I was first introduced to Sam and Three Fates Games when he submitted a press release through CrowdfundingPR. The idea behind his Kickstarter campaign was to create a card game/role playing game that is easy to learn and plays fast. Titled “Let’s Kill Krampus,” it combines dark humor with childhood nostalgia.
At the time, he had hustled his way to nearly $12,000 in funding on Kickstarter in 20 days. In addition, he had been featured on several websites, such as examiner.com, destinationrpg.com, and antimonopoly.com.
Since then, he has raised an extra $2.4k and completed a successful Kickstarter campaign. Having gotten on high-profile blogs and news outlets, Sam is a great example of how it’s possible to drive traffic to your campaign if you are willing to work hard and pitch influencers effectively.
You can see what some of the media has said about Let’s Kill Krampus below:
“…this is the gamer’s game. It has solid mechanics for game play, a powerful theme, and a cartoon feel. What is not to love?”-boardgamegeek.com
“[Three Fates Games]…games are made with a passion for balanced gameplay and in-depth strategy.” –examiner.com
“Does a very good job evoking the childlike wonderment that comes around Christmas, but twists it to make it dark and foreboding. And puts in references to “The Shining.” Truly brilliant and darkly funny.”-antimonopoly.com
I had the opportunity to sit down with Sam to get his take on running a fundraising campaign and what it takes to be successful on Kickstarter. You can see the interview below. Be sure to follow Three Fates Games on twitter for updates on their crowdfunding success.
Do you have any thoughts on what made your campaign successful?
Our campaign succeeded because we chose a realistic goal (it’s far harder to get backers for $100,000 than it is for $10,000, or $1,000). We also kept constant transparent communication through updates and comments, and we had a simple but interesting reward system. The product itself, we think, was also a compellingly unique idea.
Going to blogs and forums was a significant part of our marketing, but about 70% of our success came from personal contacts. The more people you know and can count as friends or acquaintances, the better you will do. Most Kickstarter projects get far more of their funding from friends than from strangers.
Do you have any tips for creators just starting out?
For people starting out, make sure to get the best video you can, and to check out other projects in your genre. Mimic the successful project’s page layouts, and offer similarly compelling rewards. Constantly remind friends and family to donate, and network as much as you can both on and offline.
My Thoughts
One of the most common Kickstarter mistakes that I see creators make is setting their fundraising goal higher than the absolute minimum they need to see the project completed. This team did a good job of setting a realistic goal, reaching out to friends and family first, and then targeting blogs and news outlets.
Finally, this team did their homework. Not only did they put effort into the project before launching by getting together great images and artwork, but they also studied campaigns that had been successful before them. Taking this extra step definitely gives you a leg up on the competition. Other members of the KickstarterForum have said the same thing.
“I can only agree with the notion that you really want to have everything as well set up as possible in advance of launching your funding project. Try to get as much of a buzz going as possible – teasers with prototypes/samples or whatever – try to build that up before you go live with the project.
Once I decided to do that I kept leaking out pictures and little tidbits to keep people engaged. I had people asking when it was going to start because they wanted to get on it. I launched it yesterday and as of right now I’ve reached 27% of the funding goal. “ – Source
Questions about Three Fates Games and their Kickstarter strategy? Leave a comment below.
