We're a week into our Kickstarter campaign and we're only a quarter of the way towards our goal. Zero dollars spent on advertising. Zero mailing list. Just dove headfirst into the pool without even checking how deep the water was. Roast our campaign. Tell us where we went wrong. Be merciless. We can take it. Probably.

This is a really small playing card project. 8 days ago, it was at 91% with 21 days to go and I was feeling really good about things. Last week has been unbelievable. I've had several changes in pledges and a couple of major cancelations that have dropped it to 81% today with just over 13%. I have more than enough followers to fund easily but my conversion rate is absolutely miserable (12%). I'm completely bewildered by this. I've shown it on as many Facebook groups and subreddits as I can think of, and sent announcements to every former backer, and it's the same story: compliments but very few pledges. They obviously think it's nice, but not $15 nice. I don't really think there's anything I can do except stop watching the train wreck unfold.

I'm just looking for feedback on the Kickstarter campaign we launched yesterday. Feel free to weigh in on the product, the messaging, the reward structure, the video, anything. Thank you!

I've never backed anything on kickstarter before and I'm looking to back a piece of furniture by a first time creator. It is currently above its funding goal. Does furniture have a higher risk of failing or is it relatively safe? I'm worried about the risk of sending my money without getting the furniture or a refund.

My first campaign, sadly - thankfully - it didn't fund.

I didn't know it then, but both Phase and I weren't ready yet. I learned a lot from my failed campaign, and also from spending more time in the board game community. Phase has grown, and more than that, it's better.

This time around, I'm at 47% of funding in the first 24 hours. My last campaign ended at 42%. What's made the difference? E V E R Y T H I N G.

But, if there were one key factor, it would be scale.

Instead of reaching for 500, or even 250 games, I'm going for just 100. I'm only able to do that because I'm working small - with a local board game manufacturer - a 20 minute drive down Route 434 in upstate NY. Maybe you've heard of them, Superior POD.

Yes, the cost of production is higher, and it's so, so, so very worth it. I don't have to worry about tariffs, or additional shipping, or any of the other headaches I've heard my peers complain about. Superior POD is handling all my kitting and distribution, too. The flexibility alone in what I can offer for my campaign is worth every penny.

The second factor? Again, community.

Instead of focusing on spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on ads or influencers, I spent money attending small conventions. Meeting people, introducing them to Phase, playing and getting feedback - all of those things contributed towards a dedicated following of people. While small, they are supporting my efforts the hardest.

But I wasn't only focused on my game. I met other designers and play tested their games, too. I've found I'm just as excited to support their efforts as I am for my own.

Maybe what I'm saying here isn't revolutionary - maybe you already know. I didn't. I read a lot of How To's and Launchboom articles, and none of that helped - because none of it was written for someone manufacturing in the US, or someone with next to no budget, or someone who refused to pay for Meta ads.

So why am I sharing all this with you? Because I'm doing things differently and I want others to know there are other options out there. Other avenues to success. Good luck out there!

I'm planning on launching a campaign in a few weeks, and both Backer Club and Backer Hive have come up on my radar. I've looked into both sites, and they seem legit and trustworthy (not scams), but I want to know if they are worth the investment. I have a marketing plan for my campaign, but if sites like these can support it, they might be worth considering. I would like to hear from the community about your experiences with these companies. The good, the bad, and the meh. Is there a better option, or are they all a waste? Just looking for experienced insights. Thanks

The Forerunner: UK, the first in a series of community and culture based documentaries, this one is personal and looks to showcase the UK's great history, if you like the idea then please feel to click the link below and support us.

www.kickstarter.com/projects/theforerunners/the-forerunner-uk

#TheForerunnerUK #5618Studios #IndependentFilm #DocumentaryFilm #Kickstarter #Crowdfunding #SupportIndieFilm #ExploreBritain #UKRoadTrip

A collection of printable Soviet tank prototypes awaits; during the pre-campaign phase, I’ll be showcasing the printed results and magnificent paint jobs created by collaborating friends—such as the majestic Object 490A and its modernized, ERA-equipped version, a unique design of mine that you won't find anywhere else.

Don't you find these machines fascinating? I was so captivated while researching them that I’ve since designed at least ten "Objects" from this secret program. Some are already available in my Cults catalog, but with this campaign, I aim to create models that are otherwise incredibly hard to find—like the Object 477, a near-legendary vehicle with almost no surviving documentation.

If this project interests you, your support would mean the world to me—and you’ll be bringing a piece of Cold War military history into your own hands. You can bring these machines to life by printing and finishing them however you like.

History didn't allow these machines to endure, but now we’re fighting to change that!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vbertz/secret-soviet-armored-program

The Forerunner: UK, the first in a series of community and culture based documentaries.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theforerunners/the-forerunner-uk

#TheForerunnerUK #5618Studios #IndependentFilm #DocumentaryFilm #Kickstarter #Crowdfunding #SupportIndieFilm #ExploreBritain #UKRoadTrip

My sister and i launched our campaign for an indie animated pilot last week. We're 30% funded with 55 backers and 22 days left.

We raised 25% in the first 3 days, mostly from our existing audience and people discovering us through Kickstarter. We had about 450 pre launch and since gained 60 post launch.

The problem is that our trailers and content are doing well on socials but the conversion into actual backers has been rough! And only 4% of our Kickstarter followers have backed.

Been reaching out to indie animation communities, creators in our niche and people in the animation industry. We've had some positive interactions but turning that attention into meaningful support has been harder. For example, there'll be a pretty big industry professional who's been following us for a while, we'll reach out and they'll open the message, repost one of our content and go about their day. Which is great but when it's buried in other reposts and doesn't really have any engagement from them, it doesn't really turn into anything meaningful.

We're trying to figure out how to reach more people interested in supporting indie animation rather than just getting more views and followers.

For those that have run successful campaigns or backed similar projects

How'd you reach backers beyond your audience?

Did you find an effective way to get more pre-launch followers to convert?

Which communities and platforms actually brought backers rather than just views?

Is there anything specific that worked particularly for indie animation?

I'd really appreciate insight from anyone who's been through this or seen campaigns to through this.

It's mostly just my sister and i running this. Couldn't afford ads or any paid promotion and figured we might be okay since the content was already garnering a lot of organic attention.

We've been doing okay with our freelance animation the past 6 years and were building this IP up through all that time. We started it as a comic, got it published in 2024 and now we're adapting the story into a pilot.

We've got reason to believe it'll be successful in the long-run but the lack of marketing experience has us a little compromised rn

We are so excited! This was our first Kickstarter and we were understandably nervous. We though we did all we could and it was worth it! I just wanted to share our achievement. It is possible guys!

We, Pektis Studio, are developing a game called "Battle of the Knollen" for Gamefound and Kickstarter

. We are still looking for some final names for our 6 hero potatoes. Maybe you would like to help us.

Here are our six heros.

• ⚔️ Groll, the Warrior
• 🗡️ Lupina, the Rogue
• ✨ Salvira, the Priest
• 🔮 Orin, the Mage
• 💀 Necros, the Necromancer
• 🌿 Bru’tzlar, the Shaman

All six were drawn by my wife Echo, who gave every potato a personality of its own.

Funfact: I started making the game when I was cutting potatos and I had a realy discusting one.

At the moment I knew I want to make a fantasy potato game, Necros was the first Idea Ihad.

I sincerely don't know what is wrong with Kickstarter anymore. Is it like this for everyone? Am I shadowbanned? Am I doing something horribly wrong??

I started doing Kickstarters in 2020, I have a successful comic book run and after that was done, I decided to do some literary, non comic-book projects, the first one went well but i think its because my past comic book readers just pledged all willy-nilly.

After that I had my first failure, I relaunched months later, success albeit very small. Then EVERY SINGLE project past that has been a disaster, dead on arrival, no organic backers, not many returning backers, nothing, just launching and having barely any donations.

Because I spent a small fortune making my own Animated Short Film I decided to go hard and also invest some money on marketing, I spent 800$ on Meta Ads and things seemed to be doing well. I got 101 sign ups before Launch and now, 17 Hours after launch, I got just 9 pledges....

I dont understand, really. Has Kickstarter gone to shit? Are my projects shit or just too niche for Kickstarter?

I literally made most of my living through Kickstarter the past few years but the past two have been disastrous, I invest actual work and thousands on projects and now all of that seems lost.

Sorry for the rant but I'm seriously seeking some answers here. I would delete my account and start from scratch - because I honestly feel like I'm shadowbanned or cursed - but Kickstarter doesnt even let you do that.

So, I have had my kickstarter in Pre-launch mode for quite some time now, since I have a huge marketing challenge. (It's my first kickstarter creation).

Marketing is a different question, but I already asked and got much feedback on that ❤️

I see all these great pre-launch pages for other kickstarters, but (ashamed to say) I don't know how to do the same.

I have a cover image, and some text describing what I want to create. But it seems if I want to make changes, I only see how to make "Updates"? I am probably just blind to something 😵
I have so much content and cool stuff already made and at hand, but don't know how to make use of it properly.

Can someone help a first-timer with some technical assistance?

I appreciate every one of you who would give me a useful tip.

This is the kickstarter I'm talking about:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nardogames/mind-over-magic-the-truth-within-a-5e-adventure

(And yes, you are allowed to bash it, but useful criticism is better 😄)

I'm launching a Kickstarter for physical products soon. I want to offer friends and family in my same city a version of my regular reward but with free shipping since I'll hand-deliver / do local pickup.

I know Kickstarter has Secret Rewards with a private link. Does that work for this? Can I limit it so only people I share the link with can see it? And how do I set it up as local pickup so no shipping is charged?

Thanks In Advance.

Hi all, we accidentally skipped pre-launch on our first Kickstarter, but we've still got some backers, which is awesome. We think a good thumbnail and a solid description did a lot of the work. Any tips for the rest of the campaign?

Let's be honest. The only backers who use this are scammers who want to message you privately.

Hi all! I'm Keith Champagne, co-writer of The Death Whisperer #1 with Peter J. Tomasi (Batman and Robin, Green Lantern Corps).

It's a supernatural horror thriller about grief, guilt, and vengeance — our first issue under New Pain Productions.

We launched this morning and are at $1,761 of $5,000 with 22 days left (ends Nov 5). If you back indie horror comics, we'd love your support:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/newpain/the-death-whisperer-1

Happy to answer any questions about the story or campaign!

Full disclosure: I work as crowdfunding consultants ourselves.

I’ve heard myself stories of creators paying several thousand dollars to agencies or consultants, only to end up with a project they couldn’t even launch adn I realize many of this stories stay submerged.
I’d like to hear directly from people who have been through this.

When you’re preparing your first Kickstarter, it can be hard to tell a solid proposal from a convincing sales pitch. And by the time you realize something is wrong, a significant part of your budget may already be gone.

Have you had a bad experience with an agency or an outside consultant? If you’re comfortable sharing:

• What did they promise, and what were they supposed to deliver?
• Roughly how much did you pay?
• What did you actually receive?
• What happened to your project?
• Looking back, what were the warning signs?
• What would you ask for or check before hiring someone again?

A failed campaign doesn’t automatically mean someone scammed you. But broken promises, missing deliverables and disappearing communication deserve to be discussed.

Please share firsthand experiences, stick to what you can substantiate, and leave out personal information. You can keep names anonymous; the lessons are what matter here.

We’re opening this thread to raise awareness of how easily creators can get taken in, and help others spot the warning signs before spending thousands.

What do you wish someone had told you before you signed?

Hello! I’m a first-timer doing Kickstarter and maybe its the anxiousness/overthinking but would it be better to avoid Halloween since people might be busy or does it not matter?

Context my project is a horror audio drama so it def fits with the vibes of Halloween but I just wanted other opinions!