About Crowdfunding Nerds: Kickstarter Marketing For Board Games & Beyond!
Crowdfunding Nerds is a practical, behind-the-scenes podcast for creators looking to launch and scale successful crowdfunding campaigns. Since 2019, the Crowdfunding Nerds team has helped creators raise over $40M on Kickstarter and Gamefound while generating more than $100M in ecommerce sales.
From pre-launch strategy to post-campaign growth, the show delivers real-world marketing insights, campaign breakdowns, and lessons from both first-time creators and major IPs like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Fallout, Dune, and Star Trek.
Whether you're preparing for your first Kickstarter or optimizing your next launch, this podcast helps you do it smarter.
Publisher
Crowdfunding Nerds: Kickstarter Marketing For Board Games & Beyond!
More pledges don’t always mean more money in your pocket. Andrew is back, and between welcoming baby number eight and catching up with Sean, he’s got a few things to say about crowdfunding marketing fees.
In this episode of Crowdfunding Nerds, we unpack Andrew’s experience with commission-based marketing, why a bigger campaign total isn’t the same as a healthier bottom line, and when it makes sense to spread your ad budget beyond Meta. Sean shares a recent Reddit ads success, his “delegate or die” approach to a busy season, and why copying your pitch into every Facebook group is a terrible marketing strategy.
We also introduce the Crowdfunding Essentials course, discuss why the holidays can be an opportunity for prelaunch marketing, and explore a social platform that rewards useful contributions.
Over 300 episodes in, we’re still talking marketing, making games, and occasionally getting interrupted by a reminder to take out the trash.
Connect with Crowdfunding Nerds:
Website: https://crowdfundingnerds.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crowdfundingnerds/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@crowdfundingnerdspodcast
28 Sept 2026
Should AI Be Used In Your Game Design? | Ep. 303
What happens when AI can create artwork that’s almost impossible to distinguish from something made by a human?
Sean, Donnie, and Jacob dive into the increasingly complicated relationship between AI-generated art and the board game industry. They discuss why publishers are tempted by AI’s speed and lower costs, why portions of the tabletop community remain strongly opposed to it, and whether human-made artwork could actually become more valuable as AI-generated content becomes commonplace.
Ultimately, this episode isn't about handing publishers a simple yes-or-no answer on AI. It’s about asking better questions: What role should AI have in your workflow? What do you want your art to communicate? And what kind of creative process do you want behind the product you're asking people to support?
Resources:
Exit Through the Gift Shop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VmHFp6AkWo
Wendell Berry: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/wendell-berry
Marshall McLuhan / Hot and Cold Media: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Understanding_Media
Chapters For YouTube:
00:00 – AI Art and the Board Game Industry
00:53 – Why This AI Conversation Matters
03:22 – Jacob’s Background as an Artist
05:56 – How Fast Is AI Art Improving?
08:31 – Will Human-Made Art Become More Valuable?
12:12 – The Return to Physical Experiences
17:04 – Why Handmade Art Feels Different
17:58 – The Risk of Mixing AI and Human Art
20:24 – Why the Creative Struggle Matters
20:51 – AI Art in Board Game Design
23:47 – The Problem With “AI Slop”
24:42 – What Actually Makes Something Art?
28:41 – Art, Craft, and Creative Value
33:25 – Are We Losing Ownership?
37:26 – Convenience vs. the Creative Process
40:18 – AI, Creativity, and Human Identity
44:32 – Why Your Game’s Art Matters
46:26 – Hot vs. Cold Media
49:18 – Creativity Is a Muscle
52:19 – What’s Your Policy on AI?
Connect with Crowdfunding Nerds:
Website: https://crowdfundingnerds.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crowdfundingnerds/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@crowdfundingnerdspodcast
21 Sept 2026
Performance Based Marketing Is A Scam? | Ep. 302
Performance-based marketing sounds like an easy win: no big agency fee upfront, someone else handles the ads, and they only get paid when they generate results. But is the deal actually as aligned with publishers as it sounds?
In this episode, Sean and Donnie break down the realities of performance-based marketing for crowdfunding campaigns. They discuss the challenges of accurately attributing sales, how commission-based incentives can encourage aggressive ad spending, and why publishers need to understand exactly who owns their pixel, ad account, targeting data, and audience information.
They also explore one of the biggest long-term considerations: data ownership. Your crowdfunding campaign shouldn't just generate pledges; it should help build an audience you can reach for your next campaign, your e-commerce store, and future releases.
Guest Bio:
Donnie is part of the Crowdfunding Nerds team, where he works alongside publishers and creators navigating the marketing side of crowdfunding. Through his work with Crowdfunding Nerds, he has developed firsthand insight into advertising strategy, audience development, data ownership, and the challenges creators face when turning a great game into a sustainable business.
Resources:
Crowdfunding Nerds Community: https://crowdfundingnerds.com/academy/
Board Game Design Lab: https://boardgamedesignlab.com/
Hive Interactive / Hive Pledge Manager: https://www.hiveinteractive.net/pledgemanager
Meta Ads Library: https://transparency.meta.com/researchtools/ad-library-tools/
Meta Ads: https://www.facebookblueprint.com/student/path/219703-ads-manager-basics
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/
Gamefound: https://gamefound.com/en
Reddit / Subreddits & Facebook Groups
BoardGameGeek: https://boardgamegeek.com/
Google Ads: https://business.google.com/us/google-ads/
Connect with Crowdfunding Nerds:
Website: https://crowdfundingnerds.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crowdfundingnerds/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@crowdfundingnerdspodcast
Who has been a guest on Crowdfunding Nerds: Kickstarter Marketing For Board Games & Beyond!
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Konstantinos Manos
Scott Pease
TK King
Koltin Thompson
Cody Miller
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
243
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.7 / 5
15 ratings
Spotify
4.3 / 5
27 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 65 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
81
Social presence
0
YouTube
72
Engagement
51
Contact Crowdfunding Nerds: Kickstarter Marketing For Board Games & Beyond!
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Books guests
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