Why is it so hard to get noticed on indiegogo?

[Imploded Tomato]

I've been trying to start a fundraiser to raise funds so I can afford to purchase more commercial resources for my project, but so far, it seems like I can't even get a single person interested. More people are interested in helping the guy who's begging for Xbox One money instead of my 8 month project in the works. What am I doing wrong? I have no idea, but I wish I could change it so i could get the ball rolling.. (Sigh...)

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/advent-peril-dawn-of-a-new-age/x/8253930

 

[Silent Darkness]

It could be that the problem lies not in you, but the people there.

 

[seita]

There's not a single obvious solution, but I suggest you read up on my Kickstarter postmortem. Generally I think Kickstarter is much more active in the crowdfunding scene, and is more likely to garner attention since there is so much crap on indiegogo that shouldn't be there in the first place.

Quick notes: I don't think giving people a list of the resources you'll be purchasing, or are currently using will help at all. It just shows details of game development they don't need to know about, and it's detrimental to your fundraising.

$1 is cheap, really cheap, to the point that people won't take it seriously. It's not a huge investment, which also means they're less likely to invest at all. I would suggest a minimum of $5 for access to the game. Anything below that should just be thanks and a spot in the credits. Getting 1,000 $1 backers is hard for a small project, getting 200 $5 backers is much more reasonable, and even better since some are more willing to shell out higher amounts. $10 is a great price for immediate beta and a full game. If you go this route, $7 may be better for the full game without an early beta.

Again, I would suggest Kickstarter over indiegogo. Many people don't like Flexible Campaigns because it sets people up for failure or scams.

here's my postmortem of my kickstarter project:

http://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?/topic/19982-petulas-kickstarter-journey-path-to-90k-finished-1-11-14/

And my kickstarter project:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/812850535/you-are-not-the-hero

 

[Imploded Tomato]

I really didn't like Kickstarter although I did make an account, I closed it. A friend of mine tried to raise funds for his band and in the end he didn't reach his goal so he didn't make anything and ended up wasting all of his time. There was also too many I.D. verification loops to deal with, including the Amazon Payments loops which I want nothing to do with. I can't understand why Kickstarter won't just go with Paypal, and I don't think it's necessary to have a Kickstarter and a Indiegogo campaign running at the same time. I just don't feel right charging $5 for a indie game, especially one that hasn't had an established name that people won't recognize, bad idea. An indie game that has been in a series of popular games might be worth $5. As for people taking the project seriously, depends on the standards of the viewer. (Buy an unheard of indie game for $1 or $5, more people would be willing to spend a $1 than $5 regardless.) I think my problem is due to people not being able to discover my project.

"I don't think giving people a list of the resources you'll be purchasing, or are currently using will help at all."

I cannot agree with this statement as I feel contributors should be aware of why they are funding the project in the first place. 

 

[seita]

Agree to disagree. Believe me though, people have seen your project. Many project holders assume they aren't being funded because people can't find their project. There are hundreds of thousands of people who lurk crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, and they back tens of hundreds of projects. I know this because a good portion of my backers have backed at least 10, and many over 100 projects in the last few years alone. The only reason they wouldn't back your project is if they feel that it isn't worth it, which is the case most of the time. A lot of people don't know how to market their game properly, and it shows. Having a list of items like that is unprofessional. If you truly must have it, have it in an FAQ answer that starts unexpanded.

$1 is definitely much more enticing, but it also shows a lack of confidence in yourself. You're crowdfunding because you need the money, so don't be afraid to ask for a little bit more. As for Kickstarter being a pain in the ass to deal with, it's like that in part to weed out people who don't take this seriously, which is why it's much more credible as a crowdfunding platform compared to indiegogo.

The more work you put into your campaign, including research, the better your results. I'm assuming you wanted advice considering you started this thread. Everything I say is from personal experience and observation. I have more experience with crowdfunding than most of the people on this forum, which is why I decided to reply. Just remember that crowdfunding isn't a sure thing, even if you do everything right. I took months to prepare for my project and I succeeded beyond my imagination, but it's rare and the stars aligned for me.

Another good thing to note: Most small projects that have a funding of around $1000 are funded by friends and family. You should tell them about it as well.

 

[_Shadow_]

A band and a videogame, have different market crowds on Kickstarter.

I just tell you that to not get discouraged by irrelevant conditions.

But that's not the point here.

I have a suggestion for you.

It's what I do.

I can not guarantee you that it will work but...

it's better than nothing right?

Make a game with what you got.

Maybe a prequel to your main idea,

maybe something completely different.

Just make sure it is worth the time to be played, and it can draw the player's attention somehow, in the first 5 minuter.

An action game draws attention with action, an RPG with things happening and being interesting as a game from start,

Some game s build an atmosphere the user loves at first sight...

You can then upload your game for free.

If people will like it, you got their attention.

Take for instance the success story of Yatzee.

5 days a stranger debut. /// EPIC free advanture.

7 days a sceptic. /// Almost impossible to beat without a guide (hiding scene) but still an epic game.

Trilby's notes. /// His third game changes gameplay interface (risky) but gives great information for his epic lore behind the trilogy.

Finally, 

6 Days a sacrifice was the end of that game series, that glues everything together.

The guy is a professional reviwer at the moment, with a fanatic crowd.

Cause he got the gamers community attention all right!

Bottomline trust yourself, do your best and you will find your way.

Edit: Forgot his foul language so I remove a suggestion link.

 

[phoenix_rossy]

The summer is (apparently) a poor choice for crowdfunding campaigns. The Steam Summer Sale has just emptied a lot of wallets, people are on vacation, etc. My Kickstarter failed to hit its target, and I've run several successful ones before now. Crowdfunding in general has received a lot of bad press lately... and Indiegogo also has a smaller 'residential' backer base - the people who just randomly browse projects - than Kickstarter.

There are always a lot of variables to consider with crowdfunding, and marketing in general. Too many to possibly consider. We just have to put our project out there and hope it gets noticed!

My observations on your page (I had a quick glance over it):

A couple of spelling errors "The game if fully playable and can be beaten but is still in beta due to the limited amount of quests."

You could do with getting some cool concept art, or screenshots in there to break up the text.

A more detailed description of what the game is about, the characters you'll meet, problems that plague the world, etc...

Remember, backers treat crowdfunding like going to a store. They want to see a product that they want to 'buy'. It's not about 'helping people achieve their dreams' any more. Welcome to the world of marketing...

Anyways! Keep at it! If this project doesn't meet the goal, continue on the project, relaunch. Wash, rinse and repeat until you finally meet your goal. Those who DO back any of your campaigns will almost always come back for the next one.

*hugs*

 

[Shelby]

"Crowdfunding in general has received a lot of bad press lately" And it should, if you are interested in in getting your stuff funded you should actually study up on all that has been going on in the indie world, like the fact that Indiegogo is less successful site then kickstarter, that the KS bubble has already burst!

Now these sites have greatly expanded into some really bad areas, allowing more people with less experience on them, like the guys that got 3 million to make a game and spent all the money! With no full game to show for it, and that was a actual studio. If you really want to know why your project is not getting the views you want then look at this project.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1406229608/lazyferret-studio?ref=discovery

Crowd funding sites are now the place of dreams not projects, and no one wants to even look through all this trash to maybe find that one good game.

I have to fund a certain number of projects on KS for my work and this used to be fun, but now I hate it because of all the mess and scum that has come on these sites.

People are doing no work and expecting everything. The best thing you can do is completely rethink and redo your project/project page because it doesn't look good. When I saw all those $1.25

music lines I thought to myself...why doesn't he just buy them himself? Or just use FREE music.

And yes there is going to be more interest in the guy wanting a new xbox or xbox membership, do you want to know why? Because that is actually relate able, everyone knows what Xbox is and can understand that. Now you are throwing a bunch of numbers at people with a system very few people have ever heard of and expect better?

Study, learn, then try again.

 

[Ralpf]

Yeah, everyone else pretty much saw what I did. I have never done a crowd funding campaign, so most of this is from a consumer perspective.

The giant list of stuff you need to buy, condense it, for example $200 for music, $300 for art, those number will look better then a giant list that most people wouldn't bother reading through, not to mention, as Shelby said, when you put it out like that it looks much cheaper then it is.

You really do need to raise the price for the game, $1 simply looks unprofessional and shows a lack of confidence (no matter if true or not), $5 for the game $10 for beta access also with some access to you (bug reporting and so on), people like being able to to interact with the developer of a game they are looking forward to, even if said developer is just a single person at home on their computer. Also maybe something like $20-40 for rights to name a character or town (within reason of course), maybe more for a statue of them in game (if you have the artistic ability for that), stuff like that seem to be desired, and you lose nothing if no one bites, but have plenty to gain.

And get a demo out there, even if the sound and art are not final (make sure everyone knows that is the case, putting it in the game on the title screen would be good), they can at least get a taste of the gameplay and story.

Also, I trust Kickstarter more then Indiegogo, the option of flexible funding is a red flag to me...the goal amount should be the minimum you need (I know could turn out different, but that is the idea, and how it should be), any less just gets you part way there and the people that gave you money wouldn't even know if you would ever get the rest together.

 

[Razzazaki]

Why not more perks for higher contributions?

 

[Sailerius]

There's a lot of reasons why your campaign hasn't taken off. I'm going to start with the high-level ones and gradually work my way down to your project specifically.

Your first problem was that you used Indiegogo instead of Kickstarter. Whether you think it's deserved or not, Indiegogo has a much worse reputation than Kickstarter and much less mindshare among people who participate in crowdfunding. Someone mentioned that they avoided Kickstarter because of the ID hoops they require you to jump through - but that's exactly why it's much more reputable. You have to be properly vetted by Kickstarter to be approved to run a project, which gives you an air of legitimacy. As a result, Indiegogo has a reputation of being the place people post projects if they got rejected by Kickstarter, which further diminishes its reputation. Straight up, far more projects fail on Indiegogo than on Kickstarter. This is partially because of the lower standards on Indiegogo (making there be more competition) and partially because of its worse reputation.

You shot yourself in the foot by using Indiegogo.

Your biggest mistake, however, was that you chose to use Flexible Funding. I - and many crowdfunders - have a policy of never, ever pledging to a project that uses Flexible Funding. The fact of the matter is, if I'm the only person who pledges, then I lose my money and you will have my $15 or whatever to make your game with. You're not going to make a game with $15 (if you could, then why wasn't your goal $15?). Flexible Funding sets off the scam red flags. The only reason Flexible Funding makes sense is if you can feasibly make the project for less than your goal was, in which case, why didn't you lower your goal? When you use Flexible Funding, you're telling me one of two things: 1) you don't actually need to make your goal or 2) you're not serious about the project and just want my money. In either case, I have no compelling reason to pledge to your project. There's no reason why you should get money from pledgers if you didn't raise enough to create the project they pledged for, at the level of quality you advertised.

As for problems with your campaign specifically:

-Too much text, not enough images.

-The story sounds boring and overplayed.

-The graphics look like a generic RPG Maker game. There are hundreds of crowdfunded RM games, so if you want to stand out, you need to look the part.

-Grammatical errors in the video.

Ultimately, the project looks like anything else I could find on this forum and gives me no compelling reason why I should pay money to play it. My advice would be to hire an artist, hire a writer, and try again on Kickstarter with a higher goal.

 

[Imploded Tomato]

Silent Darkness, "It could be that the problem lies not in you, but the people there." I think problem lies in the way I presented my project, and my audience.

Sailerius, I will take your advice and make the story sound more interesting. Doesn't surprise me though as it is a rough draft. I did like that you pointed out the issues with "Flexible Funding". And hiring an artist for cover art is also a good idea and a route that I will take. However, the graphics aren't generic, although I am glad you pointed that out because I need to add more detail on most of my maps to differentiate the style from the standard RTP.

Ralpf, you opened my eyes with your statements "$1 simply looks unprofessional", "Also maybe something like $20-40 for rights to name a character or town (within reason of course), maybe more for a statue of them in game (if you have the artistic ability for that), stuff like that seem to be desired, and you lose nothing if no one bites, but have plenty to gain." That is an epic idea and I will be sure to incorporate this.

Shelby, I will try an present my project in a way that people can relate to as much as possible. I am already using free music as well as commercial music because I have obtained some epic tracks. As for your statement : "Now you are throwing a bunch of numbers at people with a system very few people have ever heard of and expect better?" There was a link below the pricing listed on a website where the user could explore and verify if necessary. I like to be honest with people, although now I get the impression that it was unprofessional, which resulted in me taking it down.

Dreddshadow, I will take your advice and work with what I have to make it better and more presentable.

Sieta, After my project is finally polished, I will put more confidence in the product and raise the price to let people know I value my work. Although I didn't agree at first, I do now.

Razzaki "Why not more perks for higher contributions?" Good point, when I first launched the indiegogo campaign, I couldn't think of anything else to put but now I have plenty of ideas.

Phoenix_rossy, thanks for pointing out the spelling error. I will be sure to proof read my content over and over again to prevent that from happening again in the future.

I want to thank everyone for the advice they have provided. I will probably end up shutting the indiegogo campaign down, revise my resources, polish my work, higher a artist for a one time gig, and practice my writing. Overall, I am not even prepared to start a Kickstarter campaign, as of now. My ignorance has been vanquished to a degree, and I thank all of you for that, truly.

 

[Ralpf]

Ralpf, you opened my eyes with your statements "$1 simply looks unprofessional", "Also maybe something like $20-40 for rights to name a character or town (within reason of course), maybe more for a statue of them in game (if you have the artistic ability for that), stuff like that seem to be desired, and you lose nothing if no one bites, but have plenty to gain." That is an epic idea and I will be sure to incorporate this.

Just wanted to add that I don't think you should completely remove the $1 option (rereading what I said it may have come off that way), but that level should not buy the game, adding their name to a 'thank you' section of the credits for the $1 level (along with everyone else) seems to be a common way to handle that.

 

[Shelby]

A "Thank you" is not a reward and they discourage people from doing that. Do a wallpaper.

 

[Ralpf]

A "Thank you" is not a reward and they discourage people from doing that. Do a wallpaper.

I just took a quick look through Kickstarter, yeah it doesn't seem to be as common as it used too (2 out of maybe 12), seemed like every game I looked at did that before...a wallpaper is simple though, so that makes sense.

 

[Tsukihime]

I don't know if this was mentioned but what have you done to market your campaign?


You could have the best campaign ever (ie: your planned revision), but if no one knows about it...

 

[Imploded Tomato]

"I don't know if this was mentioned but what have you done to market your campaign?

You could have the best campaign ever (ie: your planned revision), but if no one knows about it... "

Tsukihime, Good point. Definitely. Can't expect random people to discover it without putting some work into promotions.

 

[Clord]

My experience of Indiegogo?


It is a horrible funding platform for those who try to raise the funds there. It also seems to be invested with scams and flexible funding goals that just make me think twice before supporting.


Their system to promote projects via of their own site is overall quite bad.

 

[enothehippie]

Don't be dissuaded though, Kickstarter and the whole crowd funding environment may have had its day in the sun already, but you can work around that. 

Online presence is important. Social Media and the like. Start a twitter for your project, perhaps a Facebook page as well. Interact with people online and through other offline means. Building a community of followers ( not just in the twitter definition of the word ) can go leagues in helping you achieve your dreams. Maybe try to use Kickstarter as beneficiary and not a primary form of support. 

 

[Arkane609]

I remember my first Kickstarter. It was for the studio I worked with. We were going bankrupt and using Kickstarter was one of the options we used. We were a very secluded studio, only being advertised through word of mouth but we did get pretty good reviews from newspapers. But anyway, I remember that we started exposing ourselves publically then we made our way through social media and stuff.