作者：Taylor Bair

在2016年5月成功完成Kickstarter活动后我们都元气大伤。也许很长一段时间我们都不用再筹集资金了。而一直有人和我们要众筹，特别是Kickstarter活动的一般准则与建议，于是我们便打算写下这篇文章。希望这对其他将要趟进这滩激流的人有所帮助。

kickstarter-badge-funded(from knewone)

创建基础

认为优秀的媒体等同于强大的支持是一种错误常识。事实上众筹的成功总是依赖于那些围绕着你的游戏或项目而创建的社区，通常媒体都不愿意去接触众筹项目。现在已经有很多众筹项目了，我们也获得了一些媒体报道，“所以这与Kickstarter并没有什么关系。”

所以当你在准备众筹活动时你应该完全依赖于自己的社区基础。如果你并未拥有跨越各种社交媒体并积极活跃于你们内容的大规模追随者，你便算未能做好有效的准备。你在社区中是否有朋友？如果有的话你可以请求他们的帮助。

你在网上认识的人将成为你所依赖的基础，你可以透过他们去接触他们的朋友与家人。最近几年市场营销发生了一些变化。即比起广告，我们变成依赖于我们所信任的人去做出选择。口头宣传是关键，这也是在众筹前做出准确判断的必要元素。

尽早开始

没有任何活动是足够的。你需要一直一直工作直至你完成了成千上万的工作。这里存在的基本准则是：在活动开始前你至少需要花3个月的准备时间并在执行活动的那个月基本不要再做什么，除了进行一些更新与曝光。

如果你们是一支小型团队，你可能需要更多时间。招募一些你所欣赏的人，特别是那些对你的项目不是很了解的人，让他们浏览项目页面并给出诚实的反馈。不要低估外行的价值，因为他们总是能够提供最有用的反馈。

就像我和Becca花了一整个月的时的间单独致力于我们的预告片视频，又花了一周时间致力于我们的介绍。而这些时间都不是白浪费的，你们可以从下一部分中找到原因。

不是所有人都有时间

阅读对很多人来说都是件苦差事。我很惊讶地发现很多人都不喜欢做这件事，并且几乎所有人都会跟你说他们不会去浏览你的Kickstarter介绍或者很少会这么做。

大多数众筹平台的支持者只会看1,2分钟你的首页视频并在支持前直接划到图像所在位置。如果你是一个会浏览所有内容的人，我真的会非常佩服你。这也是我为什么要不厌其烦地写下这些内容的原因。

但这里的要点在于：图像总是比文字更强大。所以你最好认真去优化你的截图，并花时间让你的视频显得更专业，尽可能让文本内容足够简要且引人瞩目。我们只需要表明要旨便可。这便足以让我们去发挥想象力了，而想象力也是让我们对一个项目着迷的关键。

着眼于价格

如果你正着手一个众筹项目，我会鼓励你认真思考并决定最终的价格。你去众筹的唯一合理的理由便是你对一个项目充满激情并想要看到它变成现实。这无关名誉或金钱。只是关于创造。

因为现实总是充满挫折，所以你需要拥有创造冲动。

这并不是一条平坦之道。众筹需要花费你许多时间与精力。虽然这么做也需要一定的成本，但如果你能支付起这一成本，如果你对一个项目充满激情，如果众筹能够帮助你完成这一项目，那有什么不去做的理由呢？

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转发，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Crowdfunding Tips and Toolbox

by Taylor Bair

We were exhausted after our Kickstarter completed successfully in May 2016. It looked for a very long time like we weren’t going to fund. The forecasting tools available online were grim, and the reality began to set in: We had put a lot of work into something that might not pay off.

Thankfully, we were wrong. But regardless, the entire ordeal made us realize how tenuous the experience can seem, both before, during and after that counter ticks down.

We’ve since been asked for some general guidelines and suggestions about crowdfunding in general and Kickstarter more specifically, so we’d like to offer those up here. Hopefully they will benefit others just embarking on those turbulent waters.

Form a Foundation

The common misconception is that good press equals good support. Success actually rests in a community already rallying around your game or project, as press is reluctant to touch crowdfunding projects. There are simply too many of them now, and we had several publications tell us bluntly, “There’s just no readership for Kickstarter.”

When to launch your crowdfunding campaign rests entirely on your community foundation. If you don’t already have a sizeable number of followers across various social media outlets actively engaging with content, then chances are you’re not yet ready. Do you have friends in the community? It would be smart to reach out to them for help.

The web of people you know will form the base to build upon, reaching out to their friends and family. Marketing has changed in recent years. We make choices based upon the people we trust over and above advertising. Word of mouth is key, and it’s essential to accurately gauge that before crowdfunding.

Start Early

No campaign is ever enough. You can work forever and still have thousands of things undone. A good general rule: allow a minimum of 3 months of preparation before the campaign begins, and plan to do absolutely nothing for the month it’s running except fueling the fire with frequent updates, reveals, and graphics.

If you’re a small team, allow more time. Recruit several people you respect, especially people with zero or minimal exposure to your project, and have them read through the project page to give honest feedback. Never underestimate the value of a layman; they give the most useful feedback.

For reference, Becca and I spent an entire month of work on the trailer video alone, and an additional week on our talking heads. That time isn’t wasted, and the next section shows why.

Ain’t Nobody Got Time

Reading. What a chore. I’m surprised you’re even bothering with this, and the average person will tell you they never read your Kickstarter, or they read very little of it.

Most backers on crowdfunding platforms won’t do more than watch the first 1-2 minutes of your header video and scroll through some graphics before giving. If you’re the sort who always reads everything, God bless you. Otherwise why do I bother with all these words?

But the point is this: the graphic is mightier than the pen. Polish your screenshots, spend time on the video to make it as professional as possible, and make your text copy as concise and enticing as possible. We just need the gist. That’s enough to get our imaginations running, and imagination is what gets us excited about a project.

Eye on the Prize

If you’re embarking on a crowdfunding project, I encourage you to think long and hard about the prize at the end of the tunnel. The only correct reason to crowdfund is you feel so passionately about a project that you want to see it come to fruition. This isn’t about fame or money. It’s about creation.

Because the reality can be brutal and full of setbacks, and you need that creative impulse to push forward.

So no, it’s not an easy road. Crowdfunding takes time and investment. There are costs far outside financial that come with it, but if you’re willing to pay that price, if you’re passionate about a project, if crowdfunding can help make that project a reality, then why not?(source:gamasutra)