TCF Creator Chronicles

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Most crowdfunding campaigns are lost before they go live. TCF Creator Chronicles is where TCF's in-house specialists break down what actually determines campaign success: pre-launch strategy, PR, paid ads, influencer marketing, partnerships, and live-stage execution. One expert. One topic. Pure education. Episodes run 10–20 minutes. New episode every week.

Episodes

  1. 1 hr ago

    How to Prepare Your Crowdfunding Campaign for Success Before Launch | Ep. 10

    Founders often think the market will adapt to their product. In crowdfunding, it's the other way around, and the preparation you do before launch is what decides everything. Episode 10 of TCF Creator Chronicles features Norayr Margaryan, Chief Operating Officer at TCF, breaking down the three components that decide every crowdfunding campaign's success: product, positioning, and price. How to test them before launch, why no one can guess the right price without data, and why pre-launch activities go beyond hitting the goal on day one, driving the entire campaign. What this episode covers: - The three components of every successful crowdfunding campaign - Why lowering the price is one of the biggest misconceptions in crowdfunding - Why no one can know the right product price without running tests - How to run A/B tests for price and positioning simultaneously - How to use AI interviews and surveys to understand buyer behavior - Why niche products and high ticket products need different metrics - How long validation results stay valid, and when the market moves too fast - What benchmarks tell you the product is ready to launch - Why the data collected in pre-launch matters more than hitting the first-day goal - Why you can raise $1M on day one and your campaign can still die - How data collected in pre-launch guides the entire live stage - Why every day of the live campaign is extremely valuable - Norayr's one piece of advice for every creator Episode length: 22 minutes New episodes every week. Season 1: Crowdfunding Foundations ▶️ Also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSsxZgXSvvQ 🍎 Follow us on Apple: https://apple.co/428ux4h 🔗 Learn more about TCF: https://bit.ly/4dYO7a8 🔗 Follow TCF on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4bOKNgz

    23 min

  2. 28 May

    How to Keep Momentum During the Live Stage of Your Crowdfunding Campaign | Ep. 9

    Most founders prepare for launch day. Almost nobody prepares for what comes after it and that's where campaigns are won or lost. Episode 9 of TCF Creator Chronicles features Rubina Manukyan, Project Coordinator at TCF, breaking down what the live stage of a crowdfunding campaign actually looks like: why the curve drops after the first spike, what the backer survey strategy reveals about your real audience, and how real-time data refinement is what separates campaigns that finish strong from the ones that stall in the middle. What this episode covers: - Why the campaign curve always drops after the first spike and why that's normal - Why the first three to four days convert your pre-launch audience and what comes next - What a backer survey is, when to send it, and what it reveals about your real audience - How backer survey results reshape your page, your ads, and your targeting mid-campaign - Why your live stage strategy needs more data than your pre-launch strategy - How bundles and add-ons keep momentum going in the middle of the campaign - Why changing stretch goals mid-campaign can create a new spike - How educative content converts cold audiences who don't yet understand your product - The subscription to reservation rate metric most founders ignore - Rubina's one piece of advice for every creator Episode length: 15 minutes New episodes every week. Season 1: Crowdfunding Foundations 🎙️ Now also on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/428ux4h ▶️ Also on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4uObxVa 🍎 Follow us on Apple: https://apple.co/428ux4h 🔗 Learn more about TCF: https://bit.ly/4dYO7a8 🔗 Follow TCF on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4bOKNgz EsB2K70YNjrFoCdF8zne

    16 min

  3. 21 May

    How to Use Influencer Marketing to Build Trust for Your Crowdfunding Campaign | Ep. 8

    Influence creates attention. But in crowdfunding, before the attention comes the trust and most founders are missing this. Episode 8 of TCF Creator Chronicles features Nare Harutyunyan, an influencer marketing expert at TCF, breaking down how influencer marketing builds trust in crowdfunding, the 20% sales increase she's seen across projects that started early, and the prototype quality decision that can make a campaign three times more successful. What this episode covers: - Why trust matters more than attention in crowdfunding - The 20% sales increase from starting influencer marketing early - Why backers are skeptical and need third-party proof before they buy - The difference between PR and influencer marketing - Why paid influencer collaborations give you control and barter doesn't - The risks of barter collaborations and what founders should expect - Why niche products and niche influencers consistently outperform - The Q4 trap and why launching in Q4 limits your influencer options - How influencer marketing builds long-term brand awareness past the campaign - Why prototype quality can make your campaign three times more successful Episode length: 23 minutes New episodes every week. Season 1: Crowdfunding Foundations 🎙️ Now also on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/428ux4h ▶️ Also on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4uNLJrU 🍎 Follow us on Apple: https://apple.co/428ux4h 🔗 Learn more about TCF: https://bit.ly/4dYO7a8 🔗 Follow TCF on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4bOKNgz

    23 min

  4. 14 May

    How to Avoid Costly Mistakes Before Launching Your Crowdfunding Campaign | Ep. 7

    A campaign rarely fails because of the idea. It fails because of the mistakes founders make before they ever go live long before the audience sees the product. Episode 7 of TCF Creator Chronicles features Arin Manaserian, Partnership Manager at TCF, breaking down the costly pre-launch mistakes first-time crowdfunding founders make, why the risks of launching unprepared are way higher than waiting, and what separates founders who scale 7-figure campaigns from the ones who learn it the hard way. What this episode covers: Why first-time creators lack integrated knowledge before entering crowdfunding The three types of founders Arin sees and which ones consistently fail Why serial creators wrongly assume their next campaign will raise "X plus" and why that's not how it works What 10,000 campaigns launched every quarter on Kickstarter means for unprepared founders How to know if your product is a $100K, $500K, or million-dollar campaign before you launch Why doing the research matters more than the right partnership timing The minimum three-month timeline first-time creators need with a partner Why founders learn the hard way and what changes by their second campaign Arin's one piece of advice for every creator before they launch Episode length: 24 minutes New episodes every week Season 1: Crowdfunding Foundations ▶️ Also on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4uNLJrU 🍎 Follow us on Apple: https://apple.co/428ux4h 🔗 Learn more about TCF: https://bit.ly/4dYO7a8 🔗 Follow TCF on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4bOKNgz

    25 min

  5. 7 May

    How to Get Real PR Coverage for Your Crowdfunding Campaign (Without Paying for It) | Ep. 6

    Most founders think PR means paying an agency hundreds of thousands of dollars to get featured. The credibility that actually sells products on Kickstarter is earned, not bought. Episode 6 of TCF Creator Chronicles features Rosa Chibukhchyan, a PR expert breaking down how earned media really works in crowdfunding: why short-term PR strategies don't exist, what makes a product newsworthy enough for Forbes, Gizmodo, and Tech Radar, and how the right journalist relationships keep working long after your campaign ends. What this episode covers: - Why short-term PR strategies don't actually work in crowdfunding - The product-first principle - why your product writes the headline - What "newsworthy" actually means to top-tier journalists - Why innovation is the single biggest factor in earned media - The two-month minimum from outreach to published article - How top-tier coverage cascades to mid-tier media without extra outreach - Why PR builds traffic and domain authority instead of direct conversions - How PR coverage compounds when founders move from crowdfunding to e-commerce - Rosa's one piece of advice for every founder Episode length: 15 minutes New episodes every week. Season 1: Crowdfunding Foundations ▶️ Also on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4nhlHei 🍎 Follow us on Apple: https://apple.co/428ux4h 🔗 Learn more about TCF: https://bit.ly/4dYO7a8 🔗 Follow TCF on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4bOKNgz

    15 min

  6. 30 Apr

    How to Validate Demand Before Launching a Crowdfunding Campaign | Ep. 5

    Most crowdfunding campaigns fail because founders skip one thing - testing whether their product actually has demand. Episode 5 of TCF Creator Chronicles features Mushegh Hakobyan, Project Manager at TCF, breaking down how to validate demand before you launch from testing pain points and price sensitivity, to running reservation funnels, to using one specific survey question that doubled the daily sales of a $2M+ campaign. What this episode covers: - The two things that decide every crowdfunding campaign - demand and community - Why "no pain right now" means "no payment right now" - The 10% cost-per-reservation rule that proves you can scale your ad spend - How to read a 20%+ landing page conversion rate - The survey question Mushegh asks every backer that reveals hidden objections - How one feature change doubled daily sales mid-campaign - Why founders fall in love with their ideas and miss the painful problem - How to co-create with your community instead of guessing Episode length: ~30 minutes New episodes every week. Season 1: Crowdfunding Foundations 🍎 Follow us on Apple: https://apple.co/428ux4h 🔗 Learn more about TCF: https://bit.ly/4dYO7a8 🔗 Follow TCF on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4bOKNgz

    31 min

  7. 23 Apr

    How to Build a Crowdfunding Community on Social Media Before Your Launch | Ep. 4

    Content without the right audience is just noise. Most crowdfunding founders learn this too late - after launch day, when the posts are done but the backers aren't there. Albert breaks down how to build a community that actually converts before a campaign goes live. Episode 4 features Albert Arshakyan, TCF's Head of Social Media and Creative Strategist, breaking down why audience size without community trust produces nothing and what founders who actually convert their social media into campaign funding do differently. What you'll learn: - Why posting volume alone makes the trust problem worse - What community building in crowdfunding actually looks like vs. what most founders do - How to document your founder journey in a way that builds trust before a single ad runs - Why quantity beats quality for crowdfunding founders specifically and when that changes - What it actually takes to turn a follower into a backer - How social media connects to your full omnichannel strategy - ads, influencers, and PR - Why ghosting your DMs and comments is quietly killing your conversion - When to start building your community before launch and why most founders start too late - Why AI-generated content is hurting campaign trust right now - Albert's one piece of advice for every crowdfunding founder 🎧 New episodes every week. Season 1: Crowdfunding Foundations ▶️ Also on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4eDQJKP 🔗 Learn more about TCF: https://bit.ly/4dYO7a8 🔗 Follow TCF on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4bOKNgz

    16 min

  8. 16 Apr

    The Crowdfunding Planning Strategy Behind 7-Figure Kickstarter Campaigns | Ep. 3

    Most crowdfunding campaigns are decided months before launch day. Not by the product. By the planning behind it. Episode 3 features Yeva Gasparyan, TCF's Project Manager, breaking down how 7-figure crowdfunding campaigns are planned from setting realistic goals based on data, to pre-launch timing, to the mid-campaign strategy most founders never prepare for. What you'll learn: - Why most founders set their funding goal on ego, not data - The "mom test" and why skipping it cracks campaigns before launch - Why the middle of your campaign is the most dangerous stretch - What happens when your leads sit too long before launch - Why a big launch spike can't save a weak plan - Yeva's one piece of advice for every founder 🎧 New episodes every week. Season 1: Crowdfunding Foundations ▶️ Also on YouTube: https://bit.ly/483myc5 🔗 Learn more about TCF: https://bit.ly/4dYO7a8 🔗 Follow TCF on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4bOKNgz

    22 min

  9. 9 Apr

    The Hidden Rules of Crowdfunding PR That Most Founders Learn Too Late | Ep. 2

    Most founders think PR starts on launch day. Journalists have already moved on by then. Episode 2 features Artak Mkrtichyan, TCF's PR expert, breaking down the hidden rules of crowdfunding PR that most founders only discover when it's too late: timing, media selection, budget, and the one thing you can never control. What you'll learn: - Why starting PR on launch day is already too late- How journalists receive 500–600 pitches and only 10–20 get picked up - Why you don't need a budget to start doing PR- Top media vs niche media and which one actually converts - Why you have zero control over what journalists publish - Artak Mkrtichyan's one piece of advice for every founder 🎧 New episodes every week. Season 1: Crowdfunding Foundations ▶️ Also on YouTube: https://bit.ly/48BPCHL 🔗 Learn more about TCF: https://bit.ly/4dYO7a8 🔗 Follow TCF on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4bOKNgz

    20 min
  10. The 6-Month Rule: Why Partnership Timing Makes or Breaks Your Crowdfunding Campaign | Ep. 1

    2 Apr

    The 6-Month Rule: Why Partnership Timing Makes or Breaks Your Crowdfunding Campaign | Ep. 1

    Most founders onboard a crowdfunding agency two or three months before launch. By then, the most critical decisions are already made and often made wrong. In Episode 1, Babken, TCF's Partnerships Manager, breaks down why six months is the threshold that separates prepared campaigns from ones that are already behind and what founders should actually be doing in that window. What you'll learn: — When to onboard a partner agency and why timing changes everything — The difference between collecting leads and actually qualifying them — Why a $1 reservation changes how you measure pre-launch demand — What a 4–5% vs 40% conversion rate tells you about your audience — Why your past customers might not be your next campaign's audience — The one piece of advice every founder needs before they launch 🎧 New episodes every week - Season 1: Crowdfunding Foundations ▶️ Also on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4mdiIDc 🔗 Learn more about TCF: https://bit.ly/4dYO7a8

    15 min
  • 10 Episodes

About

Most crowdfunding campaigns are lost before they go live. TCF Creator Chronicles is where TCF's in-house specialists break down what actually determines campaign success: pre-launch strategy, PR, paid ads, influencer marketing, partnerships, and live-stage execution. One expert. One topic. Pure education. Episodes run 10–20 minutes. New episode every week.

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