Ever thought of running a Kickstarter campaign? Here is what you need to do first
I learned a lot this year running a successful Kickstarter campaign for Relics of Rajavihara, along with assisting publishers on campaigns for two of my other games, and I wanted to share all the insights I picked up with you.
So, over the next few months, I’m going to be writing some articles that dive deeper into various important aspects of running a Kickstarter campaign, from setting timelines, to working with manufacturers, to designing a Kickstarter page that makes people want to back your game.
Whether you’re thinking of running a Kickstarter campaign of your own or are just curious what it takes to create one, I’m optimistic you’re going to find a lot of value in these articles.
I’ll start today by sharing some great resources to help you get started.
Meeple Marketing
Nalin Chuapetcharasopon is fairly new to the board game world but she’s got an amazing track record with crowdfunding, helping creators raise over $13 million on Kickstarter and Indiegogo since 2015. She has now combined her love of gaming and her expertise in marketing to help board game creators by providing some amazing tools.
She has a podcast where she interviews creators (I was even a guest), a series of helpful blogs (this link will take you to a great one on using the promo page to market your game), she runs an active Facebook group, and has put together a really cool Game Designer Marketing Toolkit, complete with guides on email marketing, landing pages, advertising, and a whole lot more.
Check out Nalin’s site for a wealth of information on marketing your board game.
Brandon the Game Dev
Brandon Rollins has been making and publishing games for a number of years now. He also runs a consulting agency.
So, he knows a thing or two about marketing board games, especially on Kickstarter.
Check out his site here. You’ll find tons of great game design resources on all sorts of topics, but what you might be most interested in seeing is his great section on how to market and promote your game.
You can even book a free consult call with him to ask him about marketing your game.
Stonemaier Games
No discussion of Kickstarter and game marketing would be complete without mentioning Jamey Stegmaier.
His Kickstarter Lessons Blog walks you through everything, step-by-step, while Jamey’s book, A Crowdfunder’s Strategy Guide, gives you tons of examples and tips in a one-stop resource.
What questions do you have about running a Kickstarter campaign?
Your question might just be featured in an upcoming article.
Leave a comment below and let me know!
Want to know how to launch your game on Kickstarter and keep your campaign running smoothly? Download my free Kickstarter Checklist now!
2 comments
alftalen
Hello, Joe.
Thanks for the effort you put in to share your insights with us. My question is about before running Kickstarter though. Do you need to establish a company to publish games in Kickstarter or you could it as an individual?
Thank you in advance.
Joe Slack
My pleasure, Alftalen!
As long as you can use Kickstarter in your country or region, pretty much anyone of age with a bank account can run a campaign. It’s a good idea to incorporate to keep your personal and business finance separate though. This will also protect you personally, for instance, if your business is sued.