moderation00:38:58 – The Zombicide Kickstarter Launch & Stretch Goals00:51:18 – Ross Thompson’s Marketing Advice For Today01:00:24 – Super Cool Marketing Lessons?
Elden Ring: The Board Game - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/steamforged/elden-ring-the-board-game
Resident Evil™: The Board Game - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/steamforged/resident-evil-board-game/
Adventures & Academia: First Class - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/russrmc/adventures-and-academia-first-class
RuneScape Kingdoms: Shadow of Elvarg - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/steamforged/runescape-board-game
Epic Encounters: Local Legends - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/steamforged/local-legends-1
Rivet Wars: Reloaded - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/steamforged/rivet-wars-reloaded
Godtear - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/steamforged/godtearElden Ring Press Event - https://steamforged.com/en-gb/blogs/brands/what-went-on-at-the-elden-ring-the-board-game-press-event
Amy Hennig On Gaming Experiences - https://youtu.be/caURIb9cOIg?t=4505
Facebook News Feed Eradicator Browser Extension - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/news-feed-eradicator/
Warhammer Moderation - https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/11/19/the-imperium-is-driven-by-hate-warhammer-is-not/
Jamey Stegmaier Quits Twitter - https://stonemaiergames.com/why-i-quit-twitter-its-not-you-its-me/
Kickstarter Comment Moderation Update - https://www.kickstarter.com/blog/improving-comment-moderationpart-of-our-commitment-to-keeping-0
Zombicide - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cmon/zombicide
Ogre Designer's Edition - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sjgames/ogre-designers-edition
TGN - https://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/
Beast of War - https://www.beastsofwar.com/
ICv2 - https://icv2.com/
Bell of Lost Souls - https://www.belloflostsouls.net/
Dropfleet Commander - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hawkwargames/dropfleet-commander
Polygon - https://www.polygon.com/
io9 - https://gizmodo.com/io9
Mojo Nation - https://mojo-nation.com/about-mojo/
Tabletop Game Jobs - https://www.facebook.com/groups/TabletopJobs
Ross Thompson LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-thompson-52a0b844/
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Ross Thompson joins the Crowdfunding Nerds to chop marketing big board games.
00:03:18 - Who is Ross Thompson00:14:58 – Getting More People Into The Hobby00:22:32 – Integrating Apps With Board Games00:28:09 – When Is A Big Board Game Too Big?00:34:30 – What makes A Big Game?00:40:33 – Is Magic The Gathering A Big Game?
Miskatonic School for Girls - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1225737959/miskatonic-school-for-girls-deck-building-game
Zombicide - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cmon/zombicide
Iron Maiden Zombicide - https://cmon.com/pre-orders/iron-maiden
Ninja Division - https://ninjadivision.com/
Super Dungeon Explore - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sodapopminiatures/super-dungeon-explore-legends
IDW Publishing - https://www.idwpublishing.com/
Steamforged Games - https://steamforged.com/en-gb
Ex-illis - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/47475/ex-illis
Heroes of Might & Magic III The Board Game - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/archonstudio/homm3boardgame
Kingdom Death: Monster - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/poots/kingdom-death-monster
Heroscape Board Game - https://hasbropulse.com/collections/haslab/products/heroscape-age-of-annihilation-vanguard-edition
Monday Nov 14, 2022
Monday Nov 14, 2022
In this special 100 episode celebration the Crowdfunding Nerds discuss the top 5 game changer moments since launching the podcast. The episode also includes a bonus episode where we talk about random things we love.
00:02:18 – Nerds News + Kickstarter Pixel Update00:07:46 – How Many People Did Kickstarter Bring In For Deliverance?00:11:44 – The 5 Most Mind Blowing Things From Crowdfunding Nerds That Will Bring You To The Next Level & Transform Your Life00:13:08 – Game Changer #1 - Landing Page & Ads00:15:13 - Game Changer #2 – Using Landing Pages On Live Kickstarter Projects00:18:51 - Game Changer #3 – Backer Kit Referral Codes00:24:50 - Game Changer #4 – Surveying Your Audience00:25:34 – Game Changer #5 – Redundancy
Shownotes
The Last of Us: Escape the Dark - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/themeborne/the-last-of-us-escape-the-dark
Kickstarter Facebook Pixel Update - https://updates.kickstarter.com/new-tools-to-help-creators-market-their-projects/
Snap Ships Tactics - https://ks.snapshipstactics.com/
Fractured Veil - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paddlecreekgames/fractured-veil-a-survival-and-base-building-multiplayer
Backerkit Referral Links & Widgets - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode90/
Surveying Your Community – Why & How You Should Do It - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode99/
5 Profitable Things You Can Do During Your Kickstarter Mid-Campaign Slump - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode29/
Escape From Stalingrad Z - https://gamefound.com/projects/rayboxgames/escape-from-sttalingrad-z#/section/project-overview
Dofus MMORPG - https://www.dofus.com/en/prehome
How To Run A Successful Tabletop Business With Chris Birch Of Modiphius Entertainment - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode50/
Discord App Directory - https://discord.com/blog/building-the-future-of-discord
2022 Crowdfunding Predictions & Forecasts - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode52/
Skyrim On Gamefound - https://gamefound.com/projects/modiphius/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-the-board-game
Crowdfunding Nerds Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/crowdfundingnerds
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
The crowdfunding nerds surveyed the Deliverance Board Game community and share valuable insights and tips to survey your own community.
00:01:39 – Substack Chat00:05:34 – Facebook Metaverse – Does It Have A Future?00:16:21 – Why Survey Your Community?00:18:24 – When To Survey Your Community00:19:39 – Using Sections In Your Survey00:23:56 – How To Motivate Fans To Do You Survey00:29:30 – Why You Should Use Google Forms To Survey00:30:48 – First Question To Ask00:35:01 – Have Cheaper Pledge Options00:37:32 – Ask How People Heard About Your Game00:44:26 – Ask What They Want To See Next From You00:50:58 – Ask How Often They Want Updates
Shownotes
Substack Chat Update - https://on.substack.com/p/chat
Ingress Game - https://ingress.com/
Riot Games MMO - https://www.riotgames.com/en/mmo-recruiting
Brave Browser RSS feeds - https://brave.com/brave-today-rss/
Google Forms - https://www.google.com/forms/about/
Poem of Buvaisar Saitiev - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJoccjJ5KYw
Deliverance Survey Example - https://forms.gle/yBMPr4WR2nDd77VR8
Monday Oct 31, 2022
Monday Oct 31, 2022
The Crowdfunding Nerds talk about being positive on purpose, even when things are mostly negative, and how it can aid you in winning favor with your backers!
00:07:08 – Defining Positivity00:11:49 – Constructive Criticism00:17:49 – Don’t Feed The Trolls00:24:11 – Turning Something Negative Into Something Positive00:30:55 – How A Positive Framing Impacts Your Business00:35:26 – Balancing Positivity With Authenticity
Shownotes
Oathsworn: Into The Deepwood (2nd Edition) - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shadowborne-games/oathsworn-into-the-deepwood-second-printing/
Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/marcduer/zoo-tycoon-the-board-game/
Bayonetta Voice Actor Responds To Backlash - https://www.gamespot.com/articles/original-bayonetta-voice-actor-responds-to-backlash-confirms-she-was-offered-15k-for-bayonetta-3/1100-6508548/
Deliverance Ratings - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/273814/deliverance/ratings
Pastor Watch - https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/missouri-pastor-berates-congregation-for-not-buying-him-new-watch/