Kickstarter Promotion

The primary objective of a pre-launch page, often referred to as a landing page, is to capture individuals’ email addresses.

Consider it in this manner: in the past, salespeople used to visit homes and knock on doors to sell their products. In the contemporary era, email has become your new virtual address, and your inbox serves as the modern equivalent of a knock on the door.

Landing pages play a pivotal role in the process of acquiring email addresses. This is where you construct a clear, well-designed landing page design that offers people the opportunity to voluntarily subscribe.

Obtaining individuals’ email addresses is not a simple task, which is why when someone registers on your landing page, there is a higher likelihood that they will be inclined to support your campaign.

What Is A Landing Page?

A landing page is a specialized type of website designed with the deliberate intention of converting site visitors into potential leads. Its primary function is to capture email addresses.

In the realm of crowdfunding, landing pages play a crucial role in the meticulous preparation required for a successful First Day launch of Kickstarter.

As you may already be aware, achieving Day One success is paramount in the crowdfunding world, as it sets the tone and momentum for the entire campaign.

The landing page acts as the bridge between the initial advertising efforts that pique people’s interest and the subsequent email marketing initiatives that cultivate the audience in preparation for our pre-order phase.

The Process To Build Landing Page

Creating an exceptional landing page involves a specific step-by-step process:

• Planning: Initiate the process well in advance, preferably months before the launch date. Conduct thorough research and establish the product’s positioning.
• Construction: Develop a compelling landing page that effectively communicates the product’s details and enables the collection of email addresses from interested individuals.
• Launch: Introduce the landing page to the global audience.
• Promotion: Drive traffic to the landing page through diverse promotional methods across various channels. Continuously test and evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies, repeating what yields positive results.

How To Create A Landing Page?

1. Perform Landing Page Marketing Research

Through diligent research, you’ll uncover valuable insights about your competitors and the current market landscape for your product. This research will provide you with essential information, including common imagery associated with products in your category.

For instance, if every competitor in the magic products’ industry prominently features magic hats in their product images, it would be wise to include them in your product offerings.

By studying various websites and examples, you’ll gain insights that can guide your decisions regarding color schemes and web page aesthetics—a critical aspect of your strategy.

For example, in the tarot industry, you’ll observe that many tarot websites use colors like purple blue and black, which often symbolize magic and astrology. Colors like red, which may evoke associations with blood and disaster, are rarely used in web or logo design within this field.

When conducting market research, it’s important to consider the conventions and essential elements specific to your product category.

2. Comprehend Your Target Audience

Understanding your audience is undeniably one of the critical prerequisites on this checklist before hastily creating a landing page.

The insights gleaned from your diligent market research should have already furnished you with a preliminary understanding of the type of individuals who might be inclined toward your product.

However, it’s imperative to delve deeper into this understanding, extracting details regarding their likes, dislikes, preferences, and even their tone and voice. The ultimate goal is to uncover the very essence of their identity and fashion a detailed persona.

This meticulously crafted persona serves as the linchpin for your web-related decisions. Armed with this profound insight, you can make pivotal choices that resonate with and engage your target audience effectively, ensuring the success of your landing page and overall marketing strategy.

3. Position Your Product

Product positioning determines the perception the world will have of your product. Varying approaches to product positioning can imprint different images of the product in consumers’ minds, making it memorable in unique ways.

However, it’s worth noting that on Kickstarter, there is a scarcity of categories that precisely match card projects.

Consequently, many experienced creators often categorize their projects under broader labels like “Playing Cards” or “Tabletop Games” when seeking classification.

4. Capture Images And Record Videos Of The Product

Pictures and videos play a crucial role in showcasing the product effectively. While using low-quality images taken with your iPhone is an option, it doesn’t truly represent the product’s full potential.

Consider making an investment in professional studio photography and videography to present the product in its finest form. Lifestyle shots that demonstrate its practicality and versatility should also be included.

This approach allows potential customers to visualize how they can incorporate the product into their daily lives and fully understand its utility.

5. Establish The Hero Section

As the first thing people see when they visit your website, the hero section is the area that appears immediately on the screen below your logo and menu.

Research shows that 80% of visitors to a landing page never scroll beyond the hero section. This underscores the importance of placing the most crucial information in the hero section of your landing page.

The hero section should be straightforward and attention-grabbing, conveying precisely what visitors can expect. You have approximately 3 seconds, or perhaps even less, to captivate their interest, making clarity essential.

This section should incorporate a clear product image, the brand name, product name, positioning statement, an email capture segment, a concise reason for visitors to share their email, and a compelling call-to-action.

Typically, marketers utilize special discount offers as an incentive for users to provide their email addresses, such as “sign up now for a chance to receive a discount when we launch.”

This approach benefits both the campaigner, who gains more early pre-orders, and the backers, who receive an exclusive product offer.

By crafting an effective hero section, you’ve already achieved half of your goal. Below is an excellent example of a hero section that is clear and includes all the necessary components, without unnecessary embellishments.

6. Highlight The Features And Benefits

Another crucial aspect of a landing page entails highlighting the actual features and core benefits of your product. Through ongoing conversations during the product development phase, you should ideally have insights into which features matter most to your target audience.

For instance, if you’re promoting a trading card game, consider questions like:

What is the game’s theme? What innovative elements does it introduce? What materials are used for the cards? Are they waterproof? Are there any unique collectible cards? Is the product environmentally sustainable?

Ensure that these key features are prominently presented on your landing page, providing a concise snapshot for visitors to quickly grasp.

7. Key Website Metrics to Prioritize

Like any other endeavor, measuring metrics is crucial for assessing the performance of a landing page. Various metrics to consider include:

• Engagement: Bounce Rate and Duration
• Audience: Demographics, Interests, and Device Usage
• Content: Most Visited Pages, Landing/Exit Pages, and specific sections within a page
• Traffic Source: Organic and Paid Traffic
• Conversion: E-commerce Conversion Rate, Order Value, Attribution, Funnel Progression

There are many more metrics to explore, but the primary focus for most landing pages is the conversion rate. This metric indicates how many visitors to the landing page actually submit their email addresses.

Conversion Rate (CR%) = Number of Email Submissions / Total Number of Landing Page Visitors

In general, the higher the conversion rate, the better. For a crowdfunding campaign targeting a very specific audience, aiming for a 30% conversion rate is a reasonable goal.

If your conversion rate falls below this benchmark, consider further optimization through A/B testing various elements on your landing page to enhance its effectiveness.

If you find yourself with surplus funds, it’s worth contemplating the high-budget approach that many campaigns employ to initiate audience development. Paid advertising stands as an effective method to generate enthusiastic leads for your endeavor, particularly if you lack an existing follower base.

Among the platforms available, Facebook, Instagram, and Google reign supreme when it comes to assisting entrepreneurs in cultivating email leads and constructing remarketing lists.

Here, we’ll outline four frequently employed high-budget strategies for Kickstarter promotion.

Budget Your Ad Spend

Before you officially kick off your campaign, it’s strongly advised to meticulously plan your advertising budget.

Setting your objective at reaching “100% of the total amount” is not necessary; all you need to target is achieving 30% of your total funding goal on the campaign’s first day. This recommendation draws from Kickstarter’s extensive experience with numerous successful projects.

Moreover, hitting the 30% mark on day one comes with several advantages:

Attaining 30% on the initial day serves as a signal to the crowdfunding platform team that your campaign deserves their attention. This could potentially lead to additional promotional support from the platform, such as being featured in newsletters or earning coveted Project We Love badges.

Campaigns that secure 30% funding immediately are more likely to entice new backers. This phenomenon taps into the collective psychology, as individuals are inclined to be part of something fresh and promising that seems destined for success. They want to be among the first to support it.

Meeting this goal can also help alleviate reporters’ reservations about covering your campaign. Every time a journalist publishes an article, their reputation is at stake.

Having immediate access to at least 30% of your funding target and a substantial supporter base instills confidence in reporters, making them more likely to cover your campaign without doubts about its ability to reach its funding goal. This, in turn, simplifies your personal PR efforts significantly.

After establishing your advertising objectives, you can employ the following formula to determine the number of leads your ads should generate on the first day of your campaign launch:

Number of leads needed at launch = (30% of your total funding goal) / Price point of the primary bonus tier * Email list conversion rate (which may vary from 0.05% to 5%, depending on your email list quality).

Subsequently, you can begin budgeting for the necessary advertising expenditure to attain these leads. Initially, aim for an average CPL (cost per lead) of around $2 for your advertisements. Going below this figure might lead you into unproductive territory with non-converting email lists, while exceeding this cost indicates that your audience targeting might not be precise enough and may not justify the expense of expanding your audience further.

Hence, the budget required to acquire sufficient leads through advertising can be calculated as follows:

Budget to generate leads through advertising = Number of leads required at launch (calculated above) * $2

4 High-Budget Kickstarter Promotion

1. Create Your Audience On Facebook

For novice entrepreneurs, Facebook and Instagram should be your top choices, boasting cost-effective options, intricate targeting capabilities, and an extensive outreach potential.

To create an ad on Facebook, begin by visiting the Ads Manager. However, before crafting your ads, it’s crucial to ensure you have a relevant audience to target. The key to effective lead generation here lies in addressing customer psychographics rather than demographics.

As you construct your audience within the platform, focus on factors such as interests, occupations, favorite TV shows, popular music bands, and shopping behavior, rather than solely relying on age or gender. Facebook provides a wealth of options for targeting—virtually anything that users can “like” or become “fans” of on the platform is fair game.

When honing in on your Facebook audience, aim for an ideal audience size of approximately 2 million people. A larger audience might generate more clicks but could yield fewer conversions, while a smaller one may lead to higher per-click expenses.

Furthermore, you can tailor your audience to specific regions, countries, or even international locations. If you’re planning a global product launch, consider including the top five countries with a strong interest in crowdfunding, which, as of 2022, are the USA, U.K., Canada, Australia, and Germany. And the five countries most interested in buying cards are (as of 2022): USA, U.K., Canada, Australia, and Singapore.

Ultimately, the most effective audience will resemble those who have already opted into your email list. Facebook’s algorithms can identify characteristics shared by past interested individuals and predict future prospects. Once you’ve amassed at least 100 email addresses, start creating “lookalike audiences.” Upload your email list to the Facebook platform, and their algorithms will take care of the rest, helping you reach a highly targeted audience.

2. Place Ads On Forums And Related Websites

If you still have some budget allocated for promotion, consider experimenting with advertising on card forums or other websites dedicated to card enthusiasts. You can often find opportunities for business collaboration by visiting the contact pages of these forums.

Visitors to these platforms are already pre-qualified as passionate card players. They engage in discussions about cards and seek recommendations for new ones. By enhancing your presence in these spaces, you may discover individuals who are inclined to support your project.

If you intend to pursue this strategy, here’s a valuable tip: commence your advertising efforts once your campaign has achieved full funding. This timing enhances the impact of your ad campaigns as it enables you to boast about your campaign’s achievements, such as “100% funded on Kickstarter” or “funded on Kickstarter in just 10 minutes.”

Furthermore, when people click through to your project and see that it’s already fully funded, they are more likely to have confidence in the project and its ability to deliver the cards they’re interested in.

3. Rewards And Giveaways

Running a viral giveaway presents an excellent opportunity to rapidly expand your contact list. The key to a successful Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign lies in offering rewards that genuinely resonate with your target audience.

In the realm of cards, consider enticing incentives such as unique packaging, exclusive collection cards, game-themed stickers, eye-catching posters, badges, and related accessories.

These offerings not only attract potential backers but also serve as tangible expressions of appreciation for their support. Crafting rewards that align with your audience’s desires can significantly boost engagement and bolster the success of your crowdfunding endeavor.

4. Establish A Recommendation System

Referral programs stand out as one of the most potent marketing strategies, with data indicating their peak effectiveness when implemented either one month into the campaign or when 60% of the total funding goal is attained.

Crafting recommended campaigns allows for ample customization, and the more inventive your approach, the greater the impact on your audience.

Your referral structure can be as simple as a single level or include multiple tiers based on the number of referrals your backers secure. For instance, consider tiered rewards like offering a unique add-on product or service for 2 successful referrals, free regular shipping for 4 referrals, or fast shipping for 8 referrals, and so forth.

Before diving in, it’s crucial to meticulously review the specific rules of the crowdfunding platform you’re using, as these regulations are subject to change. A well-thought-out referral program is essential to prevent any campaign disruptions or potential bans due to non-compliance with platform guidelines.

In conclusion, regardless of the size of your Kickstarter budget, it’s advisable to blend both low-budget and high-budget strategies when promoting your project and nurturing a grassroots community from the ground up.

The initial misconception surrounding crowdfunding is the belief that upon launching a crowdfunding campaign, a flood of participants will immediately flock to your cause, resulting in hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars pouring in. However, this notion is purely a fallacy.

In reality, crowdfunding platforms serve as amplifiers; they thrive on the foundation you lay and the community you cultivate. It’s unreasonable to anticipate that a crowdfunding platform will deliver an instant audience. Instead, it’s imperative to lay the groundwork for your crowdfunding initiative independently.

This might necessitate a substantial budget. Nonetheless, we recognize that not everyone possesses substantial initial funds. That’s precisely why we’re presenting five cost-effective strategies for your Kickstarter promotion. We’ll guide you on leveraging your time and effort to maximize free publicity.

Before starting, we strongly advise the creation of a dedicated landing page for your project, a topic elaborated on in the “Landing Pages” section. Once your landing page is established, you can formally transition to the promotional phase, where you’ll undertake two critical tasks:

Assemble a committed crowd list of individuals prepared to support your project upon launch.

Filter your information, keep what is useful, and delete what is useless.

5 Low-Budget Kickstarter Promotion

1. People Around You

Creating a comprehensive list of individuals you’ve encountered or have some connection to is an excellent initial step in this process. It will enable you to establish an audience for effective communication. These contacts can be categorized into three layers:

Level 1: These are people you have a strong familiarity with and have engaged with in the past two years. When you reach out to them, they will readily recognize you.

Level 2: This layer comprises acquaintances, individuals you’ve met at some point in your life but do not maintain regular contact with. This category may include business colleagues, individuals you know through mutual friends, or those you’ve encountered only occasionally.

Level 3: These are individuals you have not met in person yet but have connected with through networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, etc.

The reason for segmenting your contacts into these categories is that your communication approach will vary depending on your relationship with them.

Once you have compiled all your contacts and their information into a comprehensive list, you can begin the process of eliminating those you do not wish to involve in your project. The remaining contacts can then be manually organized into the various layers, allowing you to tailor your communication approach accordingly for your project outreach.

2. On Ground Marketing

Broaden your outreach by dedicating time to grassroots engagement. This may involve distributing flyers to pedestrians, engaging in face-to-face discussions while seeking advice from residents, organizing gatherings at potential customers’ residences, participating in industry-specific events and competitions, and more. Invest the effort to seek out, converse with, and cultivate relationships with individuals. This approach is essential for showcasing your ideas, projects, and brand.

Interacting with these individuals is most effectively achieved through one-on-one channels such as phone calls, direct emails, in-person discussions, or even Facebook Messenger chats.

This method holds immense value as it enables you to gather customer feedback and insights even before launching your crowdfunding campaign. It empowers you to address any uncertainties and even discover answers to questions you hadn’t previously considered.

3. Other Similar Projects

Kickstarter boasts a plethora of card projects. When you delve into the top 15 most generously funded Kickstarter projects (judged by both dollars raised and the number of backers), you’ll notice a common thread: most of these card creators actively support fellow projects.

In the grand scheme of things, lending your support to other creators’ endeavors grants you direct access to their Kickstarter inboxes. It opens the door to forging direct relationships with these creators, affording you the opportunity to seek guidance on card-related matters and offer your insights if they seek them.

Above all, this approach increases the likelihood of establishing a connection when you launch your own card deck, potentially leading to greater exposure for your project. If you’ve engaged with them and your online presence indicates an impending card launch, they may start following your journey and ultimately contribute to the success of your campaign.

4. Communities and Forums

1) Forum

If you’re familiar with poker, you’ve likely come across platforms like Playing Card Forum and United Cardists. If you’re into Tarot, Tarot Forum, Tarot, Tea, & Me Forum, and Cult of Tarot Forum may ring a bell. And for card game enthusiasts, the likes of Board Game Geek and others are well-known destinations.

Card players and collectors frequently turn to these forums to seek information about new card releases, read card reviews, gather strategic insights, brainstorm design concepts, and delve into accessory creation, among other discussions. Consider the potential benefits of gaining visibility within these communities.

Moreover, securing (positive) reviews for your cards on these forums serves as a means to establish credibility. You can encourage your friends, family, colleagues, gaming comrades, influencers, or anyone else to contribute their thoughts and comments. These reviews can be prominently displayed on your Kickstarter page, complete with forum badges, ratings, and select reviews quoted as citations.

2) Reddit

Reddit presents a valuable avenue to explore. Consider the potential audience reach on this platform alone: the /r/poker/ subreddit boasts over 250,000 members, the /r/tarot/ subreddit has a community of 320,000+, and the /r/boardgame subreddit reaches a staggering 4 million+ members!

Ponder the attention your project could attract in these spaces, and remember that these are just a handful of the numerous card-related subreddits available for engagement.

While Reddit’s user base is extensive, advertising is a challenging endeavor. The platform generally disapproves of overt advertising, and blatant self-promotion risks being swiftly removed, downvoted, or even leading to an outright ban.

To harness Reddit’s potential, your first step should be to accumulate “Karma” points by actively participating and contributing to the platform. By sharing relevant and engaging content, you can earn these “Karma” points.

This approach allows you to seamlessly introduce campaign-related information when the time comes, integrating it into the ongoing conversation rather than being perceived as someone solely interested in self-promotion.

5. Medias & Tests

1) Influencer

Numerous professional video channels on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok provide valuable insights into card usage and qualities. These channels boast substantial followings, with devoted viewers eagerly seeking recommendations from these influencers when it comes to new cards.

Similarly, these influencers consistently seek top-notch content to produce their videos, so most are happy to accept project pitches. You can explore options like reaching out to them, providing complimentary samples and project introductions, or even offering a promotional fee or commission to collaborate with them.

Should you manage to enlist influencers to test your cards and create review videos, remember to extract compelling quotes from these videos to feature on your crowdfunding page. Incorporate the videos into your updates and distribute them widely to enhance your project’s exposure!

2) Bloggers, Editors, & Reporters

Bloggers and journalists are inundated with promotional emails daily, but the majority of these emails end up in the trash folder. To increase your chances of getting featured, it’s crucial to provide them with all the necessary information upfront in a concise and engaging format, eliminating the need for back-and-forth communication that can create friction.

In essence, the less effort the blogger has to put into researching your project, the better. By offering well-prepared publicity materials and organized information, you make it more convenient for them to decide to cover your project. Keep your outreach concise, appealing, and personalized. Instead of sending generic emails, take the time to craft each message specifically for the person or blog you intend to contact.

Your email should encompass the following elements:

Links to folders containing professional assets (such as images, text, videos, etc.).

Project name and launch date, along with a link to the preview page or landing page.

The aforementioned methods represent five recommended cost-effective promotional strategies for Kickstarter. Nonetheless, if your project is substantial, and you have a sufficient budget, you may want to explore “High Budget Strategies for KS Promotion” for more efficient and robust promotional tactics.