Indie game marketing checklist

Indie game marketing checklist

Marketing a game isn’t something you do in the last month. Most of it is making the game easy to understand, easy to find and easy to follow. This timeline is for small teams and solo developers. It assumes you have no budget and not much time, so it is built around a few things done steadily.

No checklist can promise players. These steps make your game easier to find and talk about; they don’t replace a game people want.

Indie game marketing checklist: part 1

• Write your pitch in one sentence and test it on strangers. If they don’t understand it, your page won’t work either.
• Find five games like yours. Notice how they present themselves and who talks about them.
• Save every good screenshot and clip. You’ll need them later and you can’t recreate old builds.

Indie game marketing checklist: part 2

• Post a devlog on a regular schedule. Small and steady beats big and rare.
• Share short clips of the game, in motion. A single, clear moment, with the sound off working too.
• Make a simple page for the game. A name, a trailer or clips, and one clear way to follow it.
• Start a list of people who’ve asked to hear about it. An email list is yours; a social account isn’t.
• Run playtests with real players. They’ll also be your first fans.

Indie game marketing checklist: part 3

• Put your store page up. Early, so it has time to collect wishlists.
• Make a press kit. Logo, screenshots, trailer, a short description and how to reach you, in one place.
• Contact the creators and press who cover games like yours. Personally, with a build or key and one line on why it suits their audience. Not a mass email.
• Fix the first five minutes. Most players decide here.

Indie game marketing checklist: part 4

• Tell everyone who followed you. Your list, your devlog readers, your testers.
• Reply to players. Quickly, politely and in public where you can.
• Fix the worst problems fast and say so. It shows people the game is looked after.

Indie game marketing checklist: part 5

• Paid ads before you know your page converts. You’ll pay to send people to a page that isn’t working yet.
• Being on every platform. Pick one or two where your players are and do them well.