Source: Kickstarter Creator Guides

Source metadata

• Type: Official creator guidance
• Maintainer: Kickstarter
• Accessed: 2026-04-15
• Primary URLs:
  • Pre-Launch Checklist (PDF)
  • Creator Handbook
  • When and how should I start planning my promotion strategy?
  • What are some things I should do before launching my project?
  • Can I get my project’s URL before I launch?

Key takeaways

• Crowdfunding prep starts early. Kickstarter’s support guidance explicitly says creators should start planning their promotion strategy as soon as they decide to run a project.
• Community organisation matters before launch. Kickstarter recommends identifying the existing community, organising an actionable contact list, and planning how email, social media, and press outreach will work.
• Pre-launch pages and generated URLs are audience-building tools. Official support articles describe sharing the project URL and pre-launch page before launch so potential backers can follow the project and be notified when it goes live.
• Preview feedback is part of launch readiness. The checklist tells creators to preview the project, test links, and gather copy feedback before going live.
• Budgeting and fulfilment realism matter. Kickstarter’s pre-launch guidance emphasises timelines, budgeting, shipping, rewards, and “wiggle room”, which is important because crowdfunding promises create delivery obligations after the campaign ends.

Notable claims

• Kickstarter says promotion planning should begin as soon as you decide to run a project.
• The support guidance recommends identifying at least ten potential backers who can follow the pre-launch page and help create momentum at launch.
• The checklist advises submitting for review at least two business days before you are ready to launch.

Relevance

This source primarily informs:

• game-marketing-fundamentals
• publishing-and-funding

It also supports:

• preproduction-and-concept-validation
• legal-and-business-basics
• overview-full-game-development-pipeline

Open questions raised

• Kickstarter is useful for community-backed projects, but it is not a universal fit. What kinds of games or team situations make crowdfunding strategically unwise even if technically available?
• The official guidance is strong on preparation, but less specific about how game teams should scope promises around live features, stretch goals, and post-campaign support.

Links

• overview-full-game-development-pipeline
• preproduction-and-concept-validation
• game-marketing-fundamentals
• publishing-and-funding
• legal-and-business-basics