In the last week I’ve read 3 great articles about mistakes, traps, and red flags crowdfunders make that can significantly decrease their chances of success. I’m going to link to those articles below and highlight the biggest mistakes (in my opinion) out of the 27 options listed in those articles.
Top 10 Worst Things to Do in a Kickstarter Campaign (Board Game Quest)
10 Red Flags for Kickstarters (The City of Kings)
How to Avoid Crowdfunding Traps That Can Ruin Your Campaign (Gamefound)
I’ve focused my list on the mistakes crowdfunders can make that are visible to backers on the project page itself–these are the things that can quickly turn a potential backer into a non-backer.
- Launching Too Soon: If you launch before your project is ready, before key elements are in place (see below), or before you’ve attracted enough of a crowd to have a strong first day, any potential backer will notice and is less likely to support your campaign.
- Lack of Details and Third-Party Opinions: The vast majority of highly successful projects have a mix of detailed content that demonstrates exactly what the product is–without such details, a product feels more like a concept than something real. Such content can include the rulebook (even as a work in progress), a playthrough video, previews, and third-party reviews.
- No Hook: With such an abundance of options on and off crowdfunding, the projects that catch my attention are those that instantly grab me with a hook and further entice me with other hooks. For a game, hooks can include must-have components, themes, and mechanisms (ideally at least one of each).
