Kickstarter Followers are typically the cheapest and most effective option to crowdfund a project. Even the in-house Performance Marketing Team at Kickstarter only will gather Kickstarter Followers during prelaunch phases for their select client projects.
However, to get deeper diagnostic information regarding page-visitor’s excitement levels, consider testing a survey offer or VIP offer on your own website first prior to making a decision to end or forfeit a project.
Similarly, using a $20+ Deposit on a VIP Offer will help qualify potential backers for products priced at $500 and above.
Your KPI marketing goals may change throughout your campaign. You can exchange the call-to-action at various touch points at any time.
NOTE: The conversion rate of email signups will be higher without using a VIP System. This is because the VIP System identifies and segments the highest-quality leads within your existing email list, thus moving them into a different “bucket”.
Here's a chart of various types of pre-launch leads and their conversion rates into sales or Kickstarter backers:
- Email Signups
- Conversion Rate: 2% to 10%
- Conversion Rate: up to 3% (using VIP system)
- Acquisition Cost: under $1 (in-app leadform)
- Acquisition Cost: $1 to $3 (landing page)
- Kickstarter Followers
- Conversion Rate: 10% to 50%
- Acquisition Cost: $1 to $4 (direct ad traffic to prelaunch page)
- Acquisition Cost: $2 to $5 (landing page, hero banner button)
- Acquisition Cost: $4 to $6 (landing page, post sign-up offer and email)
- Community Members (Facebook Group, Discord, WhatsApp)
- Conversion Rate: 10% to 50%
- Acquisition Cost: $4 to $6 (landing page, post sign-up offer and email)
- $1 VIP Reservations
- Conversion Rate: 10% to 50%
- Acquisition Cost: $5+ (landing page, post sign-up offer and email)
The average conversion rate of Kickstarter Followers into Backers is roughly 30% with a launch day success.
However, sometimes there are launch day failures which usually occur when the campaign is not ready for launch - for example, if the team leadership decides that they must launch tomorrow because they have run out of funds and team members will disband, or the need to launch due to pressure from investors.
There are multiple causes for launch day failures, some known causes include:
- The ad setup's audiences are incorrectly programmed (high cost-per-purchase)
- The campaign page is unclear, missing key information or poorly organized (extreme mid-campaign slump)
- The funding goal set too high (extreme mid-campaign slump)
- The reward tiers are unclear, cluttered, or poorly priced outside consumer's expectations on fair market pricing (low conversion rates on day #1)
- Unrealistic estimated shipping costs, such as when the shipping estimate is roughly equal to or greater than the product price itself (also low conversion rates or high cancel rates)
PR meltdowns can also cause launch day failures or extremely high cancel rates, which may include:
- Confusion or backer-disapproval regarding VIP Add-on or VIP $1 Deposit Fulfillment
- Non-transparent usage of AI
- DMCA Takedown requests resulting in temporary project suspension
- The removal of promised key features upon launch or mid-campaign
"Launch day failures" commonly result in conversion rates of less than 15% and as low as 1% conversion rate by end of campaign, whether using Kickstarter Followers or a VIP System. Regardless, these failures are relatively uncommon.
It's notable that the majority of Kickstarter users, and about 85% of superbackers according to large polls on BoardGameGeek, are against the usage of VIP Add-ons and VIP $1 Deposits and will refuse to back projects that use it.
The reason that Kickstarter Followers convert at 30% on average (and median) is because it requires an account to follow a project. It verifies that they are known to shop at the Kickstarter storefront.
For example, Backerkit and Indiegogo do not require a user to have an account with them first, and as expected, the average conversion rate of regular emails on Backerkit are 3%.
It's also the same reason that Steam Wishlists convert at 23% on average, it requires a user to have a Steam account and be logged in. The difference between Steam and Kickstarter is that Kickstarter platform will do mobile-phone push notifications alongside email blasts that go straight to users inboxes.
Now consider that the average cost of a Kickstarter Follower from ads is $3, meanwhile a top-tier ads campaign collecting regular emails will cost $1 per email according to Backerkit. When you do the math to make a financial projection, that's more than a whopping 3x better ROAS with Kickstarter Followers versus regular emails.
When you compare with LaunchBoom's campaigns using VIP $1 Deposits, they report a 4.9x ROAS in their best case studies. They also report a cost per VIP of over $20 in their case studies. This means that using the VIP System didn't move the needle in comparison to regular emails (after all, you are simply segmenting your VIPs from your regular email list and they would have purchased any way), and furthermore Kickstarter Followers are still greater than a 3x better ROAS than the VIP $1 Deposit System (400% ROAS versus 1400% ROAS).
Deep Analysis of Kickstarter Follower & VIP Conversion Rates During Launch Failures
It is much more common to ask, "why did my campaign launch fail? Why didn't people convert?" than to ask "why did they convert above average?"
However, by looking at the launch failures and discovering patterns of mistakes or accidents -- it becomes clear how much each element of the campaign contributes to the whole average 30% conversion rate of VIPs or Kickstarter Followers into backers:
During the first 5 to 10 minutes, page visitors do not seem to explore the page or watch the trailer video, and instead go straight to checkout.
For example: if the Rewards fail but the page design is successful: users who back within 5 minutes will exit out of the Reward Checkout, review the page, but then re-enter and checkout.
Therefore, the reward tier design + programming takes priority on the first couple hours and majority of conversion % on KS Followers / VIPs / emails.
Furthermore, the Page Design then carries the remainder of mid-campaign in most cases. If the page design fails, then it can still be generally recovered using the techniques listed in the above chart image and result in a 15% to 20% conversion rate on KS Followers by the end of the campaign.
Reward tiers generally cannot be edited after somebody has backed them, making recovery more challenging. However, if the community voices heavy demand for a new type of tier bundle, add-on item, etc. this may be an opportunity for recovery by end-of-campaign, as well.
Real Examples of Kickstarter Follower Conversion Rates Into Backers, Broken Down By Product Category
For examples of Kickstarter Follower conversion rates into backers, here is a random sampling of the projects I have collaborator access on, mixed with some from within my Prelaunch Club Discord community.
I also provide a daily tracking spreadsheet (download it for free, here) with change-log notes throughout the client's journey for many of the following projects and more:
GAMING PROJECTS
Imperial Grace - 59% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Necromancers of Monastis - 31% conversion rate for Kickstarter Followers
Whispers of Luminaries - 26% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Kristala - 27% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Exalted Vales - 28% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Dice Bites - 16% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Tome of Hags - 46% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Wicked Echoes - 24% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Hearthkeeper's Almanac - 21% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Fiefdom - 14% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Myths & Tales - 27% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Champions of Wind & Fire - 30% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Wonderbox of Alice - 34% Follower to Backer conversion rate
DungeonBox - 30% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Mercurial: Alchemia - 31% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Marble Football - 10% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Houdini's Double Escape - 36% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Life After Everything Tarot Tabletop RPG - 30% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Dice Fishing - 24% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Gates of Krystalia: Last Deux - 38% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Gates of Krystalia: Lumina - 23% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Tiny Toe Beans: Ultimate Mischief - 25% Follower to Backer conversion rate
PHYSICAL PRODUCTS
NANO TRACKS - 50% Follower to Backer conversion rate
SideSleeperZ - 32% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Mechi+ Carry Case - 21% Follower to Backer conversion rate
BBQAmigo - 23% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Galari - 19% conversion rate
Volta MAX Cables - 43% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Velaflame - 23% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Ultimate Hamper - 21% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Power Of Five Omnibus - 30% Follower to Backer conversion rate (dashboard screenshot redacted at request of author)
Bugstick - 22% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Dragon Buddies - 32% Follower to Backer conversion rate
Kickstarter Follower Campaign Performance Dataset
The table below summarizes performance metrics across multiple Kickstarter campaigns, including minimum reward tier pricing, conversion rate, average order value (AOV), cost per follow, and return on ad spend (ROAS).
| Project | Campaign Link | Minimum Tier Price (USD) | Conversion Rate | Average Order Value (USD) | Cost per Follow (USD) | ROAS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $89 average | 30% average | $148 average | $3.4 average | 13.9x average | ||
| $39 median | 30% median | $107 median | $3 median | 9.8x median | ||
| Necromancers of Monastis | View Campaign | $15 | 31% | $48 | $2 | 744% |
| Kristala | View Campaign | $20 | 27% | $66 | $4 | 446% |
| Whispers of the Luminari | View Campaign | $21 | 26% | $46 | $3 | 399% |
| Imperial Grace | View Campaign | $24 | 59% | $52 | $5 | 614% |
| Exalted Vales | View Campaign | $24 | 28% | $83 | $4 | 581% |
| Micro Wallet Finder | View Campaign | $25 | 12% | $55 | $4 | 165% |
| DungeonBox | View Campaign | $25 | 30% | $61 | $2 | 915% |
| 13th Age: Second Edition | View Campaign | $25 | 55% | $93 | $4 | 1279% |
| SideSleeperZ | View Campaign | $28 | 32% | $56 | $3 | 597% |
| Tome of Hags | View Campaign | $29 | 46% | $56 | $2 | 1288% |
| Wicked Echoes | View Campaign | $30 | 24% | $87 | $4 | 522% |
| Velaflame | View Campaign | $30 | 23% | $123 | $2.7 | 1048% |
| Mechi+ Carry Case | View Campaign | $32 | 21% | $176 | $3 | 1232% |
| Tiny Toe Beans | View Campaign | $34 | 25% | $72 | $3 | 692% |
| Life After Everything Tarot | View Campaign | $35 | 30% | $150 | $3 | 1667% |
| Fiefdom | View Campaign | $35 | 14% | $107 | $5 | 300% |
| Myths & Tales | View Campaign | $35 | 27% | $124 | $3 | 1116% |
| Dice Fishing | View Campaign | $35 | 24% | $66 | $2 | 792% |
| Volta Max Cables | View Campaign | $35 | 43% | $106 | $5 | 912% |
| Gates of Krystalia: Lumina | View Campaign | $38 | 23% | $215 | $4 | 1124% |
| Gates of Krystalia: Last Deux | View Campaign | $39 | 38% | $144 | $4 | 1368% |
| Hearthkeeper's Almanac | View Campaign | $39 | 21% | $107 | $3 | 775% |
| Dragon Buddies | View Campaign | $50 | 32% | $118 | $3 | 1111% |
| Dungeon Treats Monster Edition | View Campaign | $48 | 15% | $257 | $3 | 1285% |
| Wonderbox of Alice | View Campaign | $53 | 34% | $93 | $3 | 1171% |
| Champions of Wind & Fire | View Campaign | $58 | 30% | $98 | $2 | 1125% |
| CluePuzzle Pyramid | View Campaign | $58 | 29% | $111 | $3 | 1073% |
| Cotswold Mist | View Campaign | $59 | 14% | $80 | $5 | 224% |
| Houdini Box | View Campaign | $61 | 36% | $168 | $4 | 1635% |
| Bugstick | View Campaign | $67 | 22% | $84 | $4 | 528% |
| Dice Bites | View Campaign | $74 | 16% | $111 | $2 | 888% |
| Power of Five Omnibus | View Campaign | $85 | 30% | $141 | $0.4 | 10575% |
| Mercurial: Alchemia | View Campaign | $85 | 31% | $107 | $1 | 2457% |
| Marble Football | View Campaign | $86 | 10% | $140 | $5 | 280% |
| Prolo Ring | View Campaign | $99 | 12% | $170 | $4 | 510% |
| NANO TRACKS | View Campaign | $120 | 50% | $141 | $4 | 1763% |
| Galari | View Campaign | $387 | 19% | $478 | $2 | 5676% |
| Co Print Chromaset | View Campaign | $449 | 14% | $445 | $2 | 3115% |
| HILTS Watches | View Campaign | $485 | 8% | $535 | $10 | 428% |
| BBQ Amigo | View Campaign | $590 | 23% | $544 | $4 | 1328% |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What's the average conversion rate of Kickstarter Followers into actual Backers?
What does success look like on Kickstarter during Prelaunch?
What does success look like on Kickstarter during Live Campaign?
What's the best way to prelaunch?
Should I use my own website or a Kickstarter Pre Launch Page?
Can I email my Kickstarter Followers whenever I want?
Can I keep my Kickstarter Follower's email after launching?
Does Kickstarter's emails work better than regular email systems, like MailChimp?
Are there other advantages to Kickstarter Followers versus VIP $1 Deposits or regular emails?
Can I still create Look-a-Like (LAL) and Retargeting ads with Kickstarter Followers?
Does Kickstarter's own in-house Performance Marketing Team use Kickstarter Follower systems?
Dig deeper: How to setup the Facebook Pixel for Kickstarter
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