Crowdfunding Nerds: Kickstarter Marketing, Business, & Beyond!
Crowdfunding Nerds is a practical, behind-the-scenes podcast for creators looking to launch and scale successful crowdfunding campaigns. Since 2019, the Crowdfunding Nerds team has helped creators raise over $40M on Kickstarter and Gamefound while generating more than $100M in ecommerce sales. From pre-launch strategy to post-campaign growth, the show delivers real-world marketing insights, campaign breakdowns, and lessons from both first-time creators and major IPs like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Fallout, Dune, and Star Trek. Whether you're preparing for your first Kickstarter or optimizing your next launch, this podcast helps you do it smarter.
Episodes
More pledges don’t always mean more money in your pocket. Andrew is back, and between welcoming baby number eight and catching up with Sean, he’s got a few things to say about crowdfunding marketing fees.
In this episode of Crowdfunding Nerds, we unpack Andrew’s experience with commission-based marketing, why a bigger campaign total isn’t the same as a healthier bottom line, and when it makes sense to spread...
What happens when AI can create artwork that’s almost impossible to distinguish from something made by a human?
Sean, Donnie, and Jacob dive into the increasingly complicated relationship between AI-generated art and the board game industry. They discuss why publishers are tempted by AI’s speed and lower costs, why portions of the tabletop community remain strongly opposed to it, and whether human-made artwork could act...
Performance-based marketing sounds like an easy win: no big agency fee upfront, someone else handles the ads, and they only get paid when they generate results. But is the deal actually as aligned with publishers as it sounds?
In this episode, Sean and Donnie break down the realities of performance-based marketing for crowdfunding campaigns. They discuss the challenges of accurately attributing sales, how commission-based incentive...
What assets do you actually need to create a bangarang crowdfunding landing page—and ads that convert?
Sean is joined by Crowdfunding Nerds team members Jacob Cecil and Donnie to break down the creative assets every board game and RPG creator should have ready before launching a marketing campaign. They explain why a 3D box render is practically non-negotiable, what types of artwork and component shots make landing pages more...
What actually makes a tabletop game successful? According to Roll for Combat publisher Stephen Glicker, creating a great game is only one piece of a much bigger puzzle.
Sean sits down with Stephen to unpack nearly five decades of gaming experience and the lessons he’s learned building Roll for Combat and Battlezoo into major third-party publishers for Pathfinder, D&D, Shadowdark, and now Deathbringer. Stephen shares how h...
SEO is changing. AI is changing search. But does that mean everything you knew about getting discovered online is suddenly useless?
Not exactly.
Crowdfunding Nerds SEO wizard and original co-host Richard is back to talk about what tabletop creators need to know about SEO, AI search, branding, and getting their games discovered online.
Richard and Sean dig into why brand presence matters more than ever, how AI tools find and recomme...
Why do some players crave big, memorable moments while others obsess over clever combinations or competitive wins? Understanding those motivations can help you design a stronger game—and market it more effectively.
In this episode of Crowdfunding Nerds, Andrew and Sean explore the psychographic profiles behind different types of gamers. They unpack the classic Timmy, Johnny, and Spike archetypes, explain how Vorthos and Melvi...
Most creators know they need marketing, but very few understand what actually creates demand versus what simply captures it.
In this episode of Crowdfunding Nerds, Andrew Lowen and Sean dive deep into one of the most important marketing concepts for crowdfunding creators: Drivers vs. Catchers.
They explain why many campaigns mistakenly attribute sales to the wrong marketing channels, how platforms like Meta, Google, Amazon, YouTube...
Fulfillment can make or break your crowdfunding campaign, and most creators don't realize how much can go wrong until it's too late. In this episode, Andrew sits down with Konstantinos Matos of Hive Interactive and Vesuvius Media to unpack the realities of international fulfillment, freight logistics, and why even experienced publishers still encounter unexpected disasters.
With over 21 successful Kickstarter campaigns under his be...
This week on Crowdfunding Nerds, Andrew and Sean open the curtain on the realities of crowdfunding, publishing, and marketing by sharing the things that truly “grind their gears.” From low-effort projects and unrealistic expectations to anonymous criticism and poor communication, this episode is a candid look at the mistakes creators make that can derail campaigns and business relationships.
The conversation explores ho...
Most creators dream about launching a successful Kickstarter, but what happens after your first campaign?
In this episode of Crowdfunding Nerds, Andrew and Sean wrap up their marketing series by exploring the bigger picture: how to build a publishing company that lasts. They discuss why your first campaign should be viewed as the foundation, not the finish line, and why cultivating a passionate audience is far more valuable than ch...
What makes a story unforgettable?
In this episode, Andrew shares what he learned after writing more than 80,000 words for the upcoming Deliverance: Council of the Fallen campaign. From surveying players to rewriting an entire campaign narrative, this conversation dives into the craft of storytelling, worldbuilding, and creating narratives that genuinely engage an audience.
Whether you're designing a board game, writing fiction, bui...
Episode 291 - What happens when a professionally produced crowdfunding campaign still falls short of expectations?
In this episode of Crowdfunding Nerds, Andrew and Sean take a deep dive into the recent Bloodstone campaign on Gamefound—a campaign that raised over $180,000 but still left many wondering why it didn't meet expectations.
The discussion isn't about criticizing a creator. Instead, it's an honest case study explorin...
What happens when a toy company walks away from your invention?
For Scott Pease, it became the opportunity to finally build the game he'd dreamed about from the very beginning.
In this episode of Crowdfunding Nerds, Andrew and Sean sit down with former Neversoft director and Snapships co-creator Scott Pease to explore the incredible journey from video game development to toy invention to crowdfunding success.
Scott shares lessons l...
Episode 285 - Andrew and Sean help you think about the goals of your table top business and how to develop products that markets actually want.
Must Watch Episodes 👀 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUl_AIQk_sIXD4K7-44maiK3hfFMg7Gl
Thank you to our sponsors!
https://bridgedist.com/ - We recommend Bridge Distribution & Fulfillment for US fulfillment and Amazon fulfillment. We use them for our own projects, too!
ht...
Episode 278 - Andrew and Sean interview Marcel Köhler, the designer of the historic board game Dutch Resistance: Orange Shall Overcome
Order the Dutch Resistance board game here - https://www.hiveinteractive.net/projects/dutch-resistance-orange-shall-overcome-late-pledge-store-402?ref=9mhoa730
Must Watch Episodes 👀 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUl_AIQk_sIXD4K7-44maiK3hfFMg7Gl
Thank you to our sponsors!
https://tabletone...
Episode 277 - The Crowdfunding Nerds sit down with Galen McCown of Galen Games to discuss making tiny, pocked-sized Mint Tin Games.
Mint Tin Series on Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/galensgames/galens-games-mint-tin-series-2?ref=dbleeb
Must Watch Episodes 👀 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUl_AIQk_sIXD4K7-44maiK3hfFMg7Gl
Thank you to our sponsors!
https://tabletone.app - Tabletop Soundboard App
https://...
Episode 276 - Andrew and Sean discuss the 3 outcomes of every crowdfunding campaign that you need to consider and plan for.
Must Watch Episodes 👀 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUl_AIQk_sIXD4K7-44maiK3hfFMg7Gl
Thank you to our sponsors!
https://tabletone.app - TTRPG Soundscapes
https://bridgedist.com/ - We recommend Bridge Distribution & Fulfillment for US fulfillment and Amazon fulfillment. We use them for our own pr...
Episode 275 - Andrew & Sean discuss the layout of your Kickstarter page how your thesis statement impacts the perception of your product offer.
How to improve your Kickstarter page https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nimblerpg/monsters-and-more-a-nimble-ttrpg-reprint-and-expansion
Must Watch Episodes 👀 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUl_AIQk_sIXD4K7-44maiK3hfFMg7Gl
Thank you to our sponsors!
https://store.table...
Episode 274 - Discord has postponed an update to require ID verification through biometric face-scanning which raises privacy concerns for gamers and publishers of games.
On this episode you will learn about how to create robust passwords, protect your online identity and future proof your business by adopting a privacy focused community space.
Simplified Privacy: https://simplifiedprivacy.com/
Must Watch Episodes 👀 h...
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