Top 10 Most-Viewed Articles on This Blog – Stonemaier Games

Top 10 Most-Viewed Articles on This Blog

Nearly 6 years ago I started writing this blog on a consistent basis. Out of the 1000+ articles I’ve posted during that time, today I thought I’d feature those that people seem to return to the most. I’ll highlight the key takeaway from each of them and mention if my perspective on these topics has changed over time.

10. 10 Daily Actions to Build Your Crowd

It’s a complete coincidence, but it seems appropriate that the #10 most-read article is a top-10 list. I think this list hold up really well. My favorites are (a) create a piece of content (blog/podcast/video) that teaches, not sells, (b) comment on someone else’s content, and (c) talk positively about the competition (like I do on my YouTube channel).

9. Kickstarter Lesson #47: This Project Is EU Friendly

You know those icons you see on most game-related Kickstarter projects? They all originated from this guest post that defines what region-friendly shipping means and why backers in those regions appreciate it. I still consider this a must-read post for anyone who is thinking about fulfilling rewards from a single location instead of fulfillment centers around the world.

8.  Kickstarter Lesson #1: Starting and Submitting Your Project Page

I think this post has the record for “most updates,” as Kickstarter has changed their approval process a number of times. The heart of this entry remains true: When your project page is 90% ready, it’s a safe bet to go ahead and submit it for approval. You can continue to edit and finalize it, and you can launch any time after Kickstarter approves it. You don’t want to be 100% ready to launch and need to wait several days for Kickstarter’s approval.

7. Kickstarter Lesson #39: Anatomy of a Great Kickstarter Project Page

The view count for this post might be inflated because I’ve read it myself at least a dozen times. It talks about common mistakes creators make on their project pages, overall philosophies that apply to all types of projects, visual techniques, and a master list of indispensable elements of a project page.

6. Kickstarter Lesson #168: How Kickstarter Refunds Work and the Results of the Between Two Cites/Treasure Chest Money-Back Guarantee

Perhaps this entry just gets views because of the super-long, SEO-friendly title. Or maybe people are just morbidly curious about how many people opted to get refunds for our Kickstarter rewards. The results? Out of 37,823 backers for 7 projects, 22 backers returned their games for a refund. I still think this is an effective way for new creators in particular to gain trust by showing that they’re committed to making something awesome, but it’s pretty low on the list of things to do to make your project successful.

5. Lessons Learned from Quitting Kickstarter as a Creator, Part 1

This was the first in an ongoing series of posts outlining what I’ve learned from running a post-Kickstarter company. I discuss why we stopped using Kickstarter (which very little to do with the platform itself), including fulfillment risk, time, and human nature.

4. One Box to Rule Them All

Have you ever been curious why we decided to make and sell an empty box for Scythe? This entry is to blame! It’s actually much more than just a poll about empty boxes, as I do a deep-dive exploration into why boxes are certain sizes, why expansions in giant boxes generally don’t make sense, and why we won’t be selling a version of Scythe that includes all expansions, accessories, promos, etc.

3. An Open Letter to Small Game Conventions from a Tiny Publishing Company

This is the first post on my blog that really went viral, not just in terms of readership, but also in terms of the number of conventions that now have play-and-win sections. Play-and-win isn’t my idea–I think it originated at Geekway to the West–but I was so enamored with it as an attendee and as a publisher that I knew I needed to share it with others. It continues to be a huge part of the marketing budget for Stonemaier Games.

2. Kickstarter Lesson #9: Timing and Length

I’m not exactly sure why this is so high up on the list, though I know it’s a crucial piece of the crowdfunding puzzle for every creator. When I wrote it, I advocated launching on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, and that seems to have gravitated towards Tuesday for many game creators. I talk about the pros and cons of longer and shorter projects, as well as the best time to end a project (also Tuesday?). I think it’s important to remember that there isn’t an exact science to any of this, and data correlation doesn’t equal causation.

1. How to Provide “Free” Shipping Worldwide on Kickstarter: A Comprehensive Guide

Back in the before times, the vast majority of creators shipped rewards by hand. I wasn’t the first to start doing it differently, but I actually may have been the first to use third-party fulfillment centers worldwide (and if I’m not the first, that’s fine–I might not even be the first to have written about it!). If you’re not familiar with that process, I highly recommend reading this post (even though I mention Amazon fulfillment quite a bit, which has been replaced by a number of more effective fulfillment companies).

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What are your thoughts about these posts in retrospect?

As a special bonus, I recently had the pleasure of recording a Funding the Dream podcast episode with Richard Bliss for the first time in several years. We discussed the current state of Kickstarter and why I’ve been talking about it in reference to Stonemaier Games.

If you gain value from the 100 articles Jamey publishes on his blog each year, please consider championing this content!

7 Comments on “Top 10 Most-Viewed Articles on This Blog

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  1. I find it interesting how much of the top 10 is Kickstarter related. You provide so much insight into building a business as well, I know I’d be interested in the seeing the Kickstarter top 10 and Business top 10 articles or what have you. It’s great to see you update all your old posts (guilty – I haven’t read all your blogs) but it’s on my to do list! Keep up the good work!

  2. It’s fun, this morning I just hang the 10 daily actions sheet on the wall of my work station.
    Jamey, your book, your blog and of course your games feed me since few months… so thank you so much to take time to share with us… and now it’s time for me to take the plunge… and, yes let’s say i just checked the action 2 : comment on one other blog :)

      1. oh yeah :) Jamey,did you check your action 8 (help a stranger) today ;) ? … because I have a question for you! Maybe you already wrote something close to that but I didn’t find it. I’m really intrigued about the blogs, web sites, facebook groups, … that you follow for feed your knowledge and reflexions about board games and game design. So, is it OK for you to share some of them ?

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