Crowdfunding Nerds: Kickstarter Marketing, Business, & Beyond!
Crowdfunding Nerds is a practical, behind-the-scenes podcast for creators looking to launch and scale successful crowdfunding campaigns. Since 2019, the Crowdfunding Nerds team has helped creators raise over $40M on Kickstarter and Gamefound while generating more than $100M in ecommerce sales.
From pre-launch strategy to post-campaign growth, the show delivers real-world marketing insights, campaign breakdowns, and lessons from both first-time creators and major IPs like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Fallout, Dune, and Star Trek.
Whether you're preparing for your first Kickstarter or optimizing your next launch, this podcast helps you do it smarter.
Listen on:
Episodes
Episodes
Monday Sep 12, 2022
Monday Sep 12, 2022
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
Tuesday Sep 06, 2022
Tuesday Sep 06, 2022
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
Monday Aug 29, 2022
Monday Aug 29, 2022
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/
Monday Aug 22, 2022
Monday Aug 22, 2022
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/
Monday Aug 15, 2022
Monday Aug 15, 2022
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
Monday Aug 08, 2022
Monday Aug 08, 2022
Jasper Gardener Burch of Pine Island Games and the tabletop game Nut Hunt joins the Crowdfunding Nerds to discuss Facebook advertising mistakes and the science of correctly pricing your pledges on Kickstarter!
00:01:44 – Facebook Ad Mistakes Breakdown00:06:20 – Dangers Of Giveaways In Marketing00:09:00 – Why Email Not Social Media Followers?00:14:18 – Your Domain Health / Personal Tone In Emails00:20:30 – How To Get Retail Backers00:30:29 – How To Price Your Game For Kicstarter00:43:58- How To Save On Freight00:47:16 – Pledge Price Perception
Shownotes
Previous Episode With Jasper - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode85/
Kickstarter In Review Blog – https://www.pineislandgames.com/blog
Lemlist - https://www.lemlist.com/
50 Years of Text Games Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aaronareed/50-years-of-text-games
Crowdfunding Nerds Community – https://www.facebook.com/NerdsCrowdfunding
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
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
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
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/