Crowdfunding has gotten HUGE. Millions upon millions of dollars are pledged every year for board games, and countless projects are launched every week. The board game industry has benefited more from Kickstarter than any other industry, by far. And this has led to a lot of people turning to Kickstarter to bring their game idea to life.
However, running a Kickstarter is a full-time job. It takes an insane number of hours to get a campaign ready to launch, and it’s more like running a business than anything else. It’s not magic. It’s work.
You’ll notice that this section is GIGANTIC. I combed through thousands of articles to narrow this section down to just a few hundred. But there are this many links for a reason: Running a Kickstarter is extremely difficult. Anyone can launch a campaign, but it takes a crazy amount of work to be successful.
Do not take any of this lightly.
Contents
- Start Here
- Launch Guides
- Case Studies
- Long Before Launch (The Slow Build)
- Long Before Launch (Building a Tribe)
- Long Before Launch (The Money)
- Timing
- Art
- Just Before Launch
- The Project Page
- During the Campaign
- Backers (Customer Experience)
- Backers (Communicating With)
- Backers (Cancellations)
- Backers (Updates)
- Backers (Surveys)
- Getting Reviews
- Reviewers
- Rewards
- Stretch Goals
- After the Campaign
- Shipping
- Legal
- More Reading
Start Here
So You Want to Do a Kickstarter
To Kickstart or Not to Kickstart: The Top 10 Reasons to Launch a Product via Crowdfunding
This One Tip Could Make or Break Your Kickstarter
Top 10 Kickstarter Mistakes to Avoid (Video)
Tabletop Games on Kickstarter from 2014 to 2016: A Must-See Infographic for Project Creators
The Most Dangerous Thing a Creator Can Do
Your Target Audience Is Not “Everyone”
What the Numbers Say about KS Usage
Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned
Crowdfunding Academy Video Series
What Not to Do for a Kickstarter Campaign
5 Google Spreadsheets That Can Help Every Tabletop Game Crowdfunder
Overestimating and Underestimating Your Tribe
The Hidden Job of Every Kickstarter Creator
The Effort to Run a Kickstarter = The Effort to Make a Game
Kickstarter Expert Panel (Video)
Building Success through Failure
How to Run a Board Game Kickstarter (Audio)
The Top 10 Ways to Survive and Thrive on BoardGameGeek
How 3 Current Kickstarter Projects Say, “Trust Me”
Becoming a Publisher vs. Running Kickstarter Projects for Other People
Unique Tactics Used by Recent Crowdfunding Projects
Advertising Your Kickstarter Post-Mortem
Is Now an Okay Time to Launch a Kickstarter Campaign?
What Can Kickstarter Project Videos Learn from Facebook Videos
The Starbucks Inspired Stretch Goal System in Practice
Launch Guides
The Ultimate Kickstarter Checklist
Step-by-Step Guide to Launching a Successful Kickstarter Campaign
Is Return to Dark Tower a Perfect Kickstarter Project?
Case Studies
Data on Kickstarter Success Trends
Our 1st Kickstarter: What Went Wrong (Tau Ceti: Planetary Crisis)
How We Raised Over $100K By Relaunching Our Kickstarter (Tau Ceti: Planetary Crisis)
How we turned $140k on Kickstarter into $40k in debt. And how we broke even.
Genegrafter: A Successful Failure Campaign
5 Kickstarter Mistakes We Made on Euphoria That You Can Avoid (and 1 Regret)
Results of a Money Back Guarantee
Kickstarter Step-by-Step: Making $15,000 in 28 hours
Long Before Launch (The Slow Build)
How to Plan Your Campaign Based on the Numbers
How Long Does It Take to Publish a Game, Anyway?
Picking the Right Name for Your Project
Preparing Your Kickstarter Campaign
Top 10 Websites that Teach You How to Be a Successful Crowdfunder
Top 10 Elements of Kickstarter Projects in 2015
Should Your First Project Be Epic or Humble?
15 Indispensable Tools for Every Kickstarter Creator and Entrepreneur
How to Effectively Research Other Kickstarter Projects
Should You Hire Someone Else to Run Your Crowdfunding Project for You?
Include at Least One Must-Have Component
Should You Offer a Print & Play?
9 Launch Hacks from the Most Successful Board Game Launches on Kickstarter
Can IndieGoGo Bite into the Crowdfunding Market?
Long Before Launch (Building a Tribe)
How to Ensure Kickstarter Success
Getting Buzz for Your Kickstarter (Video)
How to Give and Take Tough-Love Feedback
Long Before Launch (The Money)
Project Budgeting for Tabletop Games (Audio)
How to Budget for Your Game Project
How to Request a Quote from a Manufacturer
Why I Prioritize Paying Freelancers
Getting Quotes and Setting Prices
The 3 Funding Scenarios You Must Plan For
Determining Your Game’s Price for Kickstarter
To Early Bird or Not to Early Bird?
Timing
The Best Time to Announce Your Project
The Psychological Benefits of Launching and Ending a Campaign Within the Same Month
Coordinating Staggered Launch and End Dates
The Profound Impact of Launch Day Timing on Kickstarter
Art
3 Simple Steps to Learn If Your Art Is Good Enough for Kickstarter
Just Before Launch
You Don’t Need to Launch Today
The 7 Mistakes Crowdfunders Make the Day Before They Launch3 Days Until Launch
What Should Be on Your Kickstarter Launch Day Checklist
The Project Page
Starting and Submitting Your Project Page
Anatomy of a Great Kickstarter Project Page
Explaining Why You Need the Funds
Creating a Polished Project Video
When to Use a GIF Instead of a Static Image
The Gameplay or How-to-Use Video
The Psychological Benefits of Showing Your Face
The Psychological Benefits of Framing Your Project’s Potential
How to Include People Who Don’t Know What Kickstarter Is
Finishing Touches: FAQ and Preview
The Value of Agonizing Over Your Project Page
During the Campaign
The 5 Types of Spam That Creators Receive During Crowdfunding Campaigns…and What to Do About It
Understanding the Kickstarter Curve
Dealing with the Campaign Slump
The Top 10 Ways to Address the Mid-Campaign Slump
Paid Advertising and How Backers Find Your Project
My Thoughts on Campaign Boosting Services
Hometown Press and Local Media
Cross-Promotion Between Kickstarter Projects
Using Micro Goals to Generate More Funding
What to Do with 3 Days til a Campaign’s End
What Do Backers Look for When Returning to a Project via the 48-Hour “Remind Me” Message?
Backers (Customer Experience)
It’s Not Kickstarter’s Job to Give You Backers
The 5 Love Languages of Crowdfunding
The 6 Core Philosophies for Great Customer Service
The 10 Elements of Great Customer Service for a Kickstarter Creator
4 More Elements of Great Customer Service
Treat Your Backers as Individuals, Not Numbers
People Are More Compelling Than Numbers
How Visitors View Your Kickstarter Page
How to Be Fair to Backers when You Make a Change
Backers (Communicating With)
Increasing Your Personal Connection with Backers
Flexibility, Filtering, and Responding to Feedback
How Can Backers Effectively Coach Creators?
How to Respond to Happy Backers
When Should You Fire a Customer?
The Vocal Minority vs. the Silent Majority
How to Create Community Through Conversation on Kickstarter
How to Have Fun with Your Backers
The Power of a Personalized Message at First Contact
Backers (Cancellations)
Be Mentally Prepared for Cancellations
Backers (Updates)
The Best Opening Lines for Project Updates and Backer E-mails
What You Should Do for 30 Minutes After Posting a Project Update
Backers (Surveys)
How Can Backers Change Their Addresses?
How to Automate Backer Address Updates
Getting Reviews
Getting Your Board Game Reviewed
Bloggers, Podcasters, and Reviewers
How to Keep from Driving Reviewers Away
5 Things to Consider Before Sending Your Game to a Reviewer
3 Tips for Prepping a Prototype for Reviewers
4 Different Strategies for Featuring Reviews on Kickstarter
Reviewers
Rewards
Why Every Project Should Have a $1 Reward Level
Focus Your Reward Levels or Lose Backers
Why You Should Limit the Number of Rewards
A Step-by-Step Guide to Pricing Your Core Reward
The Psychological Benefits of Ending Price Points with the Number 9
Reward Levels: The Premium Option
Should You Offer Multiple Copies of Your Product at a Reduced Bundled Price?
The “Everything, Forever” Reward Level
Adding New Rewards During a Campaign
Stretch Goals
The Current State of Stretch Goals
Achievements vs. Stretch Goals
After the Campaign
What to Do When the Campaign Ends
Don’t Quit Your Day Job (and How to Quit Your Day Job)
How to Maximize the New “Spotlight” Feature
The 4 Questions Creators Receive After the Campaign Ends
How Many Units Should You Make?
If You Manufacture in China, Account for Chinese Holidays
Should You Offer the Kickstarter-Exclusive Version of Your Product After the Campaign?
How to Sell the Retail Version of Your Product Online Post-Kickstarter
Selling Inventory vs. Accepting Pre-Orders: A Dual Solution
Starting and Sustaining a Kickstarter-Driven Business (Audio)
How Can Backers Change Their Addresses?
How to Automate Backer Address Updates
Release with a Boom, Not a Whimper
How to Reboot an Unsuccessful Kickstarter Project
Could Kickstarter Become a Board Game Store by 2020
Shipping
Maintaining Peace During Shipping Season
How to Provide “Free” Shipping Worldwide on Kickstarter: A Comprehensive Guide
Lessons Learned: Insights, Mistakes, and Solutions for Offering Worldwide Shipping on Kickstarter
Making a Project Is EU Friendly
8 Shipping Partners in the EU for Kickstarter Reward Fulfillment
Best International Shipping Companies
4 Shipping Partners for Australia, New Zealand, and Asia
3 Crowdfunding Fulfillment Shipping Partners in Canada
Everything I Learned About Shipping I Learned in Tuscany
Why I’m Done Selling Through Amazon FBA
Insights from Fulfilling Scythe, Part 1
Insights from Fulfilling Scythe, Part 2
Legal
The 4 Legal Issues Every Kickstarter Creator Should Know
Everything a Kickstarter Creator Needs to Know About Trademark Law
Everything a Kickstarter Creator Needs to Know About Copyrights
What to Do If You Receive a Cease & Desist Letter Concerning Your Kickstarter
More Reading
How to Run a Game Expansion Kickstarter Campaign
10 Things to Do at Home to Become a Better KS Creator
The Astounding Payday Effect on Kickstarter
Lessons Learned from Quitting Kickstarter
How to Make a Beautiful Board Game Box
3 Intriguing Kickstarter Strategies in 3 Minutes
Kickstarter Fulfillment Explained in One Simple Infographic
Interview with Elan Lee, Co-Creator of Throw Throw Burrito and Exploding Kittens