15 – How Do You Become Part of a Community? Social Media (Part 2)

There are several social media platforms that allow you to create your own communities. Generally speaking, there are three key points to keep in mind:

• The content should be interesting to the community—otherwise, members have no incentive to stay.

• Content needs to be posted regularly, and inquiries should be answered promptly. If the channel is active, the chances of having active members increase significantly. Reach—meaning who sees your posts—is heavily influenced by activity on many platforms.

• The content should match the platform. Different platforms clearly target specific types of information.

Based on my personal experience, certain channels work particularly well when it comes to board games and Kickstarter. It’s also important to consider whether you want to build a community around a specific game/publisher or a broader topic. The effort required can vary greatly.

Facebook:
Best suited for discussions around specific topics. A large portion of the content is created by active members.
A Facebook page is mainly used to post information about a product or company. Posts here are mostly written by the owner, and followers are less involved.
Facebook Group: Facebook communities primarily operate through groups. If you want people to exchange ideas about a game, a Facebook group is a good idea. It’s important to post questions and spark discussions. It’s also recommended to allow members to post in the group, but keep an eye on things to ensure comments and posts don’t get out of hand. Facebook offers a wide range of excellent groups for topic-specific exchanges, and members tend to be very active.

Photo by dole777 on Unsplash

Instagram:
Ideal for posting images. Especially for board games, illustrations create a strong mood and atmosphere. Instagram favors frequent posting of images and stories (short posts that disappear after a while) to increase visibility. It’s a great platform for getting feedback on visuals. Don’t forget to add text to your images—questions tend to get more responses! Short videos have also become very popular and significantly increase your chances of being recommended to other users. Instagram also expects a lot of interaction beyond your own posts, such as liking and commenting on others’ content.

Blog:
A blog allows readers to get to know the author better. It’s a great way to share opinions, interests, and expertise, and to connect with like-minded individuals. As with all other channels, it’s important to engage with the community—so be sure to ask questions! Encourage readers to leave comments you can respond to. This boosts the channel’s relevance and motivates the writer. 😉

YouTube:
Like a blog, YouTube lets you share opinions, interests, and expertise. If the focus is solely on a board game or Kickstarter, a “making-of” video could be an option. However, keep in mind that a lot of material is needed to maintain community interest. If you’re creating a general board game channel, remember that producing videos is time-consuming—especially if you want them to look professional. You’ll need equipment and plenty of time.

Podcasts:
I don’t have much experience with podcasts yet, but I think they’re similar to blogs or YouTube. The main challenge is making episodes engaging through conversations with guests. So it’s not just a regular time commitment for you, but also for others. That said, board game podcasts are quite popular.

Twitter:
Seems to be less relevant for board games, since only short text posts are possible. Board games often require more explanation. While you can post images here too, Instagram offers much better options for that.

Foren:
BoardGameGeek and Reddit are examples of massive platforms. It’s definitely worth being an active part of these communities, as you can find people interested in your own community there. BoardGameGeek feels very open and helpful, though the platform is extensive and takes time to navigate. Reddit is a bit different—you should familiarize yourself with its social norms before diving in. The community is powerful, but not easily accessible.

There’s a lot to say on this topic. If you have questions or suggestions, feel free to share! Have you built your own community? How did it go? I’m really looking forward to your comments. There will definitely be more posts on this subject in the future.

13 – Why Are Newsletters So Important for Crowdfunding Projects?

When I looked into marketing for crowdfunding campaigns—at least in the board game world—the most common question I heard was: “How big is your email list? You need newsletter subscribers.”

There are several reasons for this. I’ve already mentioned that it’s good to start marketing early. But the earlier I begin, the longer interested people have to wait for the game. A newsletter gives me a way to stay in touch with very little interaction. You only have to sign up once, and from then on, you’ll stay updated with almost no effort. You can read the email and catch up when you have time—unlike social media posts, which quickly disappear into the feed.

That said, it’s really important that the newsletter is well-crafted. I want my readers to benefit from it—not feel annoyed. That starts with the subject line: it shouldn’t feel like spam. After all, the recipient signed up and showed interest in the game. So it should be clear that it’s about the game, and it shouldn’t sound like a sales pitch.

I now divide my newsletters into 4 to 5 short sections on different topics. They’re not long and are usually illustrated with images. I make sure the newsletter is concise yet informative—so readers learn something new or get a glimpse of the game. I vary the content too:

• Information about the game mechanics for those who just want to understand how it plays

• Insights about the team to build trust with the creator

• Artwork to capture the game’s atmosphere

• What’s coming next—so readers have something to look forward to

• Occasional updates on special events

With this mix, I hope to cover at least two areas of interest for each subscriber, keeping the excitement alive. I also ask questions to spark conversations with my readers—these interactions are incredibly valuable. Even later on, they help gather key feedback or rally support for your Kickstarter.

To grow your email list, mention the newsletter subscription at every opportunity. Ask people if they’d like to be added. Be transparent about how their email will be used. And definitely set up a landing page—a simple site focused on getting people to subscribe. That’s what I did for Magical Friends.

I used Mailchimp.com to send my newsletters. I'm happy with how easy it was to create and distribute them, and the site also offers great analytics tools. It even lets you create a landing page—though I’m not fully sold on those options yet. The Landing Page is still there, but now I got the Publishers site for new things to come.

Overall, I found marketing pretty challenging. I wasn’t able to grow my subscriber list as much as I’d hoped. It really takes a lot of time and persistence!