GoChess: Following on the Launch Hipe (Part 2)

The euphoria of hitting the launch button was quickly replaced by the realization that we were now entering arguably the most challenging phase of our crowdfunding journey. Crowdfunding isn’t merely about creating and showcasing a brilliant product on a platform for potential backers. It’s a strategic, intensive process that involves sustaining the initial momentum, keeping the community engaged, and continually driving new traffic to the campaign page.

Influencer Marketing Strategy

In the highly competitive crowdfunding space, influencer marketing can serve as a crucial driving force to amplify the reach of a campaign and attract a significant number of potential backers. Influencers, with their established audience and trusted voice, can effectively communicate the value proposition of a product,

They can bring an authentic perspective to the product, potentially influencing purchase decisions and enhancing brand credibility. Furthermore, collaborations with influencers can extend beyond product promotion, incorporating engaging content such as product reviews, tutorials, or live game sessions, thus providing a more in-depth understanding of the product and its benefits. Therefore, a well-executed influencer marketing strategy can contribute significantly towards the success of a crowdfunding campaign by boosting visibility, fostering trust, and encouraging community engagement.

Our influencer marketing strategy targeted several niches that would find our product appealing. We sought to connect with influencers in:

• Chess community due to the high relevancy of our product
• Tech influencers who would appreciate the innovative nature of GoChess
• Board game enthusiasts for whom chess is a form of entertainment and
• Intriguing niche – Harry Potter fans, who liken our product to the magical Wizard’s Chess from the popular series

Our pitches were designed to highlight GoChess as a revolutionary force in the chess world, an innovative tech solution, and a chance for Harry Potter fans to feel like a character from the series.

The unique angle focusing on Harry Potter fans truly set our campaign apart. We generated an AI-powered video that showcased GoChess as akin to the Wizard’s Chess from the beloved series.

This captivated the Potterheads and emphasized our product’s advanced technological aspect, skillfully bridging the gap between fantasy and reality.

This pitch generated significant interest and resulted in collaborations with several notable influencers, effectively expanding our campaign’s reach and garnering more interest from potential backers.

Despite our successful pitches, one significant challenge we faced was the absence of product samples.

Understandably, our influencers wanted a tangible sample of GoChess to experience the product firsthand and speak about it authentically. A physical product sample would allow them to examine its craftsmanship, functionality, and AI aspects in-depth, providing their audience with an honest, comprehensive review. This lack of samples was a hurdle we hadn’t anticipated, and it posed a potential threat to the effectiveness of our influencer marketing strategy.

We turned to creative and resourceful solutions in response to the challenge of absent product samples:

1. We generated UGC style content on our end, simulating the firsthand experience of our product.
2. YouTube reviews from famous players
3. Carousel posts on TikTok

The strategic approach to influencer marketing and our other efforts significantly drove traffic to our campaign page. As a result, we saw substantial growth in key performance metrics such as visitor count, reach, and overall conversions.

• Overall Conversions: Despite all the challenges, we generated $13,972 in conversions. This indicates the high interest and demand for our product, GoChess.
• Visitors: Our campaign page attracted 4,031 visitors. These visitors were potential backers interested in our product and could contribute to our crowdfunding campaign.
• Reach: Our overall reach was a staggering 1,155,780, showing the vast extent to which our campaign messaging had spread. This massive reach was instrumental in creating awareness about our product and attracting potential backers.

Creating the Buzz on Media

Our primary goal for this campaign was to bring exposure to the innovative solution that GoChess provides to all chess lovers. We aimed to achieve this through placements on media websites covering gaming, technology, innovation, lifestyle, robotics, and more. Our secondary goal was to help the campaign reach its funding goals by driving conversions through earned outreach tactics and paid placements on outlets with a successful track record of conversion.

Our PR strategy includes writing engaging and thought-provoking pitches and press releases and reaching out to media representatives who have shown interest in similar products. We had divided our overall strategy into two phases.

1. The first phase was early-stage outreach using embargoed pitches one month before the start of the campaign. This allowed journalists to learn about the upcoming release without permission to share the story until launch day. It helped them develop their content schedule for the forthcoming month and book a slot for GoChess’s announcement.
2. The second stage comes right after we launch the campaign. We have given the campaign 24 hours to reach its target audiences, which have been strategically categorized based on their interest in having exclusive announcement spots. Outlets that don’t prioritize announcing the news immediately after the launch have been kept for later outreach.

To hit our target, we drafted various pitches and gradually tested them all out.

Our main pitch follows a well-tested formula in terms of structure. This pitch is crafted to captivate the attention of technology and innovation enthusiasts. It opens with a concise yet compelling introduction to the product, highlighting its key features, such as self-moving pieces, color-coded suggestions, and real-time movement tracking. This initial statement serves as a powerful hook.

“Hi {{name}}

The world’s first chessboard with self-moving pieces, a color-coded coaching mechanism, and AI compatibility has been released to the public, addressing the most pressing issues of the number 1 board game in the world. (400K raised in 20 hours)

This innovation couldn’t come at a better time, as Netflix’s hit show “Queen’s Gambit” and the pandemic have driven chess to an unprecedented peak of interest. Since 2020, Chess.com has seen a 238% increase in sign-ups, with 102 million new users joining the platform. The site even crashed under the weight of 10 million active users on January 29th.

Features:

• Lighting system – Gives color-coded suggestions about the best/worst moves. 
• Fully Robotic – Groundbreaking mechanism that powers self-moving pieces and enables quick board setup
• Proprietary app – The integration with Lichess and Chess .com ensures precise tracking and lets you play against AI and millions of online players.
• Thinnest automatic chessboard in the market with a full-sized playing area

Additional resources

• Kiсkstаrter page
• Press kit (For press release and live demonstration of real magic)
• Kickbооstеr page (For 10% affiliatе cоmmission)

Let me know if you want to share this cutting-edge technology with your audience. 

Best regards”

Our next pitch was explicitly designed for cases when simplicity and standardized structures don’t lead. This captivating pitch was tailored to the world of Harry Potter enthusiasts, merging the enchanting realm of Wizard’s Chess with the groundbreaking innovation of GoChess.

“Hi {{name}},

Prepare to be mesmerized! GoChess, the revolutionary self-moving chess board, brings the enchanting world of Wizard’s Chess from Harry Potter to life.

Experience the thrill as the pieces glide across the board, seemingly guided by invisible forces.

At this very moment, the magic of fiction seamlessly merges with the innovation of GoChess.

Quite astonishing.

GoChess is the smartest chessboard with self-moving pieces, a color-coded mechanism, and real-time movement.

• Lighting system: gives color-coded suggestions about the best/worst moves.
• Fully Robotic: groundbreaking mechanism that powers self-moving pieces and enables quick board setup
• Proprietary app: the integration with Lichess and Chess .com ensures precise tracking and lets you play against AI and millions of online players.
• Thinnest automatic chessboard in the market with a full-sized playing area

Check out our Kiсkstаrter page and the press kit for a live demonstration of our revolutionary technology and additional information on all features.

Here is our Kickbооstеr page for 10% affiliatе cоmmission.

Best regards,”

Here are some of the responses received by journalists to our pitches.

To augment the efficacy of our outreach, we diversified our approach by targeting a broad spectrum of media outlets. This comprised both high-profile platforms and niche, product-centric publications. Our targeted list was populated with tech-focused platforms such as TechRadar, CNET, Forbes, The Verge, Mashable, and Digital Trends.

Additionally, we extended our reach to outlets specializing in innovation like Engadget, TechCrunch, Tom’s Guide, How to Geek, Wired, The Next Web, Interesting Engineering, Gizmodo, and 9to5toys. Acknowledging the burgeoning gaming market, we also included gaming-dedicated platforms such as Eurogamer, Game Rant, Kotaku, GamesRadar, and Polygon. This diversified and strategic approach helped us expand our campaign’s database to an impressive 2000 contacts, ensuring our message reached a broad yet targeted audience.

The GoChess campaign was a significant success, with mentions appearing in 140 media outlets contributing substantially to our campaign’s funding. This translated into a direct financial impact, bringing nearly $40,000 to the campaign. This result underscored the power of strategic PR efforts and a compelling product offering in generating substantial market buzz and financial backing.

Social Media Strategy and Success

In today’s digital landscape, Social Media Marketing (SMM) has emerged as an indispensable tool for organizations to connect with their audience, generate buzz, and drive conversions. For GoChess, the importance of SMM was twofold. First, it amplified our reach, enabling us to disseminate our message to a larger audience. Second, it allowed us to engage directly with our audience, fostering a sense of community and establishing a meaningful dialogue with potential backers.

We prioritized platforms where our audience was most active, primarily focusing on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube.

With a combined community of over 32,000 people across these platforms, we were able to effectively leverage Particual’s existing follower base while also attracting new followers. The initial days saw Instagram and Facebook driving substantial revenue, generating over $30,000 combined.

We adopted a multi-pronged approach to our content strategy, combining informative posts that explained GoChess’s unique features with entertaining content that tapped into the rising popularity of chess and its cultural intersections.

Our best-performing content can be explored further through the following links:

1. Example 1
2. Example 2
3. Example 3
4. Example 4
5. Example 5
6. Example 6

One of the best-performing types of content is user-generated content (UGC). UGC is a highly effective tool for enhancing brand authenticity and engagement. It allows consumers to participate directly in a brand’s narrative, creating a dynamic and interactive experience. However, the integration of UGC in crowdfunding campaigns presents unique challenges. The transient nature of crowdfunding, typically limited to a set campaign duration, makes cultivating extensive UGC complex.

Additionally, since the product or service is often in a conceptual or pre-production stage at the crowdfunding time, backers may not have physical access to it, limiting their ability to produce content.

Despite these challenges, we leveraged resources to create User Generated Content (UGC) style videos, which served as vivid demonstrations of GoChess’s unique features and created an engaging, relatable narrative for our audience.

• https://www.instagram.com/p/Ct1x8D1oF0P/
• https://www.instagram.com/p/CuFgyUrKKa6/
• https://www.instagram.com/p/Curi06-ocYT/
• https://www.instagram.com/p/CuzlskugS1e/

These videos mimicked the style and authenticity of UGC, and we featured them prominently in our social media strategy.

As a result of these concerted efforts, we not only raised substantial funds for the campaign but also significantly boosted the performance of our social media channels. In a relatively short period, we witnessed exponential growth in our follower base – over 200% increase on Facebook and an impressive 300% on Instagram.

Our reach exceeded our expectations, increasing by 800% and 500% on Facebook and Instagram, respectively.

This remarkable growth speaks volumes about the efficacy of our social media strategy. It demonstrates how well-crafted content, coupled with robust audience engagement, can catapult a brand’s online presence.

Hitting 12 ROI with Advertising

We executed a comprehensive and strategic advertising campaign across multiple platforms to maximize exposure and effectively reach our target audience. Our primary channels included Facebook (FB), Instagram (IG), and Google, utilizing their advanced targeting capabilities to focus on demographics such as age (25-54), gender (male), and countries (US, UK, AU, CA).

We launched a series of compelling advertisements on Facebook and Instagram, highlighting GoChess’s innovative features and premium design. These promotions included eye-catching images and videos crafted to capture attention and convert interest into action. For instance, our ads emphasize:

• Advanced Features: Showcasing the automatic simultaneous movement of pieces, customizable LED lights, and high-quality materials.
• Interactive Challenges: Promoting AI-based puzzles and blitz games to attract casual and serious chess players alike.
• Community Engagement: Encouraging users to connect to their favorite chess apps, share their games online, and engage with the broader chess community.

Our advertisements highlighted GoChess’s sophisticated features and aesthetic excellence. Below are examples of the copy we deployed and the visual elements we emphasized:

Ad Copy Highlights:

• “🤖 Ready to take your chess game to the next level with the most advanced smart chessboard on the market? Look no further than GoChess! 🎯 Challenge yourself with puzzles and blitz games against AI while getting color-coded light coaching, analysis, and insights to improve your game. 👀 Experience the magic of fully robotic chess pieces moving simultaneously, keeping you at the forefront of innovation. 💎 Take pride in owning and displaying a premium chess board of this design caliber.”
• “🤖 Upgrade your chess game with the most advanced smart chessboard – GoChess. ✅ Automatic simultaneous moving pieces for seamless and efficient gameplay. ✅ Customizable LED lights and premium quality materials for a stunning and sleek design. ✅ Connect to your favorite chess apps for analysis and training, and share your games online with the chess community.”
• “🚀 Take your chess game to the next level with GoChess – the fully robotic smart chessboard with advanced features and premium design. ✅ The multiple self-moving pieces provide an incredibly realistic experience with no setup hassle. Go beyond the ordinary and get ready to be amazed! ✅ Keep your moves in check! Track and analyze your performance on the app while you sharpen those chess skills. ✅ Get ready to experience the true challenge of chess – with AI or even remote opponents.”

The highlighted ad copies effectively captured the audience’s attention and drove engagement for several reasons. Firstly, they each employed a compelling and emotive tone punctuated with emojis, making the content visually appealing and relatable. The use of emojis like “🤖”, “🎯”, and “🚀” added a vibrant touch that resonated well with social media users, fostering a playful and dynamic interaction.

Secondly, the ad copies clearly conveyed GoChess’s innovative and premium features, targeting casual and serious players. For instance, the emphasis on “automatic simultaneous moving pieces” and “customizable LED lights” showcased the product’s advanced technology, while phrases like “seamless and efficient gameplay” and “premium quality materials” highlighted its high-end design. This helped establish GoChess as a state-of-the-art product worthy of investment.

Finally, the ad copies effectively included calls-to-action (CTAs) and benefits highlighting community engagement and personal improvement. Phrases like “challenge yourself with puzzles and blitz games against AI” and “share your games online with the chess community” motivated users to envision themselves using GoChess and participating in a larger, connected chess community. By focusing on the emotional and functional benefits, these ad copies successfully communicated value and drove potential customers to take action.

Visual Focus:

The visuals played a crucial role in drawing users’ attention and highlighting GoChess’s premium attributes:

• Close-ups of the Automatic Simultaneous Moving Pieces: These images demonstrate the efficiency and elegance of the robotic pieces in action, emphasizing GoChess’s innovative mechanics and seamless gameplay experience.

• Customizable AI features: We highlight the AI Features integrated into the chessboard. 

• Interactive gameplay and self-moving pieces: To truly capture the innovative essence of GoChess, we developed dynamic video content that vividly showcased the interactive gameplay and self-moving pieces. These videos served a dual purpose: demonstrating the seamless integration of artificial intelligence in real-time chess games and highlighting the board’s unique ability to autonomously move pieces.

These targeted directions, focusing on Chess, Games, and Puzzles, allowed us to resonate deeply with our audience.

The strategic alignment of our advertising efforts resulted in impressive metrics:

• Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS): Exceeded our expectations with a ROAS of over 4, and an overall campaign ROI of 12.
• Lead Generation: Achieved a lead acquisition cost of $1.5, yielding over 10,000 quality leads. This high-quality lead pool ensured a stellar conversion rate above 10%, establishing a strong launch and scale-up pathway.
• Engagement: Garnered significant engagement and conversions from our ads, contributing directly to the campaign’s financial success.

Conclusion

The GoChess campaign is a testament to the power of a well-strategized pre-launch preparation phase. Our meticulously crafted content and targeted activities in various directions led to an increased reach, robust engagement, and overall impressive metrics, skyrocketing the campaing to an impressive success.