Crowdfunding Nerds: Kickstarter Marketing, Business, & Beyond!

Ep 36: Essential Lessons From The Video Game Industry

What can board game developers learn from the current state of the video game industry? In this episode, the Crowdfunding Nerds talk about the importance of community and authenticity within game development.
00:01:21 - Current State of The Video Game Industry00:03:44 - By Corporations For Consumers 00:06:43 - Gabe Newell On Game Development00:09:33 - Using Game Development As Marketing 00:14:18 - Using Tabletop Simulator In Development/Marketing00:16:20 - No One Knows Your Product Better Than You00:17:19 - Building Up Your Community00:21:12 - The Most Valuable Thing Said On The Episode00:23:47 -When To Delete Comments 00:28:05 - Act Like A Fan of Your Own Game00:28:05 - Don't Surround Yourself With "Yes People."
Show Notes:Asmongold Video - https://youtu.be/kbBgOiqIrjoGabe Newell FULL Interview 2021 - https://youtu.be/Pl80LvMsnfo

Ep 35: The Tabletop Games That Don't Do Well On Kickstarter

The Crowdfunding Nerds dive into the types of games that generally don't do well on Kickstarter. They also explore the importance of building a brand and nurturing a community around our game. 
00:01:16 - Game That Don't Need Any Effort To Get Funded00:07:45 - What Does Not Funding On Kickstarter Mean?00:09:15 - Examples Of Games With Clear Target Markets 00:15:02 - Types Of Games That Generally Don't Do Well On Kickstarter 00:26:06 - Example Of A Big IP Doing Poorly On Kickstarter00:26:32 - Impact Of Influencers And Community On Game Development 00:36:42 - Treat Your Game Like A Band00:40:45 - Don't Use Game Mechanics As The Selling Point00:43:15 - Alternatives To Kickstarter00:44:09 - When Games Should Do Well On Kickstarter But Don't Shownotes
Steve Jackson on Game Design - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBAjrTxrgEsA Christmas Carol Adventure - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vergegames/a-christmas-carol-adventureBIRDIE! The Disc Golf Board Game - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bodabrothers/birdie-the-disc-golf-board-gameDistilled: A Spirited Strategy Game - https://distilledgame.com/pre-order/GameVaults: World of Warcraft® Edition - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gamevaults/gamevaults-world-of-warcraft-edition/Blizzard HATES Asmongold!? OG WoW Lead Dev Fires Back after Leak - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbBgOiqIrjoAuroboros: Coils of the Serpent - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/warchief/auroboros
 

Ep 34: Major Kickstarter Mistakes You Need To Learn From

On this weeks episode the Crowdfunding Nerds go over some real life blunders Kickstarter hopefuls have fallen prey to.
00:01:36 – Be Careful Launching Massive Miniatures!00:06:18 – Kickstarter Is Getting More Strict With Project Approvals00:12:43 – Dangers Of Not Incorporating As A Business00:19:31 – Slow Down & Communicate Clearly00:23:52 – Get Your Numbers Right00:26:07 – How Many Manufacturing Quotes Do You Need?00:32:54 – You Need Shipping Estimates00:35:32 – You Need A Back Up Plan00:39:08 – Scale With Results00:40:53 – Failing To Communicate With Fans
Shownotes 
4.5 Outcomes You Need To Consider Before Going To Kickstarter - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode5/
Jamy Stegmaiers’ KS Lessons - https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter/full-list-chronological/
Board Game Design Lab - https://boardgamedesignlab.com/
James Mathe Game Manufacturers List - http://www.jamesmathe.com/hitchhikers-guide-to-game-manufacturers/
LongPack Games - https://www.longpackgames.com/
Quartermaster Logistics - https://www.qmlogistics.com/
ShipQuest - https://www.shipquest.co.uk/

Ep 33: Reflections After A Successful Kickstarter – What Worked Best

Andrew discusses the various successes and challenges he faced during his Deliverance Kickstarter campaign. As well as the Crowdfunding nerds talk about iOS 14 and the issues its causing.
00:01:15 – iOS 14 Update & Facebook Issues For Kickstarter00:10:16 – iOS 14 Update & Pledge Managers00:17:12 – Kickstarter Expectations00:18:43 – Kickstarter’s Pound of Flesh00:22:09 – Anomalies In Kickstarter’s Ranking System00:27:22 – Kickstarter Regrets?00:30:23 – Emotional State After A Kickstarter Campaign00:33:10 – Challenges In The Last Week of A Kickstarter Campaign00:39:16 – The Impact of Facebook Ads On A Live Campaign00:42:25 – Back Up Your Emails00:44:56 – The Most Effective Ads For Kickstarter
Shownotes
Backerkit - https://www.backerkit.com/
Kickstarter Referrals Explained - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/kickstarter-referrals-explained-deep-dive-into-4-tabletop-campaigns-that-funded-successfully/
Planet Unknown - https://www.kicktraq.com/projects/adamsapplegames/planet-unknown/

Ep 32: Interviewing Ant Lab Games: Part 2 – Dealing With Community Toxicity

Anthony and Frances of Ant Lab Games join the Crowdfunding Nerds in part 2 to discuss dealing with community and social media toxicity as a board game publisher.
00:01:32 - YouTube Views Don’t Necessarily Show An Engaged Community00:04:35 – How To Quantify Value From Content Creators00:07:49 – Find Content Creators Who Know Their Audience00:13:13 – How To Deal With Community Toxicity00:24:13 – Understanding Monetized Controversy00:24:53 – Community Toxicity Has Little Impact On Sales00:30:39 – How To Deal With Community Criticism00:34:32 – Be Careful Deleting Posts00:43:37 – Why Content Creators Are Very Careful When Describing Your Kickstarter Board Game

Ep 31: Interviewing Ant Lab Games: What To Look For In Content Creators Who Review Board Games (Part 1)

Anthony and Frances of Ant Lab Games join the Crowdfunding Nerds to give you an inside look into the process of Kickstarter board game review videos.
00:03:36 - What Is Ant Lab Games?00:10:18 – What Makes People Watch Review Videos Longer?00:18:41 – Ant Lab Games Production Process00:21:05 – What Not To Do When Reaching Out To Review Content Creators00:23:44 – How Long Does It Take To Make A Review Video?00:27:45 – The Value Of An Engaged Content Creator Community00:31:43 – Does Ant Lab Refuse To Review Some Games?00:38:34 – How Publishers Quantify Value From Board Game Review Videos
ShownotesAnt Lab Games - http://antlabgames.com/
Liege of Games - https://www.youtube.com/c/Li%C3%A8geofGames/featured

Ep 30: 5 MORE Profitable Things You Can Do During Your Kickstarter Mid-Campaign Slump

In part 2 the Crowdfunding nerds continue the discussion of how to boost your Kickstarter campaign during the mid-slump.
00:05:26 - Keep Your Review Prototypes In Constant Motion00:11:49 – Tips On Choosing Reviewers00:15:48 – How To Ask Friends And Family For Support00:23:54 – Post Relevant Things In Social Communities00:29:33 – Take A Break00:32:40 – Leveraging Tabletop Simulator00:43:03 – Write A Helpful Article For Your Peers00:46:29 – Social Stretch Goals
 
Show Notes
What Matters Most To Backers On Your Kickstarter Page With Jeremy Howard - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode10/Organically Engage A Facebook Community With Your Board Game - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode17/Tabletopia - https://tabletopia.com/G2A - https://www.g2a.com/Kinguin - https://www.kinguin.net/Deliverance - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lowenhigh/deliverance-board-game

Ep 29: 5 Profitable Things You Can Do During Your Kickstarter Mid-Campaign Slump

Andrew had the privilege of writing an article for Jamey Stegmaier on how to boost the number of pledges during your mid-campaign slump on Kickstarter. The nerds go into further details.
00:03:32 – Does Success Build Upon Itself?00:06:23 - Focus On People Who Advocate For You00:12:23 – What Has Produced The Most Results So Far?00:16:44 – How To Select Review Quotes For Your Kickstarter Page00:19:18 – Send Emails To Your List00:24:07 – Create A Premium Pledge Level00:28:13 – Why You Need A $1 Pledge On Your Kickstarter Page00:31:55 – Tips On Influencer Marketing00:44:01 – What To Do If You Are Losing Backers
 
Show Notes10 Actionable Ideas to Boost Your Kickstarter Funding Mid-Campaign - https://stonemaiergames.com/10-actionable-ideas-to-boost-your-kickstarter-funding-mid-campaign/Marketing With Gabe Barrett Of The Board Game Design Lab - https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode6/
Deliverance: The Game of Spiritual Warfare - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lowenhigh/deliverance-board-game/

Ep 28: How Deliverance Raised $39,000 On Kickstarter in 8 Minutes

Andrew has been developing Deliverance for 5 years and has finally launched on Kickstater! Having raised $39,000 in 8 minutes he explains how he got to this point.
00:01:46 - How Are You Feeling?00:04:33 – How Did You Come Up With A Funding Goal?00:07:41 - How Long Did It Take You Get Get Prepared For Kickstarter?00:11:12 – What Was The Open Rate Of Your Live Kickstarter Email?00:16:11 – How Has Your Family Reacted To Your Kickstarter?00:19:35 – How Did You Launch?00:25:36 – What Didn’t Go Right?00:28:28 – Don’t Feed The Trolls00:32:04 – Define Your Target Audience00:38:53 – Using Kicktraq00:41:47 – What Has Moved The Needle The Most?

Ep 27: Are Your Manufacturing Numbers Right For Kickstarter?

The Crowdfunding Nerds are at it again with some great advice when it comes to the manufacturing and shipping of your Kickstarter project.
00:02:36 – Exclude Countries From My Kickstarter?00:04:17 – Countries That Can’t Use Kickstarter00:07:30 – 5 Board Games Andrew Would Grab When Leaving The House In An Emergency00:07:53 – The Excel Wizard 00:18:07 -19% VAT?00:19:35 – How Not To Shoot Yourself In The Foot … Or Head00:21:52 – Income Tax00:22:51 – State Sales Tax?00:23:19 – Even More VAT!00:26:26 – Understanding BackerKit fees 00:29:45 – Kickstarter Is Not A Get Rich Quick Scheme00:35:55 - Tips To Cut Costs With Manufacturing00:41:58 – What Can The Market Bear?
Show Notes https://www.piecekeepergames.com/ https://www.backerkit.com/ https://chiptheorygames.com/