Zero to Funded: Promoting Your Kickstarter Project on GameSkinny

The key to a successful Kickstarter campaign is getting enough backers to meet your goal. Unless you already have an audience, reaching potential backers can be hard work. If you’ve got a great game or gaming-related Kickstarter project, we’re here to help! GameSkinny loves promoting great games and gaming resources to our audience around the globe.

Here are a few great ways you can use GameSkinny to promote your project:

1. Write an article about your project

If you’ve already posted your Kickstarter project, this should be relatively simple. Cover the basics and summarize your project, then link to it so interested readers can easily get involved. Make sure to cover:

• What is your game or product like? What is it similar to? How is it different? Who would like it?
• Why should backers get involved? Why are you using Kickstarter? What are Kickstarter funds going to be used for?
• What can backers expect? What are the rewards? When can they expect them?
• When will your finished game or product be ready?

You’ve undoubtedly covered most of this in your Kickstarter project page so feel free to copy, quote, or summarize. You can also embed a Kickstarter widget in your article to show live progress on funding and provide an easy way for interested readers to convert to backers.

How to embed a Kickstarter widget

To embed the widget, look for the Embed link directly under your project video (near the top of the page). The widget appears on the right side of the modal that pops up – copy the code at the top and paste it into your article by clicking the HTML button on the article tools.

Add Bonus Points to help people find your project

You can also add Bonus Points to your article, which include extra information about your article like tags, platforms, and game name. These make it easier for readers to find your article. Add your game (if relevant), add some tags (including things like “kickstarter” and your company name), and add any relevant platforms your game or product might tie in with. (Hint: we even include platforms like Tabletop for you board game and card game creators.)

You’ve already got a video for your project so upload that to YouTube (if you haven’t already) and add that as Header Media for your article. The Skinny lets you provide a short description of your project to entice readers to learn more; it’s also what Google displays as the description of your article in search listings, so use it wisely. 

2. Spice up your game page on GameSkinny

If you’re promoting a game, you can spice up your game’s page on GameSkinny by adding images and extra details about the game itself. Get in touch with our editorial staff for help on how to do that.

Your game page can include:

• A large background image (great for screenshots, wallpapers, or fan art)
• Box art
• Developer and publisher names
• Release date (if you know in advance)
• A long-form overview
• What platforms it will be available on
• What genres the game covers

3. Add your project timeline to our events calendar

Get your backers and readers stoked for specific events by adding them to our calendar. You can add your Kickstarter timeline so readers know when it opens and closes. You can also add open and closed beta events for your game as well as your official release date.

Will you demo your game at any upcoming conventions? Post a comment on the convention event page with details about when and where attendees can check out your demo.

4. Follow kickstarter and other relevant tags to see when new articles are added

Following things on GameSkinny helps you get tailored news related specifically to those subjects. Following the Kickstarter tag will help you learn about other upcoming Kickstarter projects so you can uncover what’s working (or not) for other designers. Following your game or company tags can help you discover when others write about you or your game so you can …

5. Follow up on comments and other articles about your project

You can do a lot of good for your campaign (and your business in general) by taking the time to respond to fans and critics thoughtfully. If someone writes a glowing review or excited announcement about your game or product, take the time to thank them. See a negative review or harsh commentary about it? Respond civilly and honestly, and you could turn a potential bad experience into something positive. At the very least, if you approach criticism with an open mind, you could find ways to improve your project.

6. Invite a GameSkinny writer to interview you or review your project

You’re busy making your awesome new game or product. We get that. It’s hard to find time to create something awesome AND promote it simultaneously. Our writers are awesome, and they love discovering new stuff to explore and promote. Get in touch with our editorial team and let them know you’d love some coverage. Here are a few suggestions for best results:

• A basic news story announcing your project is a good start, but our writers love exploring in more depth. They’d love to produce an exclusive interview with you or your team, review your game in advance, or even write helpful guides for new players.
• Our writers attend a lot of cons. If you’ll be demoing at an event that any of our writers will be attending, let us know when and where and we’ll sure to send a correspondent along.
• Press materials make our writers’ jobs easier. If you’ve got screenshots, video, and other press details available, include those in your message.

We wish you all the success in the world for your Kickstarter project. If there’s anything we can do to help you succeed, let us know!