The Power of Idea Testing: Stand Out in the Crowdfunding World

This was was originally seen on The Crowdfunding Coach's Substack.

Welcome back to The Crowdfunding Coach! Today is the first post in our weekly series and we're diving into a strategy that can make all the difference in your crowdfunding journey: idea testing. While everyone knows about product testing, idea testing is often overlooked. This post is for those who want to crowdfund their own creative projects, be it games or other innovative ideas.

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The Crowdfunding Landscape: Challenges and Opportunities

In the world of crowdfunding, there are thousands of projects being launched every year. Last year saw?4042 successful tabletop game?campaigns on Kickstarter alone. This presents both good and bad news: while many projects are getting funded and made, it's also becoming increasingly difficult to stand out in the crowd.

The Power of Marketing: Getting Your Project Noticed

The key to a successful crowdfunding campaign often lies in effective marketing and paid advertising. You need to get eyeballs on your project if you want it to sell. But what if people simply don't want your product?

The answer to this question lies in market research, or more specifically, what I call "idea testing." Idea testing involves taking a barely formed concept and putting it in front of your target audience anonymously.

For instance, with our project?Stonesaga, we started idea-testing advertising years before we actually launched and months before involving a game designer. We simply wanted to know if people were interested in a?survival crafting board game.

How to Conduct Idea Testing: A Step-by-Step Guide

Here's how I executed idea testing for Stonesaga:

1. Created a random Facebook page.
2. Designed box art using an Adobe stock image for a game called "Cave Quest."
3. Defined the core “hook” of the game.
4. Ran Facebook ads targeting our intended audience with the hook and box art to collect emails.
5. Analyzed the number of emails and specific conversion rates.

The results showed that people were clicking and signing up to learn more, indicating that the idea had potential!

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Avoid Wasted Time and Resources: Test Your Idea First

Too often, creators pour countless hours, money, and effort into a project, only to discover that their target audience doesn't actually want it after launching the Kickstarter campaign. Save yourself the heartache by testing your idea beforehand.

It doesn't have to be through Facebook ads, but it's crucial to avoid relying solely on feedback from family and friends. Seek unbiased opinions to ensure you're creating something that will truly resonate with your audience.

Idea testing is a powerful tool that can help you validate your project's potential and set you on the path to a successful crowdfunding campaign. By understanding what your audience wants and needs, you can create a project that stands out in the competitive crowdfunding landscape. So, before investing your time and resources into your next creative endeavour, be sure to test your idea and give yourself the best chance of success.

Crowdfunding Projects I’m Excited For

• Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze
• The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of The Second Era
• Nekojima

Thanks for reading The Crowdfunding Coach! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.