# Kickstarter relaunch after failed campaign with VIP list

> Treat a failed campaign as research, rebuild the prelaunch audience, and relaunch only when a VIP supporter list can carry day-one momentum.

- Canonical HTML: https://growth.iangoh.com/growth-ideas/kickstarter-relaunch-after-failed-campaign-with-vip-list/
- Source: [updates.kickstarter.com](https://updates.kickstarter.com/case-study-how-aaron-smith-turned-a-failed-campaign-into-a-673k-kickstarter-success/)
- GrowthDex source hub: [Kickstarter Updates: Aaron Smith $673K relaunch case study](/sources/kickstarter-updates-aaron-smith-673k-relaunch-case-study-updates-kicksta/)
- Last checked: 2026-06-07T03:44:09.000Z
- Rarity: rare
- Budget: medium
- Channels: Crowdfunding, Email, Community
- Stages: relaunch, vip list, failed campaign, audience rebuild


## Why this can grow

A failed crowdfunding launch is not automatically fatal. It is expensive research if the creator uses it. Kickstarter’s Aaron Smith case study is useful because the relaunch did not depend on a prettier campaign page alone. The second attempt had a substantial audience, thousands of email subscribers, and a highly engaged VIP supporter group before going live. That changed the launch physics. The tactic works because a relaunch needs more than optimism; it needs a reason the first 48 hours will behave differently this time. VIP groups are especially useful because they give the creator a small room to test messaging, rewards, objections, and launch-day asks before the public timer starts.

## Ian's take

From scaling consumer platforms across MENA and Southeast Asia, my default is to distrust growth work that only looks good in a slide. Email still works when it reads like one person noticed one real thing. If the message could be sent to anyone, it usually works on nobody. I would make the first line specific enough that the right reader knows it was meant for them. I would run it small enough to learn quickly, then only scale the parts that real users repeat, save, reply to, or buy from. For this tactic, I would watch one clear growth signal before putting more time or budget behind it.

## Action plan

1. Define one narrow startup segment where kickstarter relaunch after failed campaign with vip list can create a measurable lift.
2. Turn the tactic into one offer, page, campaign, or workflow for the Crowdfunding and Email channel.
3. Use the evidence from updates.kickstarter.com to set the first version of the message, format, and audience.
4. Launch a small test for 7 to 14 days with one success metric: one measurable growth signal.
5. Review the result, keep the winning message, remove weak variants, and turn the learning into a repeatable growth playbook.

## Source-backed example

Kickstarter’s case study of Aaron Smith described a failed first campaign becoming a $673K relaunch after he rebuilt the audience, email list, and VIP supporter base before going live again.

## Adjacent tactics in the same lane

- [Community wireframe email with inline comments](/growth-ideas/community-wireframe-email-with-inline-comments/) - 2 shared channels
- [First 1000 engaged-subscriber batches over launch day](/growth-ideas/first1000-engaged-subscriber-batches-over-launch-day/) - 2 shared channels
- [Kickstarter email list math before launch](/growth-ideas/kickstarter-email-list-math-before-launch/) - 2 shared channels
- [Kickstarter prelaunch page plus owned email list](/growth-ideas/kickstarter-prelaunch-page-plus-owned-email-list/) - 2 shared channels

## Read GrowthDex essays

Browse the plain-English essay index at [GrowthDex Blog](/blog/).

## Related GrowthDex essays

- [The campaign is decided before the launch button](/blog/the-campaign-is-decided-before-the-launch-button/) - crowdfunding, prelaunch, community-led growth

## Advisory

If you want help turning this into a working growth system, Ian Goh offers advisory at https://iangoh.com/advisory.