I’ve been using these PowerPoint templates with my Kickstarter projects since my second Kickstarter. I learned in my first that most of the questions that you get after the Kickstarter ends is about what the status of the project is. Backers will ask about the pledge manager on an update that says the information about the pledge manager as reading is hard.
I use these templates in place of the main image so that backers can go to the Main KS page on desktop and instantly know what they need to know without having to ask and me answering through whatever platform they’ve chosen to ask on.
I also use the template in the KS updates as having an image is infinitely easier for most people. I also include the text, so that if the backer is a visual person, they have the image, if they like reading, they’ve got that.
Different Stages of a KS:
- Illustration & Graphic Design: I separate these as I try to get one person to do all the illustration and one to do the graphic design. Even if you have the same person doing both illustration and graphic design, these two can take so long to finish that showing some changes here can make backers feel like things are actually happening.
- Rules: Rules could be considered part of graphic design as they should have some graphic design included, but I also try to get backers to help with proofreading. I also have the rulebook be the last thing that gets done as I have pictures of all the components in the rulebook, so it basically does need to be the last file done before being sent to the printer.
- Files Sent to Printer: This isn’t a big thing, but it’s a great milestone. It means you’ve sent all the files to your manufacturer.
- Surveys Open: This is sometimes done earlier or later than the order implies, it just depends on the project. Opening surveys can take a lot of time if you’re working with a new type of pledge manager, so it can be In Work for awhile. I suggest only opening the pledge manager at the point that you know a bit about when the games will ship. So around the time where you’re getting all your files finalized is a great point to start on the pledge manager.
- Digital and Assembly Proofs: I separate these, but you don’t have to. Digital proofs are when you check over all the assets that the manufacturer has put together based on what you’ve sent them. Assembly proofs are when you get in that first copy of the game made by the manufacturer. (Different companies use different words for things, so make sure to check what they’re referring to before you sign contracts.)
- Printing Complete: All the games have been manufactured and assembled!
- Cargo Shipping: This is the point when the games are on a boat! There can be weeks between the games finishing manufacturing and actually getting on a boat, as boats leave every so often.
- Arrivals: I separate these out as the information is usually important to have. Either you’re using different boats or sending off to a different country once the first boat gets to where it’s going, so it gives backers in that country a better idea of when they’ll get their game.
- Shipping: This is when the fulfillment company or you have actually started shipping out the games. It can take days to weeks for the games to get through customs and to wherever they need to go to start shipping, in addition to having to wait for the shipping to actually happen as you game could be queued to ship at a fulfillment company.
- Shipping Complete: This is when all the backers that have given you their information probably have the game. It can take 2-3 weeks for some backers to receive games after they’ve been shipped, but the project is now mostly done!
These are the fields that I think make the most sense to convey to backers, but there’s always more fields you can add and you can take out some as well. I like to always have progress on the chart each month, so being able to break out illustration, graphic design, and rules helps with that and makes it feel like progress is happening.
What fields would you want to see as a backer?
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