Kickstarter mistake #1: not getting the word out
A first tabletop Kickstarter usually succeeds or fails on how many people are waiting for it on launch day. Spend the months before launch building an email list, demoing at conventions and stores, getting a prototype to reviewers, and setting up the Kickstarter pre-launch page, so the first 48 hours carry the campaign.
This page sits at the address of a 2017 post by the original Spider-Goat Games, written after its Dark Web campaign failed. The lesson was simple: almost nobody knew the campaign existed. What follows is our own guide to fixing that. The original story is summarized on the Dark Web page.
Why marketing comes first
Think about how someone actually ends up backing a small game:
- They hear about it. From a friend, a review, a demo at a store, a newsletter, or by browsing Kickstarter.
- They like the look of it. The cover image and first screen of the page. This is mistake #2.
- They understand it and the price is right. Theme, player count, length, what’s in the box.
- They back it, or click “remind me”.
Gameplay doesn’t really enter until step 3, and even then backers are reading about it, not playing it. Every person who never reaches step 1 is lost before your game gets a chance. That’s why marketing beats gameplay for a single campaign, even though gameplay decides your long-term reputation.
A pre-launch plan for a small campaign
Three to six months out
- Start an email list and put the sign-up on everything: your site, your social profiles, a card in every prototype you hand out. Email converts far better than social posts.
- Take the game to conventions and local game stores. Ask the store if you can demo at a game night; most are glad to host. Collect emails at the table.
- Post the game in the BoardGameGeek design forums and in designer communities. Share art and ask for honest reactions.
Six to eight weeks out
- Get finished-looking prototypes to reviewers and playthrough channels that cover games like yours. They need time to play and edit.
- Set up the Kickstarter pre-launch page and send everyone there.
- Show the draft campaign page to people who don’t know you.
Launch week
- Email the list the moment you go live. A strong first 48 hours lifts you in Kickstarter’s own rankings, which brings in browsers.
- Post an update every few days so backers have something to share.
What Spider-Goat Games learned
The same publisher had launched Martial Art a year earlier with little marketing, and it still funded well, mostly because its art caught people browsing Kickstarter. That success made skipping the groundwork for Dark Web feel safe. It wasn’t. Strong art can rescue weak marketing occasionally; nothing rescues a campaign nobody sees.
Where to start this week
If you have a prototype and no audience, the cheapest first step is a local game night. Bring the game, teach it, and ask every player for an email address. If you are in Utah, We Geek Together runs open game nights in Sandy and Provo where designers are welcome to bring prototypes.
Questions people ask
How long before launch should I start marketing a Kickstarter?
Three to six months is a common window for a first tabletop campaign: long enough to demo at a few events, get prototypes to reviewers and build a mailing list.
Are paid ads worth it for a small board game Kickstarter?
They can be, if they send people to a pre-launch page or mailing list you can measure. Spider-Goat Games ran BoardGameGeek ads for the whole Martial Art campaign and felt they were worth it. Start small and stop anything that doesn't bring sign-ups.
What is a Kickstarter pre-launch page?
A page Kickstarter hosts before your campaign goes live, where people can click to be notified at launch. The follower count is a rough early signal of demand.