Every Kickstarter creator hears the same advice before launching:

“Build your audience first.”

But here’s where things get confusing…

Should you focus on building Kickstarter followers, or should you focus on building an email list?

Some creators believe Kickstarter followers are enough.
Others swear by email marketing.
And many don’t understand how the Kickstarter algorithm actually treats each.

The truth is: these two assets do very different jobs, and only one of them directly controls how much money you raise on Day 1.

At Boostfunders, we’ve helped projects generate thousands of followers and tens of thousands of email leads before launch and we’ve seen exactly which one turns into real backers.

Key Takeaways

• Kickstarter followers increase visibility, not revenue.
• Email lists directly drive pledges, funding speed, and algorithm ranking.
• Kickstarter ranks campaigns by backers and funding velocity  not followers.
• Email lists allow you to launch with explosive Day-1 momentum.
• The strongest campaigns combine email + followers for both funding and discovery.

What Are Kickstarter Followers?

Kickstarter followers are people who click the “Notify me on launch” button on your pre-launch or live campaign page.

When someone follows your project:

• They get notified when you launch
• Kickstarter logs their interest
• The algorithm treats your campaign as “more attractive”

Kickstarter itself confirms that followers are used for discovery through sections like:

• Recommended for you
• Homepage personalization
• Category suggestions

This means followers help you appear in front of more people, but they don’t guarantee anyone will pledge. You can have 5,000 followers and still fail if those people don’t convert.

What Is an Email List?

An email list is an audience you own and control.

These are people who have intentionally opted in to hear from you. They didn’t just click a button, they exchanged their email address because they care about the project.

Typically, email subscribers:

• Opt in on your website
• Join a Kickstarter or Indiegogo pre-launch page
• Subscribe to campaign updates or early-access offers

Unlike Kickstarter followers:

• You can message them anytime
• You control timing, frequency, and messaging
• You can educate and warm them up before launch
• You can trigger them at the exact launch minute
• You can follow up and retarget non-converters

Email remains the highest-converting channel in digital marketing, especially for launches and crowdfunding campaigns.

Source

How Kickstarter Actually Uses Followers

Kickstarter uses followers to decide:

• Which projects to recommend
• Which campaigns get algorithmic exposure
• Which projects appear in trending sections

But here’s the key detail most creators miss:

Kickstarter does not rank you based on how many followers you have.
It ranks you based on how many backers you convert.

If 2,000 people follow you but only 20 pledge, your campaign drops.

How Kickstarter’s Algorithm Treats Followers vs Email Traffic

Kickstarter does not rank campaigns based on follower count alone.

It prioritizes:

• Funding speed
• Backer velocity
• External traffic
• Engagement consistency

We covered this in depth in our detailed breakdown here:
 Kickstarter Algorithm: How to Rank Higher & Trend Fast

Here’s the critical difference:

• Followers are passive signals
• Email traffic creates active funding behavior

When hundreds of people arrive via email and pledge within minutes or hours, Kickstarter interprets that as strong demand which leads to higher visibility, trending placement, and algorithmic growth.

Why Email Lists Convert Better Than Followers

Email lists outperform followers because they create intent, anticipation, and coordination.

With email, you can:

• Explain your value proposition in advance
• Address objections before launch
• Build urgency and scarcity
• Coordinate launch-day action

Followers receive a single notification.
Email subscribers receive a structured journey.

This is why campaigns with 2,000–3,000 engaged emails often outperform campaigns with 5,000+ Kickstarter followers.

The $1 Reservation Strategy: Proof of Email Intent

One of the strongest demonstrations of email list power is the $1 reservation strategy, widely discussed in crowdfunding research and launch testing.

This approach is explained in detail here: Source

The concept is simple:

Instead of collecting only free email signups, creators ask interested supporters to place a fully refundable $1 deposit before launch.

Why this matters:

• It filters out low-intent subscribers
• It creates psychological commitment
• It pre-qualifies real buyers
• It dramatically increases launch-day conversion

Someone willing to place even a $1 deposit is far more likely to pledge than someone who casually follows a project.

This reinforces a key truth:

Email strategies that require commitment outperform passive platform followers every time.

The Strategic Takeaway

Kickstarter followers help with discovery.
Email lists create commitment.

Email lists allow creators to:

• Pre-sell the idea before launch
• Validate demand
• Engineer funding momentum
• Control timing and messaging
• Trigger algorithm-friendly behavior

That’s why nearly every high-performing Kickstarter campaign relies on email-first strategies and why we at boostfunders prioritize building conversion-focused email audiences, not just surface-level follower counts.

Kickstarter Followers vs Email Lists (Comparison Table)

Followers increase visibility.

Email lists create funding momentum.

Which One Actually Guarantees Funding?

If the goal is to guarantee early funding, the answer is clear:

Email lists win every time.

Kickstarter followers only matter if they convert.
Email lists are built specifically to convert.

This is why almost every 6- and 7-figure Kickstarter campaign relies on email-first launch strategies.

Why The Best Campaigns Use Both

The smartest creators don’t choose one over the other.

They use:

• Email lists to create funding velocity
• Kickstarter followers to expand reach once momentum starts

Email pushes the campaign up the rankings.
Followers help sustain visibility after that point.

This exact relationship is explained further in our blog on community building:
  How to Build a Community That Supports Your Crowdfunding Campaign

Conclusion

If you want your Kickstarter campaign to succeed, you must understand one core truth:

Visibility gets you seen but conversion gets you funded.

Kickstarter followers help your project appear inside Kickstarter’s discovery system. They tell the algorithm that people are interested in your idea. But interest alone doesn’t pay for manufacturing, marketing, or fulfillment.

Email lists, on the other hand, create controlled demand. They allow you to activate hundreds or thousands of ready-to-back supporters on launch day, which directly triggers Kickstarter’s algorithm, boosts your ranking, and drives organic exposure across the platform.

The most successful creators don’t choose between the two; they build both, using email to generate fast funding and Kickstarter followers to expand reach.