Crowdfunding Nerds: Kickstarter Marketing, Business, & Beyond!

Self-Promotion Without Andrew Lowen

Uh oh ... Andrew is away and someone thought it was a good idea to allow Rick and Sean to do the podcast by themselves! They talk internet privacy, censorship and self-promotion done wrong.
00:01:10 – PayPal Goes Full Dystopian00:05:30 – Why Big Tech TOS Are Meaningless00:16:44 – Crowdfunding Nerds Course Overview00:21:53 – Self-Promotion: The “I” Must Die00:27:17 - Self-Promotion: Don’t Spam Ma'am00:32:25 – Self-Promotion: Delete, “Delete If Not Allowed” From Your Life00:34:40 – Self-Promotion: Meme’s Are Not For Selling00:37:43 – Self-Promotion: Follow For Follow00:43:09 – Spaces To Find Organic Traffic00:45:42 – Richard’s Secret (And Untested) Source Of Organic Traffic
PayPal ‘Misinformation’ Article - https://www.nationalreview.com/news/new-paypal-policy-permits-company-to-fine-users-2500-for-misinformation/
When To Spend $10,000 On A Kickstarter Video With Ori Kagan of Kagan Productions - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode93/
PayPal Founder, David Marcus Tweet - https://twitter.com/davidmarcus/status/1578795041719750663
Monero - https://www.getmonero.org/
Panquake Social - https://panquake.com/
Zion Social - https://www.zion.fyi/
The Virtuous Cycle of Kickstarter Marketing - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/the-virtuous-cycle-of-kickstarter-marketing/
Hygiene Factors Of Your Kickstarter Campaign - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode18/
4.5 Outcomes You Need To Consider Before Going To Kickstarter - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode5/
Crowdfunding Nerds Facebook Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/crowdfundingnerds
Self-Promotion Mistakes: Avoid These Pitfalls For Effective Organic Marketing - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/self-promotion-mistakes-to-avoid/
How to properly market on Reddit (and get over a million views) - https://pegasusgames.medium.com/how-to-properly-market-on-reddit-and-get-over-a-million-views-94b582bd9792
Odysee - https://odysee.com/$/invite/@Crowdfundingnerds
Mailerlite - https://www.mailerlite.com/

Playing Around Intellectual Properties with Max Dennis

The Crowdfunding Nerds interview Max Dennis of Millian Games to discuss his campaign Sauria: The Dinosaur Park Survival Game, while navigating a product that includes many references to a larger Intellectual property.
00:10:11 – How Sauria Came To Be00:13:22 – Being Careful Not To Step On A Large IPs Toes00:16:11 – Capturing The Feeling of The IP00:17:43 – How To Get People To Buy Into Your Idea00:21:52 – Involving Your Backers In The Process00:27:57 – The Impact of Tabletop Simulator On A Campaign00:29:08 – Max’s Regrets – Fiver & Upwork00:29:08 – Thinking of Expansions After A Successful Kickstarter00:38:46 – Opportunities That Can Open Up After A Kickstarter Campaign00:49:11 – Examples Of IP References00:56:28 – Mall Cop Backers
Shownotes
5 Profitable Things You Can Do During Your Kickstarter Mid-Campaign Slump - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode29/
Hero Time Manufacturing - https://www.herotime1.com/
Sauria - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/milliangames/sauria-the-dinosaur-park-survival-game
Sauria Kicktraq - https://www.kicktraq.com/projects/milliangames/sauria-the-dinosaur-park-survival-game/#chart-daily
How To Make An Awesome Kickstarter Video w/ David Diaz - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode67/
When To Spend $10,000 On A Kickstarter Video With Ori Kagan of Kagan Productions - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode93/
Upper Deck - https://upperdeckstore.com/games/legendary.html
Temtem - https://store.steampowered.com/app/745920/Temtem/
Croc Gloves Cease & Desist - https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/co6h3d/i_got_a_cease_and_desist_for_making_the_crocs/
Millian Games - https://milliangames.com/
Sauria Survivors Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1574880479570531

Your ”Pitch” Is Kind Of A Big Deal

The Corwdfunding Nerds are joined by Willem Delventhal of the Indie Game Academy to discuss video game marketing and the benefits of publicly pitching your game to peers, with a pit stop into how to swoon Facebook.
00:01:08 - Facebook Ad Account Restrictions00:05:39 – Sean’s Heart-warming Message To Meta00:07:45 – Advantages of Running Ads Through An Agency00:11:26 – Buy An Oculus If Your Account Is Restricted00:16:37 – Who Is Willem Delventhal00:20:46 – The Advantage of Publicly Pitching Your Game Idea00:27:22 – The Power of Gamification00:40:42 – How To Stand Out In A Crowded Market00:46:24 – Willem’s Advice On Publishing Video Games
Shownotes
Indie Game Academy - https://indiegameacademy.com/
Together Labs - https://togetherlabs.com/
Delve Bros - https://www.delvebros.com/
Guy Kawasaki  - https://www.gravitasinv.com/reading-book/art-start-2-0-guy-kawasaki/Gather - https://www.gather.town/
Mew and Me App - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mam.mewandme.mewandme&hl=en_US&gl=US
Taelmoor - https://tlm.gg/
How do you crowdfund your video game? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oNe2dJgFY8
Willem on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ifyouwillem/
IGA Lunch Hour Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/iga-lunch-hour/id1597786388

When To Spend $10K On a Kickstarter Video

The Crowdfunding Nerds are joined by Ori Kagan to discuss Kickstarter video production, and when it makes sense to spend $10,000 on a Kickstarter video.
00:00:47 – Why Invest In A Video If The Return Cannot Be Calculated?00:07:19 – Facebook Ad Tip00:12:37 – What Influences Conversion Rates?00:22:04 – The Importance Of Your Kickstarter Story00:24:12 – Not All Marketing Efforts Have The Same Goal00:26:20 – Kickstarter Video Game Videos?00:28:23 – How To Write A Good Script For Your Kickstarter Video00:32:06 – Use Your Marketing Budget To Find & Excite Your Most Loyal Fans
Shownotes
Kickstarter Videos On A Budget With Ori Kagan (Kagan Productions) - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode91/
Hygiene Factors Of Your Kickstarter Campaign - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode18/
Dawn of Ulos – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thunderworks/dawn-of-ulos?ref=ebku4t
Board Game Blender Kit – https://kaganproductionsstore.myshopify.com/discount/CROWDFUNDINGNERDS?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fboard-game-blender-kit-fix
10% Board Game Blender Kit Discount Code: CROWDFUNDINGNERDS

How To Come Up With Shipping Estimates With Kirk Dennison of Thunderworks Games

Kirk Dennison explains tips for shipping and fulfilment in the US, EU and Australia. He also covers some very important changes to German imports you need to know about!
00:01:00 – Shipping Prices Have Dropped Slightly00:02:09 – Introducing Kirk Dennison00:14:47 – How To Come Up With Shipping Estimates00:32:07 – Account For Unforeseen Expenses00:33:29 – Use Freightos To Compare Prices00:37:52 – Shipping To Germany Just Got More Complicated00:46:16 – Accounting Vs Import Functions For The EU00:49:06 – Minimum Order Volume To Make EU Sales Worthwhile00:55:42 – Shipping To Australia00:58:13 – EU Manufacturing Cheaper?00:59:47 – Don’t Use Freightos For EU Imports
ShownotesDawn of Ulos - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thunderworks/dawn-of-ulos?ref=ebku4tThunderworks Games - https://www.thunderworksgames.com/Freightos - http://freightos.com/Arc Logistics - https://arc-logistics.com/Arc Global Logistics - https://www.arcglobal.us/Spiral Galaxy - https://www.spiralgalaxygames.co.uk/ShipQuest / GamesQuest - https://www.gamesquest.co.uk/apps/wpdappVFI Asia Board Game Fulfilment - https://vfi.asia/

Kickstarter Video’s On A Budget With Ori Kagan (Kagan Productions)

Don’t have the budget for a professional Kickstarter video? Not to fear! Ori of Kagan Productions joins the Crowdfunding Nerds to give you 3 solid tips to creating videos for your Kickstarter on a budget!
00:00:43 – How Ori Got Into Video Production00:07:50 – Tip #1 Shoot Your Own Video00:14:15 – Kickstarter Videos & Backer Expectations00:20:59 – Tip #2 Call A Friend00:26:32 – The Importance Of Story In Your Kickstarter Video00:27:10 – Greatest Game Trailers Of All Time00:29:50 – Don’t Skimp On Audio00:39:00 – Tip #3 Use The Board Game Blender Kit
ShownotesFacebook Ori Kagan - https://www.facebook.com/orikagan
Kagan Productions - https://www.facebook.com/KaganProductions
Website - https://kaganproductions.com
Kagan Productions Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNcUdBkSwQoAT88bYKGcgUQ
Kagan Productions Instgram - https://www.instagram.com/kaganproductions/
How To Make An Awesome Kickstarter Video w/ David Diaz - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode67/
George Georgeadis - https://oniro.com/
CoraQuest Video Example - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cabbagedan/coraquest
Fidget Cube Video Exmple - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/antsylabs/fidget-cube-a-vinyl-desk-toy
What Matters Most To Backers On Your Kickstarter Page With Jeremy Howard - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode10/
The Guild Webseries - https://www.youtube.com/c/TheGuild
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Cinematic Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCr7y4SLhck
Half Life : Opposing Force (Trailer) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNZsWm-Ulk4
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Cinematic Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBHL_-biMrQ
Robot Quest Arena - RAP and Kickstarter Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIMu0TYtBfQ
YouTube Sound Library - https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3376882
Video Hive - https://videohive.net/
Audio Jungle - https://audiojungle.net/
Board Game Blender Kit - https://kaganproductionsstore.myshopify.com/discount/CROWDFUNDINGNERDS?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fboard-game-blender-kit-fix
10% Board Game Blender Kit Discount Code: CROWDFUNDINGNERDS

How To Delight Kickstarter Fans & Your Community

The Crowdfunding Nerds talk about how to delight your community before, during, and after a Kickstarter campaign with real world examples that produced significant results!
00:01:10 – Disney’s New TCG – Lorcana00:06:26 – The Board Game Binge Podcast00:08:14 – Backerkit Referral Links & Widgets00:14:49 – Delighting Backers00:23:48 – Kickstarter KPI00:33:08 – How To Involve88 Your Fans In The Process00:34:37 – How To Grow Your Community From Zero00:39:35 – Use Volunteers00:43:48 – Crowdfunding Nerds Kickstarter Course
Shownotes
Ravensburger’s Disney Lorcana TCG - https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/23322262/disney-lorcana-ccg-trading-card-game-announcement-release-date-price
Andrew On The Board Game Binge Podcast - https://youtu.be/_sifqphsRP0
Snap Ships Tactics - https://snapshipstactics.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
Backerkit Referral Codes - https://help.backerkit.com/article/655-how-do-track-pre-order-referrals
Deliverance Overlay Preorder Backerkit Page - https://deliverancegame.backerkit.com/overlay_preorders?ref=CFN-Pod
Kickstarter in Review Part V: How Backers Discovered Our Project - https://www.pineislandgames.com/blog/kickstarter-in-review-part-v-traffic-sources
Crowdfunding Nerds Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/crowdfundingnerds

Email Open Rates For Kickstarter

The Crowdfunding Nerds discuss the ideal email open rates that show your community is engaged while sharing tips to improve them.
Time Stamps:
00:01:47 – News 1: eBay Buys TCG Player00:06:26 – News 2: Video Game Kickstarter Untamed Isles Fails To Deliver00:04:58 – News 3: Digital Ocean Dumps Mailchimp00:15:51 – Email Marketing Open Rates00:24:24 – Tips On Email Subject Lines00:34:21 – The Importance of Email Resends00:44:01 – Email Consistency & Frequency
Shownotes
Kickstarter Success Calculator - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/kickstarter-success-calculator/
eBay Buys TCG Player - https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ebay-has-entered-into-an-agreement-to-acquire-tcgplayer-301609889.html
Spellfire - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spellfire
Digital Ocean Dumps Mailchimp - https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/16/digital_ocean_dumps_mailchimp/
Untamed Isles - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/untamedisles/untamed-isles
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Sweat-Pixels-Triumphant-Turbulent
4 Absolutely Essential Things You Need To Know About Sending Board Game Emails - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode55/
Interviewing A Sales Master: Dan Boe – Part 1/2 - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode61/
Interviewing A Sales Master: Dan Boe – Part 2/2 - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode62/

Backer Entitlement + Can Creators Be Entitled Too?

The Crowdfunding Nerds discuss both backer & creator entitlement, including how backers whining might actually be an indicator of emerging market trends! Plus, we discuss helpful and unhelpful attitudes to Crowdfunding, and give tips to rise above discouragement.
00:01:33 – Kickstarter Success Calculator00:05:05 – Facebook Introduced “@Everyone” Feature00:07:15 – Blocking Toxic Comments On Kickstarter00:16:24 – Crowdfunding Creator Entitlement00:40:07 – Backer Entitlement
ShownotesKickstarter Success Calculator - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/kickstarter-success-calculator/
Crowdfunding Nerds Facebook Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/crowdfundingnerds
Hide Comment Feature On Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/blog/kickstarter-never-tolerates-abusive-behavior-this-new-feature-0
Marketing Tinyfolks On Steam With Pierre Vandermaesen - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode87/

Marketing Games On Steam: Tinyfolks w/ Pierre Vandermaesen

Pierre Vandermaesen, indie game developer of Tinyfolks joins the Crowdfunding Nerds to discuss the challenges of developing and marketing video games for Steam.
00:00:59 – How Sean Discovered Tinyfolks00:02:27 – Framing Your Game For Marketing Purposes00:06:55 – Tips On Pricing Games On Steam00:09:57 – Similarities Between Steam & Kickstarter00:12:00 - Similarities Between Game Jams & Crowdfunding00:15:03 – Managing Side Projects00:19:51 – Discord & Twitch Is The Video Game Community Space00:25:06 – The Core Principles Of Marketing Anything00:29:19 – Game Design Branding - Craft Vs Industry00:40:43 – Challenges To Marketing Tinyfolks On Steam00:54:42 – Advice For Aspiring Game Designers
Tinyfolks - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1909420/Tinyfolks/
Board Games & Twitch With Alex Radcliff - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode80/
Delve By Blackwell Games - https://blackwellwriter.itch.io/delve-a-solo-map-drawing-game
More Games From Pierre Vandermaesen - https://itch.io/profile/pierre-vandermaesen