Kickstarter Essentials

I've been studying campaigns of various complexity and depth in an effort to plan one for myself (eventually), and ultimately I find that to successfully run a Kickstarter, you need the following...

Start at least a month early and start spreading the word! Don't count solely on your campaign page to draw in backers...do a lot of up-front promotion, get some excitement going, create a Facebook page to anchor your community, build an email list of your game testers and mobilize them once the campaign is up and running.

Of course a great game, usually fully realized in art, packaging and design. It's ok to have stretch goals of additional characters/cards/bonus pieces yet-to-be produced (this happens all the time in miniature games), but your core game should be complete.

Show the basics...number of players, game type, time to play, etc.

Prove that it's a great game...reviews by trustworthy sources are always good as are play tester responses, but also let the backers decide with a well done gameplay walk-through video. Explain what is unique, while also rooting the game in familiarity. What mechanics are used? What twists did you put on those mechanics to make them innovative? Of course, how do you win?

Be sure to account for shipping, and make sure the fees are correct for international rates. If you say "ships anywhere in the world for $15" you better be able to deliver on that promise! Poor shipping planning has sunk many a great Kickstarter...so if nothing else, make sure you do your homework on this!!!

On a side note about shipping, you should look at USPS flat-rate boxes, as these can be a great way to streamline your shipping...particularly domestically. USPS offers a box for $5.95, which won't make any backer balk at the thought of paying. Your game must be small, but especially for a first-time KS campaign, you may be better off. The next size up costs $12.65...more here:
https://store.usps.com/store/browse/subcategory.jsp?categoryId=flat-rate...

You may also include the cost of flat-rate shipping in the price of the game, thereby claiming "shipping included" in the pledge levels...which give backers a total sum they can expect rather than having to calculate it themselves. Just makes things cleaner/easier for your backers...

One thought for new self-publishers and first-time Kickstarters is to offer a smaller game to get your feet wet, then run a larger game once you have experienced success and have a community of fans you can mobilize in your upcoming campaigns.

Exclusives...people always like special edition stuff. What can you offer to you KS backers that they can only get through your campaign? Hint...try to be more creative than shirts, stickers, mugs and the usual tchotchke crap...make it relevant and special to the game. Special printing on the cards (holofoil, etc.), exclusive packaging, exclusive game pieces (plastic vs. chipboard), etc.

This is also a great way to upsell your backers...for $30 I get the game, but for $50 I get the game plus some really cool exclusives? SOLD!!!

Stretch goals...plan for success and offer meaningful stretch goals. If you ask for $20K and end up north of $100K, backers will expect a little something special for getting you there. It's not an absolute, but I think at this point in the game it's expected. Offer higher quality pieces, unlock new characters...things that clearly enhance the core game. These also encourage backers to help get you to those higher dollar figures, as if they're well designed, everyone will want them!

Regarding the "About The Team" portion...backers like knowing who they're supporting, both to get a feel for who you are, and how qualified you seem to be in designing, manufacturing and selling your game. Personality counts for some, so it can't hurt. I think people prefer backing people rather than a company...so make it at least bit personal. You have the rest of your career as a publisher to become a faceless corporate gaming titan!

That's a good start...I'm sure others will have valuable insights as well. Of course you can always get some input from your campaign page before it goes live, as many have done here. Good luck and keep us posted!

Another benefit of Priority shipping is that the mailers are free and the USPS will ship them in bulk to your house or place of business at no charge. However, the flat-rate mailers are rarely a good deal, and most of the time you are better off using one of their regular Priority mailers. You only save money on flat rate if your small package weighs more than 2#, 4# for medium, or 7# for large. Otherwise, forget it.

Media mail is the most cost effective way to go if you are just sending game books, not boxed sets, and you don't mind lengthy delivery times.

Just the other day, the USPS started offering free tracking services with first class delivery, which is nice, as reliability is not their strong point. For the most part, I find First Class and Parcel Post to be the most cost effective. The USPS promotes Priority because the standardized box sizes allow them to fit more parcels into a truck, but First Class delivery time is typically on par (estimates are inflated to promote Priority) and is hands-down the best option for anything less than 12 ounces.

If you are shipping anything over 2 pounds then you are better off doing UPS ground or FedEx Ground, unless the package has large dimensions. They are often cheaper than the USPS even when they are subcontracting the USPS to do the delivery work (our local UPS, for example, ships everything through the post office).