Projects We Love is Kickstarter's curated badge, chosen by its staff rather than an algorithm. You cannot buy it or apply for it, but you can earn it: curators favor polished pages with strong visuals, honest risk sections, clear videos, and early momentum. Launch warm with a pre-launch list, make the page genuinely good, and notify Kickstarter through the pre-launch page so curators see the project early. The badge boosts trust and discovery; it does not fund campaigns on its own.
Every creator wants the little heart badge, and most of what gets said about how to earn it is folklore passed around Discord servers. This covers what Projects We Love actually is, what curators demonstrably reward, and the steps that move your odds from "hoping" to "likely" - plus a straight read on what the badge is actually worth once you have it. We have watched it land on campaigns we run since the program began, and honestly, the pattern isn't that mysterious.
What Projects We Love actually is
Projects We Love is a curation program run by Kickstarter's own staff. Curators browse upcoming and newly launched projects and flag the ones that represent the platform well. Flagged projects get the heart badge on their card, eligibility for feature placement on the homepage and category pages, and occasional inclusion in Kickstarter's newsletters, which reach millions of subscribers. There is no application form, no fee, and no guaranteed formula - which is exactly why the badge carries trust with backers.
What curators reward
Kickstarter has published guidance over the years, and the featured projects confirm it in practice. The badge goes to projects that look and read like the creator cared:
- A crisp, honest video that shows the product or project early - see the video guide for the structure that works.
- Strong visuals throughout the page: real photography, clean graphics, readable sections - the craft covered in our page copywriting guide.
- A specific, personal story: why you, why this, why now.
- An honest risks and challenges section that treats backers like adults.
- Sensible rewards at sensible prices, without a wall of confusing tiers.
- Early momentum - curators feature projects that are moving, because features work better on winners.
That last point matters more than most creators realize. Curation and momentum feed each other: a warm launch gets noticed, the badge amplifies it, and the amplification compounds. A cold page with beautiful design usually stays unloved, which is why the badge cannot be your traffic plan.
How to raise your odds, step by step
First, build the launch the badge tends to follow: a pre-launch email list that delivers a strong first 48 hours - method in the pre-launch guide. Second, publish your Kickstarter pre-launch page early; curators scout upcoming projects there, and a polished preview weeks before launch puts you on their radar. Third, finish the page before launch day, not during week one - curators judge what they see, and most badges land in the first days. Fourth, get the small trust signals right: creator bio with a face, links that work, specific timelines, a shipping section that shows you have read our fulfillment guide or done equivalent homework. Fifth, launch with momentum and let the first-day surge argue for you - the mechanics are in how Kickstarter's algorithm discovers projects.
| Actually helps | Folklore |
|---|---|
| Polished page and video finished before launch | Emailing Kickstarter staff repeatedly to ask for the badge |
| Pre-launch page live early, so curators see it | Paying a service that "guarantees" a feature |
| Strong first-48-hour momentum from a warm list | Keyword-stuffing the project title |
| Honest risks section and clear timelines | Hiding risks so the project looks safer |
| Clean reward structure at fair prices | Dozens of tiers to look generous |
What happens to your page after you're badged
Getting the badge changes the browsing experience for anyone who lands on your project, not just your ranking in category pages. The heart badge sits directly on your project card in search and category listings, which functions as a trust shortcut for backers scanning dozens of similar-looking projects - it says a human at Kickstarter looked at this and vouched for it, which matters more in categories crowded with lookalike products. Some badged projects also become eligible for placement in Kickstarter's own newsletters and homepage carousels, which is unpaid traffic you'd otherwise have to buy. None of this replaces your own traffic plan, but it does mean the badge's value compounds over the life of the campaign rather than being a one-time day-one bump.
Common mistakes that keep otherwise-strong pages unbadged
A few patterns show up repeatedly among campaigns that had real potential but never earned the badge. Launching before the page and video were actually finished, then trying to fix things mid-campaign, misses the window since curators mostly look in the first days. Skipping the pre-launch page entirely removes the easiest opportunity for curators to notice a project before it's competing with everything else launching that same week. Writing a risks section that's vague boilerplate rather than specific to the actual product reads as an afterthought rather than the honesty curators are looking for. And treating reward tiers as a place to maximize the number of options, rather than keeping the structure clean and easy to scan, works against the "cared about every detail" impression the badge tends to reward.
What the badge is actually worth
It's real, but limited. The badge lifts conversion among people already looking at you, and it unlocks discovery placements that bring in traffic you didn't pay for. What it won't do is replace a pre-launch list or rescue weak fundamentals - we've watched badged campaigns fail and unbadged ones raise six figures. Think of it as interest on a launch that already works, not the thing that makes the launch work. If your plan depends on getting the badge to hit goal, fix the plan before you worry about the page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get the Projects We Love badge on Kickstarter?
You cannot apply or pay for it; Kickstarter staff choose projects themselves. You earn consideration by publishing a polished pre-launch page early so curators see it, finishing a strong page and video before launch, writing an honest risks section, and launching with real momentum from a pre-launch list. Most badges land in the first days of a campaign, so the work has to be done before launch day.
Does Projects We Love guarantee my campaign will succeed?
No. The badge lifts trust and unlocks discovery placement, but it amplifies momentum rather than creating it. Badged campaigns still fail when they launch cold, and unbadged campaigns regularly fund from a strong list and good ads. Treat the badge as a multiplier on fundamentals - warm list, converting page, realistic goal - not as the plan itself.
When does Kickstarter award the badge?
It can appear before launch, at launch, or partway through a campaign, but the early days are most common because curators watch new and upcoming projects. That is why the pre-launch page matters: it puts your project in front of curators weeks early, and a strong first 48 hours confirms their judgment. A late badge does happen when a campaign builds exceptional momentum.
Can an agency get me featured?
No one can promise a badge, and anyone who guarantees one is lying to you. What an agency legitimately does is stack the conditions curators reward: a page and video at feature quality, a pre-launch list that delivers day-one momentum, and clean campaign mechanics. That is the work we have done across 4,600+ campaigns since 2010 - the badge follows quality often enough that quality is the strategy.
Does the badge keep helping after the first few days?
Yes - the heart badge stays visible on your project card in category and search listings for the life of the campaign, acting as an ongoing trust signal to anyone browsing rather than a one-time boost. Some badged projects also become eligible for newsletter or homepage placement later in the campaign, which is unpaid traffic that compounds on top of whatever you're already running through ads.
Why do some well-made pages still miss the badge?
Usually one of a few fixable issues: launching before the page and video were fully finished, skipping the pre-launch page so curators never saw the project early, a generic risks section that reads like boilerplate rather than product-specific honesty, or a bloated reward structure that looks unpolished. None of these guarantee a badge if fixed, but they're common reasons an otherwise strong campaign gets passed over.
Build the campaign the badge tends to follow and you come out ahead regardless. Get featured, and you compound faster. Don't, and you've still launched warm with a page that converts on its own. If you want a candid read on whether your page and plan are there yet, book a free strategy call.
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