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.
Episodes
Episodes



Monday Aug 01, 2022
How To Leverage TikTok & Reddit For Your Kickstarter
Monday Aug 01, 2022
Monday Aug 01, 2022
Jasper Gardener Burch of Pine Island Games and the tabletop game Nut Hunt joins the Crowdfunding Nerds to discuss how to leverage TikTok & Reddit for your pre-Kickstarter marketing.
00:05:18 – Nut Hunt, What Went Well?00:07:48 – Best Reviewers?00:13:51 – Promoting Borad Game Reviews On TikTok00:14:49 – TikTok: How To Get Followers On00:23:30 – Kickstarter Community Comments Are Important00:25:40 – Reddit: Organic Marketing
Shownotes
Nut Hunt Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pineislandgames/nut-hunt
Kickstarter In Review Blog - https://www.pineislandgames.com/blog
Crowdfunding Nerds Community - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsCrowdfunding



Monday Jul 25, 2022
Case Study: What If Your Kickstarter Has Not Yet Funded?
Monday Jul 25, 2022
Monday Jul 25, 2022
Ben Levy of Strongbox Games joins the Crowdfunding Nerds to discuss co-authoring Mantle of The Keeper and the challenges of running a Kickstarter campaign that has not funded yet.
00:03:26 - Nerd News00:09:26 – The Benefits of Co-Designing A Board Game00:20:40 – What To Do If Your Live Kickstarter Is Nearly Funded00:27:30 – How To Craft Premium Pledges00:32:03 – The Value of Building Organic Industry Connections00:35:31 – Dealing With Pledge Cancellations00:38:00 – Leveraging Your Email List During Your Live Campaign00:47:26 – Tips On Pricing Your Pledges00:53:42 – Final Advice
Shownotes
San Diego Comic-Con - https://www.comic-con.org/
Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves Trailer - https://youtu.be/IiMinixSXII
Angel Studios Vs Disney - https://youtu.be/Q-yZspRxi_k
Mantle of The Keeper Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blevy/mantle-of-the-keeper?ref=a8v0gp&utm_source=CFN-lp&utm_medium=MOTK&utm_campaign=Landing-Page
4.5 Outcomes You Need To Consider Before Going To Kickstarter - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode5/
Board Game Design Lab - https://boardgamedesignlab.com/
Jamey Stegmaier’s Blog - https://stonemaiergames.com/e-newsletter/blog/
Amy Henning Game Maker’s Notebook Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caURIb9cOIg
Galactic Cruise Board Game - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1511281419224920
New Kingdom Gardeners - https://newkingdomgaming.com/
Feuds & Favors Board Game - https://www.facebook.com/groups/239849254632981/
Roll & Die Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fundamentalgames/roll-or-die/



Monday Jul 18, 2022
Amish Romance Novels & Publishing With Kyle Mann
Monday Jul 18, 2022
Monday Jul 18, 2022
Board Game enthusiast and Editor-in-chief of the Babylon Bee, Kyle Mann joins the Crowdfunding Nerds to discuss publishing and self-promotion.
00:02:06 – Finding Your Target Audience00:07:20 – Working With A Publisher00:10:35 – Small Publishers Vs Big Publishers00:13:22 – Pitching To Publishers While Leveraging Your Following00:16:52 – Personal Brand And Self Promotion With Publishers00:23:18 – Pros & Cons Of Using A Publisher00:31:52 – Setting Yourself Deadlines
Shownotes
Post-Modern Pilgrim's Progress - https://www.amazon.com/Postmodern-Pilgrims-Progress-Allegorical-Tale/
Salem Book Publishing - https://www.regnery.com/custom/salem-books/
Kyle’s Interview With Dr. Strange director Scott Derrickson - https://babylonbee.libsyn.com/episode-22-scott-derrickson-reveals-that-he-cannot-say-anything-at-all-about-dr-strange-2
Crowdfunding Nerds Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/crowdfundingnerds



Monday Jul 11, 2022
Customs & Epic Freight Wizardry
Monday Jul 11, 2022
Monday Jul 11, 2022
Brandon The Game Dev joins the Crowdfunding Nerds to chop manufacturing, freight and fulfilment.
00:00:50 – How TTRPG Fanatics Find New TTRPG Games00:14:12 – The Board Game Design Lab Podcast Comes To An End00:17:26 – Hiring Out Logistics Project Management00:22:45 – Types Of Freight00:25:15 – Does Freightos Have Competitive Pricing Compared To OTX00:31:40 – Have Many Manufacturing Options00:35:46 – Custom Charges00:37:08 - Customs De Minimis
ShownotesRPG.net Poll - https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/how-do-you-learn-about-new-rpg-games-books.898242/
Social Media Vs Email - https://youtu.be/jZ5H6DeaKKs?t=587
Last BGDL Podcast - https://boardgamedesignlab.com/see-you-space-cowboy-with-gabe-barrett-and-jamey-stegmaier/
Freightos - https://www.freightos.com/
OTX - https://www.otxlogistics.com/
Brandon The Game Dev - https://brandonthegamedev.com/
Pangea Marketing Agency - https://www.pangeamarketingagency.com/
Weird Marketing Tales - https://weirdmarketingtales.com/



Tuesday Jul 05, 2022
Project Management, Skinny Jeans, & Cowboy Boots With Brandon The Game Dev
Tuesday Jul 05, 2022
Tuesday Jul 05, 2022
Project management is the topic of this podcast with Brandon Rollins, also known as Brandon The Game Dev. Brandon offers Kickstarter and social media project management services and is collaborating with the Crowdfunding Nerds on a not so top secret project.
00:01:21 – Who Is Brandon The Game Dev?00:02:08 – Weird News00:04:43 – Kickstarter’s Ministry Of Truth?00:12:57 – A New Crowdfunding Pre-Marketing Strategy?00:21:40 – An Introduction To Project Management00:25:09 – Who Needs Project Management?00:29:29 – A Method For Project Management00:33:47 – Brandon’s Game Development
Shownotes
Pangea Marketing Agency - https://www.pangeamarketingagency.com/
Weird Marketing Tales - https://weirdmarketingtales.com/
Paragliding - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLBJA8SlH2w
Renting Chickens - https://weirdmarketingtales.com/homestead-phil-and-homestead-jenn-on-renting-chickens/
Announcing The Kickstarter Community Advisory Council - https://www.kickstarter.com/articles/kickstarter-community-advisory-council
The Wingfeather Saga Season 2 - https://invest.angel.com/wingfeather-saga-2
Vrahode - https://www.vrahode.com/
War Co. - https://pangeaboardgames.com/products/war-co-card-game



Monday Jun 27, 2022
Interviewing Board Game Reviewer Alex Radcliffe of BoardGameCo
Monday Jun 27, 2022
Monday Jun 27, 2022
Alex Radcliffe of the BordaGameCo sits down with the Crowdfunding Nerds to talk about his journey of becoming a full time YouTuber who plays and reviews board games.
00:01:46 – Who Is Alex Radcliffe?00:02:28 – When Did You Start Creating YouTube Content?00:05:36 – Stupid Sells00:09:50 – What Is Your Gaming History?00:11:37 – How Much Money Have You Spent On Board Games?00:14:03 – Do You Keep Or Return Board Games After Reviews?00:17:51 – How Do You Monetise Your Work?00:23:52 – How Much Time Are You Putting Into BoardGameCo?00:27:35 – Paid Reviews?00:32:11 – Alex’s Favourite Broad Game Experience00:32:53 – Was The BoardGameCo Your First YouTube Channel?00:34:39 – How Can Publishers Get Reviews From You?00:38:57 – Why Alex Does Not Back Games With Bad Art00:39:51 – Monetising Controversy On YouTube?00:44:04 – What’s Your Most Popular Video?00:47:39 – Board Game Industry Professionals Vs Board Gamers00:51:18 – The Importance Of A Personal Brand00:53:02 – Alex’s Thoughts On Deliverance00:54:51 – How Should Publishers Deal With Bad Reviews?01:00:02 – How Many Times Do You Play A Game Before Making A Video?
ShownotesBoardGameCo YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/BoardGameCo How to Run a Publishing Company with Rob Dougherty - https://boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-run-a-publishing-company-with-rob-dougherty/BoardGameCo Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/boardgamecoTwitch Camp_Coop - https://www.twitch.tv/camp_coop



Monday Jun 20, 2022
BackerKit Crowdfunding? First Thoughts w/ Alex Radcliffe
Monday Jun 20, 2022
Monday Jun 20, 2022
The popular pledge manager BackerKit, has announced that they will be diving into the crowdfunding arena! Do they have enough buffs to out DPS Gamefound? Or will Kickstarter receive an epic heal and make a comeback?
Alex Radcliffe of BoardGameCo joins the Crowdfunding Nerds to discuss our first thoughts on the likelihood of success to this new endeavor of BackerKit!
00:02:18 – Who Is Alex Radcliffe?00:03:04 – Resident Evil 3 By Steamforged Games00:08:21 – Playing board games With Your Kids



Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Getting People To Care About Your Stuff
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
The Crowdfunding Nerds talk about $85 RPG history books, how to use steam to market your board game and getting people to care about your project.
00:01:02 – Kickstarter Review - 50 Years of Text Games00:09:40 – How To Use Steam To Market Your Board Game00:16:13 – How To Get People To Care About Your Game00:24:14 – The Up Front Costs To Promoting Your Game00:31:48 – How To Get Your Content Seen On Social Media
Shownotes 50 Years of Text Games Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aaronareed/50-years-of-text-games
Steam Community – Tabletop Simulator - https://steamcommunity.com/app/286160
Crowdfunding Nerds Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/crowdfundingnerds



Monday Jun 06, 2022
Secret Update, The Cake Is A Lie & The Critical Path To Crowdfunding Success
Monday Jun 06, 2022
Monday Jun 06, 2022
What is the critical path you need to take get funded on Kickstarter and manufacture your board game? The Crowdfunding Nerds share some industry news and tips on laying a plan for crowdfunding success.
00:01:24 – MMORPG Genfanad Funds Day One On Kickstarter00:09:57 – Building Community On Steam / Steam Marketing00:16:36 – People Don’t Like Being Sold To00:19:58 – Lessons From Shareware00:21:27 – How To Stand Out On The Internet00:30:08 – The Secret Update00:32:08 – What Is The Concept Of The Critical Path?00:39:44 – How To Plan Your Kickstarter – Reverse Engineer It
ShownotesGenfanad MMORPG - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rosetintedgames/genfanadThe Anacrusis - https://www.theanacrusis.com/Zero Page - https://www.zero-page.com/Batmud - https://store.steampowered.com/app/616920/BatMUD/



Tuesday May 31, 2022
How To Successfully Operate At Conventions
Tuesday May 31, 2022
Tuesday May 31, 2022
The Crowdfunding Nerds give you first-hand convention tips to promote your crowdfunding project with our without a booth!
00:01:08 - Shakespeare Conspiracy Theory00:03:59 - Castles of Burgundy00:09:06 – Batman™ : Gotham City Chronicles - Season 3 and RPG00:11:11 – Emotional States of Facebook Users Throughout The Week00:20:00 – Business Cards At Conventions?00:23:34 – Security At Conventions00:28:16 – How To Get Email Leads At Conventions00:33:09 – Dealing With Rude People At Conventions00:34:51 – Getting People To Your Booth00:36:23 – QR Codes?00:42:46 – Processing Email Leads At Conventions00:44:08 – Be Intentional About Your Appearance At Conventions00:51:58 – Ideas For Handouts At Conventions00:53:26 – The Stinkiest Conventions
Wordless Poems Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/friendshub/wordless-poems
Castles of Burgundy Gamefound - https://gamefound.com/projects/awaken-realms/castles-of-burgundy-special-edition
JonGetsGames - https://www.youtube.com/c/JonGetsGames
Batman™ : Gotham City Chronicles - Season 3 and RPG - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/806316071/batmantm-gotham-city-chronicles-season-3-and-rpg
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism - https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/shoshana-zuboff/the-age-of-surveillance-capitalism/9781610395700/
Former CIA director: ‘We kill people based on metadata’ - https://www.rt.com/usa/158460-cia-director-metadata-kill-people/
The Australian Facebook Article - https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fbusiness%2Fmedia%2Fdigital%2Ffacebook-targets-insecure-young-people-to-sell-ads%2Fnews-story%2Fa89949ad016eee7d7a61c3c30c909fa6&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=dynamidc-cold-control-noscore&V21spcbehaviour=append
Facebook Comments on Research and Ad Targeting - https://about.fb.com/news/h/comments-on-research-and-ad-targeting/
I'm an ex-Facebook exec: don't believe what they tell you about ads - https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/02/facebook-executive-advertising-data-comment
Facebook Manipulated 689,003 Users' Emotions For Science - https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2014/06/28/facebook-manipulated-689003-users-emotions-for-science/?sh=6b995a0e197c