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



Wednesday Dec 29, 2021
Ep 54: Looking Back - A Year Of Crowdfunding Nerds Podcasting
Wednesday Dec 29, 2021
Wednesday Dec 29, 2021
The nerds look back at a year of podcasting while highlighting their favorite moments!00:00:49 – Favorite Moments00:16:54 – Favorite Podcast Episode00:23:44 – The Facebook Group Is Growing00:27:07 – Favorite Campaign We Promoted00:31:34 – Favorite Moment In Deliverance Campaign00:37:45 – Last Year's Best Learning Experience00:44:49 – Biggest Surprises Of Last YearShownotesEpisode 0 - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode0Rick’s Troll Eating - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode28/Are Your Manufacturing Numbers Right For Kickstarter? - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode27/Gamefound’s Vision of Crowdfunding (VAT) - https://gamefound.com/blog/post/our-vision-of-the-future-of-crowdfundingThe Virtuous Cycle Of Kickstarter Marketing - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode14/Organically Engage A Facebook Community With Your Board Game - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode17/Interviewing Ant Lab Games: What To Look For In Content Creators Who Review Board Games - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode31/Marketing With Gabe Barrett Of The Board Game Design Lab - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode6/Gamefound: Behind The Scenes With CEO Marcin Świerkot - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode49/How To Run A Successful Tabletop Business With Chris Birch Of Modiphius Entertainment - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode50/Distilled - https://distilledgame.com/A Christmas Carol Adventure Book - https://vergegames.org/all-products/p/christmas-carol-adventure-bookA Christmas Carol RPG Kickstarter Case Study - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIPQJhjU6UQSkyrim On Gamefound - https://gamefound.com/projects/modiphius/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-the-board-gameWhat We Learned From A Facebook Ads Master And How It Relates To Kickstarter - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode23/



Wednesday Dec 22, 2021
Ep 53: Bonus Episode With Andrew - How To Engage Your Board Game Community
Wednesday Dec 22, 2021
Wednesday Dec 22, 2021
In this Christmas special Andrew goes solo mode and tackles the important topic of how to engage your community before your crowdfunding event!
00:02:02 – The Role Of Marketing For Your Kickstarter00:04:28 – How To Stand Out On Kickstarter00:08:13 – How To Get Your Community Excited About Your Project00:17:03 – Picking Your Community Platform00:19:11 – The Key To Communication00:22:48 – Become The Face Of Your Company00:25:37 – Involve Your Fans00:27:27 – How To Write Engaging Emails For Your Community00:31:18 – Don’t Stretch Yourself Too Thin



Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
Ep 52: 2022 Crowdfunding Predictions & Forecasts For Tabletop Marketing
Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
The crowdfunding nerds wrap up a year of podcast with their predictions & forecasts for 2022. Who will be right? Will they all be wrong? Time will tell...
00:01:45 – Prediction Vs Forecasting00:09:38 - SEO Wizard Rick’s Predictions for 202200:15:49 – Andrew’s Prediction For 202200:19:47 – Richards Fiscal Cliff Song00:21:00 – South Africa’s Economic Hardships00:26:29 – Richard’s Girlfriend Is A Snoop00:27:25 – Buy Now Pay Later00:32:51 – Andrew’s Final Prediction About Distributors00:35:02 – Sean’s Suspicion of 2022 Manufacturing00:37:43 – German Manufacturing?
Shownotes
Times Magazine On China - http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,165453,00.html
Ludo Fact Manufacturing - https://ludofact.de/en/



Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
The Crowdfunding Nerds answer some questions from the Crowdfunding Nerds Facebook Group that you now need to be in if you are a regular listener; otherwise, you will be labeled a loser.
00:01:31 - Facebook Support Is Meh 00:06:45 - Crowdfunding Nerds Facebook Community 00:07:41 - Have Multiple Admins In Your Facebook Group 00:10:00 - The Group Rules 00:13:24 - Answer Automated Questions 00:15:22 - Why We Created The Facebook Community 00:16:58 - Community Question About Gamefound 00:25:29 - Gamefound For Marketing Not Crowdfunding 00:32:17 - How Do You Even Start Calculating International Shipping? 00:37:03 - Personal Goals For The Rest of 2021
Shownotes
Crowdfunding Nerds Kickstarter Marketing Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/383263609608760
Tabletop Game Kickstarter Advice Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/TabletopKickstarters
Board Game Design Lab Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/281973812325263
Wheaton's Law - https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/wheatons-law
Gamefound: Behind The Scenes With CEO Marcin Świerkot - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode49/
How To Run A Successful Tabletop Business With Chris Birch Of Modiphius Entertainment - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode50/
ShipQuest - https://www.shipquest.co.uk/
VFI Asia - http://vfi.asia/
Happyshops - https://www.happyshops.com/index.php?cmd=fulfillment&fulfillmentLanguage=EN



Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
Christ Birch, co-founder of Modiphius Entertainment joins the Crowdfunding Nerds to discuss the business of tabletop crowdfunding, licensing, and distribution.
00:01:40 – How To Transition From Hobby To Business? 00:08:55 – Dealing With Business Success00:19:55 – How To Get Into Licencing Intellectual Properties00:27:41 - How To Develop Tabletop Games For Large IPs00:31:52 – Survey Your Community / Customers 00:35:34 – Have Realistic Goals For Crowdfunding 00:39:09 – Think About Retail When Planning Your Crowdfunding Project 00:45:34 – Getting Into Distribution 00:49:19 – The Biggest Challenge In Marketing Skyrim The Adventure Game
ShownotesSkyrim on Gamefound - https://gamefound.com/projects/modiphius/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-the-board-game?refcode=Jq0R6pNfukOyUuxnjzkuNQ
Thunderbirds Board Game - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/modiphius/the-thunderbirds-co-operative-board-game-by-matt-l
Modiphius.net - https://www.modiphius.net/Modiphius.us - https://modiphius.us/



Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Ep 49: Gamefound: Behind The Scenes with CEO Marcin Świerkot
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
The Crowdfunding Nerds are joined by Marcin Świerkot, CEO of Gamefound to get a behind the scenes look into their plans for the future within the Board Gaming and Tabletop space.
00:01:19 – How did Gamefound come about?00:07:22 – Gamefound Community Groups & Social Badges?00:10:53 – Gamefound’s Early Bird Features00:13:31 – Gamefound & The Facebook Pixel00:15:35 – What Is Responsible For Kickstarter’s Traffic?00:20:17 – To Succeed With Crowdfunding You Can’t Be Average Any more00:21:05 – Gamefound Affiliate Links For Board Game Reviewers00:27:00 – Gamefound & iOS 1400:29:14 – Facebook Ads Scaling Issues00:33:05 – Marcin Świerkot’s Conspiracy Theory
Shownotes
Gamefound - https://gamefound.com/creators/becomeacreator#/Awaken Realms - https://awakenrealms.com/Biggercake - https://www.biggercake.com/Google Header Bid Lawsuit - https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1328941/download



Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Ep. 48 You Have To Bring A Crowd To Crowdfund
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
The Crowdfunding Nerds discuss the necessity of going to Kickstarter or Gamefound with a highly engaged community.
00:02:19 – What Is / Is Not A Community00:06:08 – Gamefound Interview: Ask Your Questions!00:06:43 – What Works When Communicating With Your Community 00:09:32 – Make Your Crowdfunding Project Their Project00:10:41 – How Much Power Should You Give Your Community?00:12:57 – When Should You Reply To Your Community00:16:49 – Is It Possible To Grow A Community Without Money?00:22:50 – Give Yourself Time To Build A Community 00:27:33 – Work Out Who Are Your Super Fans And Leverage Them 00:33:08 – Understanding Kickstarter’s Algorithm 00:34:37 – Dealing With Spam In Your Community 00:37:07 – Why Should Your Community Care About Your Posts? 00:40:17 – How To Handel Your Community After Crowdfunding
ShownotesArydia Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/faroffgames/arydia-the-paths-we-dare-tread



Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
Ep 47: Marketing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim The Adventure Game On Gamefound
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
The Crowdfunding Nerds talk about the advantages and challenges of marketing a large IP board game like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim The Adventure Game.
00:03:08 – Marketing Our First Gamefound Project00:03:43 – Gamefound & Facebook Ads Manager00:09:34 – Community Lurking: Understanding Buyers Objections 00:11:50 – Board Game Reviews Vs Board Game Commentary 00:13:55 – How To Deal With Passive-Aggressive Comments 00:19:42 – Advantages To Marketing Small IP Board Games00:31:19 – Don’t Assume Reviewers Understand The Board Game Industry 00:34:38 – Don’t Try To Please Everyone00:37:26 – Mandatory 2FA & ID Verification
Shownotes
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim The Adventure Game - https://gamefound.com/projects/modiphius/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-the-board-game?refcode=Jq0R6pNfukOyUuxnjzkuNQ
Alex, BoardGameCo - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUKEGjiSoFnemBsCLKrdeJA
IGN Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNUYzXrAvPo
Google’s Mandatory 2FA - https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/327922-google-will-start-enabling-2-step-verification-for-everyone-soon



Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
The Crowdfunding Nerds continue their discussion with Eric Geller of Quest & Cannons in Part 2 where pledge managers are covered! 00:00:49 – What Brought Traffic To Notify Me On Launch Page?00:01:50 – Did You Pay For Reviewers? 00:05:02 – Engaging Board Game Reviewer Communities 00:09:24 – Lessons Learned From Backerkit ROAS00:14:47 – Pokemon Red & Blue FTW00:19:32 – Building Your Brand00:20:39 – Eric’s Thoughts On Backerkit00:22:44 – What Are Backerkit Surveys? 00:27:18 – Using A Pledge Manager To Future Proof Shipping Costs
Shownotes
Backerkit - https://www.backerkit.com/Quakalope - https://quackalope.com/



Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
A discussion with Eric Geller of Quest & Cannons (Kickstarter) who launched a successful Kickstarter on Kickstarter joins the Crowdfunding Nerds to discuss said Kickstarter.
00:02:44 – From Idea To Game00:06:48 – How To Leverage Your Wife In Game Design 00:10:27 – How To Make People Care About Your Game00:15:43 – How To Do Market Research00:17:27 – Advice To First Time Creators 00:20:07 – The Most Effective Facebook Ad For Quest & Cannons00:21:48 – Why Did You Hire Crowdfunding Nerds To Manage Your Ads?00:23:34 – What Other Services Did Your Hire Out?00:24:35 – How Did Quest & Cannons Do On Kickstarter?00:28:42 – How To Set Up A Review Campaign
Shownotes
Quests & Cannons: The Risen Islands - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/short-hop-games/quests-and-cannonsVirtuous Cycle of Kickstarter Marketing - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode14/4.5 Outcomes You Need To Consider Before Going To Kickstarter - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode5/Short Hop Games Self-Publishing Diaries - https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/10549










