Over the last 9 years, I’ve written over 900 articles on this blog to share my thoughts, observations, mistakes, and insights with my fellow creators. That’s a lot of content to go back and read for someone who is navigating the crowdfunding process for the first time, so in this series I continue to revisit my Kickstarter Lesson posts in chronological order, highlighting the core elements of each.
How to Effectively Research Other Kickstarter Projects (#56): Extensively researching other Kickstarter projects is a crucial early step before launching your own. To do this, I pledge to other projects and actively participated in those campaigns. I also kept tabs on many many other projects (being sure to pay attention to projects outside of my category too), keeping a list of similarities and differences between campaigns with different levels of success (or failure). It’s important to keep in mind what other people have done may not be right (or even possible) in your own context, but understanding what’s worked in the past may help you come up with a list of your own ideas to try out.
It’s Not Kickstarter’s Job to Give You Backers (#57): This is a mistake I made early on. I thought the key to Kickstarter success was to get Kickstarter to notice your project. But the truth is: every aspect of your project should be created to attract and engage backers. You’re not targeting the people who decide which projects to feature on Kickstarter’s home page. It may be tempting to look for shortcuts, but in the end, being “backer focused” shows that you’re willing to put in the hard work. And if Kickstarter happens to take notice, it’ll be because of your hard work gathering and maintaining a focused audience.
How to Manage Toxic Backers (#58): Every project has them. On Kickstarter, this type of backer is in the unique position of caring about your project and deriding it at the same time. It’s important to distinguish between constructive criticism and someone simply being mean, but when you can identify someone who is getting in the way of your goals, there are a few paths you can take. You can report them to Kickstarter, let other backers respond to them, you can respond non-defensively, or in rare cases, you might be able to use their energy for good by contacting them privately and turn a toxic, public conversation into a productive, insightful private one.
The Myth of MSRP (#59): Some people think that MSRP is an officially assigned number. But to make a long story short, you actually just make it up. To do this, look at other published products in your category and base the MSRP off of those products. If that number is close to 5x your manufacturing cost, that’s your MSRP. The reason to have an MSRP for your Kickstarter is that it gives backers a reference point so they know how big of a discount they’re getting. And I think they should get a discount. Keep in mind they’re pledging to support something sight unseen that they’re hoping to receive someday. They’re taking a big gamble on you! I recommend 10-20% off MSRP, especially considering online retailers will discount the product post-Kickstarter.
Exclusive Content (#60): When I wrote this in 2013 I fully believed that exclusive content was one of the best ways to entice backers. I’ve since changed my tune! But if you are going to consider exclusive content, at least in the realm of board games, this article has an important lesson. Go for exclusive components, not exclusive gameplay additions. That is, offer upgraded bits exclusively through your Kickstarter, but don’t make parts of the gameplay exclusive to your Kickstarter. If all goes well, your fans will want all your game has to offer long after your Kickstarter.!
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If you have any questions or thoughts about these topics, feel free to share in the comments!
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5 Comments on “Quick Kickstarter Lesson Recaps: #56-60”
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As someone who missed the Rising Sun Kickstarter, I am strongly against Kickstarter exclusives. The extra monsters are no big deal, but the 6th faction is a big (and obvious) gap, and the component upgrades (particularly the mandate tiles) are a big part of the game’s appeal. It’s enough to make the difference between a game I’d be happy to own, if struggle to get to the table often, and one I’m not interested in getting hold of.
Timed exclusives, or pack-in expansions, or deluxe components that are also available through limited channels post-campaign are another matter. It does also depend on the type of game – the more thematic the game, the more of a difference having thematic rather than generic pieces makes.
On the topic of MSRP, I was introduced to this price sensitivity tool recently:
https://www.greenbook.org/marketing-research/the-price-is-right-using-van-westendorp
I understand the 5X+ multiple for sustainable pricing. Have you looked at other models like this one? I wonder if many publishers, including yourself (if you haven’t already, maybe you have!), might benefit from other pricing tools like this one?
Evan: Definitely! I think about price all the time, and I like the questions on this survey.
Unfortunately, in the game industry, MSRP is much less less about what a consumer will pay and much more about what a distributor will pay, which is always 60% of MSRP. Hence the 5x multiplier.
Are you still seeing 5x production costs as the norm? I believe the MSRP price is changing and it’s more normal to see 6 or 7x the production costs for MSRP. Especially as publishers are looking for better profits or to cover rising costs of production, shipping, etc.
We still use that calculation, but I’ve seen many other companies using higher multipliers.