Three Tips To A Successful Kickstarter

Three tips it increasing your chances of funding your Kickstarter

You have the killer game idea, you’ve narrowed the scope. The prototype is solid and now it’s time to fund the dream. Running a successful Kickstarter campaign means you need to be in the trenches with the community that is supporting you. Filming a great video for your pitch, choosing the support tiers, and pressing go live are only the beginning of the process. As you become a machine at creating content your Kickstarter will have a much better chance at funding.

Build your brand

It is time to create content. As of writing this Tiktok, IG Reels, and Youtube Shorts are where you want to be. Get your phone out and document your journey and start telling your story with video. Pulling the curtain back and giving your potential customers a peek behind the scenes will create connection and connection leads to support. Here are a few questions to jumpstart your content creation journey.

• Where did the idea for the game come from?
• How did you narrow the scope?
  • What did you cut that you wish you could have kept in?
• What has kept you motivated when you had no motivation?
• What hurdles have you overcome in the development process?
• What tips do you have for other devs?

Begin answering these questions in short-form videos, and start building the following. This will pay dividends down the road when it comes to funding your game and running a successful Kickstarter campaign.

The Gaming Podcast Circuit

Step number one is to invest $50-$150 in a decent USB mic. The Blue Yeti or Elgato Wave are a couple of many great options. There are thousands of gaming podcasts looking for guests that want to share your story. Open up your podcast player and start looking for shows that would be a good fit for the game you are creating. The shows should have an email in their bio or at the very least a Twitter account. Hit them with a short pitch that gets to the point. It could read something like this:

“I am reaching out to you because I am developing a game that I believe your community would enjoy. The story behind my game and the development would be great content for your podcast, and it could help me promote my Kickstarter campaign? I have a decent mic so you won’t have to worry about poor quality audio. As my campaign is running I will post links to your show as updates on my Kickstarter campaign, which should introduce your show to a new audience. Pending funding, I would love to provide you with a review code and a handful of codes to share with your community for giveaways or contests to increase engagement with your show.”

As a podcast host, I would be stoked to share the project with my audience. That may not be the case for everyone. You will inevitably have some “no’s” and that’s fine it’s part of the grind. Any show that is growing its audience should see the value proposition you are offering.

Keep your supporters in the loop.

Update, update and update some more. A key element to a successful Kickstarter campaign is the updates. This is not a set it and forget it scenario. Give updates on the game’s development. If you’re crushing the funding early on, offer additional content to your backers. Share your updates on Kickstarter and all of your socials, keep documenting the journey. Use a call to action like “Tweet at me your questions about the game,” or “share this Kickstarter campaign on your socials and use my hashtag.” As people get to know you through your content they will want to support you and your game, so don’t hold back share it all. Ask questions with your updates to increase engagement. The goal is for them to feel like they are part of your journey. Include them in content, “Backer number three asked if this feature would be possible?” Then answer with an update. Host a Q&A in your discord or subreddit. Make videos answering each one and use them for updates on Kickstarter and content on socials. Questions fuel the content machine and allow you to focus your creative energy toward your game instead of the content. All of this will take a ton of work, but having our dream funded will be worth it.

For more ideas on funding your game check out 5 Ways To Fund Your Indie Game. If you have any questions or want to add another tip to The Three Tips To A successful Kickstarter, leave them in the comments below.