Secrets to a Successful Kickstarter, Part I: Introduction

Introduction

Three months ago we organised a secret meeting between the creators of successful Kickstarter campaigns in Bulgaria.

*The meeting was held in the hospitable init Lab. The attendees shared their invaluable experience thus proving the phrase “The one who asks questions doesn’t lose his way” is correct.

If you’re planning on starting a Kickstarter campaign, this series is definitely the one for you!

Let's start with a few words for the people and projects behind this secret meeting:

Julian Gollop, Chaos Reborn

Fast paced wizard combat with the tactical positioning of chess and the bluff of poker. Features wizard customization, 100s of gear items, single player realm adventures, online leagues and co-op play.

This is their official site, and here's the Kickstarter campign.

Ivent Games, Strength of the Sword: ULTIMATE

This love child of the Fighter and Brawler genres, which on top of everything has a flamethrower, is pretty old-school in its core - it unforgivingly requires your quick reflexes, measured tactics and, most of all, a thirst for victory.

This is their official website, and a link to the Kickstarter campaign.

FANTASMAGORIA, BATTALIA: The Creation

A competitive, fast paced, strategic deck builder, which combines map construction, hero and area control along with unique calendar mechanics.

This is their official site and here's their Kickstarter campaign.

Hit the Floor, Wolfed

Wolfed is based on the extremely popular party game “Mafia”, better known in Bulgaria as “Werewolves”.

Here's their Kickstarter campaign.

Vermin Games, Bright Future

A board game with a strong post-apocalyptic survivor element to it. The players take on roles of humans or mutants to avoid dangerous traps, fight for their lives and survive.

This is their official website and here you can find their Kickstarter campaign.

GROZEN ENT., KEEPERS OF THE MOON & SUN

A charming graphic novel that reveals the truth behind the balance between the sun and the moon.

Here you can find their Kickstarter campaign.

Today we'll start with some general tips on Kickstarter campaigns. In the following weeks we'll include more in-debt information on videos, stretch goals, legal characteristics and much more!

GENERAL TIPS

  • Present a prototype or demo:
    People love to be able to touch and feel your product before they decide whether to support it. That’s why it’s of great importance to present a prototype of your creation. Roughly said, a good prototype takes about 2-3 months to create, even for the smallest of games.
  • Organising a Kickstarter campaign can take between 2 and 7 months.
  • Aim to impress influential people:
    Influencers are people whose products and opinions are considered solid and important on the internet and amongst gaming communities. Influencers could also include popular social figures, such as internet celebrities.
  • Running a Kickstarter campaign will become a full time job for at least one person on the team, so keep that in mind when launching your campaign.
  • Conduct your own research on the Kickstarter market and competition before you start:
    A mind-boggling amount of successful campaigns have been held so far. Check them out, see what stands out, especially with the projects closest to yours.
  • If during your campaign you’re not getting good results or your supporters aren’t satisfied with what you're offering, it’s better to stop your campaign and do some brainstorming on what you could do to change and improve. Feedback is extremely important!
  • It’s highly recommended that you have a close-to-finished product when you're starting up your Kickstarter campaign.

Be on the lookout for Part II of “Secrets to a Successful Kickstarter”, where we will share key insight on handling social media and discuss the most important dates on your campaign's calendar.