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4 Key Points for Your Indie Game Marketing

Digital Communication

To ensure the success of your game launch, both the quality of your game and your marketing preparation are crucial. Here are 4 essential elements for your indie game marketing:

 

Having a well-planned launch strategy, established several months in advance, can create excitement for your game leading up to its release. This buzz can lead to more wishlists, a dedicated community, greater visibility, and ultimately, sales. However, without proper marketing management, your game may join the ranks of unknown indie games.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Leveraging the Power of Press Relations

To reach your target audience through the gaming media, build relationships with relevant journalists by sharing news about your game. Bear in mind that they are busy and have specific audiences, so don’t expect coverage. Instead, focus on selecting journalists who have shown interest in your game genre and making their job easier. Research their writing topics and preferences, and use relevant information in your communications to strengthen the presentation of your game. Be clear, concise, and courteous, and provide a comprehensive, attractive press kit. Understand each media’s process and team of journalists, and tailor your communications accordingly. Attend live events and schedule appointments with journalists who will be there. Consider registering your game for online events like Summer Game Fest or PC Gaming Show: 2023 Preview. These events can provide great opportunities to promote your game and reach more gamers.

Maximizing Your Video Game Marketing through Influencer Marketing

Twitch and Youtube are effective platforms for video game marketing due to content creators building a close, trustworthy relationship with their audience. Influencer marketing is a must-have strategy in promoting a video game, as it puts your game in front of thousands of potential players who are your target audience.

The process for influencer marketing is similar to press relations, but requires more preparation time due to the number of profiles. Build a list of creators who align with your game’s genre, prepare a presentation deck with necessary assets, develop a strategy, and initiate communication. Whether you pay creators or not is up to your strategy, but combining paid and organic influencer marketing can be optimal. Use complementary platforms like Woovit and Keymailer with caution as anti-scam moderation is not foolproof.

You may be interested by checking out our case study on the organic influence campaign for Terraformers.

Build your community

Optimizing Your Steam Page for Increased Visibility and Sales

Your Steam page is the storefront for your game, and it’s crucial to make a great first impression to turn visitors into players. Optimizing your Steam page not only helps it rank higher in Steam’s discovery algorithm but also increases the chances of visitors turning into wishlists and buyers.

Every aspect of your Steam page should be well-thought-out and optimized, from the name of your game and trailer to the screenshots, hook, and long description. Be creative, specific, and unique to stand out among the competition.

Steam’s discovery algorithm is complex, with different trigger points to consider for optimal exposure. For instance, your game will get more visibility 15 days prior to release or once you have 7,000 wishlists (there are also tiers based on post-release reviews).

Wishlists take time and require marketing efforts, so it’s best to start collecting them early. Check out our guide, « Steam Page Optimization in 6 Steps, » for additional tips on maximizing your game’s potential on Steam.

Building a Strong Gaming Community

As a game developer, building a strong, engaged community can bring numerous benefits to your work and success. It’s important to think of community building as a multi-faceted effort, involving engagement with other developers at gaming events, local professional associations, and social networks. These connections can provide valuable feedback, advice, industry contacts, and cost-saving tricks. Don’t be afraid to reach out and connect with the generous game developer community.

Your first group of players to join your community can be considered your « first hardcore fan base. » These early supporters can play a crucial role in improving your game and promoting it to others. Make an effort to get to know them, show them appreciation, and keep them informed and engaged to maintain their enthusiasm. Your interaction with these players can also help boost your visibility and drive growth for your community.

To effectively reach and engage with your community, consider building an « acquisition tunnel » with a Discord server and/or a newsletter as the endpoint. Use other platforms to drive as many players as possible to these central spaces where they can connect with you more closely.