This is a compilation of all of Jamey’s posts for crowdfunders, creators, and entrepreneurs. You can support the ongoing creation of these blog posts by becoming a Stonemaier Champion.
If you don’t have time to read each of these entries, the best advice from each of the items list is condensed down to a few pages in a special section at the end of Jamey’s crowdfunding book!
Before You Launch
Start Here
- You Are Your Own Gatekeeper
- Kickstarter Lesson #204: Your Idea Is Brilliant, Your Idea Is Worthless
- To Kickstart or Not to Kickstart: The Top 10 Reasons to Launch a Product via Crowdfunding
- Kickstarter Lesson #173: The Hidden Job of Every Kickstarter Creator
- Kickstarter Lesson #110: The Shortcut to Kickstarter Success
- Kickstarter Lesson #105: Minimum Viable Product
- A Procrastinator’s Guide to Getting Stuff Done
- Kickstarter Lesson #138: Should You Hire Someone Else to Run Your Crowdfunding Project for You?
- John Coveyou Video Overview of Key Kickstarter Insights
- Kickstarter Lesson #209: The Hook
Research, Development, and Skill Building
- Kickstarter Lesson #185: First-Time Creators
- Kickstarter Lesson #2: Back Other Projects
- Kickstarter Lesson #56: How to Effectively Research Other Projects
- Kickstarter Lesson #112: Mega Projects and You
- 10 Simple Skills to Build Today So You Can Be a Better Crowdfunder Tomorrow
- Top 10 Short-Term Ways to Stumble into Long-Term Success
Build a Crowd
- 10 Daily Actions to Build Your Crowd
- Kickstarter Lesson #245: Should You Advertise and Preview Pre-Launch?
- Kickstarter Lesson #57: It’s Not Kickstarter’s Job to Give You Backers
- Kickstarter Lesson #86: Preventing a Dud
- Kickstarter Lesson #134: Pull the Tooth
- Kickstarter Lesson #52: Write a Blog
- Top 5 Things to Know About Content Marketing
- Do You Really Need a Website in 2017?
- Kickstarter Lesson #205: One Simple Way to Significantly Improve Your Website Today
- Top 10 Ways to Be a Likable Content Creator
- Kickstarter Lesson #146: Start an E-Newsletter
- Kickstarter Lesson #147: Prefundia
- Kickstarter Lesson #74: Help Them First
- Kickstarter Lesson #94: The Top 10 Ways to Survive and Thrive on Board Game Geek
- Kickstarter Lesson #230: Is Your Crowd Big Enough?
- Kickstarter Lesson #242: How I Run Our Facebook Groups
Define the Scope of Your Project
- Kickstarter Lesson #194: Charities, Nonprofits, and Kickstarter
- The ROI on a For-Profit Business to Support Charities
- Live-Blogging Lesson #8: The Feeling of Running a Mega Project
- Are You Too Popular? (Business Brilliance #3)
- Kickstarter Lesson #172: Should Your First Project Be Epic or Humble?
- Kickstarter Lesson #192: High-Priced Item Campaigns
- Kickstarter Lesson #234: Batman, The 7th Continent, and Skipping Retail
- Drip vs. Patreon vs. Kickstarter vs. Indiegogo vs. Shopify: A Choice for Ongoing Content Creators
Art and Graphic Design
- Kickstarter Lesson #3: Art and Design
- 3 Simple Steps to Learn If Your Art Is Good Enough for Kickstarter
- Kickstarter Lesson #162: When to Use a GIF Instead of a Static Image
- Kickstarter Lesson #158: Why I Prioritize Paying Freelancers
- Kickstarter Lesson #85: Card Frames
- Kickstarter Lesson #87: Custom Art
- Flatter Your Way into a New Industry
Legal and Accounting
- Kickstarter Lesson #4: Accounting and Finances
- My Big Tax Mistake of 2016
- Kickstarter Lesson #114: The 4 Legal Issues Every Kickstarter Creator Should Know
- Kickstarter Lesson #131: Everything a Kickstarter Creator Needs to Know About Trademark Law
- Kickstarter Lesson #159: Everything a Kickstarter Creator Needs to Know About Copyrights
- Kickstarter Lesson #45: Partnership
- Kickstarter Lesson #180: How to Register Your Business in the US from Anywhere in the World
- The Methods and Perils of Creating a US-Based Company for Kickstarter if You’re Not in the US
- Kickstarter Lesson #136: What to Do If You Receive a Cease & Desist Letter Concerning Your Kickstarter
- Kickstarter Lesson #232: Everything You Need to Know About Liability Insurance
Reviewers
- Kickstarter Lesson #5: Connecting with Bloggers
- Kickstarter Lesson #27: Bloggers, Podcasters, and Reviewers
- Kickstarter Lesson #220: Tastemakers
- Kickstarter Lesson #128: The Art of the Comment
- Kickstarter Lesson #211: It Can Hurt to Ask (Sometimes)
- 4 Different Strategies for Featuring Reviews on Kickstarter
- Kickstarter Lesson #188: No Money Changed Hands for This Review
- Kickstarter Lesson #78: Creating Card Prototypes for Third-Party Reviewers
- Kickstarter Lesson #83: Custom Meeples and Review Prototypes
- Live-Blogging Lesson #9: No, It’s Just a Prototype
Create the Perfect Project Page
- Kickstarter Lesson #1: Starting and Submitting Your Project Page
- Kickstarter Lesson #236: Selecting the Best Testers
- Kickstarter Lesson #123: How to Give and Take Tough-Love Feedback
- Kickstarter Lesson #39: Anatomy of a Great Kickstarter Project Page
- Kickstarter Lesson #129: Picking the Right Name for Your Project
- Kickstarter Lesson #160: The Main Project Image
- Kickstarter Lesson #13: Explaining Why You Need the Funds
- Kickstarter Lesson #44: How to Kick It Forward Without Kicking It Forward
- Kickstarter Lesson #14: The Value of Add-Ons
- Live-Blogging Lesson #5: External Add-Ons
- Kickstarter Lesson 241: Customers Are Not Cows
- Kickstarter Lesson #171: The Project Timeline
- Kickstarter Lesson #125: Risks and Challenges
- Live-Blogging Lesson #4: The Value of Agonizing Over Your Project Page
Film the Project Video
- Kickstarter Lesson #6: The Project Video
- Kickstarter Lesson #166: Creating a Polished Project Video
- Kickstarter Lesson #157: The Gameplay or How-to-Use Video
- Kickstarter Lesson #165: The Whiteboard Video
The Funding Goal and Budgeting
- Kickstarter Lesson #7: The Funding Goal
- Kickstarter Lesson #117: The 3 Funding Scenarios You Must Plan for
- Kickstarter Lesson #218: Do You Choose Profit?
- Kickstarter Lesson #225: Customer and Subscriber Acquisition Costs
Reward Strategies
- Kickstarter Lesson #8: Reward Levels
- Kickstarter Lesson #113: Why Every Project Should Have a $1 Reward Level
- Kickstarter Lesson #63: Stay Focused or Lose Backers
- Kickstarter Lesson #59: The Myth of MSRP
- Kickstarter Lesson #201: A Step-by-Step Guide to Pricing Your Core Reward
- Kickstarter Lesson #92: The Psychological Benefits of Ending Price Points with the Number 9
- Kickstarter Lesson #116: The Magic of Automatic Currency Conversion
- Kickstarter Lesson #103: There Is No Perfect Pickle
- Kickstarter Lesson #137: Should Repeat Creators Include a Reward Tier Specifically for Previous Backers?
- Kickstarter Lesson #54: Reward Levels: The Premium Option
- Kickstarter Lesson #111: Should You Offer Multiple Copies of Your Product at a Reduced Bundled Price?
- Live-Blogging Lesson #5: The Power of the Bundle
- Kickstarter Lesson #142: Selling Existing Inventory
- Kickstarter Lesson #177: The “Everything, Forever” Reward Level
- Kickstarter Lesson #183: Epic-Level Rewards
- Kickstarter Lesson #75: Include at Least One Must-Have Component
- Collaboration and Itemized Rewards: Kickstarter’s Latest Improvements
Early Birds and Exclusives
- The Current State of Early Birds and KS Exclusives (2017)
- Kickstarter Lesson #228: Incentives and Strategies to Boost Day 1 Backers
- Kickstarter Lesson #62: Early Bird Pledge Levels
- Kickstarter Lesson #200: We Are Collectors
- Kickstarter Lesson #60: Exclusive Content
- 10 Better Reasons than KS Exclusives to Back a Kickstarter Project
- Nike, Sneakerheads, and Kickstarter Exclusives
Timing Strategies
- Kickstarter Lesson #187: The Best Time to Announce Your Project
- Kickstarter Lesson #9: Timing and Length
- Kickstarter Lesson #133: The Psychological Benefits of Launching and Ending a Campaign Within the Same Month
- Kickstarter Lesson #109: Seasonal Timing
- Kickstarter Lesson #84: Coordinating Staggered Launch and End Dates
Establishing Trust
- Kickstarter Lesson #10: The Taste Test
- Kickstarter Lesson #67 (video): Print-and-Play Reward Levels
- Kickstarter Lesson #73: The Art of Pitching
- Kickstarter Lesson #77: The 10 Reasons I’ll Back a Kickstarter Project
- Kickstarter Lesson #96: Give Credit Where Credit Is Due…Including to Yourself
- 5 Things Survivor Taught Me About Crowdfunding
Stretch Goals and Achievements
- Kickstarter Lesson #11: Stretch Goals
- The Current State of Stretch Goals (2016)
- The Current State of Stretch Goals (2017)
- Kickstarter Lesson #145: Achievements vs. Stretch Goals
- Live-Blogging Lesson #6: The Achievement System
- Funding Quests: A New Twist on the Stretch Goal System
Shipping and Worldwide Accessibility
- How to Ship Stuff Worldwide: 2016 Edition
- Kickstarter Lesson #12: Shipping
- Kickstarter Lesson #202: Local Pickup
- Why I’m Done Selling Through Amazon FBA
- How to Offer “Free” Shipping Worldwide on Kickstarter: A Comprehensive Guide
- Lessons Learned: Insights, Mistakes, and Solutions for Offering Worldwide Shipping on Kickstarter
- 5 Shipping Partners in the EU for Kickstarter Reward Fulfillment
- 3 Shipping Partners for Australia, New Zealand, and Asia
- 3 Crowdfunding Fullfillment Shipping Partners in Canada
- Everything I Learned About Shipping I Learned in Tuscany
- Kickstarter Lesson #47: This Project Is EU Friendly
- Kickstarter Lesson #152: Shipping Icons
- Insights from Fulfilling Scythe (detailed ratings of 5 different fulfillment companies)
- Kickstarter Lesson #212: Calculating and Paying Value-Added Tax (VAT)
- Fulfilling Your Dreams via A Fulfillment Service
Localization and Worldwide Accessibility
- Kickstarter Lesson #198: Translation, Localization, and Language Independence
- Live-Blogging Lesson #11: Foreign Translations and Language Independence
- Kickstarter Lesson #65: How to Get US Backers if You’re Running a Non-US-Based Kickstarter Campaign
Behavioral Psychology
- Kickstarter Lesson #64: The Psychological Benefits of Showing Your Face
- Kickstarter Lesson #66: The Psychological Benefits of Framing Your Project’s Potential
- Kickstarter Lesson #219: The Power of Pre-Commitment
- Kickstarter Lesson #163: The Power of Certainty
- Kickstarter Lesson #233: The Telepathy of Empathy
Final-Week Preparations and Tasks
- Kickstarter Lesson #104: The One-Week Checklist
- Kickstarter Lesson #89: How to Get Google to Rank Your Website Higher Than Your Kickstarter Project Page
- Kickstarter Lesson #15: Finishing Touches: FAQ and Preview
- Kickstarter Lesson #249: The Frequently Asked Questions to Answer in Your FAQ
- Kickstarter Lesson #43: Press Releases
- The Secrets to Making Your Tabletop Game Kickstarter Project Appealing to Retailers
- What Do Retailers Really Want?
- Kickstarter Lesson #68: You Don’t Need to Launch Today
- The 7 Mistakes Crowdfunders Make the Day Before They Launch
During Your Campaign
Thrive on Launch Day
- Kickstarter Lesson #16: Launch Day
- Kickstarter Lesson #238: How to Write a Mass Email
- Kickstarter Lesson #139: Mitigating Kickstarter’s Frailty
- Kickstarter Lesson #120: How to Include People Who Don’t Know What Kickstarter Is
- Kickstarter Lesson #101: Momentum Breeds Success
- Kickstarter Lesson #217: There and Back Again
Logistics, Stats, and Project Management
- Kickstarter Lesson #19: The Daily Dashboard Screenshot
- Kickstarter Lesson #21: Kicktraq
- Kickstarter Lesson #148: Google Analytics
Interact with Backers
- Kickstarter Lesson #17: Treat Your Backers as Individuals, Not Numbers
- Kickstarter Lesson #71: People Are More Compelling Than Numbers
- Kickstarter Lesson #176: How to Maximize the New “Community” Tab
- Kickstarter Lesson #170: My Job Is Stress Relief…and I’m Not Very Good at It
- Kickstarter Lesson #24: Backer Engagement
Improve the Product
- Kickstarter Lesson #20: Flexibility, Filtering, and Responding to Feedback
- Kickstarter Lesson #189: Can’t We Have This Conversation in Public?
- Kickstarter Lesson #199: How Can Backers Effectively Coach Creators?
- Live-Blogging Lesson #12: Just the Facts, Please
- Kickstarter Lesson #48: It’s Okay to Say No
- Kickstarter Lesson #107: How to Say No
- Kickstarter Lesson #175: Adding New Rewards During a Campaign
- Kickstarter Lesson #222: How to Be Fair to Backers When You Make a Change
Project Updates
- Kickstarter Lesson #18: Project Updates
- Kickstarter Lesson #115: The Best Opening Lines for Project Updates and Backer E-mails
- Live-Blogging Lesson #3: Updating Previous Projects
- Kickstarter Lesson #99: Backer-Only Project Updates
- Kickstarter Lesson #90: What You Should Do for 30 Minutes After Posting a Project Update
- 3 Questions to Ask Before Posting Something Controversial
Maintain Emotional Health
- Kickstarter Lesson #38: Be Mentally Prepared for Cancellations
- Kickstarter Lesson #79: Cancellations
- Live-Blogging Lesson #1: Filtering Cancellations
- Kickstarter Lesson #155: The Most Dangerous Thing a Creator Can Do
- Kickstarter Lesson #49: To Cancel or to Finish
- Kickstarter Lesson #247: How Thick Is Your Skin?
Lead the Way to Trust and Passion
- Kickstarter Lesson #98: Creation Is Leadership
- Kickstarter Lesson #156: 3 Tenets of Crowdfunding Leadership
- Kickstarter Lesson #102: Passion Is Contagious
- Kickstarter Lesson #206: Who Do You Root For?
- Kickstarter Lesson #22: The Money-Back Guarantee and Trust
- Do You Trust Me?
Build Community
- Kickstarter Lesson #80: How to Create Community Through Conversation on Kickstarter
- Kickstarter Lesson #127: Give Each Backer a Voice
- Kickstarter Lesson #186: The Vocal Minority vs. the Silent Majority
- Kickstarter Lesson #106: Don’t Copy and Paste
- Kickstarter Lesson #169: How to Have Fun with Your Backers
- 10 Things Kickstarter Creators Can Learn from Street Performers
Customer Service
- Kickstarter Lesson #72: The 10 Elements of Great Customer Service for a Kickstarter Creator
- Kickstarter Lesson #190: 4 More Elements of Great Customer Service
- Kickstarter Lesson #154: Hip Surgery, Organization, and Customer-Facing Service
- Live-Blogging Lesson #2: The Value of Ambassadors
- Kickstarter Lesson #193: How to Respond to Happy Backers
- Kickstarter Lesson #143: How Can I Make This Experience Better for You?
- Kickstarter Lesson #58: How to Manage Toxic Backers
- Kickstarter Lesson #226: When a Backer Threatens You
- Kickstarter Lesson #235: Surviving an Attack on Your Character
- Kickstarter Lesson #195: When Should You Fire a Customer?
- Kickstarter Lesson #224: How to Apologize Better Than United Airlines
Relationship-Driven Marketing
- Kickstarter Lesson #100: The 3 Secrets to Marketing
- Kickstarter Lesson #196: Outward-Facing Positivity
- Kickstarter Lesson #46: Your Target Audience Is Not “Everyone”
- Kickstarter Lesson #182: Sell Me This Pen
- 5 Things Don Draper Can Teach Us About Crowdfunding
- Kickstarter Lesson #122: The 5 Love Languages of Crowdfunding
- Kickstarter Lesson #150: The Power of a Personalized Message at First Contact
- Kickstarter Lesson #23: Setting and Achieving Goals
Leverage Backers to Boost Your Project
- Kickstarter Lesson #210: Live-Streaming Video
- Kickstarter Lesson #237: Entice New Backers with Kickstarter Live
- Kickstarter Lesson #93: Overestimating and Underestimating Your Tribe
- Kickstarter Lesson #30: The Matching Pledge
- Kickstarter Lesson #213: The Halo Effect
- Kickstarter Lesson #31: Micro Goals
- Kickstarter Lesson #95: The Top 10 Ways to Address the Mid-Campaign Slump
- Kickstarter Lesson #239: I Was There When…
Social Networks
- Kickstarter Lesson #28: Social Networks
- Kickstarter Lesson #243: Instagram
- Kickstarter Lesson #135: Why We Share
- Kickstarter Lesson #227: Click Me! Share Me! Like Me!
- Kickstarter Lesson #149: How to Go Viral in Two Easy Steps
- Kickstarter Lesson #248: Break the Internet to Make a Community
- Kickstarter Lesson #181: Love Your Competitors
External Marketing and Advertising
- Kickstarter Lesson #174: Creating a Spectacle
- Kickstarter Lesson #140: The Kickstarter Staff Pick
- Kickstarter Lesson #25: Reddit
- Kickstarter Lesson #208: LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest
- Kickstarter Lesson #246: Proactive vs. Reactive Social Media Presence
- A Beginner’s Guide to Facebook Ads
- Kickstarter Lesson #26: Paid Advertising and How Backers Find Your Project
- Everything Crowdfunders Need to Know About Advertising
- Kickstarter Lesson #216: The Leeroy Jenkins Approach to Marketing
- Kickstarter Lesson #91: My Thoughts on Campaign Boosting Services
- Kickstarter Lesson #141: The 5 Types of Spam That Creators Receive During Crowdfunding Campaigns…and What to Do About It
- Kickstarter Lesson #29: Hometown Press and Local Media
- Kickstarter Lesson #51: Cross-Promotion Between Kickstarter Projects
- Kickstarter Lesson #82: Contests
- Kickstarter Lesson #178: The Danger of Free
- Marketing Products with Spoilers
The Final Week
- Kickstarter Lesson #32: The Final Week
- Kickstarter Lesson #88: Project Creep
- Live-Blogging Lesson #10: No, We Don’t Use a Pledge Manager
- Kickstarter Lesson #108: The Final 60 Hours
- Kickstarter Lesson #33: The Final 48 Hours
- Live-Blogging Lesson #7: What Do Backers Look for When Returning to a Project via the 48-Hour “Remind Me” Message?
- Kickstarter Lesson #34: The Final Hour
- Kickstarter Lesson #35: Kickstarter Limitations and How to Work Around Them
After Your Project
The Aftermath
- Kickstarter Lesson #215: Your Post-Campaign Survival Kit
- Kickstarter Lesson #81: Don’t Quit Your Day Job
- Kickstarter Lesson #144: How to Maximize the New “Spotlight” Feature
- Kickstarter Lesson #167: The 4 Questions Creators Receive After the Campaign Ends
Post-Campaign Communication
- Kickstarter Lesson #36: For Better or for Worse
- Kickstarter Lesson #61: Post-Campaign Communication
- Track the Pizza (Business Brilliance #5)
- Kickstarter Lesson #161: The Power of Public Progress
- Kickstarter Lesson #41: Etiquette in the Public Eye
- Kickstarter Lesson #132: The 6 Core Philosophies for Great Customer Service
- 10 Things I’ve Learned About Social Media This Year
Continue to Sell the Product
- Kickstarter Lesson #37: Conventions and Face Time
- Kickstarter Lesson #40: Should You Offer the Kickstarter-Exclusive Version of Your Product After the Campaign?
- Kickstarter Lesson #70: How to Sell the Retail Version of Your Product Online Post-Kickstarter
- Kickstarter Lesson #153: Selling Inventory vs. Accepting Pre-Orders: A Dual Solution
- Casting a Wide Net Post-Kickstarter with InDemand
- 10 Ways I Market Stonemaier Games Post-Kickstarter
- Board Game Supply Chain Basics
- Amazon: How to Survive the Biggest Online Jungle
Gather Information from Backers
- Kickstarter Lesson #42: The Backer Survey
- Kickstarter Lesson #197: How to Remove a Cat from Your Chair
- Kickstarter Lesson #184: How Many Units Should You Make?
- Kickstarter Lesson #151: How Can Backers Change Their Addresses?
- Kickstarter Lesson #69: The Address Update Email
- Kickstarter Lesson #164: How to Automate Backer Address Updates
Scheduling and Timelines
- Kickstarter Lesson #97: Delivering on Time
- Kickstarter Lesson #124: If You Manufacture in China, Account for Chinese Holidays
- Kickstarter Lesson #130: Maintaining Peace During Shipping Season
- Kickstarter Lesson #118: Is It Now Illegal to Deliver a Project “Late”?
Release the Product and Move Forward
- Kickstarter Lesson #240: Why Have a Release Date?
- Kickstarter Lesson #119: Release with a Boom, Not a Whimper
- Kickstarter Lesson #179: Gauging Demand
- Kickstarter Lesson #168: How Kickstarter Refunds Work and the Results of the Between Two Cities/Treasure Chest Money-Back Guarantee
- Kickstarter Lesson #50: How to Reboot an Unsuccessful Kickstarter Project
- Kickstarter Lesson #76: How to Run a Game Expansion Kickstarter Campaign
- How Gloomhaven and Xia Encourage Modding and Fan-Generated Content
Entrepreneurship and Working for Yourself
- Kickstarter Lesson #207: What Should You Do If Someone Won’t Pay?
- Kickstarter Lesson #191: How to Go on Vacation
- The Disembodied Teacher: How to Lecture via Skype
- The 80-Hour Workweek
- Kickstarter Lesson #221: How Not to Start Your Work Day
- One Easy Way to Be a Better Emailer
- Kickstarter Lesson #229: When a Company Wants to Acquire You
- My 2 Biggest Challenges as a Publisher
- Kickstarter Lesson #244: Why I Avoid Meetings
Growing and Sustaining a Business
- Kickstarter Lesson #121: Visioning
- Kickstarter Lesson #55: Starting and Sustaining a Kickstarter-Driven Business
- Kickstarter Lesson 231: Cult of the You
- Hiring in a World of Volunteers
- A Short Note About Wages for Labor Day
- A Different Approach to Job Applications: A Stonemaier Experiment
- Kickstarter Lesson #223: Should You Crowdfund a Reprint?
- Kickstarter Lesson #126: Becoming a Publisher vs. Running Kickstarter Projects for Other People
- The Surprise Business Lesson I Learned from Top Chef
- Kickstarter Lesson #203: The Impact of “Tell Us Anything”
- Kickstarter Lesson #53: Replacement Parts
- Lessons Learned from Quitting Kickstarter as a Creator, Part 1
- Lessons Learned from Quitting Kickstarter as a Creator, Part 2
- Lessons Learned from Quitting Kickstarter as a Creator, Part 3
- Lessons Learned from Quitting Kickstarter as a Creator, Part 4
We’ve been following all your posts about Kickstarter projects since March as we prepare for our own Kickstarter in the fall. And we’ve gone back and read all the previous ones. Extremely helpful information.
This list in topical order I think will be a great help to the community.
Thank you.
Games Afoot: Hi, thanks for your comment. I always love to hear when a creator has been preparing for a project for many months–that’s indicative of your commitment and passion for the project. Good luck when you launch!
[…] KS Lessons Full List – Chronological – Stonemaier Games […]
[…] to make it good (shout out here especially to Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games for his wonderful Kickstarter Lessons blog series, which I’ve been reading this week on breaks between running a few first-step […]
[…] KS Lessons Full List – Chronological […]
I love the concept behind your blog, but I’m finding it quite difficult to navigate. Right now I’m in the mood for reading anything that answers the question, “How do I make more people aware that my page exists?” and have been struggling to sort the articles that answer this question from the ones that don’t. I was about to click away and never read the blog again, though I figured you’d appreciate it more if I left you some feedback first.
Thanks Jon! I’m always trying to improve the structure for the blog, as it’s a lot of information. I would suggest going to the KS Lessons drop-down menu and selecting “Run Your Campaign” and “Level Up Your Campaign.” That’s where you’ll find the information you’re looking for.
[…] https://stonemaiergames.com/ks-lessons-full-list-chronological/ […]
Wow there is so much info here. Thanks so much for making all of these blog posts available. After creating a board game and playing it with family for some time now I’ve been thinking about making a kickstarter campaign. Now after seeing this page I’m not sure if I’m more scared or more excited. There’s just so much to take in. At any rate, thanks!!
Thanks Zach! Good luck as you embark upon the journey of crowdfunding your game! Hopefully this blog and my crowdfunding book will be an asset to you.
What an amazing resource you have put together! I’ve only been reading for a few weeks and have learned a lot already. Thank you for sharing so much with the community!
Hi Jamey!
Amazing blog and I just can’t get enough…even though I’m a bit stressed out…you certainly know the feeling of literally not having any time for yourself or for just plain “not doing anything”! It’s been months on the prep of our upcoming Kickstarter. But,
I have two questions for you:
1.- What do you think about launching during summer time vacations? Mid July through mid August.
2.- Been trying to find where is any post or lesson that relates to running multiple crowdfunding campaigns. At the same time or after one has ended. Any insight you could share?
Best!
Matt from HoliPlay Games
Would you ever market something as a stretch goal that you would include anyway?
For example you have a certain card as a stretch goal, but you would include even if it wasn’t made?
I wouldn’t market something as a stretch goal that I planned to include anyway. However, I might come to that decision after the campaign if I felt it was the right thing to do (and within budget). Most likely, though, if we didn’t meet a stretch goal, I would save that content for an expansion or promo pack.
On the same note, I wouldn’t launch a Kickstarter without offering a fully functional, complete game.
Thanks for replying, and thanks for your advice.
I just want to mention that I will be including it in the core game, but it would still be playable without it.
Really feel that last one is important: it’s not about the money. I appreciated that focus in the book, too, that Kickstarter is about creating and community, and money is a byproduct
Yeah.. that comment is supposed to be in the “10 Reasons…” post. My bad
Hello
How goes it? I hope all is well :) and congrats on your successful campaigns.
My partners and I are planning on launching our first game and Kickstarter campaign in June.
We are using Panda Games as our manufacturer.
We are planning on using Amazon fullfimnet centers in different regions along with other centers in other regions.
The only outstanding issue is freighting the pallets to those centers. We’re thinking of using Panda Games DDP service. Is that what you used, or another one? If so how does it help with customs fees and keeping the end price down?
Best wishes
Shayan
Shayan: Thanks for your question! I use OTX Logistics for our freight (see here: https://stonemaiergames.com/how-to-ship-stuff-worldwide-2016-edition/)
I’m not aware of OTX being better than anyone else in terms of fees, but their customer service is superb.
Hi Jamey
Thank you for the reply. I’ll dive deep into that info :)
Shayan
Hello. I want to say I am sorry if this is the wrong place to post something like this, I am still kind of new around here. Is there a place to view new articles/ post that have just been released?
Aswell, I have also seen Jamey post articles about things that non-tabletop kickstarters do that might work in the tabletop kickstarter realm. Does anyone know if there is an article about friendily advertising? By this I mean one project releasing an update advertising for a different game, not made by them, and then that project realsong an update advertising your project? I have just recently backed projects in fashion and technology and both of these categories seem to do it a lot. Thank you for the help.
John: If you go to the following link, you can see the most recent blog entry (and all that preceded it). You can also enter your e-mail on the right of this page to get an e-mail whenever a new blog entry goes live: https://stonemaiergames.com/e-newsletter/blog/
I think you’re talking about cross-promotion, right? Here’s my post about that technique: https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-51-cross-promotion-between-kickstarter-projects/
Also check out the entire External Marketing and Advertising section on the current page (the one this comment is on).
As always Jamey, thank you for your generosity :)
Hi Jamey,
I hope to launch my own kickstarter for a boardgame. I’ve made prototypes game through several playtests but now I find myself trying to figure out kickstarter and getting something going. I just borrowed your book from the library. Would you recommend that I read your book first or go through your wonderful kickstarter lessons first?
Thanks in advance
Allan: Thanks for your question! I’d recommend reading the book first, as it reads more like a story rather than a list of lessons.
Hi, can you answer my question please? I want to join Kickstarter and it requires to be US citizen, but I am non-US citizen. I’m thinking about asking help from my investor who lives in Australia. But I have some trust issues with him. How should I write the contract paper? And one more question, if the investor deceives me, will the Kickstarter be responsible for it, or not?
Nazrin: I have a few thoughts here. The first is to hire a lawyer who specializes in contracts. Zachary Strebech (the lawyer who has written a number of guest posts for this blog) is great at that. The second is that if you already don’t trust your partner, maybe he shouldn’t be your partner? And the third is that Kickstarter is not liable at all for anything.
Thanks for answering and one more question. Is it posssible to attend in kickstarter in the name of my investor, but can i still stay as the owner of the project ?
Your investor could create a Kickstarter account and give you access to it via his user name and password. Technically he would be the owner of the account, though.
please let me explain you my situation shortly. i am Azerbaijan citizen and want to attend with my project. there is no Azerbaijan in your country list. So what would you suggest? Because i want to look as a project owner even when i attend with my investor’s name.
also;
when we reach to our goal and gather backer’s support, how long does the procedure take to see the amount in my own account?
Just to clarify, I don’t work at Kickstarter. I’m a Kickstarter creator–I don’t have a country list.
I would suggest reading this and post your questions here: https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-180-how-to-register-your-business-in-the-us-from-anywhere-in-the-world/
I’d also recommend reading Kickstarter’s FAQ, as these are core questions that are answered there: https://www.kickstarter.com/help/faq/creator+questions?ref=faq_nav#GettStar
Okay, thanks.
I don’t know where else to ask this.
I was wondering if the choking hazard warning needs to have a certain wording to be legally safe. I realized that different versions are used and that Scythe only has the label (not for children under 3 years) but no words.
So far I have “WARNING: Not a toy! Not suitable for children under three years” and the label on the box of my game.
I don’t know the official legal stance on this, but I don’t think it can hurt to have such specific wording.
Interesting, I was surprised that on my Scythe box there is only the label but no wording. Thank you!
Hey Jamey,
Great KS lessons! I’ve read through quite a few of these, and have picked up a lot of tips/knowledge that I hadn’t thought about (BTW I’m still reading through them).
I do have a question for you that isn’t KS related, but goes along with the theme of this page. Have you ever thought of creating a section like this for your journey/process in creating and sustaining Stonemaier games? As in what were the important things you and your partner discussed, what are things that blindsided you, at what point did you decide to make the transition from developing your games to helping others more actively? I know you’ve mentioned some of this in passing in a few lessons, but didn’t know if it was something you had done, or possibly thought about.
Thanks for your time!
Jeremiah: Thanks for your question and your suggestion. There is a big section on the page about growing and sustaining a business–there’s a lot of info in there as it relates to Stonemaier. I appreciate the sentiment that I’ve transitioned from developing games to helping people, but the truth is that running Stonemaier Games (with games being a big part of that) is my #1 priority, and has been for a while. I’ve been writing this blog as a way of sharing my insights and mistakes with people since late 2012.
Ah, it appears you read my mind before I had the question, or I just need to learn how to read. I just wanted to clarify my statement of, “helping others more actively.” I did mean that in a business perspective for your company. I think I remember seeing somewhere that you have 6 games you’ve developed, and another 50+ that have come from others. I may be mistaken, but I meant your transition from developing your own thought child to developing other’s, within your company.
Hope that clears up what I meant! Sorry for the poor word choice before.
Jeremiah: Thanks for the clarification. I see what you’re saying now. :)
So far I’ve designed most games that Stonemaier has published, but there are 2 games for which I’ve served as a developer instead: Between Two Cities by Ben Rosset and Matthew O’Malley and an unannounced game by an unannounced designer. I’ve always wanted Stonemaier to be more than a vanity publisher of my work, so our submission process has been open since 2013. We’re highly selective, with one of the reasons being that I want to be able to commit a lot of time to each selected game as a developer to help the designers make it as great as it can be.
Hey Jamey,
Long time no talk. I just have a quick question. Do you know of any studies out there that compare the appeal of a project that only has a base model and a limited or KS edition vs a project that has a base model, deluxe model, and a limited or KS edition?
I know I’ve read through things that have talked about things like this, but I don’t remember seeing an actual study to compare the “appeal” between the two.
Thanks.
Jeremiah: Sure, I talk about it in this post: https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-54-reward-levels-the-premium-option/
Jamey!
First off, thanks a ton for the posts and the book. Both have been absolutely invaluable in our quest to launch our first Kickstarter. I am a bit perplexed about one problem we have, and really don’t know where else to turn. Our release is what could be referred to as a “party game” and I can’t seem to find any decent-sized official community for that genre. Short of targeting Facebook ads towards people who’ve ‘liked’ Cards Against Humanity and the like, I’m stuck. This is particularly frustrating because I’m such a social creature. I would appreciate any thoughts.
Again, the book and posts have been invaluable! It truly seems like a labor of love, and it shows.
Adrian: That’s an interesting question. While there are plenty of hobby gamers who play social game, I think you’re right about the online communities around hobby games not generating much discussion around social games. But perhaps they’re a good place to start? Maybe jump on the Board Game Spotlight or BoardGameGeek Facebook groups to see if people have suggestions (or start a conversation about social games there and see how people respond).
Thanks and keep up the good work!
Jamey,
I am nearly finished with your audio book and it has given me a much better perspective.
First, I know you mentioned that you do not like Early Bird specials because they segregate backers and create winners and losers. The problem is KS campaigns need as much momentum early on as possible, but you want to have backers have a great experience. Possible solution: Offer a special reward to all pledge tiers if X happens with Y hours of a campaign start. Everyone wins if the early pledges come in!
Second, it really hit home when you kept mentioning in your book “make it about the backers”. All people (backers included) feel somewhat uncomfortable when asking others to spend money whether it is direct or not. For instance, if one of my stretch goals is $12,500 to include “black core cards” and I ask you to support our campaign, you are subconsciously asking for money by sharing. However, if that same stretch goal was 500 backers and we will unlock it (regardless of what the campaign has raised) and I ask you to share it – NOW you can ask others to check out the project because even if they pledge $1, they still count as a backer. You also mention in your audio book that most $1 pledgers ultimately end up raising their pledge amount if you have a great product as well – so let me ask the ultimate question in this comment – “What are your thoughts on launching a campaign with only backer count stretch goals, and make it about building a community, rather than focusing on the money?” In theory the two should go hand in hand, but one is much easier to support and share (in my opinion).
I would love to get your thoughts!
Thanks,
Travis
Travis: Thanks for your comment! As for your first idea, I’ve seen some campaigns use it to great success. The example I always use is the Trickerion campaign, but there are others that have used a similar method. https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-228-incentives-and-strategies-to-boost-day-1-backers/
As for stretch goals, I have a bunch of posts on this page regarding them, and I’ll link to one below. You’re right that backer-focused stretch goals can be good for the sense of community. The downside, though, is that they really “stretch” the connection between the goal thresholds and actually making the product better. The core idea of stretch goals is about economies of scale–if you raise more money, you can make more units, and the cost per unit goes down, allowing you to enhance it. It’s all kind of a game in the end, but the further you get from that core idea–like with backer count goals–the more it reminds backers that stretch goals are more of a game than science. This can lead to backlash instead of community. You’re certainly welcome to try it, though, and I hope you report back about how it works out! https://stonemaiergames.com/the-current-state-of-stretch-goals-2017/
Hi Jamey,
I have a question concerning Net Kickstarter Revenue
I have a few different people assisting me with creating a game for Kickstarter and will be offering them a % portion of the Net Kickstarter Revenue for their work on the project.
Have you created any posts discussing what total % of Net Kickstarter Revenue is to much to give away or what total % a creator should ensure to have to deliver the best game possible to his backers. I looked at your full list and nothing jumped out at me. I know this is a fairly open-ended question and unique to each creator.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. I would also be interested to hear other game designers opinions as well.
Your content is saving me so much time and boosts my confidence in prepping for a future KS campaign. Thank you for all you do.
Best,
Josh
Josh: Thanks for your question. I would say this best fits under “partnership,” but it sounds like these are temporary partners, not long term equity holders.
My only experience with designating a portion of Kickstarter funds to a specific person is through contracts with designers or IP holders. For those agreements, I use gross revenue, as I think it serves that person best to be able to look at the funding total on the Kickstarter page and know instantly how much of it they’re getting. Net is fine, but it requires more calculation for them.
As for the amount for these people, it really depends on what they’re doing and what your margins look like. I’m sure the vast majority of the funds you’re raising need to go towards sunk costs, production, and shipping, so at most I would designate 10% total to all helpers, artists, IP holders, etc getting a direct piece of the pie.
Jamey,
Thank you so much for your quick response. I have read it a number of times and it is very helpful. It was good to hear that my % was not abnormal or crazy.
Best,
Josh
Haven’t noticed a section devoted to it, so maybe you haven’t looked into it at all, but what is the market viability of selling some of the game art in the form of art prints, playmats, t-shirts etc.
We are just wondering if we should bother looking into it. Basically, is there a demand for these things?
Byran: Thanks for your question. I’ve talked about it in terms of Kickstarter (https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-63-stay-focused-or-lose-backers/), but not in general.
I would say that there is a market, but a very limited one. For example, there are tens of thousands of Viticulture fans, but sales for these t-shirts have been minimal: https://www.meeplesource.com/products.php?posted=1&nobox=true&filter=vineyard
Shirt-specific campaigns have had some small successes on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/peterchayward/jellybean-shirts-colorful-clothing-for-board-gamer
Hello i just bought your book!!!I believe that it will be useful to me since i would like to understand some basic information in order to launch a campaign!!!However, I would like to know your opinion about the indiegogo site which is similar to kickstarter ( i am forced to go there since my country is not available to kickstarter).
Thank your for your advice.
Angelos
Thanks for checking out the book! Here is my article about IndieGogo (it links to some other articles on the same topic): https://stonemaiergames.com/drip-vs-patreon-vs-kickstarter-vs-indiegogo-vs-shopify-a-choice-for-ongoing-content-creators/
Thank you for your information!!!
Hi again, i have some additional questions to make:
1) How can a designer be sure that through the crowdfunding method none wont steal his idea/boardgame (your opinion about this)?
2) If i launch a campaign, and it is successful, am i obliged to show the corresponding receipts of what was bought in order to accomplish my goal?
3) What about the excess money that i gain, since i do what i had to do, once the funding was successful, do i keep it as a profit?
Thank you!!!
1. People are generally much more excited about their ideas than other peoples’ ideas. Also, it’s illegal: https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-159-everything-a-kickstarter-creator-needs-to-know-about-copyrights/
2. Not to your backers. To your tax collector, yes.
3. Yes.
Thank you for your advices!!! And something else: Can someone launch a campaign in many sites simultaneously?
You can. I wouldn’t recommend it, but you can!
Since it sounds like a way of potentially increasing the probability of succeeding, why wouldn’t you recommend it?
Because it’ll divide your attention and your backers between multiple sites, making each campaign look less successful than if they were combined into one. People are drawn to success.
If you have any other questions, please post them in the comments of the corresponding blog post.