Crowdfunding Nerds: Kickstarter Marketing For Board Games & Beyond!

Ep 12: A First-Hand Organic Kickstarter Pre-Marketing Case Study

Andrew Lowen discusses his pre-Kickstarter marketing campaign for Deliverance, and how he used organic marketing to build his community. 
Episode 1200:01:00 - Amazon's Build It00:03:54 - Big Tech Vs Australia00:05:42 - The Blogs You Must Read Before Going To Kickstarter00:12:25 - What Was The First Thing You Did Online To Promote Deliverance?00:16:20 - Organic Marketing Tips00:19:05 - What Did You Learn About Prototypes When Making Deliverance?00:24:32 - How Does Extensive Playtesting Impact Marketing?00:27:40 - What Would You Do If You Started At The Beginning Again?00:31:40 - How To Do Email Marketing If You Don't Have Much To Share00:37:40 - How Did You Measure Success In Organic Marketing?
Amazon's Build It Crowdfunding Start-up - https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/devices/introducing-build-it
Changes to Sharing and Viewing News on Facebook in Australia -https://about.fb.com/news/2021/02/changes-to-sharing-and-viewing-news-on-facebook-in-australia/
BGG Board Game Design Forum - https://boardgamegeek.com/forum/26/bgg/board-game-design
Jamey Stegmaier' Kickstarter Articles - https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter/
Jamey's Article About Us - https://stonemaiergames.com/2-things-to-know-today-about-kickstarter/
James Mathe's Kickstarter Advice - http://www.jamesmathe.com/category/kickstarter/
John Wrot's Kickstarter Advice - https://www.gatekeepergaming.com/kickstarter-advice-columns/
How To Create A Facebook Group For Your Board Game - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/board-game-facebook-group-guide/
The Game Crafter's Convention Sponsorships - https://help.thegamecrafter.com/article/116-events 
Viticulture Board Game - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/128621/viticulture

Ep 11: How To Market Your Kickstarter With Little To No Money

Have you ever wondered how to market your boardgame if you have an extremely limited marketing budget? Well, Andrew, SEO Wizard Rick and Sexy Irish Sean give you some top tips to help you on your crowdfunding journey! They discuss some of the worst marketing advice they have ever received and explain how to do self-promotion in Facebook groups.
Episode 11
00:02:50 - How To Market Your Kickstarter With Little To No Money00:04:30 - Marketing Advice From Andrew's Mom00:06:50 - Time Or Money00:07:40 - How Long Does It Take To Build A Following?00:10:30 - The Worst Marketing Advice Andrew Has Received00:13:54 - The Worst Marketing Advice Rick Has Received00:20:15 - Where People Go Wrong When They Don't Hire Expert Marketers 00:23:30 - The Worst Marketing Advice Sean Has Received00:24:13 - You Need A Facebook Group About Your Kickstarter00:26:00 - How To Know If You Are Spamming People00:28:30 - How To Do Organic Kickstarter Marketing In Facebook Groups00:31:30 - Optimize Your Personal Facebook Profile00:34:26 - How To Find The Right Facebook Groups To Do Self-Promotion 00:41:15 - Boosting Posts?00:41:50 - Use Mailchimp For Free Email Marketing 00:43:15 - Landing Page Options00:47:22 - The Summary
ShownotesDice Tower - https://www.dicetower.com/Quackalope - https://quackalope.com/Mailchimp Email Marketing - https://mailchimp.com/Wix - https://www.wix.com/Weebly - https://www.weebly.com/?lang=enBandzoogle - https://bandzoogle.com/

Ep 10: What Matters Most To Backers On Your Kickstarter Page With Jeremy Howard

Jeremy Howard of ManVsMeeple joins the Crowdfunding Nerds this week to explain what elements make a useful Kickstarter page!
Episode 10
00:01:11 - What Type Of Things Are You Looking For On A Kickstarter Page?00:06:15 - Playthrough Videos?00:09:07 - The Best Marketing By Far00:10:55 - Understanding Buying Signals00:11:59 - Hygiene Factors00:16:04 - Do I Need Big Name Reviewers?00:19:24 - Does Jeremy Howard Review Games He Does Not Like?00:23:00 - How To Find Suitable Reviewers 00:28:45 - How Much Notice Do You Need To Give A Reviewer?00:32:00 - Minimum Quality Of Prototypes For Pre-Viewers?00:35:48 - How To Build A Community Around Your Game00:43:03 - Does Jeremy Howard Do Kickstarter Page Audits? 00:44:00 - How To Find Jeremy Howard
 
Show NotesManVsMeeple - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTU7xJi9dBQIcBeUFLpWGUAPrimal The Awakening - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/reggiegames/primal-the-awakening?ref=discovery&term=primal%20the%20awakeningThe King of Average - https://www.youtube.com/c/TheKingofAverage/featuredWhat Your Turn! - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUR8rBizfHbB_vU-0pr-vJwOne Stop Co-op Shop - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrOtGhui_jdLdoQNI7PU4PgBargain Quest - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/223740/bargain-questZee Garcia (Dice Tower) - https://www.dicetower.com/team-members/zee-garcia Board Game Reviewers & Media -https://www.facebook.com/groups/boardgamereviewerGama Expo - https://www.gama.orgRobert Geistlinger (Director of Marketing at Arcane Wonders) - https://www.dicetower.com/contributors/robert-geistlingerJambalaya Plays Games Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/119149332052973

Ep 9: Kickstarter Mental Health: What You Need To Know & How To Prepare

On this week's episode of Crowdfunding Nerds Andrew, SEO Wizard Rick and Sexy Irish Sean talk about the important topic of Mental Health during a Kickstarter campaign.
Episode 900:01:34 - The Stress Of Kickstarter00:04:07 - Time Spent On Kickstarter Projects 00:09:18 - The No Plan, Plan00:11:35 - Toxic Kickstarter Comments 00:19:10 - Will You Ever Feel Ready For Kickstarter?00:22:02 - Just Do It00:23:56 - Surround Yourself With People Who Support You00:34:17 - Be Intentional With Social Media00:40:40 - Dealing With Stress00:41:28 - Kickstarter & Yelp Reviews00:42:50 - Be Transparent With Your Fans
Show NotesDealing With The Mental Strain Of Catastrophic Kickstarter Success - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode5/

Ep 8: Sean's Lessons Learned From 3 Months In Crowdfunding

SEO Wizard Rick answers some Google Analytics questions while Sexy Irish Sean explains what he has learned since joining the Next Level Web team. 
Episode 800:01:11 - Sean's SEO Question00:02:38 - Google Analytics Alternatives00:03:50 - Does Google Analytics Slow Your Website Down?00:07:38 - Managing Kickstarter Expectations 00:17:20 - Thinking Like An Entrepreneur00:20:23 - How Long Do You Test Facebook Ads?00:23:59 - When Do You Start Using Lookalike Audience Facebook Ads? 00:24:07 - Can You Copy Ads Into Lookalike Sets? 00:26:34 - How Do You Tweak Ads? 00:31:17 - The Popularity Of Board Games00:44:48 - The Importance Of A Landing Page & Automation
Ahrefs - https://ahrefs.com/Keyword Rank Checker -https://ahrefs.com/keyword-rank-checkerNext Level Web - https://nextlevelweb.com/kickstarter-marketing-services/Cmon - https://www.cmon.com/Mythic Games - https://mythicgames.net/Roxley - https://roxley.com/DIE in the Dungeon! - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fundamentalgames/die-in-the-dungeonTabletop Games Blow Away Old REcord On Kickstarter In 2020 - https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/47413/tabletop-games-blow-away-old-record-kickstarter-2020Gamefound - https://gamefound.com/Games Workshop - https://www.games-workshop.com/Wizards Of The Coast - https://company.wizards.com/Hasbro - https://products.hasbro.com/en-gb

Ep 7: How Do You Know If Your Facebook Ads Are Worth It?

Rick has some technical issues in this episode of Crowdfunding Nerds, while Andrew and Sean discuss how to measure the success of Facebook ads for Kickstarter. 
Episode 700:02:14 - How To Know If Your Facebook Ads Are Effective 00:06:55 - What Is A Lead?00:10:22 - How To Measure Facebook Ad Leads During A Kickstarter Campaign00:13:29 - Why You Should Not Use Facebook "Lead Ads"00:15:45 - Benchmarks Of Effective Leads00:24:29 - Post-Campaign Metrics Of Success00:27:30 - Do The Math00:31:30 - Opportunity Cost00:32:48 - Break-Even Is Good00:34:00 - The Kickstarter Snowball Effect 00:37:59 - Kickstarter Pre-Landing Page Conversion Rate
Kingdom Rush On Gamefound - https://gamefound.com/projects/draft/lsay0az391y5ugx0c17q2exj7te?project=kingdom-rush-elemental-uprising&creator=Lucky-Duck-Games#/
Fallen Land - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1086556541/fallen-land-2nd-edition-big-box-and-descendants-expansion?ref=727rl1&token=e7dc8e7d
Cryptid Cafe - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/squatchygames/cryptid-cafe?ref=3hxmi5
Kickstarter Referal Metrics Explained - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/kickstarter-referrals-explained-deep-dive-into-4-tabletop-campaigns-that-funded-successfully/
Verge Games A Christmas Carol Adventure - https://vergegames.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
How To Craft Your Kickstarter Offer -https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode3/
Board Game Design Starter Kit - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gabebarrett/board-game-design-starter-kit?ref=discovery&term=Board%20Game%20Design%20Starter%20Kit%20

Ep 6: Marketing With Gabe Barrett Of The Board Game Design Lab

The Crowdfunding Nerds are joined by Gabe Barrett of the Board Game Design Lab this week. They discuss email lead generation through cold calling, how to engage a Facebook group community, and more! 
Episode 600:01:40 – How Did Gabe Barrett Get Into Game Design?00:03:14 - Who Is Gabe Barrett?00:04:22 - Best Board Game Design Lab Episode00:05:50 – Email Cold Calling (Pitching) 00:14:00 – What Gabe Barrett Likes To See When People Email Him 00:17:59 – A Podcast Topic Gabe Barrett Hates 00:21:12 – Game Design Coaching 00:22:32 – Gabe Barrett’s Business Plan00:25:42 – What Gabe Barrett Would Do If Starting From The Beginning Again00:27:04 – The Board Game Design Lab Website00:30:50 – Common Board Game Design Issues For First Time Developers 00:35:00 – Social Media Marketing Tips00:36:26 – How Gabe Barrett Got Into Publishing Board Games  00:39:00 – How Gabe Barrett Got Into Coaching 00:39:50 - How To Get People Excited About Your Board Game00:42:20 - Facebook Group Advice00:44:16 – Gabe Barrett’s Strengths 00:45:40 – Advice To Aim Lower 
Board Game Design Lab - https://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/Barrett Publishing - https://barrettpublishing.com/Jamey Stegmaier On The Board Game Design Lab Podcast - https://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/what-you-wish-you-would-have-known/Riot Games Origins Story With Marc Merrill - https://youtu.be/5OsFytuMmk8Jamey Stegmaier KS Lessons - https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter/full-list-chronological/James Mathe Kickstarter Advice - http://www.jamesmathe.com/category/kickstarter/

Ep5: 4.5 Things You Need To Plan Before Going To Kickstarter

Andrew, Rick and Sexy Irish Sean of Crowdfunding Nerds discuss 4.5 things you need to plan for before you launch on Kickstarter.They also cover if you should ever delay your launch or limit your pledges.
Episode 500:00:44 – Episode Overview00:01:30 – Delaying Your Launch00:03:20 – Fallen Land00:04:25 – Freelancers RPG00:07:00 – Kickstarter Is A Proof Of Concept00:14:45 – 4.5 Scenarios00:16:15 – Catastrophic Success00:21:30 – Should You Limit Your Pledges?00:24:32 – Funded Decently Well00:28:38 – Barely Funded00:37:05 – Failed To Fund00:40:30 – Close To Funding
Fallen Land Live On Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1086556541/fallen-land-2nd-edition-big-box-and-descendants-expansion?ref=727rl1&token=e7dc8e7d
Freelancers RPG: https://freelancersrpg.com/
Day of The Dragon: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/beawesomegames/day-of-dragons
Burning Kickstarter Comic Books: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/73258510/sad-pictures-for-children/posts/759318#comments
White Wizard Games: https://www.whitewizardgames.com/
Ascension Tactics: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ascensiontactics/ascension-tactics-the-deckbuilding-miniatures-game
Patato Salad By Zack Danger Brown: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zackdangerbrown/potato-salad
The Oatmeal Web Comic: https://theoatmeal.com/
Gamefound: https://gamefound.com/
Pledge Manager: https://www.pledgemanager.com/
BackerKit: https://www.backerkit.com/
JetBacker: https://platform.jetbacker.com/

Ep4: Gamefound vs Kickstarter

In episode 4 of Crowdfunding Nerds, Andrew, Rick and Sexy Irish Sean compare the new crowdfunding site, Gamefound, with Kickstarter. They also discuss manufactured urgency vs. legitimate urgency with regards to crowdfunding. 
 
Episode 400:03:14 – Episode Overview00:03:43 – What is Manufactured Urgency?00:07:50 – What is Legitimate Urgency?00:15:40 – Positive Use of Early Bird Implementation00:20:18 – What is Gamefound?00:21:21 – Pledge Manager Vs a Store00:23:19 – How Easy Is It To Integrate A Pledge Manager?00:26:25 - Unique Features of Gamefound00:31:22 – What’s Next For Gamefound?00:32:12 - Gamefound Affiliate Marketing00:35:06 – Rick’s Master Plan For Gamefound00:36:27 – Gamefound Vulnerabilities00:39:30 – Will Andrew Use Gamefound For His Boardgame?00:40:49 - Things We Like About Gamefound
 
 Website - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/crowdfundingnerds  SHOW NOTES - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode4
 
Facebook Groups - https://www.facebook.com/groups/crowdfundingnerds

Ep3: How To Craft Your Kickstarter Offer

In episode 3 of Crowdfunding Nerds, Andrew, Rick, and Sexy Irish Sean do a deep dive into your crowdfunding offer.When it comes to your offer, buyer’s remorse, shipping, and manufacturing must all be considered when crafting your Kickstarter landing page.
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Episode 300:00:36 – Episode Overview00:01:33 – Building A PC00:02:55 – Kickstarter And Comic Books?00:06:55 – The Offer00:08:40 – Price00:10:44 – Failed Offers00:11:56 – Warning Signs Of A Poor Offer00:13:18 – Buyer’s Remorse00:21:20 – Kickstarter Recourse?00:23:14 – Shipping Dates00:26:02 – The Goal Of The Offer00:28:39 – Manufacturing00:31:30 – Game Design And The Offer00:35:44 – Kickstarter Has Evolved00:37:05 - Crafting Future Offers00:39:21 – Different People And Your Offer00:40:58 – Customised Offers00:46:00 – Marketing Can’t Help A Sinking Ship00:47:40 – You Need Multiple Products
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 Website - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/crowdfundingnerds SHOW NOTES - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode3