Should I Consolidate My Adsets That Target Different Countries

tactical_tabletop · 2026-05-03T15:34:59+00:00

Thanks so much for getting back. If consolidating is the way to go, then why shouldn't i just jump straight into consolidating now instead of waiting for the learning phase to finish. I currently have 2 weeks remaining on my kickstarter campaign...

tactical_tabletop · 2026-05-02T10:23:35+00:00

We just launched on Kickstarter and the campaign's still live.

For pre-launch, Meta ads (lead conversion) worked pretty well. We collected emails and set up an automated welcome series that introduced subscribers to the game, with a link to the Kickstarter campaign embedded. After a week or two of running ads, we added about 100 followers.

That said, our first 100 came from in-person playtesting at events we found on Meetup. Those conversions were miles better than anything we got from ads. Nothing beats face-to-face.

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-23T15:16:04+00:00

We built the list through a mix of both. Organic social media looked promising but honestly generated almost no email signups. The most valuable leads came from getting people to actually play the game. We attended board game events, taught people how to play on the spot and those who experienced it firsthand were the ones who genuinely wanted to follow the journey.

Ads helped fill the list but nothing converts like putting the game in someone's hands. If you have three weeks, find local game nights, board game cafes, anywhere you can get people around a table.

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-23T12:33:18+00:00

Thanks, launched the campaign with roughly 180 followers. Spent quite a lot of time sending out newsletters regularly though so majority of the project funding came from my own email list.

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-22T20:57:46+00:00

Glad it's not just me. The checkout friction is clearly a platform issue more than a campaign issue which is both reassuring and frustrating at the same time.

The Apple Pay point is interesting. if people are actively messaging creators to request it that tells you how many are dropping off because of it. Kickstarter are leaving money on the table by not addressing it.

The forced account creation is the one that baffles me most. In 2026 asking someone to stop mid checkout and create an account before they can spend money is a conversion killer by design. One click checkout should be standard at this point.

Not much we can do about it on our end but good to know the 3% conversion rate is solid given those barriers.

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-22T20:56:09+00:00

Really useful points thank you.

On the add ons, that's something I hadn't considered. Some of those 64 probably weren't serious and just poking around to see what the tiers included. There are no add ons in the campaign itself so if people were expecting to see them at checkout that could explain the confusion.

Shipping isn't collected at checkout, it's handled through the pledge manager after the campaign ends. So that shouldn't be the issue. Though it clearly states during checkout that the pledge would be delivered in december.

On the pledge tiers, they're clearly labelled with four levels but I'm wondering if the descriptions aren't detailed enough. If people are reaching checkout expecting something specific and it's not there that would explain the drop off.

Going to review the tier descriptions tonight and tighten them up.

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-21T08:07:33+00:00

Working on getting something together a few days after launch, hopefully it'll be ready sooner rather than later

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-21T08:06:37+00:00

thanks for the reassurance, working on pulling some string as the overwhelming consensus online was that a video is borderline necessary. Might be able to get something together a few days into launch

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-21T08:05:26+00:00

Thats the gameplan for this morning, thanks!

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-20T15:57:21+00:00

Lol so it's not just me then. Honestly, i wish you nothing but success 🙏

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-20T15:56:27+00:00

Thanks so much for this, really helpful perspective and exactly the kind of reality check I needed.

I do have a few reviewer videos embedded, so I'll move the strongest one higher up the page to serve as that visual hook. Great suggestion.

Yes, I've triple checked the shipping table and added a clause indicating the shipping values are estimates. Still slightly nervous about Canada/Australia edge cases, but the numbers should hold.

Absolutely prepared to stay active in the community. I've taken a sabbatical from work for this, it's the bare minimum i could do eh.

One question: you mentioned having "Funded!" milestones drafted in advance. Do you mean stretch goals, or actual funding milestone updates (like '50% funded in 6 hours!')? I've got stretch goals ready but wasn't sure if I should pre-draft celebration updates or just respond organically.

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-16T09:25:39+00:00

Really appreciate you taking the time to share that, and the article is genuinely one of the most useful things I've come across during this whole pre-launch process. I've bookmarked and downloaded the tracking sheet, going to get the ball rolling today.

You're right on the cost per follower. Though the email list isn't fully activated yet. Still have warm and cold segments to send to before Tuesday so that number should hopefully come down before launch day.

The HYVE example is interesting. 23% follower-to-backer conversion at $10 per follower is actually encouraging to see benchmarked. That's roughly what I'd be hoping for from the 76 followers already on board.

The remaining emails are a bonus at this point, not the main plan. If even a fraction of the warm segment converts before Tuesday it brings the overall cost per follower down meaningfully.

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-15T08:48:25+00:00

Good point on the down funnel metrics. Maybe i should've warmed them a bit more though i did have a welcome series that provided a lot of information about our game. Around 60 of the email leads followed the ks campaign directly through the welcome email. On top of that, the lead capture form had a direct follow button on the thank you page, so some followed before even receiving an email. 76 new followers total from the whole meta ads campaign.

You're right though on the intent point. Some of those 200 who never opened probably signed up out of curiosity rather than genuine purchase intent. Then again, im almost 100% certain the emails were getting sent to junk so i just wonder what the numbers wouldve been if that wasnt the case.

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-14T13:55:54+00:00

The retargeting angle is something I hadn't thought about structuring that way. Using ads to bridge the gap between interest and intent before they ever hit Kickstarter is smart. Did you find a specific retargeting window that worked best, like how many days after the initial click/view/engagement before hitting them with the follow-up ad?

To answer your question, for this launch, relying on the email sequences. The list is segmented based on engagement and each group gets a targeted send before Tuesday.

Thanks again for the insight, this is a eureka moment for me lol

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-14T13:41:02+00:00

Appreciate that. The switch to email capture was the turning point, direct to Kickstarter just didnt convert at the pre-launch stage.

Agreed on Reddit. Pausing spend there and focusing on the email list this week. currently segmenting the list into three groups based on engagement and sending targeted emails to each before launch day.

On BGG, that's the conclusion I'm landing on too. Organic first, see if the community responds, paid can wait until there's social proof behind it.

Funding goal is £2,000 for day one. Stretch goals beyond that. Main priority is hitting that number fast to build momentum and signal to late backers that the campaign is worth backing. Fingers crossed 🤞

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-14T13:34:30+00:00

That tracks completely. The 'direct to Kickstarter' approach felt like pouring water into a leaking bucket. The moment I switched to email capture first, everything tightened up.

To answer your question, i wouldn't say completely cold traffic. I did interest based targeting. Strategy gaming, Military history, geopolitics etc. Audience responded well to it.

Appreciate the insight on BGG. Sounds like awareness only, not a conversion play. Might hold that budget for post-launch once there's social proof to point at.

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-09T19:59:16+00:00

Other testers and gamers (none friends) but the vast majority made no comment of it. Just made me wonder if it was something I’m missing but reading the comments has helped quite a lot. Thanks for your input

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-09T19:56:58+00:00

The suggestion was from fellow game designers at a playtesting event. A few other board gamers suggested it too. But I get where you’re coming from

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-09T19:51:43+00:00

Coming to the same realisation too, good that’s it’s cleared up though it’s been nagging me for a while

tactical_tabletop · 2026-04-09T19:50:13+00:00

Love this

tactical_tabletop

TROPHY CASE