A Brief Guide to Having a Successful Board Game Kickstarter Campaign
Kickstarter is a popular crowdfunding choice for independent board game designers. However, with great power come great challenges. Meaning, with the heavy competition, getting noticed needs detailed planning. The following is your guide to optimise your campaign’s potential for success, in simple steps.
Conduct market research
This step is crucial and inevitable. Pre-launch, identify your game’s niche and know the market. It’s better to do a research on in-demand genres like cooperative games or family games for the project to fill as a gap in the market. What you can do here is to test your idea on social media through surveys, groups, as well as playtesting of your prototype. Thus, you guarantee that your Board Game attracts your niche without saturating the market.
Make a strong video
Visual material is necessary. Your video campaign is as important as the market research. Keep it short, 2 to 3 minutes, and inclusive. Focus on the Gameplay, mechanics, and features. You can start with a hook to catch attention of the viewers. Then, reveal the game in action. The secret is to build authenticity and link it with your backers.
Set realistic goals
This is a critical part, when it comes to the budget, you should set a realistic goal. Take into consideration project production, shipping, and Kickstarter costs (5–10%). Don’t overpromise by setting realistic funding goals that cover the essentials. Moreover, use Stretch Goals (e.g., components or expansions) to encourage pledges beyond the minimum. Look at similar campaigns to set a realistic goal.
Design attractive reward levels
It is recommended among the experts to offer the base game at a discount (20-30% off retail). Additionally, you can add exclusive extras like merch, signed copies or limited editions as higher tiers. Another thing you can add is offer group Pledges for gaming clubs, things like this help foster a sense of community. Also, setting simple pricing and delivery timelines can go a long way and make a significant impact and building trust.
Build pre-launch anticipation
Build your pre-launch hype by releasing a teaser, artwork, and updates on X, Instagram, TikTok, and BoardGameGeek. Engage with communities and collaborate with streamers or influencers for long-term exposure. Building a strong loyal community of followers helps boost your Kickstarter Campaign. Moreover, having an active loyal follower creates early backup.
Optimise your Kickstarter campaign page
Create a visually appealing page that is easy to navigate. Use good quality images of game components and gameplay. Break content into sections like “How to Play” and “Why Back This Project.” Highlight unique features to differentiate your game. Make the text short and scannable for quick reading. You can add a touch of creativity to your game by adding some animation to the components, for example.
By focusing on these important Tips, you’ll be well on your way to a successful board game Kickstarter campaign. Regardless of whether you’re reaching out to USA gamers or a broader international audience, these strategies will help you make your project succeed.
