Kickstarter Reward Tiers

hengineer

So far, this is what I have:

Tier 1 - $1

Community Forum + Developer Diary + Secret Handshake

Tier 2 - $10

**Custom Spaceteam character** + Community Forum + Developer Diary + Secret Handshake

Tier 3 - $25

**Spaceteam Lexicogulator (Word List Editor)** + Custom character + Community Forum + Developer Diary + Secret Handshake

Tier 4 - $100

**Exclusive features in Blabyrinth and Shipshape** + Lexicogulator + Custom Character + Community Forum + Developer Diary + Secret Handshake

Tier 5 - $5,000

**Fully customized version of Spaceteam** + Exclusive features in Blabyrinth and Shipshape + Lexicogulator + Custom character + Community Forum + Developer Diary + Secret Handshake

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I'd like to avoid physical rewards, but if I do have them I'll probably include an embroidered patch of the Admiral's Club logo.

I also might run into some difficulties using Spaceteam features as rewards because of Apple's guidelines on buying things outside of the App Store. I'm hoping I can get away with it for the word list editor and custom character because the editing will actually take place on a website and the in-app features (enabling the word lists) will be available to everyone, but they may still have a problem with it.

doougle

I like how straightforward this scheme is. But something tells me it's missing /something/ - I wish I could put my finger on it. I'll give it some thought...

michelmcbride

You can just say "and all previous rewards" to make scanning through the tiers easier. Then have a reward matrix or more detailed section in the body.

I'm also not a fan of the $1 reward tier. If someone has $1 then they have $5. If the campaign isn't good enough to make them spend 5 I don't see it succeeding. You're giving away games for free...this is where you need to make money.

I don't think you can change tiers after starting, only add new ones. I have no idea what tier 4 is for or why I would take it. Maybe leave it out until more details are available or ideally make those details available at the start.

One thing I saw once that was kinda interesting was a "lottery" reward tier. Something like a $30 tier for a chance at getting that $5000 reward. You could say for every 2 hundred backers at that level another prize is added so the odds are always more or less the same. Or just limit the tier.

MichaelCox

Alright, from the top

"Includes all previous" instead of x+y+z

$1 reward tier isnt necessary and takes up room for your message.
$10 reward tier features a reward that is meant to have a bit of exclusivity. I think something a bit more simple/sentimental would work better here in addition to $1 rewards
$25 - This is your second main tier. I think its decent though needs to have something thats a driving force for non-spaceteam people.
$50 - This tier is normally really popular, you should for sure have a $50 mark
$100 - flush out what features I can't really tell what to think of this tier.
$5k tier - This tier doesn't really make sense, basically when someone big donates they normally don't even take a reward tier beyond the minimum. When Notch pitched one of my campaigns 2,000 he took the $15 tier for an example, but the data shows this is normally the case. I would exclude this tier as it takes up room for an explanation that only effects maybe .001% of backers out there.

hengineer

Thanks guys!
- I'll remove $1 (replacing it with $5?) and add $50
- I can move the custom character to a higher tier
- $100 is the definitely the one I was least happy with, usually this tier would be a t-shirt or something, it would be easier with physical rewards.
- I'm surprised that you don't like the $5k tier. I've had several requests for customized versions of Spaceteam and one person already said they would pay roughly this price. If I got even a couple more at this level then it would make a significant difference to the campaign. Do you think I should have no high priced tiers at all or just change the reward?

I'm having trouble coming up with non-Spaceteam-related rewards. I'm expecting most of the backers to already know the game so that's why I've been sticking to Spaceteam things.

hengineer

The lottery idea is interesting and I considered it myself, but I think it might be a gray area. Kickstarter guidelines say "No contests, raffles, coupons, or lifetime memberships" for example.

MichaelCox

A raffle seems gimmicky and takes up space to explain something people aren't fixated on. Besides having to skirt the guidelines/rules.

Do not even bother with a T-shirt. it's normally a mess to handle and it's not really a reward that pops out.

icotom

Dont say "and all previous rewards" - Give a name for each level and mention they are included.

I did the "all above included" and ran into trouble mid-campaign when we wanted to add a new reward based on backers feedback that was limited in number and in the middle of the table - some people thought it was included in higher rewards tier because of the phrasing. And you cannot edit rewards after you launched on KS.

I would keep the $1 reward tier... This goes well with your messaging that everyone is welcomed. $1 and $5 is essentially the same, the core of your backers will be $10+ anyway, the purpose to have it is to feel all-inclusive.

Tier 4 is a hard sell when you dont anything about the games - that will mean people will hold off it until they know more and when more is known, it might be too late , they might forget about the campaign altogether, etc...
Give more details on the games and the kind of features that tier covers...

Physical rewards are a pain - agreed. Unless it is a landslide and you have thousands of backers, dont bother.

$5k tier makes a lot of sense to me...

MichaelCox

-Personally I don't like the $1 tier because people tend to ignore it, so it ends up being cluttered on the project. However I do think it does match your message so it is okay to keep.

-I have always kept the "all previous rewards" and only added additional tiers as a replacement for tiers sold out. if additional items come up you can put "add $25 to your pledge if you would like the new spaceship plushy." or whatever comes up.

I place a large value on clarity of text and being concise. Personally I would vote to keep the "all previous rewards" and use the "add $X" in the case of issues. It would keep it short and clear.

-Physical rewards are fine, just make them limited order. people love physical CDs/Art Zines/badges etc. You should include physical for certain. I have never ran a campaign that didn't see a large demand for the physical tiers. In my experience people adore them and ask for them.

-If you have people already interested in the 5k tier then you should keep it. I know spaceteam has been used in schools and businesses so it might be a possibility if you heard interest about that.