If you’ve browsed Kickstarter, Indiegogo or other crowdfunding sites lately, you may have noticed that the gaming category has been growing and growing in popularity. Crowdfunding has become a viable way for game designers to turn their ideas into reality.

Catacombs, the award-winning dexterity fantasy board game, was first published in 2010, followed by a sold-out second edition. When it came time for their third edition redesign, the creators did something a little out of the box, so to speak – they turned to Kickstarter.

We talked with Elzra Games cofounder Aron West about why Elzra turned to Kickstarter, what they learned and how they knocked their campaign out of the park.

This interview was originally published on November 11, 2015. We’ve updated the formatting for more recent devices, but have otherwise left the interview unchanged.

Elzra Games has continued to expand the Catacombs franchise since the publication of this interview and continues to be successful in crowdfunding!

What is your background? How did you become interested in designing games?

At a high level, I have a background in software development, enterprise systems, cloud computing etc., so designing board games enables me to ship “physical bits” as opposed to “digital bits.” It’s a nice change.

How did Elzra Games come about? How did the game Catacombs come to be – the idea, concept and design?

Catacombs as a product happened by accident. Approximately five years ago, Ryan Amos, Marc Kelsey, and myself were involved in designing and manufacturing the first edition of Catacombs. Given our exposure to a wide variety of board games, we had a feeling for some ideas that we thought could work. We discussed some initial designs and ultimately focused on the idea of a exploring a dungeon by flicking a wooden disc as most dexterity games involved sports or racing cars.

The first edition of Catacombs was released in 2010. From humble beginnings and word of mouth it took off under the Sands of Time Games brand. Elzra Corp. took over the assets of Sands of Time at the beginning of 2014 (before the Kickstarter). I am now responsible for the creative and operational aspects of the company and the Catacombs Third Edition product line.

The first two editions of Catacombs were very successful and in fact, sold out. Why turn to Kickstarter for the third edition?

We wanted to test the market demand for a new version that implemented some improvements that customers had suggested. Kickstarter seemed like a perfect way to accomplish this.

What sorts of research and preparations did you make before launching?

We reviewed other Kickstarter campaigns and devoted time and resources to creating an engaging video. We also paid close attention to our reward and stretch goal setup, which any serious campaign will do as a matter of course. Kickstarter had not been available in Canada for very long, so it felt like we were a trailblazing project.

Having a strong following from editions one and two must have made things a little easier. Did you find them to be supportive?

There was a great deal of controversy about the new artwork direction in the Catacombs Third Edition product line. Some of our existing fans felt that we had abandoned them. This is definitely not the case! However, the new artwork by the talented artist, Kwanchai Moriya, is much more colourful and accessible expanding the game’s appeal. As they have become accustomed to the new artwork and the many fan driven improvements in the Third Edition, people are becoming more accepting of the changes. Overall, the response to Catacombs Third Edition has been fantastic!

What were the biggest challenges you encountered while running your Kickstarter campaign? What would you do differently next time?

We would ensure we had currency-hedging instruments in place. The drop in the Canadian dollar from 2014 through this year really hurt us. Simultaneously launching with a German language version in conjunction with a third party publisher proved logistically challenging as well. Finally, we have a much better sense about the costs involved in shipping to certain countries and would raise the shipping rates accordingly. Who would have thought that shipping from Germany to Serbia was as expensive as shipping to Australia?

Really good point! Is this what led you to bring in help for your fulfillment?

Yes, because as a new company with low shipping volumes, it is very expensive to ship packages from Canada internationally. Instead, we shipped packages to European and international backers from a fulfillment company located near the printer in the Netherlands where our games were produced. We had Fulfillrite handle shipping packages to the backers in the US and we took care of sending out packages to domestic backers based in Canada ourselves.

Were you ready for the incredible response to the campaign, having raised over $200k of your $40k goal? How did you handle it?

No, it was a nice surprise. We knew how much work was ahead of us, so there were no celebrations or anything like that. We immediately got started. We also incorporated many suggestions from fans, for example, the “chicken hero” and the “bee familiar” were included in Catacombs Third Edition as direct result of comments received during the campaign.

What’s next, are you working on any new games?

Yes, three new titles set in the Catacombs universe. One is a card game being designed by one of the original Catacombs designers, Ryan Amos, another is a direct expansion to Catacombs and the third takes Elzra’s Dexterity Game System and turns it into a competitive experience. The Catacombs Third Edition product line looks set to become available in additional languages as well.

Finally, the Catacombs Third Edition base game and the Cavern of Soloth expansion will be available at retail before the end of 2015.

To learn more about Catacombs, the Cavern of Soloth and Elzra Games, please visit them at Elzra.com

Getting started in eCommerce can be tricky. Even with all the wonderful eCommerce software like Shopify and WooCommerce, it still takes hours of setup even if you’re tech-savvy. What if you just want to start selling online without all the hassle?

Thankfully, PayPal has a very user-friendly option for entrepreneurs with a single product to sell. The idea is simple: you set up a PayPal Business Account and then you add PayPal Buy buttons to your website.

Seriously, that’s it! The configuration couldn’t be simpler and it’s a great stopgap to use before your business is large enough to justify setting up something more permanent, like a Shopify store.

So without any more preamble, let’s talk about how you can add PayPal Buy buttons to your website.

1. Create a PayPal Business account.

Before you can follow any of the steps in this guide, you will need to set up a PayPal Business Account. You can do that by going here and following all the prompts.

2. Log into your PayPal account and click Business Tools.

After you’ve set up your PayPal Business Account and logged in, you will see a home page like the one above. Click on Business Tools to proceed.

3. Scroll down and click PayPal Checkout.

4. Click Get Started.

5. Click Set up Pay Links and Buttons.

At this point, please note that you have a lot of options for integrating PayPal onto your store. When you click on Set up Pay Links and Buttons, you will have a chance to configure buttons for different products in different styles. At the end of the process, you will receive an HTML code which you will paste into your website.

If you are using a major platform like WooCommerce or Shopify, you may want to check Connect to an ecommerce platform and follow the steps provided by Shopify. If you’re custom-coding your site, Have a custom-built site is probably the better option.

If you don’t have a website and you simply need a very easy page for payments, click Accept payments without a site in the No website? No problem section.

The rest of this guide will talk about what happens when you click Set up Pay Links and Buttons.

6. Select Payment Button.

When you click Payment Button, you will have a chance to setup a payment button for different products or services in a style of your choosing. If you don’t have a website, you might prefer the Payment link & QR code option instead.

In the steps to follow, we will assume you click Payment Button.

7. Enter product details and customize buttons and thank you page.

 

There are three button types: single product or service, variable product or service, and customer defined. The type of button you choose to create will determine which other fields are available. PayPal gives a brief overview of what each button is for when you click on the dropdown.

Fields vary slightly based on type of item, but overall, you will need to enter a product or service name and price. You may choose to add a product ID. You can also set a maximum quantity for orders and configure shipping and tax rates as well.

Variable products or services allow you to create options for users. For example, if you are selling shirts, options might include different shirt sizes. You are also able to adjust price based on option.

Under the Customize your buttons section, you can choose between different button style options, including:

• Stacked vs. single
• Vertical vs. horizontal
• Rectangle vs. pill (rounded)
• Small, medium, and large
• Gold, blue, black, white, or silver

You can also choose what the buttons will say, with options including PayPal, Checkout, Buy Now, and Pay. Text options for checkout buttons are Checkout, Proceed, Pay, and Custom.

Lastly, if you would like to send customers to a custom thank you page, you can do so by choosing “Use a custom Auto Return URL.” Once you do that, you enter in the URL of your custom thank you page.

 

8. Click Build It.

Once you have configured all button options to your satisfaction, click on Build It to generate the code you will insert on your website.

9. Copy the code and paste on your website.

When you’re done customizing the button, click copy code. PayPal will generate an HTML code and copy it to your computer’s clipboard. You can then paste this code anywhere on your website to add the button to your page.

This part is a little tricky since how you add this code snippet depends on which website software you are using to manage your website. Here’s a screenshot of what it looks like on one of my client’s websites, where they use WordPress.

To clarify what exactly is going on above: I added the HTML code for the PayPal buttons right below a text box that says “$19.99” in large print. The first screenshot shows what it looks like in the WordPress editor. The second shows what it looks like on the actual shopping page.

Pretty neat, right?

Final Thoughts

There you go! Adding a PayPal button to your website is one of the fastest ways to start selling items online.

Remember: if you need help storing and shipping items once they start selling, Fulfillrite can help. We provide order fulfillment for businesses like yours. You can request a quote to learn more.

Plan on taking your board game idea to Kickstarter? There are a lot of games out there, and you need a way to prove yours is worth playing! Getting reviews is one way to do this, but it’s not the only way. You can also make an online board game demo.

But how do you do that? How do you turn a tabletop game into something playable online?

Turns out there are a lot of ways, the two most popular of which are Tabletop Simulator, which is available cheaply on Steam. The other is Tabletopia, which is entirely free.

Of course, as easy as it is to get into Tabletop Simulator or Tabletopia, making a good-looking board game demo is still not easy. That’s where Kenny Goodman, Owner of Overboard Games comes in. He runs a business entirely dedicated to helping board game publishers create online versions of their games.

I sent a bunch of questions his way by email, and he sent some insightful responses back which we’re going to share with you!

What follows are his answers to Fulfillrite’s questions, lightly edited.

What is Overboard Games and what services do you provide?

Overboard Games is a digital board game marketing company. We provide various services to help publishers and designers promote their board games, specializing in the creation of Tabletop Simulator & Tabletopia mods for online board game demos. We also do renders and animation.

How does Tabletop Simulator work?

Tabletop Simulator is essentially a physics sandbox engine that you can use to create board games. You drag and drop your files into pre-set templates which you then modify within the game to suit your need. It mimics the experience of having physical game components on a physical table.

It’s clunky at first, but once you get into the rhythm of things, Tabletop Simulator really starts to sing. Anyone can make a simple mod on Tabletop Simulator, but it’s hard to make good-looking ones, which is what we specialize in.

How did you get into creating Tabletop Simulator mods?

I got into creating Tabletop Simulator mods a couple of years ago by casually turning free print-and-plays into digital games. Then I would email the publishers to share the mod I made. This quickly snowballed into something bigger, and publishers started contacting me, which I did not expect. But once I saw there was a market, I embraced it and turned Overboard Games into a business.

When did Tabletop Simulator really start to take off?

Tabletop Simulator is one of those peices of software which board game publishers have always known about, but never fully embraced. Physical games reign supreme in the board game world. But it took off when the pandemic started, as it forced everyone to turn to digital gaming platforms.

Why do board game creators, particularly Kickstarter/Gamefound creators use Tabletop Sim so much?

They use it because it’s a free way to advertise their game. It also gives players a chance to play their new game before they back on Kickstarter.

It’s also opened the door for new designers by simplifying playtesting. Tabletop Simulator allows you to do an infinite amount of iterations for free, which increases the quality of your game way faster than doing it in person.

How does Tabletop Sim help crowdfunding creators raise money?

Tabletop Simulator has two sides: the workshop and downloadable content (DLCs). We use the workshop, a place where anyone can upload a mod and then distrubute it for free, for anyone to play. The workshop allows you to indirectly monetize the game by drawing attention to the crowdfunding campaign.

What was the hardest mod you’ve made?

This is an easy question. The most difficult mod is the one we’re creating right now: an update for Europa Universalis: The Price of Power. The demo originally had five custom scenarios, and now we’re increasing that to twenty in the complete game. As a result, it is going to require a lot of scripting. (You can program Tabletop Simulator mods to automatically perform certain functions like board setup. But writing the scripts to do this is hard!)

What was the most fun mod you’ve made?

Honestly, all the mods are fun to make, but Merchant’s Cove is my favorite. It has multiple fun things, like a spinning compass, a marble machine, sliding ramps, and cute little “good tokens.” It’s even got a very attractive and functional interface, backed up by scripting, that automatically sets up the game for certain factions.

What’s next for Overboard Games?

We would love to do more animation and renders as that is a lot of fun. As an overall business, I want to fully embrace the Overboard brand and branch into other forms of media that I’m interested in.

What else should crowdfunding creators do in order to ensure success?

To ensure success in an industry so competitive is difficult, but the key to it is to make your game known and market it to create a solid following. Build a community from the start, have a dedicated playtesting team, and get as many people as you can invested in your game early.

Want help creating a digital version of your board game? Check out Overboard Games to request a quote.

After running 10 successful Kickstarters, we think it’s pretty safe to say that Don Moyer of Calamityware is something of an expert in running a crowdfunding campaign or two. Don and his partner Lynnette Kelley were recently featured on Kickstarter’s Google+ Creators Hangout and shared quite a bit of useful, real-life experiences they encountered on their crowdfunding travels.

This interview was originally posted on October 7, 2015. We added an AI-generated transcript on October 4, 2024.

Calamityware is still a client of Fulfillrite. To date, they have launched over seventy Kickstarter campaigns!

Start of Interview

Julio Terra: All right. Welcome everybody to this week’s Creators Hangout here at Kickstarter. My name is Julio Terra. I’m an outreach lead for design and technology at Kickstarter, and I’m going to be your host today. I’m really happy that we have Don Moyer and Lynette Kelley joining us. They are prolific creators, having completed 12 projects, with their 13th project live right now. They’ve worked on everything from plates to mugs, bandanas, prints, and their current project is a great puzzle. Their work always has a special touch of humor and whimsy. Many of you probably already know their work, but if not, you should definitely check it out. I’m a huge fan.

Before I turn it over to them, I just want to remind everyone that this is a live conversation. You can submit questions through the Google Hangouts page, Facebook, or tweet them to Kickstarter Tips. So, Don and Lynette, thank you very much for joining us.

Background and Introduction

Lynette Kelley: You’re welcome. Thanks for having us. Great to be here.

Julio Terra: To get us started, I wanted to hear a little bit about your background. What were you both doing before you started CalamityWare and all the projects you’re now running?

Don Moyer: I’ll start. For 40 years, I was a graphic designer and writer, solving problems for corporate clients. Recently, I retired and now get to indulge in projects I like to do—no clients, just me. So everything is about Don having fun.

Julio Terra: Awesome. So, I guess that answers the next question I wanted to ask—when you started, did you have a sense of where you wanted to take it? Did you plan for it to become as big as it has, or was it initially just a small side project?

Don Moyer: My dream has never been, and still isn’t, to build an international juggernaut of commerce. I’m just trying to do projects that I think are fun, and Kickstarter is perfect for that. It lets you find others who want to support a project. When I launched the first project, I didn’t know if it would succeed, but it was nice that it did. Then I got hooked and did a second one, and so on.

First Project Experience

Julio Terra: Awesome. Let’s talk a bit about your first project. You mentioned that you weren’t sure if it would succeed when you launched it. Can you tell us more about that experience? What were your expectations, and what was the biggest challenge you faced?

Don Moyer: Sure. Let me give you a little backstory. I love to draw and keep sketchbooks where I draw every day. Right now, I’m working on octopuses. A few years ago, I inherited an old blue willow pattern plate, and I thought it would be fun to draw one in my sketchbook. When I finished, I felt like it needed a pterodactyl to make it more fun. When I posted that on Flickr, where I share my sketchbook, people started saying, “That would be nice if it were a real porcelain plate.” So, I looked into it, and it seemed feasible to have plates made.

I had always wanted to do a Kickstarter, so I defined the project on the platform just to see what would happen. The result was a plate similar to this one, which became our first project. We had a couple hundred backers who wanted to have dinner with flying monkeys, and the project succeeded. That opened my eyes to all the logistics and administrative details, which wasn’t my focus at the time. That’s where Lynette and her husband Jack came in.

Joining the Team

Lynette Kelley: I’ve worked with Don for almost 20 years at the design firm he founded, and that’s how we know each other. Last May, in the middle of the third plate project—the sea monster plate—it really took off, and Don was overwhelmed with all the details. Jack and I were very interested, so we asked Don a lot of questions. Even though he’s retired, he still comes to the office hangout. Somehow, we just decided to help him out.

So, we’ve been on board since then, helping with the back end of things. I handle the operational tasks, customer service, and accounting, while Jack is in charge of marketing. He helps keep our customers informed and engaged with CalamityWare.

Building a Community Around Your Projects

Julio Terra: Awesome. And building on that, one of the things you’ve done very successfully is build a community around your projects. Your first project had around 350 backers, if I recall correctly. Now, with your dinnerware projects—plates specifically—you average over a thousand backers per project. How have you been able to grow the community and keep it healthy?

Lynette Kelley: Back in May of last year, in the middle of the Sea Monster plate, we were picked up by Colossal.com. That turned out to be a colossal boost for our audience, and that plate really took off. I think our customer base has built itself from there. We got another boost when we did the mugs this past summer, again from Colossal.

That kind of outreach has been a big help. It’s funny how one mention from Colossal leads to many other bloggers becoming interested in our product. We get a lot of free advertising without even being directly contacted. So, finding that one special niche that gets you a lot of visibility can really help grow your community. We’ve been fortunate to have that connection.

Organic Growth and Outreach

Julio Terra: How did that happen for you guys—was it purely luck? And what kind of work were you doing before to get the word out about your projects?

Don Moyer: I’d say it’s about 66 percent luck. The rest is something you can control by trying to reach out to people who might be interested. With all these projects, we’re aiming for products that are beautiful, utilitarian, and funny. That’s not for everyone, but for the people it does resonate with, it works well. When a blogger gets it and likes the idea, they want to write about it and share it with their audience. But connecting with them isn’t exactly a science.

Julio Terra: What about your actual backers? I know you’re averaging around 1,100 backers per project since your fourth one. Do you keep track of how many of those are repeat backers? Do you do anything to actively cultivate that relationship between projects?

Lynette Kelley: We don’t have a great system for tracking all of that, but I did go through the projects recently to see who has backed everything. We have about 30 people who have backed every single project. To those 30 people, if you’re watching, we are very grateful! We reach out to those people to thank them specifically for their support. They’re very important to us.

Why Kickstarter Works for CalamityWare

Julio Terra: It’s impressive how many products you’ve launched on Kickstarter. You even have your own website now, but what keeps you coming back to Kickstarter to launch new products and designs?

Don Moyer: Kickstarter is perfect for me because all my projects are experiments. I want to see what amuses me and what will amuse the people following me. I could be wrong, so Kickstarter allows me to present a project and get feedback without the financial risk. Traditionally, people would make things and then fill their basement with unsold stock. Kickstarter makes that problem go away.

Julio Terra: That’s great. A quick reminder for everyone—if you have questions for Don or Lynette, feel free to submit them through Google Hangout, Facebook, or tweet to Kickstarter Tips.

Advice for First-Time Creators

Julio Terra: Now that you have 13 projects under your belt, if you could give advice to the Don who was running his first project, what would you say?

Don Moyer: I’d tell that Don—whether he’s older or younger, I’m not sure with this time travel stuff—watch out for the administrative details. Having 300, 500, or 1,000 sponsors brings a lot of responsibility. The burden of taking care of them is bigger than I anticipated. You’ll need to answer more questions, send more emails, and create more thank-you notes than you’d expect. I’m not complaining—it’s wonderful—but it’s bigger than I imagined.

Lynette Kelley: I’d add that fulfillment was something we underestimated early on. For the first few plates, we relied on the shop that produced them to handle shipping. But by the third plate, with over 2,000 backers, they couldn’t keep up. We didn’t realize that soon enough to adjust, so our customers experienced delays over the summer. Since then, we’ve switched to Fulfillrite in New Jersey, and they’ve been fantastic. They’ve made it possible for us to expand from just plates to bandanas, prints, and note cards. Handling logistics for all of that is much easier now.

Julio Terra: So, partnerships really matter?

Lynette Kelley: Absolutely. Having the right partnerships makes a huge difference.

Production and Fulfillment Challenges

Julio Terra: Let’s talk more about the challenges of producing and fulfilling products at scale. You’ve expanded from just plates to bandanas and prints. How has that process been for you?

Lynette Kelley: Having a great fulfillment center makes things so much easier. For example, if a customer receives a broken plate, I can go into the fulfillment center’s website, copy their order, and ship them a replacement. I can do this within a day, and the customer gets their new plate quickly. That ability to solve problems fast makes customers happy, and that’s important to us. Having good fulfillment partners is key to maintaining good customer service.

Managing Unexpected Challenges

Don Moyer: Great. I want to go back and comment on a couple of questions you asked. One of my hobbies is sponsoring Kickstarter projects that other people are doing, just to see what trouble they run into. I love reading those emails and updates explaining delays, like “the magnetic thing didn’t work,” or “the shoulder straps are the wrong color.” I used to have those problems, but we don’t anymore. My products aren’t innovating new production methods; we use traditional ways of making things. But even then, logistical surprises can still pop up and slow things down.

If I could coach my younger self starting out on the first Kickstarter project, I’d say, don’t assume everything will go smoothly every day. There will be problems, and that’s part of the fun.

Lynette Kelley: It’s important to keep your backers informed. Don does a great job of keeping them updated on the process so that they’re not surprised when something is delayed.

Don Moyer: Most sponsors expect bumps along the way, and they want to hear about them. That’s part of why they’re supporting Kickstarter projects—they don’t expect it to go perfectly, but they do want updates.

Lynette Kelley: Whether the news is good or bad.

Planning a Kickstarter Campaign

Julio Terra: Let’s talk about planning for a campaign. There’s a lot of work that goes into it before you click the launch button. Since you’ve done so many campaigns, how do you approach the planning process?

Lynette Kelley: It’s funny you ask that because just last week, I made a to-do list for our team covering everything we need to do from start to finish for a Kickstarter project. I was shocked by how long the list became! I was assigning tasks—things Don does, things I do, and things Jack does. There’s a lot involved. But I’ll let Don talk about the pre-launch work because he typically starts it.

Don Moyer: Kickstarter provides plenty of tools and advice to help with planning, so it’s not a mystery the first time. Planning a project is about pinning down a thousand details. You have to define the product or reward, figure out how to make it, who’s going to help you make it, and who’s going to help you deliver it. A big question is always, what funding level are you shooting for?

Julio Terra: That’s actually one of the next things I wanted to ask—how do you determine how much money to ask for? I get that question from creators a lot.

Setting Funding Goals

Don Moyer: The advice I give people is, make sure you ask for enough, because you can’t go back and ask for more. That’s not how Kickstarter works. So the goal needs to be high enough, but I like to set it as low as possible to reduce anxiety about reaching it. Remember, for me, this is all about having fun.

Julio Terra: So you’re saying set it as low as possible, but ensure it’s enough to cover costs?

Lynette Kelley: Exactly. In our case, we always calculate based on what we need to produce, like 3,000 puzzles or plates. We figure out the bare minimum cost to do that—just enough to pay the manufacturer. That’s how we set our goal, and why it ends up being low. Don wants to make sure the project happens because it’s fun for him, so the goal has to cover costs but be achievable.

Future Product Plans

Julio Terra: That’s great. One of your fans, Kelly, is asking, “When are you going to make bowls to match the plates?”

Lynette Kelley: That’s a good question, Kelly.

Don Moyer: I think it will be early 2016. The designs are almost perfect, and I’m working out some production details. We’re working on it.

Lynette Kelley: It’s coming.

Don Moyer: Small plates will be coming at the same time too.

Julio Terra: Make sure to follow that planning checklist!

Don Moyer: Absolutely.

Storytelling on Kickstarter

Julio Terra: Moving on, one of the things I often tell creators is that Kickstarter isn’t just about raising money—it’s a storytelling platform. You’re telling the story of an idea you want to bring to life, and you want people to help you on that journey. Can you share your approach to storytelling on Kickstarter and any recommendations you have for other creators looking to bring their products to life?

Don Moyer: I’m not sure my approach would work for everyone, but I believe in showing my enthusiasm for the project. At its core, that’s all I’ve got—something I’m excited about doing, and I hope others want to help me do it. So, I show up in the video, explain why I think this idea is important, and talk about why the product is beautiful, useful, and funny.

I also try to keep the video as short as possible. I wish I could get it down to 10 seconds!

Julio Terra: Your newest video is really short—funny and short!

Don Moyer: Yeah, they’re under a minute now, which I like. They don’t have to be short, but they do need to show enthusiasm. I get nervous when a Kickstarter project looks like a corporate attempt to launch a product, with no personality or character. That doesn’t feel right to me, but it might work for others.

Effective and Wasteful Marketing Tactics

Julio Terra: We touched earlier on how being featured on Colossal.com was big for you. Are there any tactics you’ve tried that didn’t work or felt wasteful? And what’s been your most useful tactic?

Don Moyer: Let me start with what was wasteful—that’s where my mind goes first. Two things come to mind. First, you might be tempted to think your friends and family will be a good source of support, but that’s not true. I won’t get into the details, but if you think your sponsors will come from your close circle, that’s not where they are.

Lynette Kelley: We’ve also tried a few crowdfunding marketing services that reach out during campaigns, offering to help with promotion. Every time we’ve tried those, it hasn’t been successful. We haven’t seen any significant boost or movement in the campaign metrics. It just doesn’t feel like it’s been worth the investment.

Avoiding Events

Julio Terra: Have you guys ever done any events to showcase your beautiful products? Has that ever worked or been attempted?

Don Moyer: Well, Don’s not an event guy. I would pay extra to stay home during an event, so no, I’m not putting anything like that on my calendar.

Lynette Kelley: Yeah, we’ve never done that sort of thing.

Julio Terra: Just a quick shout-out—we’ve got about seven minutes left. If anyone has more questions, please submit them through Google Hangout, Facebook, or Twitter using #KickstarterTips. One thing I think is awesome is how you’ve been able to build a business around these amazing creations. You now sell them on your own website. Can you talk about how you’ve structured your process to make these creations into products you can sell on an ongoing basis?

Building an Ongoing Business

Lynette Kelley: Sure. When Don finished the first project, there were extra plates left over. He didn’t know what to do with them, so he started the online store at Calamityware.com. That’s really how it all began. Each time we run a project, we order more than we need, and then we sell the remaining stock through the website. Jack does a great job managing the site—handling the look and feel, processing orders, and keeping everything running smoothly. It almost runs itself because Jack manages it so well.

Julio Terra: So, just to clarify, you produce more than what’s needed for Kickstarter, and then you sell the extras? Once a plate sells out, is that it, or do you restock?

Lynette Kelley: That’s a great question. We talk about this all the time. For plates 1, 2, 3, and 4, we reordered when stock got low because we wanted enough for holiday sales. But we don’t always know what the future holds. Some items may not get reordered. We play it by ear, and a lot depends on what Don wants to do.

Don Moyer: Yeah, I’m inclined to let things run out of stock. Once they’re gone, they could be gone because I’m focused on designing the next product. I’m always thinking about what’s coming next—bowls, cookie jars, snowshoes, whatever—but not necessarily on keeping old items available.

Lynette Kelley: Occasionally, we also add small products to the website that never went through Kickstarter, like note cards or pocket squares. They’re just fun little things Don wanted to do. We do small, limited runs and sell them directly through the site.

Handling Updates

Julio Terra: Let’s touch on updates for a moment. You mentioned earlier how important it is to keep backers informed. Can you elaborate on how you handle updates during and after the campaign?

Don Moyer: I love doing updates. I want people to back my projects just so they can get my updates! I try to pace them at least a week apart, usually two or three weeks, depending on what’s happening. My updates always include images and actual news. I don’t like updates that don’t have any real content. I enjoy writing the updates almost as much as creating the original project.

Lynette Kelley: In addition to Kickstarter updates, we also send out a newsletter every two weeks to all our subscribers. It’s similar—we try to share news, even if it’s just updates like “this product is shipping” or “this is in production.” We aim to keep people interested and informed.

Julio Terra: Do you approach updates differently when a project is funding versus after it’s funded and you’re working on fulfillment?

Don Moyer: I think of updates more as progress reports—telling backers how we’re doing, not begging for more sponsors. I usually set the funding goal low, so we hit it within 24 hours, and there’s no time to worry about getting more backers. The updates are really about how things are going, what problems we’ve encountered, and how we’re solving them. Sometimes, there’s even good news, like when things are ahead of schedule.

Future Plans

Julio Terra: As we wrap up, what can you share about your plans for the future?

Don Moyer: I’ve got a bucket list of at least a hundred projects I’d love to do before I kick the bucket. I won’t get to them all, but as long as I have the energy, there are a lot more I want to create. In 2016 alone, there could be nine projects—if Jack and Lynette let me! We’ve got some cool stuff planned—more plates, small bowls, cookie jars, puzzles, prints, and some surprises.

Julio Terra: It’s been such a pleasure talking to both of you. And a big thanks to Jack in the background for keeping everything running smoothly. To everyone else, thanks for joining us, and we hope to see you next week for another Kickstarter Creator Hangout. Thanks again!

Lynette Kelley: Thank you!

Find Calamityware

You can check out Calamityware’s cool line of plates, bandanas and more at Calamityware.com and follow them on twitter at @calamityware

Maybe you’re thinking about running a crowdfunding campaign – where do you start? There are a hundred websites and guides which count down the steps to successful crowdfunding, but what about the abstracts, such as building community and engaging with them?

We sat down with veteran crowdfunder Jamey Stegmaier, head of Stonemaier Games and author of A Crowdfunder’s Strategy Guide: Build a Better Business by Building Community, to talk a little bit about his new book, social strategies and approaches and how communication – and community – is king.

Historical Note: Since this interview, Stonemaier Games has gone on to publish popular games including Scythe and Wingspan. Jamey’s Kickstarter Lessons blog continues to receive a lot of traffic even in 2024 and his book is considered a staple in the crowdfunding world.

Who is Jamey Stegmaier?

Q: Thank you for taking the time to chat about your book and answer some questions. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Sure! My name is Jamey Stegmaier, and I’m the co-founder and president of Stonemaier Games. We make strategy games like Viticulture, Euphoria, and Between Two Cities. I also write a blog about crowdfunding—I’ve used Kickstarter to fund the first print run of all of our productions—at www.kickstarterlessons.com, and I wrote a book to help other creators called A Crowdfunder’s Strategy Guide: Build a Better Business by Building Community.

Q: So, how did this book come about? 

My crowdfunding blog—which I’ve written since funding Viticulture on Kickstarter in 2012—focused on tabletop game projects for a while, and most creators in that space are aware of it. But there are so many other things that people can create via crowdfunding! I was contacted by an agent who saw the potential for a book to reach a much wider audience and help more people than the blog, so I decided to write such a book.

Really, I just want to help other creators—those who are actively creating and those who want to create something, but need a little nudge. Also, I think the core principle in the book of putting other people first (which has a hugely positive impact on the long-term business) is a message worth sharing.

Historical Note: As of October 2024, Crowdfunder’s Strategy Guide holds an average score of 4.23 out of 5 on Goodreads.

Book vs. Blog Writing

Q: How did writing a non-fiction book differ from writing your blogs? Was it difficult to merge the two? It must have been pretty tricky running Stonemaier Games and writing the book at the same time.

It was different. While I try to write the blog in an accessible way, it’s very mechanical and step by step. I wanted the book to read more like a story. So at first I focused on my story, and over time I added more and more stories from other creators. I still borrowed a lot of my lessons learned for the book, though—they’re just expressed in a different way. And yes, it was tough to write the book and run the company at the same time! I can’t imagine doing that right now.

Q: Your book is very comprehensive in the way that you present crowdfunding product categories in a general approach and not focused on your niche, which is games. In respect to games, do you think their increased popularity is a natural evolution or has crowdfunding played a bigger part?

I think crowdfunding has had a significant hand in the booming board game industry. It’s put games in front of millions of people who didn’t realize how popular games are. I think popularity gives us permission to do something we’ve always wanted to do, and most people like to play games (in some form—not necessarily board games). A Kickstarter page clearly conveys popularity—or lack thereof—to people who otherwise have no idea how a product sells.

What does it mean that the “crowd is the new gatekeeper?”

Q: “The crowd is the new gatekeeper.” Cultivating a community and keeping them active and engaged is a key point throughout the book and in fact, is possibly more important than the campaign itself. What would be the 3 most important avenues to pursue when just starting to build a community?

Exactly, you summed that up really well. Let’s see, 3 most important avenues:

1. Have a platform. Whether it’s a blog, podcast, YouTube channel, Facebook page, and/or e-newsletter, start a platform and create some sort of content there at least once a week. This gives people a place to stay in touch with you after they discover you, and it might be the way many people discover you for the first time. Also, if people show up at your platform and engage with you, make sure you’re part of that conversation too. No one likes talking to a brick wall.
2. Hang out where such communities already exist. Whether it’s online or in the real world, there are tons of communities for pretty much everything. Find the communities that are connected to the thing you’re trying to make and become a part of them.
3. Be generous. The best way to attract people to you is to be generous with your time, talent, information, and money. Conversely, the best way to turn off people is to be purely self-serving and self-promotional.

Historical Note: In 2015, the games category on Kickstarter raised a total of $84.6 million. As of October 4, 2024, a total of $2.42 billion has been raised since 2009.

The importance of building a community

Q: You talk about one mistake you made with the Viticulture campaign was not building an active community within the board game category. Who DID you communicate with, who were you targeting?

That’s very true. In the board game space, there’s an amazing website called BoardGameGeek. I love board games, and I should have been involved on that site for a long time. But I wasn’t. However, those with whom I did communicate were bloggers, and that made a big difference on my first campaign.

Q: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it” – Simon Sinek.  What are some signs of campaigns that are transparently not in it for the right reasons, insincere? Is this perception something that could be turned around?

This is a tricky question. I know the answer, but I don’t want to assume that the creators are purely in it for the “wrong” reasons. Basically, if your pledge levels aren’t compellingly and fairly priced, that’s a little bit of a red flag to me. Every creator has the right to make a profit, but there’s a fine line between profit and greed. So it’s not really about perception in this case—it’s about pricing.

Early bird rewards

Q: Early-bird rewards: Your outlook regarding early-bird rewards is that it creates a winners/losers situation, but couldn’t it also portray that sense of urgency/building momentum also present in a campaign? Several recent highly successful runs offered them, such as the Baubax Travel Jacket and Nebia Showerhead.

Sure, plenty of successful campaigns have implemented strategies. That doesn’t make those strategies good, though. 🙂

Here’s the deal: A crowdfunding campaign is an early-bird reward. It’s a condensed amount of time during which a backer gets the best version of the thing at the best price. Imagine if there’s a campaign for an awesome thing that you really want, and you discover it the day after the campaign ends. It sucks, but the campaign was live for 30 days, and you missed it. So maybe you go to their website and pre-order the product at an extra expense.

But imagine that you discover a campaign while it’s still live on Kickstarter, and it’s only the second day, but you already missed the best price? That really sucks. You’re just as much a part of the success of the project as someone who discovered it a few hours earlier, but you’re already paying more for it than they are. As a creator, I would never treat my backers that way.

Instead of treating some backers better than others, I’d rather compel people to back the project on day one by creating something awesome, presenting it in an awesome way, and building a crowd in advance so we have a big launch day.

Historical Note: To this day, the use of early bird rewards is hotly debated. You can see a counterargument in this article by LaunchBoom.

Crowd psychology and using feedback

Q: In the book, an anecdote is presented about lines to get into a restaurant. One has no line, the other one a line around the block; which do you judge as being more popular? In that respect, can the sense of urgency also translate into the image of popularity?

I think this goes back to what I was saying about crowdfunding being a way to show non-gamers that a lot of people are actually buying and playing games. If you discover a project that’s raised $200,000 from 5,000 people, it’s going to catch your eye a lot more than a project that is 7% funded with 52 people. As for urgency, I think the limited timeframe of a project plays a role in inspiring people to support a project right away instead of waiting.

Q: When involving the backer community in open discussion about feedback, changing features, etc., do you feel it’s necessary to deliberately plan for changes to your product along the way, working a buffer into the budget?

Absolutely. Building a buffer into your budget is never a bad thing, because you’ll almost always need it. As for the involving the backer community in the design process—thus building a strong, loyal fan base and a better product along the way—I think the key is to launch the project with a 95% finished product, and leverage the crowd to complete that final 5%. Just make sure you know what that 5% is, because once the crowd starts to pick away at the 95%, you’re in trouble. 🙂

Building an audience

Q: You talk about the importance of blogging to build your community and connect with like-minded fans. What if the campaign creator simply doesn’t have that gift of gab? As a writer, do you have any tips for someone to get started?

If a campaign creator isn’t interested in creating content of any kind, crowdfunding is going to be really rough on them! I’d say this: We all have our preferred way to communicate. Figure out what that is and connect it to online content creation: blog, Facebook page, podcast, or YouTube channel. Once you figure out which one is best for you, the key is to create something. Don’t wait until you have a brilliant idea or inspiration or until you buy all sorts of equipment and domain names and graphic design and all that. Just turn on your microphone or webcam or free WordPress blog and create something. The biggest barrier is that first step.

Q: There is a great moment, which you talk about in the book, the moment when you find out and announce that after all your hard work, Viticulture is indeed happening. Hope you don’t mind if we share.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jameystegmaier/viticulture-the-strategic-game-of-winemaking/description

Sure! That was one of the best days of my life.

Final Thoughts

Q: What do you hope will be the key takeaway for your readers and what 3 words of advice would you give someone starting from scratch?

The key takeaway from my book and my experiences is that you are your own gatekeeper. That’s 5 words! If you have a burning desire to create something, the tools and platforms are now available for you to do so as long as you take the first step to actually start creating. Good luck!

Visit Jamey at Kickstarter Lessons and follow him on twitter at @jameystegmaier

1. Have a platform
2. Hang out where such communities already exist (whether it is in person or online)
3. Be generous (with your time, talent, information, and money)

This was originally published on October 13, 2015. Edits are limited to formatting and the addition of links and historical notes as well as the addition of links.

Creating a board game can be really difficult! First, you have to create a design and play-test it until it’s a great game. You have to build a business around it in order to raise funds, market, and eventually sell it. Of course, then there’s the small matter of actually turning it into a real, physical product. That’s where companies like Panda Game Manufacturing come in.

I recently had the pleasure of working with Jennifer Lee, CMO of Panda Game Manufacturing. I sent a bunch of questions her way by email, and she sent some insightful responses back which we’re going to share with you!

What follows are her answers to Fulfillrite’s questions, unedited.

1. What does Panda Game Manufacturing specialize in?

We specialize in making tabletop board games of the highest quality, and our mission is to produce (and play!) the best games in the industry. We believe we are at our best when there is a mix of different pieces in the box, as we have significant experience with a vast array of different materials and components. In addition, as Panda Project Managers, we are dedicated gamers and scrutinize each game we work on with a discerning eye to help our customers maximize the impact of their design.

2. Panda Game Manufacturing has been in business for 15 years now! Any special plans?

We do have some fun things going on to celebrate 15 years. We just launched an updated website design that should be easier for users to navigate and better showcase our capabilities. A critical part of the new design is our all-new pricing estimator tool. Now prospective designers and publishers can price out their game and adjust components on the fly to see how it affects the overall project. Lastly, we are celebrating by sharing some 15th-anniversary discounts and promos with our clients. You can learn more about them here.

3. What’s the toughest-to-manufacture game that Panda has ever done?

That is a tough one to answer. All projects bring their own unique issues, but we love a new challenge! Our team loves taking on a new or innovative design and figuring out how to make it work and look great. We actually have a project we are working on right now that has a game board, unlike anything we have made before – it is really wild. We can’t share too much more about it right now, but you will know it when you see it!

4. What materials are most commonly used in manufacturing board games?

Paper, cardstock, and greyboard make up the majority of components in a game since nearly every game has a box (greyboard) and rules (paper). Additionally, many have cards (cardstock). Panda has our own printing facility so we manufacture all of these items in-house under the guidance of our own specially trained staff. We think it’s especially important to have control of this process since most games contain printed components and quality control is so critical.

5. I’ve noticed that many of your games, such as Shiver Me Timbers and Mechs vs. Minions, tend to use unique game pieces. How do you make them?

It is a collaborative effort. Our clients come to us with a vision for what they want to do, then our team samples different iterations of these unique components until we get them to a place where the client and we are happy with everything. It is really amazing to see the prototypes of games and then compare them to the end product! It takes a lot of creative, hard-working people to make that happen and we love being in the middle of that process.

6. Panda Game Manufacturing is known for sending out really cool sample kits. What’s your current one like and how did you create it?

Many years ago, Panda pioneered making toolkits so people could see and feel our high-quality components. We’re thrilled that the industry responded so positively! Of course, toolkits have since become a standard in the game manufacturing industry. So, we’ve challenged ourselves to continue to innovate with even better and more useful toolkits.

In the past, we took a broad approach, with various cool components inside the toolkit. Recently, our toolkit honed in on just print and paper components so we could really explore all of the options available to our clients. Of course, with a bunch of paper samples, we had to print something on them, so we introduced our Panda adventurers exploring a board game-inspired fantasy world.

For our upcoming toolkit, our band of adventurers has wandered into some mysterious woods, so we’re focusing on wood components. We always want to wow clients and players so we sought out unusual or underutilized wood options to feature. That means our Panda Ranger meeple will ride an oversized moose meeple, roll wooden dice featuring metallic ink, and stash her winnings in a buildable wooden treasure chest!

7. How often does Panda manufacture crowdfunded games vs. mass market games?

Over the years the ratio of crowdfunded games to mass market games has ebbed and flowed. Early on we made almost exclusively crowdfunded games, including some of the early pioneers in the crowdfunding space – Eminent Domain, Alien Frontiers, and Viticulture. We now have a very good balance between crowdfunded and non-crowdfunded games. So you are about as likely to see the “Made by Panda” logo on a crowdfunding campaign page as you are on the back of a game box at Target or Barnes & Noble.

8. Have you ever manufactured a game that started as a small crowdfunding campaign, and then saw massive success later?

Absolutely! One of the biggest thrills we have in our line of work is watching clients grow into full-time board game publishers. We have a lot of creators that started off with a single crowdfunded project and then built on that over time until they have a fully-fledged board game business on their hands. Stonemaier Games is probably one of the biggest examples of this, but there are a ton of others like Keymaster Games (Parks) and Thunderworks Games (the Roll Player and Cartographers series).

9. What’s the most fun kind of game to manufacture?

Any game with a passionate publisher. We are fortunate to work in the business of fun, so every game we make is enjoyable in some way or another.  But when a creator is really jazzed about the design and puts their all into it, it gets us even more excited about the manufacturing work that goes into that game. We look at our client relationships as partnerships and it’s always good to have vision and enthusiasm!

10. How did life change at Panda Game Manufacturing during the COVID-19 pandemic?

As with so many in the industry, the pandemic has also been a challenging time for Panda. The early months of COVID were the most harrowing as we faced an extended, government-mandated shutdown in Asia coming out of the Chinese New Year. We focused very hard on additional safety protocols and procedures to ensure that everyone in our manufacturing facility felt comfortable in this new environment.

On the Western side of our business, we were a little ahead of the game. Panda has been a work-from-home company since it was formed, so remote work during the pandemic came naturally to us.  Eighteen months ago, we made one of the most difficult decisions in our company’s history: we temporarily shut down our website quote tool. We did that to focus our energy on existing clients and their projects, and to provide them with our 5-star service amid historic disruptions to the shipping and supply chains. We don’t regret that decision, but we do regret that we didn’t have the chance to work with more new creators during that time. Thankfully, we’re opening up more like so much of the world and we feel ready to work with new creators again.

As far as COVID goes, we know the world isn’t quite out of the woods yet, but we continue to monitor the global situation and try to make the best decisions we can when it comes to navigating this “new normal.” We are proud to say that we never experienced an outbreak in our factory and our employees have remained healthy and safe during these trying times.

11. Do your employees ever have game nights?

Oh for sure! In fact, our team in Asia has an annual board game competition in the office and our project management team in the US, Canada, and EU have many of their own game nights and regularly play online. Even though we all work remotely, when we get on calls together a lot of the “water cooler” chatter is about what games we have played lately and what we thought about them.

12. How do people find Panda Game Manufacturing?

We are excited to share our newly designed website at www.pandagm.com. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

13. I noticed that Panda is big on sustainability. In 2020, Panda created a sustainability team. What other actions can creators take that would make board game manufacturing more sustainable?

The biggest thing is to ask their manufacturer or publisher about sustainable options. Whether working with Panda or another manufacturer, the more creators ask for sustainable options, the more the whole industry will move in that direction, with more sustainable options and better pricing for them.

14. Why should a board game publisher choose to print with Panda?

You are testing our humility! First of all, we think creators should work with us because we love games and we will treat your special project with the attention and care that you do. When you work with Panda, you are working with one of the finest board game manufacturers in the world and your game will be created by dedicated production professionals, checked by our amazing quality control team, and shepherded by Project Managers that provide best-in-class customer service and can’t wait to play your game almost as much as you!

Want to know what Panda Game Manufacturing is up to? Follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay up to date with everything we’re up to! Also check out their newly designed website, which features a time-limited 15-year anniversary promotion, new quote estimator, and brand-new Shopify store.

Social media can be a great way to market your Shopify store – but only if you know how to use it.

You can reach new customers, build relationships, and grow your brand – but only if you go in with a plan.

That’s why a good social media strategy starts with understanding what social media can and can’t do for your brand. You can create awareness and drive traffic, but you can’t magically turn every visitor into a buyer. If you’re looking to grow a brand quickly, there might be better ways.

Even with these limitations, social media can still be a wonderful marketing tool for Shopify stores. The trick is making sure your actions on social media are strategic, and that you’re not just posting for its own sake.

To create this guide, we reached out to over a dozen eCommerce experts to ask them how they use social media to grow their stores. We then took the best answers and condensed them into 5 specific strategies you can use to market your store on social media.

What Social Media Can & Can’t Do For Your Shopify Store

Social media is powerful, but it’s no silver bullet. It works best when it’s part of a larger marketing ecosystem.

In fact, when asked what marketing methods work best for eCommerce, every single expert we talked to mentioned search engine optimization (SEO). They stressed repeatedly how important it is to rank high on search engines like Google, how much traffic that can bring, and how high the return on investment can be.

A close second was email marketing. Almost every expert we reached out to said that email marketing was incredibly valuable, and their anecdotes are consistent with the data. According to email marketing firm, Litmus, email marketing makes an average of $36 per every dollar spent.

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising was also commonly mentioned. With many experts citing its ability to quickly drive sales and increase visibility, albeit at a comparatively high cost.

All of these types of marketing have one thing in common – they either reach people who have a high chance of purchasing (SEO, PPC) or who already know your brand (email). That means the path from outreach to purchase is shorter.

Vukasin Ilic, Co-founder and Marketing Consultant at software firm, Linkter, aptly summarized the difference. He stated that “while majority of eCommerce store owners focus on social media like Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, I [have] found that it’s a lot harder to acquire customers on discovery platforms, because most people are not in a buying state. They want to be entertained, rather than sold to.”

For most use cases of social media, it’s likely that most people you reach will not be in a “buying state.” But you may be able to get them into one – and that’s what the majority of the strategies to follow will cover.

5 Strategies To Market Your Shopify Store On Social Media

Now that you understand how social media fits into a larger marketing plan, we’ll talk about five specific strategies you can use. These are courtesy of the many Shopify experts who kindly contributed their knowledge to this article.

1. Go where your audience is and adapt to the platform.

There is no single “right” platform when it comes to social media. “It largely depends on your target audience and what you’re selling,” says Nate Banks, Founder of Crazy Compression. “For stores like us who sell products that rely on visuals and showcasing unique designs, Instagram [has been] the best choice.”

Justin Christopher, Manager of Ecommerce and Marketing at Klatch Coffee echoes this sentiment. He says, “the most effective use of social media could vary wildly based on the product offered and customer demographics. Social media managers should go where their audience is engaged on social – for example, TikTok for young women’s cosmetics.”

Based on these quotes, it’s clear that marketers need to choose platforms where their audience already spends time. This is far more effective than trying to pull their target audience onto platforms that they do not currently use.

“You will have to tailor the content for the platform,” says Anthony Barone, Co-founder and Managing Director of StudioHawk UK. “These are long-term channels to focus and build on organically while giving a boost with paid [advertising] at times (if your budgets are smaller and you’re just starting out).”

Put another way, every social media platform prioritizes different types of content. You will want to spend the bulk of your effort on platforms where a) your audience already spends time and b) you are able to make content that people genuinely want to see.

14 Major Social Media Sites

You can’t focus on all social media sites at once. It’s a good idea to pick the ones where you are most likely to succeed. Below, you will find a list of common social media sites that are prominent as of the time of writing:

1. Instagram: Extremely popular, especially with younger buyers. Excellent for branding and advertising.
2. TikTok: Good for quick tutorials, comedy, and unguarded behind-the-scenes moments. The platform recently rolled out TikTok Shop and have generally been investing in their eCommerce capabilities.
3. Facebook: The largest social media network in the world. Great for advertising, reaching a large audience, and collecting reviews.
4. X (formerly Twitter): A popular social media network based on short messages. It’s very fast-paced. It’s good for networking, reaching out to the press, and customer service.
5. LinkedIn: A great network for finding B2B leads and potential employees. Otherwise, very formal and may only be a fit for very specific types of stores.
6. YouTube: Great for videos, which may include tutorials, demonstrations, and other educational or entertaining content.
7. Pinterest: Ideal for sharing products, especially more artsy or crafty products.
8. Reddit: Great for product or content research, as well as finding extremely specific niche interest groups.
9. Snapchat: Ideal for promoting time-sensitive events.
10. Tumblr: Very difficult to market on, but good for reaching a younger audience.
11. Nextdoor: Highly localized social media, good for serving local businesses.
12. WhatsApp:An extremely popular messaging app – good for reaching out directly to customers.
13. Messenger: Similar to WhatsApp, good for reaching out to directly to customers. Plays well with chatbots.
14. Quora: Great for asking and answering questions in fields where expertise is valued.

2. Use paid ads to grow your brand quickly.

So far, you may be left with the impression that social media is a long game. This is largely true, but it should be noted that many social media platforms – including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and others – allow pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. This allows you to select a specific audience and run ads that only they can see.

PPC advertising comes with a learning curve, but it can be wildly effective if you use it correctly. “Facebook has been great for our niche ‘garden plants.’ With high conversions and ROAS it’s a close second to Google Ads,” says Tammy Sons, Founder & CEO of TN Nursery.

Sons goes onto make the case for using PPC advertising to bootstrap a business, saying that “organic takes time; work on it while paying for services. Once your organic audience builds, the spend will be less for PPC and ad media costs.”

Technical SEO consultant, Micah Albert also made a similar statement to this effect, saying “I would suggest using a combination of social ads with organic social to promote products and ensure campaigns are ran on Instagram and TikTok.”

3. Focus on building a community.

Another big benefit of social media is in the name – social. You have a chance to truly connect with your target audience.

Through social media use, you can build real relationships and nurture prospects to eventually turn into clients. You can connect with current buyers and convince to shop again.

Mark Ainsworth, Digital PR and Marketing Director at Maxweb Solutions advocates for using social media to build a community. “Social media is a powerful tool, but it’s not just all about posting your products and hoping for the best. The biggest success we’ve had is through building a community around your brand.”

Anthony Barone concurs, saying that “building a brand and community on these channels through carefully tailored content can help build a customer base.” He goes on to state that “as these channels grow, they can help funnel more people through to your Shopify store.”

Building a community is a multi-step process that differs based on your target audience. But two things are certain – directly conversing online will help start the process and once a community is built, it is very likely to make the cash register ring.

4. Lean into visuals.

Most social media is fundamentally driven by visuals, be they photos or videos. This is especially true in eCommerce, since every purchase is an act of trust. The customer, after all, can’t walk into your Shopify store and inspect the products.

Cofounder of Fortunata, David Mason, had some good advice for Shopify store owners which you can find below in its entirety:

If you have a limited budget, you want to do as much as you can with every pound or dollar of your spend. You’re probably going to need video content to sell products and it’s nice to share content of people using your brand who aren’t you. This can all help the social content plan.

Kill two birds with one stone.

Make video content to add context to your product pages – how to use it, how big it is etc., but also share that content socially, so people of the same demographic can resonate with your brand.

It’s social proof, it can encourage FOMO, and it works.

There’s something more honest and raw about non influencers making [user-generated content] for smaller brands. It’s cheap, it’s useful for your business and you can start immediately.

The old adage is true – seeing is believing.

5. Learn to use Instagram and TikTok.

Up to this point, we have shied away from giving specific advice on which platforms to use, since understanding strategy is far more important. Plus, every audience is different.

But in general, if you are running a Shopify store, the two most important platforms for you are likely to be Instagram and TikTok.

To quote Nate Banks again, “there are a ton of influencers who’ve made Instagram their main platform of choice and where they grew most of their following, allowing us to tap into those audiences easily.”

Ben Duffy, Client Development Manager at Quirky Digital, states that “for Shopify sellers, TikTok and TikTok Shop are increasingly effective, especially with their focus on short, dynamic content that can go viral.”

He further states that “creating engaging, authentic videos that showcase products can lead to instant sales, especially with TikTok Shop allowing users to buy directly within the app. Collaborating with TikTok influencers or running targeted ads can help build brand awareness quickly. Linking your Shopify store directly to your TikTok Shop can create an easy customer journey, turning engagement into conversions.”

It should be noted that Instagram and TikTok were frequently mentioned in our correspondence with experts, aside from the quotes above.

Final Thoughts

Social media is a powerful tool, provided you use it with a clear plan. You can’t simply post and hope for sales. You need to understand your audience, pick the right platforms, and tailor your content for each one. This is how you turn engagement into traffic, and in due course of time, sales.

Many people listlessly scroll through apps for entertainment. They might not be in a buying mood. But if you use visuals effectively, work to build a brand, and consider some ads, you may be able to get the “scroll stopping” effect every brand hopes to achieve. And that can put you on the path to sales.

Remember – social media works best as part of a larger social media strategy. It works best when you combine it with SEO, email, and other methods to reach buyers when they’re ready to act.

Let’s say you have an amazing business idea–but you don’t have the money to get it off the ground. You’d hardly be alone here, since lack of funding is one of the most common challenges that startups run into. That’s why Kickstarter, and other crowdfunding tools are so attractive. Why raise funds from venture capitalists or bankers when you can ask individuals directly?

This is the concept behind Kickstarter, and crowdfunding in general. The appeal is undeniable. And that’s why Kickstarter has been able to help creators raise over $8 billion since its birth in 2009. It seems like everyone from famed author Brandon Sanderson to the creators of Pebble Watch and an unfathomable number of board game creators turn to the platform when it’s time to make money.

Kickstarter culture has become a complex and powerful beast over the last 15 years. So to help give you the context you need to succeed, we’re going to answer a few questions in separate sections. We’ll start by talking about what Kickstarter is, then we’ll discuss how you can use it in business and when it makes sense to do so. Then we’ll give you practical tips and additional resources toward the end.

What is Kickstarter?

Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform that allows creators to fund their creative projects through the financial support of the crowd. The crowd here being a metaphorical one, dispersed around the world, made up of all kinds of people who are interested in the project.

Kickstarter was founded in 2009 and has since been the go-to venue for the funding of thousands of projects. Campaigns range from films and music to technology and design.

One of the calling cards of the Kickstarter business model is its all-or-nothing funding policy. Creators set a funding goal and a deadline, and they must meet or surpass this goal within the time frame to receive the funds. If the goal is not met, no money changes hands.

Can Kickstarter Be Used To Start A Business?

Absolutely, and in fact, there is a lot of precedent for that these days. Kickstarter is a very popular place for entrepreneurs to raise capital for their startup businesses. Kickstarter, as well as its peers like Indiegogo and Gamefound, allow individuals to present their business ideas to a wide audience. If the audience takes a shine to their offers, they can become backers, letting the entrepreneur secure funding through pre-sales or donations.

A classic example of this is the Pebble E-Paper Watch. It’s the first truly high-profile example of a business that started on Kickstarter. Their campaign in 2012 became the most funded in Kickstarter’s history at the time, raising over $10 million from nearly 70,000 backers. Kickstarter has only grown as a platform since.

Kickstarter has guidelines for starting a project which state that creators are responsible for completing their project and fulfilling each reward. Additionally, projects must fit into one of Kickstarter’s 13 categories, and they cannot fundraise for charity, offer financial incentives, or involve prohibited items.

Can Kickstarter Be Trusted?

Kickstarter has a strong reputation as one of the foremost crowdfunding platforms worldwide. To date, Kickstarter has been home to over 265,000 campaigns and has helped creators to raise almost $8.3 billion dollars since its inception in 2009.

Campaigners are also expected to be very transparent. For one, project funding progress is always publicly visible. Plus, creators are expected to share regular updates on project development and fulfillment of rewards.

As for protections and remedies for backers, Kickstarter ensures that creators are legally obligated to fulfill their promises. If a creator cannot fulfill a project, they must provide a refund or offer an explanation, detailing how funds were used, and the work done towards the project completion.

This does not mean that every single campaign ships and that every backer is pleased. However, given Kickstarter’s status as a platform for businesses to launch products in their early stages, it has been remarkably successful and reliable.

Kickstarter also has a dispute resolution process. It encourages backers and creators to communicate and work out issues amongst themselves. For egregious situations or policy violations, Kickstarter can intervene and take action such as suspending the project or banning the creator.

Why Use Kickstarter Instead of Regular Ecommerce?

To better answer this question, I’d like to share some insights from Darian Shimy, the Founder & CEO of FutureFund. His firm specializes in fundraising and volunteering for K-12 schools, so he has a lot of experience in the fundraising model that Kickstarter is based upon.

Shimy states that one of the primary reasons why you might use Kickstarter is to “assess the viability of a new product before fully developing or launching it. Crowdfunding allows entities to test concepts in a low-risk manner by generating interest and support for proposed products/services in a short campaign.”

The big idea here is that Kickstarter and other tools like it can be used for marketing research. Unlike eCommerce, you can see if there is interest in a product before spending a lot of money manufacturing it. And while eCommerce platforms such as Shopify and WooCommerce certainly have the ability to take preorders, they just aren’t quite as public as Kickstarter and its peers.

In short, Kickstarter can be used for market validation. For many business owners, this alone is worth the time and effort that goes into launching a campaign.

When Would You Choose Ecommerce Over Kickstarter?

Before you launch a Kickstarter campaign, it’s worth considering whether or not it is the best possible fit for your project. As Shimy states, “crowdfunding campaigns typically feature a few defined product reward tiers for a limited period.” In contrast, he states that “eCommerce provides constant browsability and purchasing opportunities.”

Put another way, one purpose of a crowdfunding campaign is to narrow the audience’s focus onto a single item with perhaps a few variants. If the goal is to start a business with multiple products right away, eCommerce is probably a better way to launch. Bear in mind that, should you successfully fund, you can always transition from Kickstarter to eCommerce after funding and fulfillment.

Tips for Starting a Business on Kickstarter

If you are thinking about starting a business on Kickstarter, here is a high-level overview of what you will need to do in order to launch your first project:

1. Define Your Project: Detail what your project is, why it’s valuable, and how you plan to accomplish it. Be precise and thorough to create trust with potential backers.
2. Set a Funding Goal: Analyze your budget carefully. Include production costs, shipping, taxes, and Kickstarter’s fees to set a realistic and achievable goal.
3. Plan Your Rewards: Rewards should be enticing and offer value for money. Consider different tiers to cater to a range of backers. Include behind-the-scenes access or exclusive versions of your product for higher tiers.
4. Create a Compelling Story: People connect with stories. Why are you passionate about this project? How will it benefit your backers? Use this narrative to engage your audience emotionally.
5. Use High-Quality Media: High-quality photos and videos are crucial. They present a professional image and give potential backers a clear understanding of your project.
6. Write Clear, Concise Copy: Keep your text easy to understand and get straight to the point. Use bullet points and headers to make your campaign easily skimmable.

In addition to creating a project, you will also need to promote it as well. Here are a few simple tips to help you with that:

1. Use Social Media: Use platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram to spread the word. Regular updates and engagement with your audience can boost your project’s visibility.
2. Build a Pre-Launch Mailing List: A mailing list is a powerful tool for building hype before your campaign launch. Use lead magnets (like sneak peeks or discounts) to encourage sign-ups.
3. Collaborate with Influencers: Partnering with influencers in your niche can get your project in front of a larger audience. Ensure the influencer’s audience aligns with your target market.
4. Press Releases: Reach out to relevant media outlets and bloggers. A well-written press release can lead to valuable coverage and increased visibility.

Remember, successful crowdfunding requires careful planning, compelling storytelling, and active promotion. Kickstarter can provide a significant boost for your business, but your success on the platform will depend heavily on how much of an audience you are able to build on your own. Then once you have a community, you must proactively engage with your community and deliver on your promises.

Additional Resources For Launching a Kickstarter

Running a Kickstarter campaign is exciting, but difficult! Knowing where to start and what to do doesn’t come easy. That’s why we’ve put together this list of articles to help you run the crowdfunding campaign of your dreams.

If you’re looking for more general advice on how to run an eCommerce business, check out his series of articles instead.

And if you’re a bit further along and you’re worried about shipping and fulfillment, this set of articles will be perfect for you.

Good luck in your next business venture!

You want to launch a Kickstarter.

And, maybe this goes without saying, but you actually want to fund, right?

Everybody’s telling you “build an audience” and “generate leads.”

But what if you don’t know how to do that? Or what to do when you’re live?

What if you want some more hand-holding than that?

That’s where Launchboom comes in. That’s why I’ve brought on Will Ford, President and Cofounder of Launchboom, a company that specializes in helping crowdfunding creators succeed through their accelerator program.

Transcript

This transcript was generated with AI and may contain occasional minor errors.

Brandon Rollins: You want to launch a Kickstarter, and maybe this goes without saying, but you actually want to fund, right? Everybody’s telling you to build an audience and generate leads. Eh, we do that too. But what if you don’t know how to do that? Or what do you do once you’re live? What if you want some more hand holding than just this general advice that you find on the internet?

That’s where Launchboom comes in. And that’s why I brought on Will Ford, the president and co founder of Launchboom, a company that specializes in helping crowdfunding creators. succeed through their accelerator program. Now, we’re going to cut to the interview in just a minute, but real quick, my name is Brandon.

This video is brought to you by Fulfillrite. We ship orders for e commerce and crowdfunding campaigns. Link below for more details. The quotes are free. Now, one last quick note. We edited with a light touch on this interview because we wanted to keep it simple, a little lo fi, and honest. Just like two professionals on a Zoom call.

All right, let’s cut to the interview. All right. So I just started the recording. We’re, uh, I guess about to begin on that. Um, so first of all, well, thank you very much for taking the time today to come onto our channel. I really appreciate it. Yeah,

Will Ford: man, I’m pumped to be here. And, uh, it’s been so much fun working with you like over like the last year.

And, um, when you told me about this, I was excited to be a part of it. So I appreciate you for having me on today. Thank you.

Brandon Rollins: Absolutely. We’re just starting. We’re just getting started out with these kinds of interviews and we’re excited to see where it goes.

Will Ford: No, I think, I think this is so cool that you’re providing all of, um, this information for your audience.

Um, there’s just so many experts in our industry and, um, it’s so cool that you’re inviting, you know, different experts in to kind of share their experiences and just help your community grow and thrive.

Brandon Rollins: Absolutely. Um, so I’ll just jump right into it, like, So, of course, I know what LaunchBoom does.

LaunchBoom is a, is a partner of Fulfill, right? I feel like that’s a necessary disclosure that I should probably just get out there. Um, but for the, you know, general viewing audience, can you explain what LaunchBoom does and how it’s changed over time?

What Launchboom Does

Will Ford: Yeah, yeah. So I founded Launch Boom back in 2015. And the reason I started Launch Boom was because I’ve always been very involved launching consumer products.

And before I learned about Kickstarter or Indiegogo, I was doing it the traditional way when it comes to launching new consumer products. So what that looked like was I’d come up with a really cool product idea. Um, I would have to. Place a significant investment of my own into that product idea to figure out manufacturing.

Uh, usually with most manufacturers, you’d have to pay for, you know, half the order up front, and then the other half of the order would have to, you know, get paid, you know, once they are ready to deliver the product. And, um, and so, you know, you’d have to make a significant investment because when it comes to manufacturing new consumer products, um, you’ve got to, Uh, place larger orders or the largest orders possible because with larger volume orders, you get much more, uh, competitive price breaks and that makes it easier for you to make a much better margin when you start selling your product in the, in the market.

And so, um, you know, before crowdfunding, I would have to come up with a lot of my own money. I would have to come up with a clever marketing strategy and then I’d better be right because if I wasn’t right, then I would be upside down before I even get. Right. Because I would have had all this product that I wouldn’t be able to move.

And I’ve been there before too. And it’s not, it’s, it’s a scary place to be in. Like it’s not fun. Um, it’s also kind of risky when you put a lot of your own money into a product before you’ve even validated that there’s demand. We’re people that want to buy the product. And that’s what really turned me on initially to Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

I couldn’t believe that I could take a prototype and I could pre sell that prototype to millions of people all over the world, and I can take their money up front. Before I have to make the product and deliver the product to the end user. Um, and you know, in the early years, you know, Kickstarter and Indiegogo, they’re, they’re fairly, uh, new platforms.

I mean, they both opened their doors like around 2009. So, you know. I couldn’t believe like having gone into those platforms back in like 2010, 2011, and just seeing like all these new product ideas, raising like millions of dollars in pre sales and, you know, being an entrepreneur, Brendan, I was like, wait a minute, if I could pre sell a million dollars with a product, I could place a much larger volume order with my manufacturer and get even better price breaks, right.

And get even better margins. And it was just a much. Safer way to validate demand and launch new consumer products. So when I sold my last company, which was called pep box, um, I had, uh, an advisor on my board, um, and he asked me as soon as we exited that deal, he said, Hey, well, since I helped you through that exit, could you help me in a Navy seal, launch a new consumer product?

Cause now I know you’re available, you know, you’ve sold your company, you’ve got some time, would you mind helping us? And I said, why don’t we take that product? To kickstarter and why don’t we pre sell that product so we can potentially place a larger volume order and help get this product in the market faster with less risk.

And he loved the idea. So he said, Hey, well, I’m a real estate guy. How about I just give you the capital you need and why don’t you just run this for me? So I basically took it into a Kickstarter campaign, but what I did was I really spent about three months before the Kickstarter building my own community.

And I did it through Facebook advertising, Instagram advertising. And I built out this like massive audience that was excited about the product. Before I went to Kickstarter. So when I went to Kickstarter, I set a very conservative goal. So on Kickstarter or Indiegogo, you’ve got to set a goal that you know you can hit, because if you don’t hit that goal, you won’t get any money off the platform.

So you’ve got to hit your funding goal. That’s like rule number one. And so what I would do is I would build this massive email list through Facebook and Instagram advertising. To build my own community of people excited, engaged, ready to buy. So when I go to Kickstarter, I would basically set my campaign goal at like 20 or 30 grand.

And it was a number that I knew I could definitely convert as soon as I’ve launched on Kickstarter. So by the time I turn on Kickstarter, I get my entire campaign funded. Within the first hour when I launched this first product, and when that happens, we became one of the most popular products on Kickstarter at that time.

So they start to promote the campaign to their millions of viewers on their platform by giving us better placement, featuring us in their newsletter. And when that happened, we got this massive organic lift from all the community members of backers that are there looking for really cool projects to back.

And so from there. We were able to raise, you know, huge amounts of money very, very quickly. So that’s kind of when the light bulb went off for me, Brendan, because I was actually looking for more support with doing that pre launch work. And I did a ton of research and there was no one in the world supporting entrepreneurs when it came To Kickstarter or Indiegogo.

And so that’s when I saw a bigger opportunity because I’m like, wait a minute. This is a much smarter way for entrepreneurs to launch new products and it’s less risky and it’s way more effective than the traditional way of doing it. The way I was doing it before Kickstarter. And so that’s when I realized that, you know, there was an opportunity to build an agency to support entrepreneurs all over the world and having what I call.

These launch boom effects, right? And that’s why I named my company launch boom. And I bought launch boom. com on GoDaddy. I’ll never forget it. I bought it for 9. 99. And, um, and that’s when launch boom was born. I, um, partnered up with some really, really sharp marketing marketers here in San Diego. And, uh, they, they, they shared the vision with me.

I was like, Hey guys, if all we do is focus on helping entrepreneurs maximize their crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. We can build the largest agency in the world and we can get there fast. And because no one was doing it, Brandon at the time. So I’ll never forget. So I start launching in 2015 and that first year, now I had to go find projects to launch.

Right. So fortunately I had a really, really. Great track record of launching other consumer products. So I knew a lot of consumer product creators out there. So I just reached out to my personal network in the, in the early year of starting the business. And I was able to sign 15 clients and, um, it was more of a white club service.

So I’d do everything for them. Um, I had basically charged 50 grand upfront. So they had to have some kind of funding in place. Uh, 25 would go into the marketing because we’d have to do like video production, we’d have to create ads for Facebook and Instagram. And then the other half of the budget would go into advertising so I could build that, you know, largest pre launch email as possible before we’d go to Kickstarter or into Yogo and more or less control that outcome.

And so that first year we learned a lot, you know, we had 15 launches. Um, all those launches did phenomenal. They all did like six or seven figures. And then finally I’m like, well, if I’m going to keep growing and scaling this agency, I need more projects. So the riskiest thing I did, Brandon, was I actually flew out to Brooklyn, New York, and I got a meeting somehow.

I don’t even remember how I got it, but I was able to get a meeting with the executive team at Kickstarter. I met with them. I said, Hey guys, this is why our campaigns are doing so well. It’s called pre launch and I actually educated them. As to how we do pre launch, because that was foreign to them at the time.

They just had the platform. They would just launch the products. They just had the backers. They weren’t really doing any support on the entrepreneur creator side. So once I showed them why the pre launch was able to control a better outcome, they loved it. They’re like, Hey, well, you know, we’re more focused right now on continuing to build our backer audience.

So how about we just send you any campaigners that aren’t quite ready to launch with us so we can have bigger, better campaigns on our platform. And as soon as that happened, I went out to San Francisco and I met with Indiegogo’s team and I, I had the same type of conversation with their executive team and they had the same reaction.

They’re like, Hey, will, we’re building our backers. We’re not really able to support the campaigners the way you are. Why don’t we make you a preferred partner on our platform? So by the time 2016 hits a year after we open launch, boom, I’ve got this like floodgates open from Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and they’re sending me all my business.

It was amazing. So 2016, I go from launching, you know, 15 products in 2015 to 2016. Now I’ve launched close to a hundred products. That’s how many new clients were coming in and our agency was growing fast. And at this time, mind you, now people are starting to copy my model, right? So now I have competitors, there’s other agencies starting to.

Kind of pop up in Europe and pop up here in the U S and, uh, which is the best compliment ever. It means, you know, I’m doing something right when people start copying your model. Um, but in the early years, to be honest, as an agency, we were just building an email list, right? And the only issue with just building an email list is that you’re going to get a low conversion rate.

Right. So when you have an email list and you email market back to that audience, we were getting on average, like 3 percent conversions, right? So we’d have to build a massive audience in order to hit those like six or seven figure outcomes. And so at the time, what I was doing was I wanted to create a more efficient process, I wanted to make it easier for my clients to have even.

Bigger, better campaign outcomes. And so we ended up creating something called the reservation funnel.

Reservation Funnels

Brandon Rollins: And this is one of your like big key, unique things that launch boom does. It’s a very specific Launchboom thing.

Will Ford: Yeah. So the reservation funnel, honestly, it was like the biggest game changer for us and the world.

And crowdfunding, because what we ended up doing was we took that email one step further and the idea was okay, great. Now that we’ve got the email interest and they submitted their email because they want us to notify them when we launch. The idea was, well, we’re What if we turn that into an actual reservation to create a more qualified audience?

So the idea was, it was honestly, I took it from Elon Musk when he launched a Cybertruck and he did those like a thousand dollar deposit reservations. And he ended up creating like huge amounts of revenue for Tesla on that one reservation funnel idea. I was like, Hey, I wonder if this would work for crowdfunding.

And sure enough, it did. And so the way it works is once we run a Facebook ad or Instagram ad and someone interested in the product clicks on the ad, what we do is we then pull them into an opportunity to give us a dollar reservation. And what we do is we create a call to action. We say, Hey, we’re launching soon on Kickstarter.

The first thousand backers are going to get a lower price and early delivery. So if you want the best deal before we go to Kickstarter. All you have to do today is place a 1 money back guarantee deposit, and we’re going to guarantee you, um, that you get the very best deal today before we go live. And so what was interesting was we didn’t really care about the dollar.

It was more the transaction because people don’t transact unless they’re serious about committing to a deal. So what ended up happening, yeah, as soon as we turned on this reservation system. We started getting massive conversions. So like I said earlier, when I had that original email list going into a Kickstarter, I’d get a 3 percent conversion, right?

When I took it to through the reservation funnel, if I had a thousand dollar reservations before a campaign, we’re getting 30 percent or greater conversions.

Measuring Purchase Intent

Brandon Rollins: So you’re like really measuring for, for purchase intent when you do that. And that’s one of the things that really helps you. Cause you’re like, you can just take that.

You know, make a lookalike audience out of it or do something else that like really measures for that kind of

Will Ford: thing. Exactly right. And, and, you know, I’ve been at it now for nine years, Brandon. That’s how long I’ve been working on LaunchBoom and we’ve honestly built the most effective product launch system in the world.

And what’s really interesting about what we’ve created is also the lowest cost solution, right? Because I want to be able to help every entrepreneur. I don’t want to just be able to help the funded ones. So when I, in my early years at LaunchBoom. I was really focused on building the world’s largest agency.

The only issue with that model was it only worked for funded startups. Like I said earlier, like I needed a minimum 50 grand investment in that product launch for me to do everything for the client and to be able to deliver a significant outcome of six or seven figures of pre sales, right? So the problem with that model was I could only work with funded startups.

And my agency grew super fast. So from 2015 up until about 2021, we had launched over a thousand successful product launches on Kickstarter on Indiegogo, right? So we were the world’s largest crowdfunding agency. You know, we rang that bell, you know, back in like 2018 is when we got there. And, um, and then the pandemic hit and we went through hyper growth and we exploded.

I went from like. 20 full time employees, uh, pre pandemic to close to a hundred employees by the end of 2021. It was massive growth and, um, it was an exciting time and we were doing incredibly well as an agency. Our clients were thriving. That’s really where we built our brand reputation as the leader in our space.

And then in 2022. Everything changed. And what I mean by that was I had this massive team that was ready to keep scaling the business, but what happened in 2022 was we stopped seeing qualified lead gen come through our lead gen efforts and we stopped seeing like these like funded deals. And what we realized were that creators needed a cheaper option.

They wanted a more affordable solution. And so. That’s when, as the lead gen started to decline in 2022, that’s when we saw a much greater opportunity to turn launch boom into something so much greater than it ever could have been as an agency. And that’s when we decided to kill, intentionally kill our agency and convert it into a crowdfunding community and platform where now we provide coaching, consulting, and we upgraded all of our software and technology.

So the idea was, how can we make it? Easier, more fun for anyone in the world out there with a really cool idea to actually validate demand, lower their risk and be able to successfully launch that product.

Brandon Rollins: It’s acts like an educational thing. Somebody gets involved in the program and they can learn like what they need to do to actually make sure they’re ready for the campaign.

Will Ford: And more than that, they can basically avoid all the headaches that we went through. Over the previous, you know, seven, eight years as an agency, you know, we learned what doesn’t work, what does work, um, we learned, you know, at what point to put cash into advertising or when to scale advertising, you know, there’s so many things we learned along the way.

And so what we decided to do in 2022 was we intentionally killed our agency. Brandon, it was crazy, man.

Brandon Rollins: Yeah, that’s, that’s gotta be a scary decision to make.

Agency to Accelerator

Will Ford: It was, it was probably the scariest pivot I’ve ever made professionally because we already had the most successful agency at the time. And the idea was like, Hey, what if we kill that and we create our own platform and we build crowdfunding tools that make it easier.

We make it way more affordable. So now anyone out there can use a credit card. If they’re bootstrapping and they can go through our proven system, but we can make it way more affordable for them to take that product idea into Kickstarter into Indiegogo and still have the same, if not better outcome that our agency was delivering.

And so we spent the, a lot of the year of 2022 building that out. And, uh, we had to shift some people around on our team into different seats to help support this new idea and model, but it was a huge game changer because now we can work with. Anyone out there that has a really cool product idea and maybe underfunded, or maybe they’re bootstrapping and they’re, they’re using their credit card to support these product ideas and these innovative products that they want to take to market, or maybe it’s someone who’s never done it before and they want to take that first idea from that napkin sketch and they want to turn it into a prototype and actually.

Launch it and turn it into a successful e commerce business, for example, which many of my clients do. And so we ended up creating what I call launch boom 2. 0. Um, the world knows it today as launch boom accelerator. And since we made that pivot, Brandon, we’ve been on, we’re onboarding more clients than I ever dreamed of.

We’re literally adding like a hundred plus new product creators every single month into our community. And the reason they’re coming in is because it is the most. Engaged active community of creators. They’re all supporting each other. They also have access to everyone on my team, myself included. So we have dedicated coaching calls every day.

So depending upon what part of the process they’re in, they can jump on a call with one of our experts. They can get their questions answered. So they get that handholding. Um, now they can do more on their own because we upgraded our technology. So that reservation funnel system I talked to you through a little earlier in this conversation, our clients can now actually build their own reservation funnels.

They can just like drag and drop imagery, messaging, uh, little teaser videos. Um, they can collect their own reservations. They can also. Price test, they can test different lead offers now. So the number one, I’d say pain point most of my clients have when they come to us and they want to launch a new product is they all have the same question.

Hey, Will, how much should I sell my product for? How much do you think I can get for this product? And I always answer that the same way. I have no idea. Let’s figure that out. Let’s use our system and let’s go test different lead offers to figure out what the market will support. So we are now able to do all of that during prelaunch.

So in addition to, you know, building a huge audience of those dollar reservations, we’re also able, before we scale that, we’re able to test different lead offers. And so the other huge advantage we have today, Brandon is. I have over 7 million backers in my database because I’ve retained a copy of every backer from every campaign I’ve ever launched from the beginning.

So what’s really cool is part of our platform allows our clients to access specific audiences that they think are their actual demographic. Uh, buyer, and what we can do is we can upload those audiences into their Facebook or Instagram accounts and do what’s called lookalike audience targeting. So now we can actually place their lead offers or their ads in the organic feeds of backers that have already had one or more successful experiences on Kickstarter IndieGoGo.

So they’re more likely to do it again. So this allows us to get a much, much bigger impact from that ad spend because we actually have data. That they can leverage to bring down that ad cost. So what’s really cool and unique about our system is what we’re really doing in essence, Brandon, is we’re helping all of our clients fail fast and fail cheap.

The Launchboom Method

Brandon Rollins: Yeah. And I think that’s like, that’s huge. Cause let me think about this, like. Just kind of recap, like the basic process you’ve got at the very top, you’ve got like lead offer testing, or I don’t know if that’s the right word, but like, let’s just say offer testing. Like you’re actually testing the pitch and the price, and then you get into the more granular stuff, which is like.

Add copy imagery and that kind of stuff. And like, as you go down, it’s like, is this the right offer? Are we making the right basic pitch? And then after that, I assume, and I haven’t like worked with you guys in this capacity yet, but it’s gotta be in there. You guys will help them put together that page, make sure that nothing on there loses the conversions, and then you just kind of go through this process.

And then once you get to that point, um, and somebody’s got enough leads. They’re selling the right thing. They’ve got enough leads, the campaign page looks good. Then it is, here’s how you run it. Here’s how you ship it. And here’s how you, you know, go to e comm and it gets like progressively easier because it’s like, I feel like the what is so much harder than the how.

Like you can find anything in the world on the how, but the what is a really hard thing and helping people figure out what is like probably one of the most valuable things that. People don’t really think about too much.

Will Ford: Yeah, no, I’d say today what’s really interesting about my business at Launchboom is we have thousands of active clients right now that are either preparing to launch, they’re live on Kickstarter, you know, so they’re Actively funding their projects right now, or pre selling their products.

And then we also have a group of clients that have finished crowdfunding. That we’re helping, uh, transition into e commerce, right. And we’re helping work through their manufacturing. So we also provide another program called source boom. And the idea is like, you know, once we get through crowdfunding.

Well, let’s help our clients source the best, you know, sourcing experts, manufacturing experts, and deliver the best possible experience to those backers. So now we truly set them up for success because now they will have great products landed and ready for e commerce or Amazon or retail. So it’s, I’d say the coolest thing about what we do at LaunchBoom is what we’ve pioneered.

Which is what I call pre launch. It’s all about figuring out how to maximize the product launch potential. But we do all the heavy lifting before we get to Kickstarter or Indiegogo. And so we start with messaging, positioning. How can we position that product to appeal to the greatest amount of people out there in the world?

But we also start with like market research. So we look at, okay. Who are your competitors in this landscape? What, what makes your product unique, superior, different to those competitors? And then we look at what are the price points of those competitors? What’s a realistic price that we can put on your product to help you maximize that average order value?

And that’s also how we help protect our client margins through this process. Now that we’ve done that messaging positioning work. Now let’s go test. Let’s go see if people will pay this much money for this product. So what we do is we create different reservation funnels. We create different lead offers, and then we basically point those advertisements on Facebook, on Instagram, and we look at the data.

We look at what’s converting. We look at, we look at what’s the cost to acquire that 1 reservation, right? So what’s really, really cool about what we’ve done is we’ve created a data driven process that literally will tell our clients before we get to Kickstarter, how much money they’re going to be able to raise, whether or not they’re going to have a big enough campaign to support the manufacturing requirement they need.

Cause every manufacturer is different. Everyone has different minimum orders that they have to place in order to successfully produce and deliver that. Experience to that backer. So the beauty of my system is today. I’ve got thousands of clients here at LaunchBoom. I’d say half of them are like super green.

They’re maybe launching their first or second product ever. The other half of my clients are very successful e commerce brands, and they love my system because they can validate. New product demand faster for lower cost. And if they get great data, great. Now they put more time and resources and we go hard into Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

And we generate thousands of new loyal backer customers through the experience. And we make it easier for them to produce, deliver, and move into that e commerce or Amazon or retail opportunity or all three. Just depends on the client that we’re working with. And so what’s so cool about what we’ve built that launch boom is we’ve got this data driven pre launch process that allows us to actually control the launch outcome.

So we’re not guessing anymore. And so I’d say that is. Probably the number one differentiator with launch boom and anyone else in the world right now is that if you’re out there and you’re interested in launching a physical tangible consumer product, if you come into launch boom, we can tell you within a matter of months, whether or not you should put more time and resources into it because we can find.

For a much lower budget, I’m talking like under 10 grand, we can find whether or not it’s worth putting more time, more resources into going big on Kickstarter or Indiegogo, because in some cases we might take a client through pre launch and the data isn’t positive, right? Or we can’t get people to, uh, you know, put a dollar reservation down because, you know.

For whatever reason, you know, there’s an issue with the product or, uh, the value prop isn’t there, or there could be a variety of reasons, which really cool is that we can actually, um, run surveys, uh, to the people that did show interest and we can ask them what they liked, what they didn’t like. And so it gives our clients an opportunity to potentially iterate and improve that product.

And then we’ll test it again.

Brandon Rollins: This is also key because I feel like people really sleep on the possibility of just starting work on a project and then doing the research and then quitting because it doesn’t actually make sense from a market perspective. There’s no shame in that. It’s like, I’ve got a lot of, um, board game, you know, general contacts that are out there and it is a running joke.

In every game designer’s life that they’ve got like 20 games that are sitting on a shelf somewhere and one of them makes it to market because it’s like you table that and some of them you just like you play them a few times and it’s just not worth continuing. And if you’re able to do that on like a market level, figure out if anybody’s actually going to buy the darn thing in the first place, you can potentially save somebody tens of thousands of dollars, probably more than the accelerator costs.

Program Cost

Let’s be honest. Uh, what, what’s the cost by the way to, to get in there? Like, is it a month a month

Will Ford: kind of thing? Yeah. So, so yeah. So right now, just to be direct, like Brandon, it’s. A one time cost, 9, 800 to take your product into my system that gives you access to my team members here at LaunchBoom. It gives you access to all the perks for being in the community.

So you’ll get access to like our partnerships, like Fulfillrite, right? So we can help you not only like have a successful crowdfunding campaign, but also what happens after crowdfunding. We can help actually set you up so you can actually start scaling and growing and building a profitable business. We have e commerce partners, we have Amazon partners.

So the beauty of our system is it’s a one time cost. Um, if someone out there, if 9, 800 is like a scary number, we have payment, we have payment plans now. So people can use credit cards and make like monthly, quarterly payments. If that helps them, you know, take their idea to market and do it within their financial means.

So we literally have like the lowest cost, but by far the best solution in our industry right now. And that’s why we’re having so much success because it’s a system. That basically controls the outcome for every single product that we turn on. So literally we only go live on Kickstarter or Indiegogo when we control the outcome.

When we know we can raise enough money to actually build, manufacture and deliver an awesome experience to that backer. And that’s the hardest part because at that point, now that you validated demand and now that you have happy customers, well, now you also have product. So now you can turn on your e commerce store.

Now you can turn on your Amazon channel, or now you can start shopping those, those retail connections to get your products into Walmart or, or target, or, you know, wherever you want to sell.

Pivoting to Retail

Brandon Rollins: And it’s like, it’s honestly on Amazon, if you’ve got the right product and then even in a somewhat decent looking page with all the A plus content and whatnot.

It can be like seven bucks to get a purchase. It’s not that hard to get big purchases on Amazon, especially not if you’ve already gone through a Facebook ad driven process, a Kickstarter driven process. It’s like by the time you get through that, you’re probably kind of a lock for Amazon success

Will Ford: as well.

Yeah, yeah, definitely. You know, at the end of the day, like when it comes to launch boom, the reason I still love what I’m doing here is because we truly have built the most effective product launch system that I know of. And we continue to iterate. We continue to improve it. The idea and goal for launch boom is we want to make it fun.

We want to make it easy and we want to make it as affordable as possible. So anyone. In any part of the world that has this idea of burning in their mind that they’re dreaming about, that they’re thinking about, that they want to launch, that they can actually launch it now, even if they’re underfunded.

Right. And they can actually take that idea, turn it into a real profitable business. And if we do this and continue doing this well, Brandon, my goal is I’m not going to stop doing what I’m doing until I’ve helped over a million entrepreneurs, uh, take their product ideas. And turn them into profitable businesses.

Once I’ve done that, I’ve truly made a positive impact on the world. And that’s what we’re doing here at Launch Boom. And that’s what makes it fun. It’s just seeing like all these campaigns do so well. So what’s cool about that pivot I told you about earlier, when we killed the agency and we pivoted over to this coaching consulting platform, we’re launching more products than we ever dreamed of launching.

So on average, we’re launching like eight to 10 products every single week. All year long and they’re all doing phenomenal, like they’re all doing super well.

Brandon Rollins: And the beautiful thing is like, you’re not trading your time for money anymore or having or paying someone else to do that. And at the same time, you’re able to give people something that is quite a bit less expensive.

Like I know, and I’ll be honest with you, if you’re like really scrappy starting up and you do this with like shoestring budget, the little bit of savings from a job, 9, 800 is a terrifying figure. Like I, I launched my first campaign when I was driving a 1, 500 car for comparison, but, but like, honestly, when you compare that to agency fees, like a good marketing agency, a mid range price is probably a hundred, hundred, 10, 120 an hour.

I mean, like we’re talking mid range, like probably low mid range, um, at this point, and that stuff adds up so, so, so unbelievably fast, especially when you’re talking market research, product validation. This isn’t even getting into advertising expenses. 9, 800 is actually like quite a bit lower than that, and it mitigates quite a bit of risk.

Access to Additional Funding

Will Ford: I mean, I mean, Brandon, what’s even cooler about kind of where we are today at LaunchBoom is like, I’d say another one of like the top number one pain points are funding, you know, a lot of my clients are like, Hey, well, can you invest in my company? Uh, well, can you help me fund my advertising budget? So I can go bigger on this campaign.

And what’s really cool is I’ve also. Uh, recently found a funding partner that will literally provide my clients with anywhere from like 100 to 200, 000 in interest free credit lines to support these launches, which is honestly more than enough capital, uh, to, to not only like maximize your campaign, but then to get the money out of the platform to easily repay that credit line.

Before any interest is ever due. So, I mean, literally like over the years, because I’ve worked with thousands and thousands of product raters, they all ask the same questions, right. At different parts of the process. So all I’ve done over the last decade is I’ve. Found the best solutions to those questions.

And I literally created a platform that makes it easier, way less risky, and honestly more fun because when you’re an entrepreneur going out alone, it’s lonely, you know, and now you don’t have to, if you come to launch boom, you have a whole community of like minded people that are doing the same thing that want to help.

everyone succeed. And so it’s way more fun when you have a community of other people that are energized and excited about the products are launching and they want to share their resources and they want to make sure like everyone in the community is thriving, which is really what’s happening right now at launch boom.

So, so again, whoever’s listening to this, if you have a product idea. You don’t have to do it alone. You’re not by yourself. There’s a whole group of people worldwide here at LaunchBoom, um, that want to help you, that want to see you succeed. And, um, again, you don’t have to go at it alone anymore.

Brandon Rollins: Absolutely.

Now, follow up question on the financing. Like, of course, getting low interest financing, a lot of folks, you know, they want to see bank documents they want to see or inventory or something like that. Oh, we actually just had an inventory financing guy on. I think that one’s going to be up by the time this is up on YouTube.

But, uh, so with this, it’s like, do they look at the advertising? Do they look at the results and kind of make a determination based on what they think the expected revenues are going to be?

Will Ford: No, honestly, it’s, uh, it’s really interesting. Uh, but the, uh, credit facility that we’re working with, um, for the most part, like if you’re a U S registered business, so if you have a U a U S.

Business entity, whether it’s an LLC, a C corp, an S corp, it really doesn’t matter as long as it has a EIN number and it’s a registered U. S. business, um, they can, they can, they can lend you money. That is good to know we don’t even have to show them add metrics or any data. Like that’s literally all they need to see.

Now, obviously, depending upon how long that business has been around, how long, you know, like, uh, we’ll determine how much money they can lend you. Right. So like, if you just opened it and you reach out to them a month later, they might not be able to give you a 200 grand. They might only be able to give you a 30 or 50 grand, but they can still provide that, that.

That credit line to make

Brandon Rollins: that can still be really useful. Like if you’ve got the metrics that are backing you up, at least like internally, if you look at this and you have a very good reason to think you’ll succeed, but you’re just like 15, 000 bucks short or something could be a good option.

Will Ford: Yeah, totally.

I mean, um, it’s amazing like what resources are available to entrepreneurs today. And, and I’d say that’s probably one of the things that, um, I, I’ve really focused on the last year is providing those resources to my community in my launch room. Uh, platform. And so everyone in my community has access to all these resources that, that I’ve continued to find.

I continue to add them if I think they’re going to add value to my client. And, um, it doesn’t have to be scary anymore. It’s actually the opposite. It’s actually a ton of fun. And, um, and it can be extremely lucrative if you’ve got a cool product idea.

Brandon Rollins: Absolutely. So, um, let me think. Actually, I do have a question after this, but I guess second to last question for now.

Future Plans

Um, so kind of on an unrelated note, what do you see? Um, where do you see launch room going in the next five years? You have any other initiatives in the pipeline that you’re ready to share? Yeah.

Will Ford: Yeah. I mean, like I said earlier, like, Okay. I love what I do here at launch boom. And so does the rest of my team members.

Like everyone is genuinely passionate about supporting these entrepreneurs and succeeding in succeeding with their product launches. And so honestly, the next five years, like I just want to continue to create the lowest cost solution to make it as fun as possible and to help as many entrepreneurs as possible.

And to answer your question directly. Five years from now, I’d like to be as close to that million dollar number as possible. Like I’d love to eventually help a million entrepreneurs, product creators, um, have successful launches. If, you know, and if it takes me 10 or 20 years to get there, so be it, but I’m not going to stop until we get there.

Brandon Rollins: That’s awesome. I think that’s a good goal. So, um, real last question. If there is one thing that you think potential Kickstarter creators need to focus on, just one piece of advice to give them, what would it be?

Parting Advice

Will Ford: Yeah, so, honestly, and I know this might sound a little cliche, but if anyone out there is considering launching a new product on Kickstarter or Indiegogo, you’re going to save a lot of time and a lot of money if you reach out to my team.

And you don’t even have to hire my team. Like, like we have experts that will talk to you. Uh, we’ll, we’ll tell you the ins and outs of crowdfunding. Maybe crowdfunding isn’t the right direction for you. And if that’s the case, we’ll tell you why, and we’ll point you in the right direction, but you can save a lot of time and a lot of headache and a lot of money.

If you talk to someone on my team and, and again, you don’t have to pay any money to do that.

Brandon Rollins: All right. And anybody who’s interested in learning more about Launch Boom, I’m going to include all the links down below in the description so you can easily find them. And from there, you’ll be able to just learn anything that you want to know about Launchboom.

A Cool Success Story

Will Ford: Yeah, yeah. And again, we love learning about new product ideas. We love helping entrepreneurs. So if you’re out there and you’ve got an awesome product idea and you’ve been thinking about crowdfunding, like we’d love to talk to you. Um, But other than that, yeah. I mean, like Brandon, there’s, there’s just been so many like success stories over the years.

Um, like, um, like I know before we had this, uh, you know, this call together today, um, I know, um, you know, you were like, Hey, will, you know, it’d be really cool if you could share like a cool success story, you know, what’s one of the coolest campaigns you’ve ever worked on? Right. And I want to take a minute and talk about that because, you know, there’s so many and a lot of people, they always think I’m going to like talk about like my multimillion dollar, you know, campaigns.

And honestly, a lot of those aren’t my best campaigns, believe it or not, because a lot of those big multimillion dollar campaigns, they spent a tremendous amount on advertising to get there, to be honest. Um, but I’d say like, probably like one of the coolest stories is this, uh, group of entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka.

Uh, they reached out to me and they had this really, really cool product. It’s called Spring. And what it is, it’s basically like these like wraps you put around your calves. And, uh, it actually massages your calves, which your calves have one of your major arteries in your body. And so they found that if you wear these, uh, leg wraps on like long, uh, travel or, you know, airplane trips that it totally eliminates like being jet lagged.

Or, or, you know, uh, basically jet lag, it eliminates it. And at a time I was flying all over the world, speaking at conferences about crowdfunding. So they sent me a demo and I would literally wear these leg wraps on their plans. And people looking at me like, what’s on your legs? And it was like this awesome massage the whole time I was.

Traveling on these 10 hour flights or 15 hour flights to Hong Kong or wherever I was going. And, uh, I literally had no jet lag. I’d like land and I’d feel fresh and ready to go. It was amazing. It’s also a really cool product for like people who work out a lot and just kind of like, you know, just really great rehab type tool, uh, for people who are like super into fitness or people who run a lot.

Um, so anyway, they brought the product to me and they’re like, Hey, well. And now that you’ve demoed the product, can you help us launch it? And I’m like, absolutely. It was, it’s a phenomenal product. It’s called Spring S P R Y N G. And, uh, and we ended up launching it on Indiegogo. But before we launched on Indiegogo, Brandon, I took them through my prelaunch reservation system and we couldn’t.

Get any decent conversions. So at the time they’re like, Hey, we’ll, our cost to produce this thing is 30. So eventually we want to sell for 150, but we’re willing to give a deal on Kickstarter at 99 to maximize orders. And I thought that was an incredible deal, right? But today, Brandon consumers are super sharp, right?

So when they saw this really cool looking product with all these like massage features that they thought it was like. Well, what I concluded was that they thought that it was a gimmick or it was a ripoff because it was like almost too good to be true. Like, how can I get this awesome massage device for both my cast for 99 bucks?

It must be, uh, you know, there’s gotta be something wrong here. Right. Like, like consumers just weren’t putting down reservations. They weren’t signing up to, you know, buy the product when we bought, we’re preparing to launch. So I basically did some more market research and I told the guys in Sri Lanka, I was like, guys, listen, you guys have an awesome product here, but your competitors are selling for like thousands of dollars.

And so there’s a huge gap here. I go, I know your cost is 30, but would you allow me to sell this for 189? And then you can go to retail at like 250 or 300. Because it’s a great product and, and you’re undervaluing, um, your, your price, in my opinion. So they said, Hey, well, at this point, we just want this to work.

So whatever you think we need to do, go ahead and test it. So I tested a lead offer at 189. And all of a sudden our reservations were like the lowest cost reservations we’ve ever seen come through. We ended up getting thousands of these dollar reservations. And then when we took it to Indiegogo, we ended up pre selling over a million dollars.

And now mind you, their cost didn’t change their cost is still 30 to produce that unit, but now I just basically like tripled their profit margins, right? Because now I’m selling for 189 versus 99, right? So. As you can imagine their team in Sri Lanka, they love me, right? Because not only did I help them pre sell a million dollars, over a million dollars on Indiegogo, but I made them a huge profit margin on that launch.

And they were able to reinvest that back into their e commerce. And now they’ve got a super successful business. So like, that’s the value of the pre launch. It’s figuring out how to maximize your average order value, how to get people to actually Pull the trigger and transact with you before you get to Kickstarter.

So that’s always a story I love sharing. Uh, just because it again goes back to like really what we’re doing at the end of the day, which is we’re mitigating the risk for all of our clients and we’re helping them position their products and maximize the price of every unit they move through the system.

Yeah,

Brandon Rollins: I think that’s a really good example of just the kind of things you can do because like that’s, that’s one of those things that only you only really figure out that you need to change pricing strategy just through testing it out and seeing what happens. And it’s amazing that that just occasionally happens where people actually perceive something as being a much better product when it has a higher price tag.

Will Ford: Yeah. Yeah. And again, there’s so many other stories like that, but I know you wanted me to talk about kind of a success, a success story. And that always is like top of mind because they were ready to like throw the rag in and call quits on it. And I convinced them to let me continue testing. And because we, we, we repositioned the pricing, we ended up having a major breakthrough.

Yeah,

Brandon Rollins: that’s a pretty amazing story. All right. So at this point, what I’m going to do, probably just between you and me is I’m going to like, probably edit around the order just a little bit. So it’s a little more fluid. So I’ve got my last question last. Then pop on intro and outro, but I think we’re good to go.

I think we’ve got a lot of good video here. All right. I’m going to go ahead and pause this recording. If you could thank you for watching this interview, I appreciate it. And I know that Will at Launch Boom does too. Details on both of our companies are going to be down there in the description. And just in case you missed the name earlier, my name is Brandon.

I’m here on behalf of Fulfillrite. If you need help shipping your orders, go to Fulfillrite. com and request a quote. We’ve shipped for thousands of crowdfunding campaigns, and we would be happy to ship for you as well. The quote doesn’t cost a thing, so if nothing else, you get some good information about pricing.

Link in the description. If you enjoyed this video, please take a moment to like and subscribe. Don’t forget to slap some postage on that bell so we can express ship new videos to you as soon as they drop. And last but not least, if you have any questions, leave a comment down below. I will personally answer as many of them as I can.

Thanks for watching.

You want to make a board game.

But how do you…make a board game?

I’m not talking about play-testing or art or any of that. I’m talking about manufacturing.

How do you work with a manufacturer to turn that beautiful idea in your head or on some index cards covered in Sharpie into a real, marketable board game product?

That’s where Panda Game Manufacturing comes in. They’re one of the most famous board game manufacturers out there. Asmodee’s used them, as has Stonemaier, Z-Man, GMT, Leder Games, and a bunch of other huge publishers.

So that’s why I’ve brought on Tyler Lipchen, Senior Project Manager and Prepress Specialist at Panda.

Transcript

About this Interview

This transcript was generated with AI and may contain occasional minor errors.

Brandon Rollins: You want to make a board game, but how do you make a board game? I’m not talking about playtesting or art or any of that. I’m talking about manufacturing. How do you work with a manufacturer to turn that beautiful idea in your head or on some index cards covered in sharpie into a real marketable board game product?

That’s where Panda Game Manufacturing comes in. They’re one of the most famous board game manufacturers out there. Asmodee’s used them, as has Stonemaier, Z Man, GMT, Leader Games, and a whole bunch of other huge publishers. So that’s why I’ve brought on Tyler Lipchin, Senior Project Manager and Pre Press Specialist at Panda.

Brandon Rollins:  Now it’s funny, I had pitched the idea of an interview with the topic of a crash course in manufacturing board games when I was working with Panda on this. Turns out they had a slideshow already made, ready to go, that was almost a word for word match on what I was looking for. I couldn’t ask for any better, so they’re going to do that slideshow today.

Now we’re going to cut to that in just a minute, but real quick. My name is Brandon. This video is brought to you by Fulfillrite. We ship orders for e commerce and crowdfunding. Link below for more details, and quotes are always free. Now, one last quick note, I edited this one with a light touch because we just want to keep it simple and lo fi and honest, just like two professionals on a Zoom call, but this time with screen sharing.

So, alright, let’s cut to the interview. So, yeah, thank you again for coming on. I really appreciate it. Yeah, no worries. Yeah, I, I love, um, that you just happened to have exactly the kind of thing that we wanted to cover anyway, just sitting around in your Google Drive ready to go. I couldn’t have asked for better.

Tyler Lipchen: Yeah, we get, we get asked the question a lot. So yeah, we’ve definitely come prepared.

Brandon Rollins:  Yeah, you’re ready for it. I like that. Um, we can jump into this thing whenever you’re ready.

Intro to Panda Game Manufacturing

Tyler Lipchen: Yeah, sounds good. Sounds good. So this is our crash course in, in, in tabletop game manufacturing. Um, this is an introduction to, um, to, uh, Panda’s process in particular, but this process will be very, very similar for any mass production, um, uh, uh, supplier.

The 1st part of it will kind of go through the whole process, but some parts of it will be more geared towards like a print on demand. But the majority of this presentation will be for a full mass production facility. My name is Tyler. I’m from Panda. As you know, I am a senior project manager and pre press specialist.

Um, so I kind of handle projects from the consultation, quoting phase all the way through to, I do run pre press checks and design verification. Um, and then I actually manage a project all the way through to completion, even help with some shipping as well. So, um, that’s who I am. Uh, but let’s get into the production process.

Cause that’s why you’re all here. So. There we go.

The Manufacturing Process

Tyler Lipchen: So this is a typical manufacturing process. So, um, you will reach out, uh, at the beginning of your journey, whether you’re in the middle of a game design, or you’re planning a crowdfunding campaign, or you’re a publisher who has a product that you’ve kind of gotten past alpha testing.

So like you’ve been playtesting it, you have a good idea of the specifications of how many cards you need, how big your board has to be. Um, you have a A working prototype, um, that that could be a mass production game eventually, right? That’s kind of when you want to reach out for quotes with manufacturers because otherwise it too much is in flux and you make it an estimate that’s not really accurate.

So, um, uh, the 1st part of the process is reaching out for a quote, and I believe you should reach out for a quote once you have a working prototype. And then you just match specs to reach out for a quote. You can do it through. There are some online estimator tools. Panda has an estimator tool on our website, so you can use that to start.

If you want just a rough estimate or you can reach out to us directly for a quote, at that point you’ll be put in touch with the project manager like myself, um, who will review your specifications. Um, there are ways you can input specifications into our website. Um, or if you have like an Excel document or something, you can also work with your project manager to fill out your specs that way.

Um, someone like me and myself, again, a project manager, will review your specifications. Uh, we’ll look out for, for, um, things that don’t quite match, like maybe your, you know, the components don’t fit inside your box, or maybe you’ve kind of asked for something that’s a little bit kind of, um, uh, whether we can do it or not.

Uh, we’ll kind of look for any kind of hedge cases, anything, any tweaks we can make. Um, and also during that initial stage, we might make some, uh, suggestions. Uh, certain materials, uh, more obvious, some like cost saving suggestions. Um, if you want, um, there’s also a bit of consultation for crowdfunding, which we’ll talk about kind of at the end of the presentation where there, there’s a little bit of extra, uh, consultation that goes along with that.

Um, but generally speaking. You’ll speak to one of us or you’ll send in your specs and we’ll provide a quote. Now once you’re happy with the quote and you want to sign the quote and you’ve solidified your quantities, um, then we go into the next stage which is called design verification, um, which will be checking your files.

After that we go into pre production. Uh, which will be, uh, kind of digital printed a sample of your game and any samples of any source components, which are non printed components, then mass production, then assembly, and then shipping. And that is kind of the whole process from start to finish. I want to go through each of those, uh, points, uh, in detail, and then we’ll give you some, some tips and tricks, uh, and some more information on crowdfunding in particular at the end of the

Brandon Rollins: presentation as well.

Now, I do have a brief question about the manufacturing, the, um, Manufacturing process more broadly. And that is, I I’m seeing more and more people are doing this kind of, um, design for manufacturing kind of process where they get really smart about it. And they figure out what is actually feasible in terms of costs before they get too hung up on any idea.

Now, it sounds like your online pricing calculator can already help people with that to some extent, but do you have additional resources that can help people in that scenario?

Tyler Lipchen: Yeah, yeah, for sure. No, it’s a really good idea to, um, you know, as you’re as you’re building a tabletop game is to consider manufacturing.

We actually have a presentation called game design with manufacturing in mind that goes through it in detail. Um, but because you’re building a product and because it has to, you know, um. Take up a physical space is actual physical thing, uh, knowing a lot more about, um, kind of your, your, your, your limitations and your opportunities with certain components, uh, is only going to help your design, uh, and earlier, earlier you think about that, the better is going to be in your final product.

Um, so if you go to the Panda website, panda. gm. com and go to tools. Uh, there are a lot of tools there that can help you out. We have a graphic design guidebook, um, and a component guidebook and a crowd funding guidebook, plus templates, a template generator, and, and all sorts of, of, um, of tools that can help you out throughout that process as well.

Um, also just flipping through the website in general, like we go through each component on the website itself. Just reading through those, uh, and get familiar with them, uh, will make a big difference in your game design.

Brandon Rollins: Yeah, that, that sounds good. And I can’t recommend enough that people just get involved early in trying to cut off costs before they, uh, Commit really hard to something because if you get the costs under control early, it makes everything else easier.

And as a note for you and me, um, any of those resources you just mentioned, if you just send me the links after the, after we do this recording, I’ll drop those down in the comments. Anybody who’s watching this can, can go to the landing pages or any other resources you may want to link

Tyler Lipchen: them to. Yeah. Yeah.

It sounds perfect. Sounds good. There’s a slide at the very end that talks about tools as well. So we’re kind of jumping ahead of ourselves here, but I figured it’s a good question. It’s all good. I’m kind of jumping all over the place already, but that’s okay. Uh, like I said, you got lots of questions. Um, you know, a lot of your, your clients, people you work with have questions that you’re kind of, um, you’re, you’re kind of their avatar right now.

Aren’t you kind of speaking for them? So, um, so that’s fine. Yeah. We can jump around a little bit if we have to. Okay. Awesome.

Quoting

Tyler Lipchen: So let’s go through the first bit, which was quoting, which I kind of already talked mostly about. Um, but again, we have an estimator tool online. Some of the manufacturing may also have estimator tools.

Um, you can request a formal quote, I think you’ll have a consultation with, with your project manager. Um, go to the components, um, again, offer suggestions. And then of course there’s crowdfunding. Uh, we do have a crowdfunding package. We will talk about, uh, later on in the presentation as well. Um, but for that, we will have offered crowdfunding advice, how to particularly look at manufacturing.

Um, For crowdfunding project, uh, planning, stretch goals and add ons, and also talk about prototypes and review copies as well, which is very important for crowdfunding. So I’ll talk about that a bit at the end, but during this quoting process, that is something you will be talking about as you’re quoting your project for sure.

Design Verification

Tyler Lipchen: Um, next up, after you sign the quote, as I said, we go into design verification, and this is pre press. At this point, you will be assigned a dedicated pre press specialist. Again, I’m a dual role. I do project management and pre press, but if your project manager isn’t a dual role, you’ll be assigned a specific pre press specialist.

You’ll upload your files to our website. We have a custom built FTP, uh, for all of your files. Uh, we’ll check your files, provide a pre press report, which will say, um, kind of where there are issues. Um, any suggestions we have, uh, if there’s an issue that we, that you need to correct, we’ll provide information on how to correct it with screenshots and the whole lot.

So, um, we’ll send that report back to you. You’ll amend the files and re upload the files to us. We’ll check them again. And we’ll kind of go back and forth until I’m happy with your files. Once I’m happy with them, I will send them to our factory. Uh, they will do another final check and then create digital proofs for you.

Once you approve the digital proofs, that kind of finishes the design verification phase, and then we go into pre production.

Brandon Rollins: Do you guys tend to have a lot of back and forth on the, um, on the prepress

Tyler Lipchen: part? Yep, absolutely. Okay. For sure.

Brandon Rollins: And that’s… Complicated to account for in Kickstarter,

Tyler Lipchen: right? Yes, absolutely.

That’s one of the, probably one of the longest, um, it can be one of the longest phases in the whole production process, uh, cause it really depends on your files, um, how, how long it takes. It could take two weeks. It could take two years. Who knows? Depends on your files. But the advantage, um, you know, of working, working with Panda, working with someone like myself, is that you have a pre press specialist on call, um, who will talk you through everything, right?

They’ll talk you through how to set up your files if you need to. They’ll provide, again, they’ll provide feedback on your files to help you out. Um, And that, and that’s really important because again, it can be challenging, especially if you’re doing it all yourself. Like if you have a graphic designer who is used to tabletop games, um, it’s a little bit easier because they, you know, they kind know what they’re doing, you know, and they, they speak the lingo, right?

Um, but if you doing it yourself, which a lot of time creators are, uh, it helps to have a dedicated pre-press specialist to help talk you through these things and help check your files as you go. So. Um, don’t be too daunt. Like, don’t be too, you know, uh, you know, scared of it. It’s not like it’s going to, like, delay your project for years and years, so to speak.

Um, but it is something that you will likely need some extra support for, particularly on your first project. Uh, you will find it’s, it’s a steep learning curve, but once you do that first project. Um, the, the, you know, the reprints are very, very simple compared to a first time project. And even like a new project with an existing client, um, I find is just so much easier because like you’ve been through the process, you’ve read the design guidebook, you’ve had a pre print support, you know, what, what can be fixed.

You don’t make the same issues, you know, don’t make the same mistakes twice usually. Um, so it gets the first time. Budget extra time for sure, but after that, like it gets a lot easier to become second nature and you start to set up your files properly when you start a new game design, like, you know what card sizes you want, you have templates for the bleed and the margins, you know what to look out for, you can start to like, you know, as as an art director, help brief your artists on what you want and work within the restrictions of the components of the media.

And that makes a big difference to you’ll definitely find it. Artists and graphic designers who are, uh, industry veterans, um, their work is, is phenomenal. Um, you know, their files are, are perfect when they come in for design verification. Like it just goes right through prepress. It’s very smooth, but they work within the constraints that are inherent in the actual product and the actual processes.

Um, but they still make it look good. Right. Like, you know, they have, they have to adhere to bleed on tokens and cards, but they, they, they know those margins and bleed so well to actually use them third vantage, which is part of design. Like that’s part of game design, right? Like restrictions breed creativity, don’t they?

Like that’s, that’s inherent. Um, so same thing goes with the, with the pre press files. And again, using a graph designer who’s, who’s experienced, um, is definitely worth looking into.

Brandon Rollins: I think something just to point out for somebody who’s like, and it’s like, it’s YouTube, we get quite a general audience, but like, if you’ve never done a board game file before, or like any kind of printed marketing or media or whatever, um, that bleed is basically, you have to, um, Assume that whatever you make printed is going to have the edges cut off, so you just have to make sure that all of the critical stuff fits within a certain safe zone, and the rest is you bleed in your trim, and that’s what that’s called.

There’s neat diagrams for this, I might pop that up on

Tyler Lipchen: screen too. Yeah. And then the templates that you get through the template generator, uh, on our website does have the margin lines and the bleed lines, and it has a legend to explain what they are and things like that as well. So it’s pretty, pretty, you know, once you get the hang of it, it’s, it’s, uh, it gets a lot easier.

Like I said, just a bit of a learning curve. Awesome.

Pre-Production

Tyler Lipchen: So, uh, going through, uh, after design verification, after the digital proofs are approved, we go into pre production. So, um, at this point, uh, it says here, this is the final quality control checkpoint before mass production. Uh, we will produce a full pre production copy of your game.

That’s called the PPC for short. And that is, uh, it’s a digitally printed version of your game, so it’s used, uh, printed using a digital printer, not the offset printers that we use for mass production. Um, but it will be using the same materials and finishes as your final game. Um, the, uh, anything that’s going to be cut is going to be, uh, trimmed with a plotter as opposed to die cuts.

Um, this is very complicated. We may opt for DICUS, depending on your project manager will determine what’s best. Um, but it’s going to be a physical version of your game. Okay, kind of like, you know, kind of like a prototype you’d get at a print on demand service. Um, and this is going to be shipped to you, and then your project manager and you are going to have a, have a call.

You’re going to hop in a video call, you’re going to review the game, review the PPC, you’re going to play the game a few times with it. You have a video call with your project manager to go through any issues that you have. Now, at this point, If you have any issues, it’s fine. It can be fixed. If you find a typo in your rule book, we just go back to design verification, upload a new rule book, we check it, digital proofs are fine, approved, off we go.

Um, so at this point you can make changes if you need to. Um, after this point is when we go into mass production where it can be a lot more costly, but this is kind of like your last checkpoint before we go, we go on to mass production. Uh, during this stage, you’ll also be getting samples of any non printed components, which I call source components in this case, but, um, That would be things like dice, uh, wood, you know, wood, meeples, wood, cubes, plastic cubes, um, custom plastic minis, um, metal.

Uh, those all have kind of their own, their own process. Uh, but it’s very similar to, you know, basic print that we’ve talked about so far, like you’ll upload your files for like, it’s a three, five, we will check it, we will provide feedback, you know, re re sculpting feedback, but it’s a 3d mini or, or metal or something like that.

Um, you know, we will be some of the modifications we can do ourselves when it comes to plastic minis or metal. Um, We might revert back to you. We’ll show you what has to be done because it’s too big of a change or something like that, but we’ll, we’ll optimize your design files for, for the manufacturing process, right?

It’s like, we’ll check wood. If, um, if some parts are too thin and we’re very breakable, we’ll offer feedback, say, Oh, you know, we should pick them up the legs on this, this wooden meeple, um, or, you know, the details on this plastic mini aren’t going to show us, we should deepen these here or we should move, you know, the arm is right here and we move it to like this angle here.

Then the molds will open easier. You know, things like that is the kind of advice that we’ll offer. I said, some things we can fix ourselves for you. Um, some things we might be too much of a change that we want to, um, we want you to, to be the one to change it, uh, to make sure that it’s exactly how you want it.

Uh, well, any of these changes that we do make, we’ll always show you in advance, whether it be through a digital files or email or through a video call to make sure you approve any change that we do make as well. For any source components. Um, but once you approve those samples and the PPC, then we move on to mass production.

Yeah. And do you have any questions or comments about pre production? No, you’re good. Okay. Yeah.

Mass Production

Tyler Lipchen: So then mass production. Um, at this point, all the paper, the printed components will be printed and die cut. Um, any of the non printed components will be produced. Uh, and we will make one mass production copy, that’s MPC for short.

Uh, and that’ll be assembled and sent to you. That, the MPC is, for all intents and purposes, a retail version of your game. Uh, everything will be die cut, everything will be assembled into the box. Um, you’ll have a plastic tray, for example, and it’ll be assembled into the tray. And then we’ll be shrink wrapped and sent to you.

The only difference between the mass production copy and the final, final, final retail copies are that while we send the MPC to you for you to check, we will be acclimatizing all of your components in our factory to avoid like warping and any kind of damage from moisture. So while we send the NPC to you, um, we’ll have another video call.

Uh, you’ll unbox it. I always recommend you videotape your unboxing for your NPCs because the way that it was assembled in that box will be how it’s assembled for final. Um, at this point, again, you can’t really, well, you can change something, but it’d be costly. If you need to have you find a type or at this point or something like that, you’d have to reprint all your rule books if that was the case.

Uh, but we have so many checkpoints beforehand that, that rarely ever happens. There’s an issue at that point. Um, but one thing we can change is the way things are assembled in the box, because nothing’s been assembled yet. We’ve just produced everything. So that’s why I say, always videotape your, your MPC unboxing, just so you remember how it was packaged and it’s how you want it to be packaged.

Um, so yeah, we have a call. We go through the MPC, everything is approved. We go into final assembly.

Brandon Rollins: Yeah. Are you able to do like runs of say 15, 20, 30, if you wanted to send out copies to

Tyler Lipchen: reviewers? I will talk about that when we get to the crowdfunding section. Yeah, don’t worry. We’ll talk about that in a minute.

Assembly & Shipping

So after mass production, this is the mass production, like, you know, 1500 2000 units. We’re talking, um, after that, we go into assembly as where we actually assemble everything into the boxes. For your instructions and then your shrink draft, um, the packing, the cartons, cartons go on the pallets. Uh, and then when they wait your shipping plan, this point, they can go into a shipping container, um, that they’re being transported by ocean.

Uh, they could be packing the cartons to go on airplanes. It all depends on what your shipping plan is, uh, during the mass production process, um, that’s usually. You know, quite a lengthy time where there’s not a lot for, for me and you to do. Um, so during that time, we tend to talk about shipping, make sure your shipping plan is in place, talk to FulfillRight, make sure everything’s in, uh, all your ducks are lined up so that when the games do ship, um, everything is in order from there.

So, um, that Kind of concludes the entire production process from start to finish.

Timelines & Invoicing

Tyler Lipchen: For timelines is a quick summary, uh, design verification. The time that takes against variable files, uh, you know, for a first time client, first project planned about four weeks, um, could be a lot less, could be a lot more. It really depends on your files.

Um, Uh, pre production, uh, but before we start pre production, that’s when your first deposit invoices due, again, this could change depending on which manufacturer is, uh, who your manufacturer is or your relationship with the manufacturer, but typically speaking, the deposit invoices due before any, any kind of samples are made, um, pre production two to four weeks depends on the, on the game, depends on the components, um, some components might take longer for pre production, like again, custom metal, custom plastics will normally take longer than that.

Yeah. But dice and wood are quite quick, and so is print for pre production. Mass production, 8 12 weeks, again, totally depends on the type of components, how many different types of components you have, and your overall order quantity, right? As you can imagine, you know, making 2, 000 games is different from making 20, 000 games.

So mass production can vary. Also depends on the time of year. Um, you know, if it, if it, your mass production goes over a Chinese New Year, for example, our factories close, all Chinese factories are closed over Chinese New Year. That might add three or four weeks to your production process because of the time of year when you went into production.

After that final assembly, again, two to four weeks, um, could be a little bit longer cause it depends on the complexity of the assembly. And of course, the order. Once again, assembling 2000 games, uh, it doesn’t take as long as assembling 20, 000 games, assembling a legacy game that has, you know, certain components and certain compartments that are sealed that are in certain parts of the box.

That takes a lot longer to assemble than just some shrink wrapped cards in a tuck box, right? So, um, again, these are all kind of just overall general. You know, kind of like a pandemic style game where you’ve got a bit of print, a bit of, you know, a bit of plastic, that kind of thing all put together. But it can definitely vary.

And then, of course, shipping in the pre COVID world, ocean shipping, four to six weeks to the Western US, six to eight weeks to Eastern USA or Europe, air shipping, one to two, one to three weeks, land shipping, one to three weeks. That’s usually local to China will be anything that’s going to be a land ship for us.

Again, if you’re working with a European manufacturer, like in Poland or Germany, You know, land shipping can be anywhere in Europe, so it’s a bit different there. But, um, that’s kind of the general guidelines. Um, you know, shipping times as of the, this recording are actually, you know, pretty good. Um, so if that’s, that’s actually pretty accurate at this, at this point in time, but it can, tomorrow it can change.

So don’t just check out the date stamp when this is posted. Uh, don’t quote me on that. Um, so that’s the whole production process. Do you have any questions before I move on from there? I’m with you so

Brandon Rollins: far. I, I mean, this is like, this is, this is thorough. You guys have clearly refined this over time to, you know, kind of, um, anticipate the questions.

Tyler Lipchen: Anyways, one thing I should mention, I didn’t mention it before, is that the final invoice, we said the deposit invoice is due typically before pre production, uh, the final invoice is due before the game ship. So um, again, that’s something that you would talk with your project manager throughout the mass production, you’ll be preparing the final invoice, perhaps if Panda’s handling some of your shipping for you, that would put on your final invoice as well as we discuss your shipping plans and things like that.

General Tips

Tyler Lipchen: Awesome. Moving on. Uh, so general tips, like I said before, every first project is a learning curve. Um, so build in buffer time to begin with, right? You have to learn how to do a lot of these things as well. Um, keep usability and user experience in mind at all times. Uh, things like choosing the right colors to, you know, to avoid any challenges for people who are colorblind.

Um, choosing the right components for the job. Uh, we also do a presentation on, um, you know, UX and UI and, and, you know, game design with manufacturing in mind. Um, there’s a lot of information, um, that you can find online about this as well, but always keep the overall experience in mind, you know, like your, the way your, your tray is laid out, like, you know, think about how it’s going to be stored, how it’s going to be used, uh, throughout the entire process, because once again, game design is product design, as I said before.

Um, any game specific requirements, um, you should mention during quoting and consultation. So, um. Some games are straightforward like it’s it’s a card game. It’s me in a box. There’s a board in the scoring track, whatever. If it’s like a legacy game and you want things assembled a certain way or cards in a certain order, that’s something that’s a bit more unique.

So just be sure to mention that during our consultations. We’ll normally ask for like the elevator pitch of the game and ask how it plays that helps a lot with. What advice we can give, um, all of us are gamers at Panda. We’re all project managers are gamers. So we, we understand, we understand the lingo.

Um, if you have like a, uh, if you’re at a convention, like let us play your game, right? Like let us play tests with you. Um, if you have a mod on, uh, on online, uh, like tabletopia or TTS or something, let us play it. It helps a ton when we’re consulting you on the game and gives us a lot more context as to what you’re going for.

So. I think that’s kind of very unique for your game. Please mention it to us early. Um, think about stretch goals and fulfillment early, uh, which we talked about before and I’ll talk about again later, um, and consider table presence. Um, do more with less, right? I mean, your table presence is going to sell your game board.

Games are viral by nature. Yeah, there are solo games. Yes. But most games are multiplayer. In order to play them with somebody, you have to actually bring them to your table and show them to them. And if your game is very photogenic, uh, you know, games go viral very easily on Instagram and Facebook and social media.

Right? So consider your table presence at all times, right? That’s going to help your game overall, especially if you’re crowdfunding or trying to build up an audience at conventions.

Your Project

Tyler Lipchen: So, some tips and tricks. Cost savings. Materials and options. Um, that’s obvious cost savings, what kind of cardstocks you choose and what kind of grayboard you’re going to choose.

As you mentioned before, design with cost in mind. It’s always going to help. Um, use components, uh, in multiple ways if you can. Right. There are certain ways you can, um, you know, you can use cards to, to keep score like bonanza, right? The back of the card is how you keep your points, your scores, right? Um, think about multiple functions for, for certain components, maximize your printing sheets, right?

Um, cards print on a big giant sheet. Uh, your standard poker size car, 63 by 88 millimeter cards, uh, print 54 cards per sheet. Well, there’s 54 cards in a card deck. So, if you print 55 cards, you’re going to have to do two full sheets of, um, use two sheets. So, use 54 cards, right? Um, or, you know, max yourself out if you can.

Um, if you have, you know, 50 cards in your game, well, you kind of have four extra cards to be maybe rules reference cards or something, right? Or, or maybe they’re an advertisement for your next game or something like that, right? Um, so just use that to your advantage. Optimize your punchboard dialines as well.

Um, with Panda, we make everything bespoke. Uh, so we make your dialines bespoke, um, for your punchboards. So, utilize them. Maximize them. Maximize the space. Get the most out of it. Um, use custom shapes, right? Like double, triple encode your information. So instead of having just… Uh, you know, a coin that has a one and a coin that has a five, you can make the five bigger.

You can make it, uh, you know, a Pentagon instead of, um, instead of a circle, right? Like you can change the shape, change the sizes to help that accessibility as well for no extra cost for manufacturing, at least with us. Um, and then of course, minimize the box size. Um, that’s, that hint is particularly for crowdfunding.

Um, if you want a big shot, like a, a good shelf presence for retail, you might want a bigger box than what’s needed. Uh, but generally speaking, most people want the smallest box size possible. Cause it’s going to save you a lot on shipping. Yeah. Ocean shipping is dependent on volume. So the smaller your box, the better it’s going to be for you overall.

That’s

Brandon Rollins: a good tip for order fulfillment as well. The smaller the box, the more likely it is to get a price break on literally any kind of shipping, especially if you can get into the like the smallest possible flat rate box

Tyler Lipchen: by USPS. I was going to say flat rates make a big difference, don’t they?

Brandon Rollins: Oh yeah, for sure.

Enormous difference.

Tyler Lipchen: Yeah, absolutely. Um, awesome. Time save, uh, time save, sorry, those are cost savings. Talk about some things that can save you on production time. First of all, follow our design guidebook, which I’ll talk about later. That’s in our tools section on our, on our webpage. Um, plan your shipping strategy in advance.

Again, this, this helps a lot with any kind of delays. Um, start sampling as early as possible. You know, um, come talk to us early as possible. Start consulting. You know, you can find. A lot of times during, just during a consultation on video, we can, uh, you know, uh, find a lot of challenges, uh, that you’re going to, that you’re going to run into a lot of kind of roadblocks along the way, um, you know, kind of pinpoint where, where, where in the production process, your delays might happen, um, just by having a chat with one of us, we’ve seen it before, usually.

Use early design verification. I’m going to talk about this when we get to crowdfunding, but early design verification is basically, um, that design verification, that pre press process, doing that way in advance of, um, actual production, which we’ll talk about in a second. And of course, utilize prototype services, which will also help a lot.

So, um, I’ll get to those when we talk about crowdfunding.

Sustainable Components

Tyler Lipchen: One thing to consider as well, uh, with manufacturing is using sustainable components. Um, we can make your games FSC certified. Um, so if that’s important to you, please chat to us. Um, sometimes there’s an extra cost involved behind the material, sometimes not.

Um, we can replace shrink wrap with alternatives. We have like paper bands for cards. We have paper wrap or wafer stickers for boxes, things like that. Um, you can use a varnish instead of a laminate on your game boards and boxes. Um, you use a plastic, laminate is like a plastic sheet that goes over top of the print to protect it.

Very, um, very standard for boxes and game boards, but a varnish will, uh, will make your games a lot more recyclable. Um, you can replace plastic inserts with either molded paper trays, like pulp trays, um, or cardboard inserts. Um, and there’s going to be plenty more tips to come as we go along. Uh, we’re constantly trying to find ways to reduce, um, you know, disposable plastics, one use plastics, things like that.

So, um, okay. Keep following our website and our social media. We’ll, we’ll be constantly announcing any advances we have.

Brandon Rollins: It’s getting more cost efficient all the time too.

Tyler Lipchen: It is. Yes. It’s going more standard, right? The more standard becomes the more cost efficient it becomes. It becomes, um, cool. I mean, just one second.

Crowdfunding Tips

Tyler Lipchen: Okay. So the moment we’ve been talking about. For the half the presentation is crowdfunding tips. Um, so on our website, again, PandaGM. com slash tools, there is a crowdfunding guidebook. Um, they just, if you’re new to crowdfunding and new to the tabletop space in regards to crowdfunding, read this through.

It’s a quick read. Um, it’s just a great introduction to like how crowdfunding works with a tabletop space. It’s a little bit different. Um, the expectations with tabletop games as opposed to other projects. Um, also ask your project manager about the crowdfunding package that we offer. So, um, let’s talk about that briefly.

So we’re talking about prototypes. We talked a bit about early design verification So panda has a crowdfunding package, which is a suite of services Um that is geared specifically towards crowdfunding projects So this includes a crowdfunding consultation where we’ll have a call with you talk about your project.

We will talk about Finding your MVP, your minimum viable product, which is going to be. The version of your game that is like the bare minimum that you’ll be happy with that will be your funding will be based around. It doesn’t mean like replace all the plastic means with cardboard standees, right? It’s whatever version of your game is the version that you as a creator are going to be happy with on the market.

That could involve a whole lot of plastic means it could not, right? It depends on your project. And then also going through all of the stretch goals for that offering suggestions for stretch goals and kind of component upgrades, um, talking through the best. Um, materials and finishes, uh, for your game in particular.

Talking about add ons, uh, if you have like a deluxe game, a retail game that’s being produced at the same time, we’ll talk about how we can kind of separate the components and how we work assembly for that kind of thing. We’ll also offer suggestions on, um, you know, marketing, um, and fulfillment, uh, and shipping and things like that as well.

Um, along with that crowdfunding, uh, the consultations, we will also, um, talk about prototypes. So what will happen is we will do, uh, we can do prototypes for your, uh, for your campaign, which you’d use for, um, demos, review copies, uh, convention, you know, convention presence, taking photographs and videos, how to play videos and things like that.

Um, it will be digitally printed like your PPC. Um, the cutting, uh, will be, could be, um, die cut or plotted, depends on, on your game. And then any non printed components, um, we can also do prototypes for, uh, with the exception of. Plastic minis talk to your project manager, we may or may not be able to do plastic mini, it depends on your project.

But things like dice, things like wood, you know, simple plastics like cubes and things like that we can do for prototypes. And the advantage with working with us for prototypes is that everything will be bespoke. So if you have custom meats, we can do those for you, for prototypes. If you have custom dice, we can do those for you, for prototypes, which will make a, a massive splash on for when you go to reviewers and, uh, and, and try to show off your products.

I mean, there’ll still be a prototype, right? You know, the reviewers will still say this is a prototype. Things are substitute change, but is going to be a very good, very good prototype, um, to show off. Um, the quality, the quality is, I mean, sometimes I’m amazed by how good it is at the moment. It’s only getting better as well.

Um, so part of the, part of the package will be prototypes and with that will come early design verification because of course, in order to print your files, I’m going to have to check your files anyways, right? So I will go through the design verification process. Um, we’ll upload the files, we pre press checks with digital proofs, all of that, and then do the, the prototype.

And what that will help you out as well, not only do you get review copies and things like that, um, but, uh, when it comes to actually produce the game for mass production, we will have gone through the design verification process already. Okay. So some things may change, right? Like you may, the rule book might change.

Maybe you added some cards because there’s a stretch goal. So you have to upload a few extra files, but like 80 to 90 percent of the design verification process has been done already at this point, because you did it for prototypes. Um, you’ll still get a PPC because that’s for quality control, but because you’ve already seen the prototypes, which are very, very similar process, again, that pre production phase goes by a lot faster, right?

So if you haven’t changed like the dice at all, for example, like we can go, we can go to mass production if you approve those samples because we, because we make them all bespoke anyways. Um, it just saves you a lot on your production process, a lot of time. Your production process. So, um, that is, that’s the massive advantage of going through, um, you’re going through manufacturer, your, your final manufacturer, um, with, uh, with all your crowdfunding needs as well in advance.

So save you a lot of time, um, can save you a lot of costs in some cases in the beginning as well, because you have to pay for prototypes anyways, these days, right? Uh, it’s for your crowdfunding project. So, um, that is kind of our crowdfunding package and services that we can also offer things that we can help you with punch board layouts with packaging design, um, you know, plastic trade design to some degree, um, uh, you know, things like that.

We can, we can help you, you know, arrange your dial lines on your punch boards. And if you have anything. Dual layer boards. We can, we can help you with as well as part of that package. So, um, you know, really help hold your hand, especially if you’re new to, to tabletop games and crowdfunding. Um, it’s really nice to have a project manager and prepress specialist as part of your team, uh, to go through that process with you and help you out.

So. So that’s what we can help with crowdfunding. Um, and then a couple of tips for crowdfunding is talk to your project manager about your delivery timeline, because, uh, again, first time projects are going to take a lot of extra time when you go into production. It might cross over a Chinese new year.

For example, if you want your games out for Essin or Christmas, you got to really work back from those timelines. And you seem to have a lot less time than you think. If you think like, Oh yeah, I’m going to launch the campaign now. Then six months again, we’ll be arriving in stores. Well, I mean, ocean shipping might take eight weeks.

Well, design verification takes this many weeks and pre production, you know, this, you know, let us know your timelines in advance when you work backwards with a, with a realistic, you know, conservative timeline for you, for your project, because it was your first time creator. You don’t want, you want to be very upfront and transparent and honest with your backers.

Um, so. You know, knowing it, getting all the information in advance is going to help you a lot, um, to become, uh, a reliable creator who will go on to, you know, if you want to build a company out of this, where you want to build a publishing company, you want to gain that trust from your backers right away.

Um, so, you know, you use, use, use us, use your team. And as we’re here, we’re part of your team. So I’ll, you know, use us. Yeah, no questions here,

Brandon Rollins: but I, but I will say that yes, it is tremendously hard to make a board game and absolutely like reach out to a manufacturer early, like to get this help, not only with the manufacturing, but also with just figuring out the timeline in a fulfillment center relatively early too, because like.

In terms of two vendors to reach out to early, those are probably the two that if you get everything right and listen to the advice you get early, it will save you probably the most time and money and set you on track for that second, third, fourth product launch much, much easier.

Tyler Lipchen: For sure. For sure. Yeah.

You’ve got the relationship with the partners as well, right? Which helps. I would say there are kind of four pillars to your crowdfunding project. The like, uh, um, you know, four partners you want to, you want to have, um, the last one will be fulfillment, obviously shipping fulfillment. Second, last one will be your manufacturer.

So I’m going to make the game. Uh, then before that, you’re going to have to partner with a crowdfunding platform and a pledge manager, right? Would it be Kickstarter, backer kit, game found? Um, That’s a very important part of the process. Obviously, it’s going to determine how you structure everything. And then before that, before you even launch a campaign is marketing, you know, that’s becoming more and more necessary for successful project.

So working with, um, you know, some, some of the crowdfunding platforms offer marketing services like backer kit does working with a, with a, a program like launch boom, for example, um, you know, to get that marketing in advance. If you get those four, if you understand those four pillars, right, the marketing.

The crowdfunding platform, uh, the manufacturing and the fulfillment, um, then that’s, that’s success right there, right? You, you hit those four things and you’re good. Um, so, uh, yeah, do, do, do your homework plan in advance and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to reach out. That’s what we’re here for, right?

That’s, that’s literally what we do. So, um, don’t be afraid. Um, Yeah, and there we go. My last point is a great design will go unnoticed without great marketing. So use marketing, uh, not just like professional marketing, you know, paid marketing, but just in general, like go to conventions, uh, you know, go to protospiels, go playtest your game out in public, um, you know, uh, post on board game geek, uh, go on social media, join design groups, um, participate in rules, uh, exchanges, join the online playtesting community as well.

Um, you know, yeah. Give, give and receive, right? Like playtest someone’s game, have them playtest yours, just be as involved as you can in the board game community. It’s still, it’s a growing industry. It’s become bigger and bigger every year, but it’s still a very intimate industry. People know each other, you know, by name and by face, right?

So get involved in the community as early as possible. Um, and, uh, and just give as much as you can, because whatever you give, you’ll, you’ll get back as well, right? Like, I mean, don’t just do it for the sake of getting back, but, The more you contribute to the community, the more we all build a community together, um, which is, that’s why we’re literally having this, this, this

Brandon Rollins: conversation, this video right now is literally

Tyler Lipchen: that, right?

Like, um, yeah, just give whatever you can to the community because it only helps it grow. Right. Um, and there’s, we’ve seen so much so far in the last, you know, 15, 20 years, especially of this hobby. Uh, and there’s still so much more to see. You know, there’s, whoever’s watching this right now, like, I can’t wait to see your creation when it hits Kickstarter, right, or hits back for kids.

So, um, so yeah, uh, don’t, don’t be afraid, you know, uh, to get out there, show your game, talk to people, talk to partners, uh, get involved.

Tools

So last time we talked about tools, this is the page I promised. Uh, there’s a link right there, panagem. com slash tools. There’s template generators for custom dice and for any print components.

Uh, our guidebooks, the design guidebook that talks about, um, how to set your files for print. Um, so definitely read this and if you’re not doing your own files, send this to your graphic designer. Um, and any, any graphic designer who is like well versed in this. Book will be like your best friend when it comes to the production process for, for board games.

Um, the component guidebook talks about any non printed components. And of course, there’s also the crowdfunding guidebook as well. Um, so you’ll find all that on the tools page. Uh, and then the, uh, we got other resources as well. We have some badges and box markings. And then for the CE logo or the choking hazard logo as well, which by the way, if you need to save to test your game, please talk to your project manager well in advance.

That’s a conversation to have very early on. Um, there’s also some tools for the Adobe suite. There’s a pre flight profile. You can check your own files for certain for some of the big, um, the big mistakes we normally see for pre press. Uh, and there’s an export profile as well that will help export your files into a printable PDF that is, um.

Uh, that is in the, the, the color profile that we use for print. So, uh, visit the tools page, explore it. There’s a lot of good stuff on there. Read through all the guidebooks, um, and do yourself a big favor. And

Brandon Rollins: link is down there in the description for anybody who wants to access those resources.

Tyler Lipchen: Perfect.

Um, and yeah, any questions or information, uh, more information on our website, follow us on social media. You can always reach out on social media as well. Um, our helloappendagm. com inbox is, uh, manned by people. Not by robots. So if you have any general inquiries, just email there. If you want to get put in touch with the project manager again, just email us there.

If you want to, we’ll set you up with somebody in your time zone, preferably in your time zone or close to it. Um, and hopefully in your native language. We, um, we have. Project managers all over the world. Um, I sound like I’m from America, but I’m actually Canadian and I live in the UK. Go figure. We have project managers in Germany and Portugal and France, the UK.

Uh, and then of course, all across America as well. So you guys will find somebody in your time zone or close to it. That can help you out.

Brandon Rollins: Yeah, and, and anybody who’s got a question down below, I’ve asked all mine for, um, for the day and honestly, like you, you have already like front loaded a lot of the questions and answered those in the slides, but anybody who’s got questions, leave them down below in the comments, um, we’ll try and answer as many of them as we can as the fulfillment center has folks who’ve worked in board games.

So honestly, if we get stuck, we’ll just reach out to Panda and like, get a response to your comment as well. Thank you for watching this interview. I appreciate it, and I know that Tyler at Panda does, too. Details on both our companies are in the description. And just in case you missed the name earlier, my name is Brandon, here on behalf of FulfillRite.

If you need help shipping your orders, go to Fulfillrite.com and request a quote. We’ve shipped for thousands of crowdfunding campaigns before, and we’re happy to help you ship yours, too. The quote doesn’t cost a thing, so if nothing else, you get some good information about pricing. Link in the description.

If you enjoyed this video, please take a moment to like and subscribe. Don’t forget to slap some postage on that bell so we can express ship new videos to you as soon as they drop. And last but not least, if you have any questions, leave a comment below. I will personally answer as many as I can. Thanks for watching.

Order fulfillment is incredibly important in eCommerce. It affects customer happiness directly. Problems here can cause bad reviews, lost sales, and less brand loyalty.

If you want to avoid these issues, you need to make your order fulfillment process smooth, clear, and reliable. Fixing common problems and giving great service will help you keep up your reputation. And that will help you keep your customers happy and loyal, and your store profitable.

1. Eliminate surprise costs.

The top reason people abandon their online shopping carts is high shipping costs. No one wants to buy a $25 item with a $15 shipping fee.

Many businesses still make this mistake. At the very least, clearly list your shipping prices on your store. This way, people won’t add items to their cart only to back out when they see the total price is too high.

This is the best way to reduce your cart abandonment rate. Use it wisely to increase your revenue with little effort.

2. Offer free shipping.

Free shipping isn’t actually free. When you buy something with free shipping, the seller pays for the postage. No free lunch, right?

But not offering free shipping isn’t free either. About 75% of customers expect free shipping even on orders under $50 according to the National Retail Federation, and this number is rising. This goes back to eliminating surprise costs. Free shipping is the best way to remove unexpected fees for customers.

This tip might not always make financial sense, but if it does, use it. It can reduce your cart abandonment rate, bringing in enough revenue to cover shipping costs. Plus, free shipping makes customers happier with their experience!

3. Use address verification.

Shipping can go wrong if the package goes to the wrong address. You might think this is out of your control, but it’s not.

Address verification helps make sure customers enter the right address. This reduces the chance of sending a package to the wrong place, a mistake that can make customers angry and be expensive to fix.

Shopify users can use the app Streetify, which costs $0.03 per address lookup. WooCommerce users can use Postcode/Address Validation by SkyVerge, costing $49 per year.

These are just a couple of examples, though. There are many apps for Shopify, WooCommerce, and other eCommerce software you might use!

4. Provide expedited shipping options.

Many consumers are willing to pay for fast delivery. About 41% will pay for same-day delivery, and 24% will pay more for delivery within 1-2 hours (source: Conveyco). Also, 70% of US consumers buy from one online store over another because of more delivery options.

So, one of the easiest ways to improve shipping is to offer more options. Next-day delivery through USPS, UPS, and FedEx at a premium is a simple way to let customers choose what suits them.

5. Ship as soon as possible.

One big reason for shipping delays isn’t the postal carriers. FedEx, UPS, USPS, and DHL are pros at delivery. Once you hand over the package, they handle the rest.

But what if you take too long to get a package ready? Miss the cutoff time by a few minutes, and you delay delivery by a whole day! Customers expect two-day delivery now, and anything slower feels like forever.

The solution? Ship orders as soon as they come in or use an order fulfillment service. If you don’t want to drop everything to ship an order, outsource it.

Order fulfillment companies ship packages all day, every day. Postal carriers visit their warehouses multiple times a day, getting your packages in the mail faster and shaving a day off delivery time.

6. Make two-day shipping your default.

Remember how I mentioned that two-day delivery is the expectation now? The data backs me up on this.

Two-day delivery is the new standard. A whopping 79.3% of online shoppers expect it. If you can, make free two-day shipping the default for your business.

7. Provide shipping notifications.

Online shopping is weird because you pay right away but wait days for your package. Customers like to track their orders to feel at ease.

Send tracking numbers and status updates by default. Let customers know when their orders ship and give an estimated delivery date. If something goes wrong, tell the customer immediately. An astounding 98.3% of customers want to be notified if a package is delayed per supply chain firm, Project44!

Keeping customers informed shows you care about their experience, increasing the chances they’ll shop with you again.

8. Don’t be stingy with returns and refunds.

Every year, three billion packages are lost or damaged. This problem comes with handling so many packages daily.

Customers don’t care if UPS damaged the package; it’s your job to fix it. Forty-eight percent of customers returned an item last year, and 80.2% did so because it arrived damaged.

Returns and refunds are tied directly to the shipping experience. Happy with the returns process? Ninety-five percent of shoppers will buy from you again. Unhappy? They’re three times more likely to never shop with you again.

Make returns easy. Allow free returns with refunds for up to 90 days. Let customers print return labels at your expense. Sure, you cover shipping and inventory costs, but you save the customer relationship, which is worth much more in the long run.

9. Pack items properly.

Shipping damage happens, but you can cut the risk with a few tricks:

• Fill empty spaces with bubble wrap, corrugated rolls, or air cushions.
• Use sturdy outer packaging like corrugated boxes.
• Keep liquids away from other items.
• Label fragile packages clearly.
• Separate fragile items within boxes.

These steps reduce the chance of items breaking and needing returns. That means more money stays in your pocket!

10. Provide great customer service.

Even with fast, free shipping, great packing, and a solid return policy, things can still go wrong. When they do, excellent customer service is key to keeping customers happy and coming back.

Offer friendly, accessible support. Have an email, phone number, and maybe even live chat. Make it easy for customers to reach you and solve their problems quickly. It pays off in the long run!

11. Brand your packaging.

People form opinions about products in just 3 seconds. Good packaging can make a great first impression. Over 50% of consumers say they’d buy more from a brand with branded packaging, and 68% say it makes a brand seem more high-end.

Represent your store brand right when customers open the box. Use custom packaging like boxes, bags, or bottles.

12. Ask for feedback.

Simple but often forgotten: ask your customers what they think! You can look at statistics all day long but never get a truly good feel for what your specific customers truly want.

The easiest way to find out is to simply ask them! Send out automated surveys so you can learn more about what you’re doing well and what you’re not. Then you can lean into your strengths and resolve your weaknesses.

If you follow tips like these, you’re likely to start converting more traffic and retaining more customers. But things will still go wrong from time to time, so here are some tips to help you handle occasional customer service issues as they arise.

7 Tips For Handling Customer Service Issues

Even if you prepare everything correctly, items will still break in the mail and get lost. Not often, but sometimes!

Because of that, you need a plan to handle issues when they come up. Here’s how you can do that.

1. Respond promptly to customer inquiries.

Quick responses can stop small issues from turning into big headaches. Imagine a customer with a simple question about their order. If they get an answer fast, they’re happy. If not, they might get frustrated.

Make sure your customer service team is always ready. They should be available and alert, ready to jump in and solve problems as soon as they arise.

2. Offer clear and proactive communication.

Keep your customers in the loop. Regular updates about their order status are crucial. Did something go wrong? Is there a delay? Tell them right away! Explain what happened and what you’re doing to fix it.

This kind of transparency builds trust. Customers feel reassured when they know you’re on top of things, and their frustration levels drop.

3. Provide multiple contact options.

Make it super easy for customers to reach you. Some people prefer email, others like to call, and many love live chat. Offer all these options and more if possible.

Accessibility is key. When customers can contact you easily, issues get resolved faster, and everyone’s happier.

4. Empower your customer service team.

Give your customer service reps the power to make decisions. They should be able to solve problems on the spot without always having to ask a manager.

Empowered employees are more confident and can provide quicker, more satisfying resolutions. When your team feels trusted, they work more effectively and customers benefit from faster service.

5. Offer compensation for significant issues.

Sometimes, things go really wrong. In these cases, consider offering compensation like refunds, discounts, or free products. This can turn a bad situation into a positive experience.

Imagine a customer receiving a damaged product. A quick refund or a discount on their next purchase can make them feel valued and understood, keeping them loyal to your brand.

6. Track and analyze customer complaints.

Keep a close eye on customer complaints. Record them, analyze them, and look for patterns. Is there a common issue popping up? Understanding these problems helps you fix them at the source.

Addressing recurring issues will prevent future complaints, making your overall service better and more reliable.

7. Follow up with customers.

After you’ve resolved an issue, don’t just leave it there. Follow up with the customer to ensure they’re happy with the resolution. This extra step shows that you care about their experience.

It’s a small gesture that can make a big difference. Customers appreciate knowing that their satisfaction matters to you.

Final Thoughts

Fast, competent order fulfillment and responsive customer service are both essential for keeping customers happy. Doing both of these things well can play a huge role in whether customers come back to shop more in the future.

Preventing shipping issues and addressing them quickly when they arise will allow you to build a strong reputation and increase customer loyalty. When in doubt – act like the kind of company that you want to shop from!

Words sell. But only if you use them well. Ecommerce copywriting is a tricky skill to master, but the basics are easy to understand.

Well-crafted copy can be the difference between a sale and a lost opportunity. A successful product line and a dud. A thriving business and a dead one.

In this article, we’ll teach you how to make your copy more persuasive so you can win customers and keep them loyal.

Understanding the Basics of Ecommerce Copywriting

Ecommerce copywriting is basically just writing, but used for the purpose of promoting and selling products online. It includes product descriptions, landing pages, and other written content aimed at convincing customers to make a purchase.

Effective copywriting attracts attention, builds trust, and encourages conversions. Ineffective copywriting makes people zone out, doubt your value, and makes them click the X button on the tab.

Bearing that in mind, here are some practical ways you can improve the copywriting on your eCommerce store.

Crafting Compelling Product Descriptions

People read product descriptions before they buy. As a result, these descriptions play a big role in convincing customers to make a purchase…or not. So product descriptions needs to be engaging, informative, and focused on the benefits of the product.

Below, we’ll share a few quick examples on how that works in practice.

#1: Focus on benefits, not just features.

Highlighting benefits that speak to customers’ real needs is key. Instead of simply listing features, explain how the product solves problems or improves the customer’s life.

For example, instead of saying “This jacket is waterproof,” say “Stay dry and comfortable even in the heaviest rain with our waterproof jacket.”

The goal here is to paint a vivid picture. You want the customer to imagine themselves staying dry and cozy in a downpour. When you do this, you help your customer think about how the product will function in their day-to-day life.

#2: Use persuasive and descriptive language.

“This sweater is soft.”

“Experience the luxurious softness of our cashmere sweater, perfect for cozy winter evenings”

That second quote felt more persuasive, didn’t it? And it’s not just because the second option is more benefits-focused, although that definitely helps.

When you look at the second version of the copy, it makes you feel something. It puts an image in your mind and stirs up emotions. That makes the product a lot more appealing.

“This sweater is soft” is something you think when you’re feeling shirts at the thrift store. But “perfect for cozy winter evenings” is what you think about when it’s December, it’s snowing, and you’re snuggling on the couch with your loved ones.

This is how you turn a description into an invitation.

#3: Be concise yet informative.

So far, you might be tempted to think that flowery language outsells plain descriptions. But that’s not the case.

You need to balance between providing enough information and keeping it succinct. The trick here is to avoid overwhelming the reader with too much detail, but still make sure they have all the necessary information to make an informed decision.

Consider using bullet points and short paragraphs to make the content easy to read and digest. For example, instead of a long-winded paragraph about a phone’s features, use a list:

• Battery Life: Lasts up to 48 hours on a single charge.
• Camera: Capture stunning photos with a 12MP dual-lens camera.
• Storage: Available with 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB of storage.

This format is easier to scan and helps customers quickly find the information they need.

Enhancing Usability and Readability

Good copy is easy to read. But it’s also easy to use, which means it is practical.

That means your copy needs to give your customers what they need to find and understand the information they want before they make a purchase.

The principle here is simple – if customers that can easily find and understand the information they need, then they will naturally be more likely to make a purchase.

#4: Use bullet points for clarity.

We mentioned this in the previous tip, but it bears repeating.

Structure information in a digestible format by using bullet points. This helps highlight key features and benefits, making it easier for customers to scan and absorb the content quickly.

For example, list product specifications or unique selling points as bullet points to enhance clarity and readability. Instead of a dense block of text, you could write:

• Material: 100% organic cotton.
• Fit: Slim fit, tailored for a modern look.
• Care: Machine washable, easy to maintain.

This way, the information is clear and immediately accessible.

#5: Maintain a consistent voice.

Having a consistent brand voice across all content reinforces your brand identity and builds trust with customers. Whether your brand voice is casual, professional, or playful, ensure it remains uniform in product descriptions, emails, and social media posts.

Consistency helps create a recognizable and reliable brand image. For example, if your brand voice is friendly and approachable, your product description might say, “Our jeans are perfect for every adventure, from casual Fridays to weekend getaways,” and your social media might follow with, “Ready for the weekend? Our jeans sure are!”

#6: Optimize for readability.

Make your text easy on the eyes by using short paragraphs, varying sentence lengths, and plenty of white space. Use subheadings to break up long blocks of text and improve the flow.

Choose a readable font size and style, and avoid cluttering the page with too much information at once. Instead of a long, unbroken paragraph, break it up:

Comfortable and Stylish Our sneakers are designed with both comfort and style in mind. Whether you’re hitting the gym or going for a casual walk, you’ll love how they feel.

Durable and Long-Lasting Made from high-quality materials, these sneakers are built to last. You can trust them to keep up with your active lifestyle.

This structure makes the content much more inviting and easier to read.

Using Psychological Triggers

Good copy is compelling. But to know what’s compelling, you need to use psychology. There are certain triggers you can use in your copy that will motivate customers to take action and make a purchase. Here are a few that come to mind.

#7: Use urgency and scarcity.

Procrastination kills sales. You need to create a sense of urgency and scarcity to encourage immediate purchases.

Phrases like “Limited time offer,” “Only a few left in stock,” or “Sale ends soon” can prompt customers to act quickly to avoid missing out. Highlight time-sensitive deals and limited availability to drive sales.

For example, if you’re selling a popular toy during the holiday season, you could say, “Only 5 left! Order now before it’s too late!”

This makes customers feel the pressure to buy right away, fearing they might miss out if they wait too long.

#8: Use social proof.

Use testimonials, reviews, and ratings to build trust and credibility. Sharing positive feedback from other customers can reassure potential buyers of the product’s quality and your brand’s reliability. Use quotes from satisfied customers and display ratings prominently on product pages.

For instance, include a customer review saying, “These shoes changed my life! Super comfortable and stylish,” along with a 5-star rating. Seeing others’ positive experiences makes new customers more confident in their purchase.

#9: Appeal to emotions.

Connect emotionally with readers by addressing their desires, fears, and aspirations. Use storytelling techniques to make your products more relatable and appealing.

Let’s say you’re marketing a new pair of noise-canceling headphones. You could describe them as, “Your personal escape into a world of clarity and peace. Perfect for drowning out the bustling noise of daily life, these headphones let you immerse yourself in your favorite melodies or podcasts.”

If you’ve made it this far, then you probably noticed that this combines the vividness and benefits-focused language of tips #1 and #2. But there’s more going on than that. This picks a specific feeling – a desire for peace – and completely focuses on it. That’s how you can make an effective appeal to emotion.

SEO Best Practices for Copywriting

You’re not just writing for people on the internet. You also need to write for robots.

Ecommerce copy needs to work well in search engines. Do this right and you can drive more organic traffic and boost sales.

Here’s how you can do that without making it feel overly-optimized or robotic.

#10: Include targeted keywords naturally.

Work keywords seamlessly into your copy without compromising readability. Use keywords in product titles, descriptions, and headers. Be sure they flow naturally within the context.

For example, instead of keyword stuffing, write: “Our organic cotton T-shirts are perfect for eco-conscious consumers looking for stylish comfort.” This not only includes the keyword “organic cotton T-shirts” but also adds context that appeals to the target audience.

When in doubt, read your copy out loud. If it feels like you’re repeating yourself too much, then you are probably overdoing it on keywords.

#11: Use SEO-friendly headings and titles.

Write headings that improve SEO and attract readers. Use relevant keywords and make headings clear and informative. For instance, “Top 10 Summer Shoes for Women” is better than “Summer Shoes” because it is specific and keyword-rich, making it more likely to rank well in search results.

Being specific helps search engines understand what your content is about and can improve your page’s ranking.

#12: Optimize meta descriptions and titles for search engines.

Create compelling meta descriptions and titles that include targeted keywords. These should accurately reflect the page content and entice users to click.

For example, a meta description like “Shop our wide range of eco-friendly T-shirts made from organic cotton. Perfect for a sustainable lifestyle!” can boost click-through rates. People can see what the page is about before they click.

This description tells potential customers exactly what they can expect while incorporating relevant keywords, making it attractive to both search engines and users.

Continuous Improvement and Testing

Even if you write the perfect copy today, it won’t be perfect tomorrow. You have to change things up regularly. That’s how you keep copy effective and relevant.;

Here is how you can tweak your copy while making sure you don’t break what’s working.

#13: A/B test different copy versions.

Use A/B testing to compare different versions of your copy. Change one element at a time, such as headlines or call-to-action phrases, and see which version performs better.

This method helps you understand what resonates with your audience and continually improve your copywriting efforts. For example, test two headlines: “Grab Your Discount Now!” versus “Limited Time Offer – Shop Today!”

When you see which one gets more clicks, you learn what drives your customers to act.

#14: Gather and act on customer feedback.

Collect feedback from customers to identify areas for improvement in your product descriptions and other copy. Use surveys, reviews, and direct feedback to understand customer preferences and pain points.

Make changes based on this feedback to enhance the effectiveness of your copy. For instance, if multiple customers mention that they love the softness of your T-shirts, highlight the softness in your product descriptions.

Naturally, not every change can be fixed with a copywriting update. But collecting the feedback will help all the same. After all, if your customers want more color options, collecting feedback will give you a sign that it’s time to expand your color palette.

Advanced Copywriting Techniques

The following tips require a greater understanding of the basics of copywriting. But if you can work these techniques in naturally, you can enhance your eCommerce copywriting even more, which will help drive sales.

#15: Tell a story with your copy.

Use storytelling to create a memorable brand experience. Share stories that highlight the benefits of your products or your brand’s mission. For example, describe how your product was developed to solve a common problem, connecting with customers on an emotional level and making your brand more relatable.

Imagine saying, “Our founder created this eco-friendly backpack after struggling to find a durable, stylish, and sustainable option. Now, you can carry your essentials guilt-free!”

#16: Integrate multimedia elements.

You can sell even more by pairing written content with images, videos, and audio. Visuals can make your copy pop and help explain product features better.

Use high-quality images and demo videos to provide a richer, more interactive experience for your customers. This can increase time spent on your site and improve conversion rates.

As an example, you could use a video showing how to use a multi-functional kitchen gadget can be far more persuasive than a written description alone.

Final Thoughts

When in doubt, keep your copy clear, concise, and compelling. You want to give people reasons to trust you enough to give you their hard earned money.

Ecommerce copywriting is not an easy skill to master. But it’s easy to start and mastering it is worth the time.

If you can master eCommerce copywriting, you’ll increase sales, engage your customers, and you may very well build a successful business as a result. Naturally, this is a skill you will need to practice again and again to truly master. But starting from scratch is intimidating, so hopefully the tips in this guide will help ease that learning curve for you!

Additional Resources

To further improve your copywriting skills, consider these resources:

• Copyblogger for in-depth articles and tips on copywriting.
• HubSpot’s Content Marketing Course for comprehensive training.
• Yoast SEO Blog for SEO best practices and tips.
• Grammarly for writing assistance and grammar checks.
• Ahrefs Blog for advanced SEO and marketing strategies.