Guide

IndieDev.site šŸŽ®ļø marketing toolkit

Copyright by Janek Krasoczko <[email protected]>
Last revision: 2024-11-06

IndieDev.site marketing toolkit (DOCX)Download

See also: Google Docs page

Table of contents:

 INTRODUCTION

Dear reader, game marketing guides are dime a dozen. I do not claim this guide to be the best. Instead, I aim to approach the subject a bit differently than others did.

Chances are that you are an indie game developer. Maybe a seasoned artist, a veteran programmer, or a renowned game designer. But also (most likely) a newcomer to the world of digital marketing.

This is where I was only a couple years back. From that perspective it is easy to get impatient. After all, you are already an expert in one field. You seek practical tools that will support your activities and let you learn game marketing as you go.

The goal of this text is to be a toolkit, a pencil case full of accessories that you can grab instantly and start your indie game marketing adventure. No deep explanations, no theory. Just brief, practical solutions.

I give it away freely as my way to contribute to the indiedev community everywhere and I try to update it every now and then. I hope you make good use of it!

Toolkit for all your marketing needs.

EVERYDAY TOOLS

Email (GMail)

Link: https://mail.google.com

Alternatives: Outlook, Protonmail, Tuta

Project management (Trello)

Link: https://trello.com

Alternatives: Asana, Todoist, Clickup

  • Both your day-to-day activities and long-term efforts should be kept in Trello (or any other board planner).
  • Put everything that needs to be done in Trello: planned initiatives, ongoing activities, status updates etc.
  • Keep things simple. Plan your work so your tasks are smaller and doable rather than large and convoluted. Aim to frequently mark them as completed.
  • Here is a suggestion for categories and lists that you can use with Trello:
    • IDEAS
      a long input list for ideas that could be done in the future (sometimes things go back in here)
    • TEMPLATES
      templates for tasks that repeat themselves every now and then but with different parameters (like product launches and or content updates)
    • BACKLOG
      what needs to be done but can wait
    • TODO
      whatever needs to be done as soon as possible
    • TASKS IN PROGRESS
      the tasks that have been started and are actively worked upon
    • EVENTS
      for tracking events you participate in, both digital (Steam sales and festivals, videoconferences, streaming showcases) and physical (Gamescom, GDC, PAX, DevGAMM, Develop)
    • STATUS REPORT
      for anything that waits to be done outside of marketing work that you need to keep pulse on (for example an important bug fix or a budget decision)
    • ONGOING
      tasks that repeat themselves on a very regular basis (daily, weekly, or monthly)
    • DONE
      completed tasks and canceled tasks
  • Set up deadlines to your tasks. It is better for your brain to have a deadline then move it every couple days than not to have one at all.
  • Add priority marks to your tasks, especially for things that need to be done ASAP.
  • Use automation, especially for repeating tasks.
  • You might think you donā€™t need this but you do. Everyone benefits from having a well-defined work process. Even small teams and solo developers!
  • These are just recommendations. Make sure to organize marketing activities and work in a transparent way that makes sense to you.

Calendar (Google Calendar)

Link: https://calendar.google.com

Alternatives: Outlook, Tuta

  • Calendar helps you track your team or business meetings (or any other kind of meetings).
  • It also has another, quite powerful use: you can send out meeting invitations! In case of Google Calendar, with an automatically added Google Meet link for videocall.
  • Do not underestimate the power of in-person (well, video) meetings and calls. The touch of personal interaction will effectively improve your business relations. Always use your camera! It has a psychological effect and proves you are in fact, a warm-blooded human (and not an uncaring email machine).
  • Yet another use for the calendar is to track industry events, conferences, and meetups through third-party calendars like these two:
    https://theindiehouses.org/festivals/
    https://www.gameconfguide.com/calendar/

Video meetings (Google Meet)

Link: https://meet.google.com/

Alternatives: Discord, Microsoft Teams, Zoom

  • ALWAYS use your camera! It will help you create a more authentic and personal connection.
  • Use blur and virtual backgrounds if you are working from a not-very-professional-looking space (like home office).
  • If there is background noise in your surroundings, mute your microphone when you are not speaking.
  • Remember: personal calls are VERY effective when it comes to:
    • in depth explanations,
    • discussing and brainstorming solutions,
    • business negotiations,
    • team bonding,
  • ā€¦and in general, building relations.

File storage & sharing (Google Drive)

Link: https://drive.google.com

Alternatives: OneDrive, Box

  • Storage can take a variety of forms depending on what you store.
  • It is possible and often recommended to use a separate platform, tool, or service dedicated to each category of your files and activities.
  • Still, it might be easier and quicker to store everything in just one storage service, especially if you are part of a small team or solo developer.
  • It doesn’t have to be a robust cloud drive service such as Google Drive or OneDrive but such solution has its advantages, like:
    • flexibility, ability to store various types of content,
    • automatic backups,
    • structurized access,
    • easily enabled collaboration,
    • an office suite accessible from nearly any device.
  • It helps if your storage is properly organized and categorized.
  • Examples of things that you should store to support your marketing activities:
    • Presskit – everything an outsider might want to know about your game and company to write, talk, or make a video about – should be made available with a single click
    • Visual assets – ad creatives, artwork, screenshots, videos, GIFs, memes, and everything a social media specialist should have at hand
    • Community notes – what one should remember when working with your community, are there any sensitive topics or specific troublemaker groups?
    • Email templates – for mailing campaigns, both B2C and B2B
    • Feedback – collected from the players: including bug reports along with screenshots or video recordings of them
    • Game keys – Steam (and other platforms) keys for your games, make sure to track their use and use all the older batches before requesting a new batch
    • Knowledge base – internal documentation as well as links and mirrors for publicly available resources
    • Press & influencers database – lists and databases for press & influencer email outreach
    • Campaign reports – a place to track results through predefined metrics
    • Sales strategy – strategic knowledge, data, plans for product sales, pricing, and discounting
    • Automation tools – various tools used for marketing automation, like: templates, programs, scripts, or pre-defined spreadsheets
All fresh, healthy, and organic.

ORGANIC ONLINE PRESENCE

There is no golden rule to maintaining your company’s online presence. The trends change regularly and one should aim to stay on top of them (to a reasonable extent, of course). Best approach should be determined individually per company and per project.

Your job is to be consistent in your promotional activities.

Remember – the gaming audience is not a monolith and every player has a single favorite platform for following your company or your game. It could be Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, mailing list or any other. Do not neglect any of the platforms you commit yourself to, post regularly (which does not necessarily mean often).

Website

Link: <your website link here>

  • The company website is its business card and storefront.
  • It needs to make the best first impression possible – because first impressions matter a lot!
  • Think about different categories of visitors, such as: players, press, influencers, business partners, investors, publishers, job seekers, and even search engine indexing bots. Will all those groups of users easily find the information they need?
    • Players need to see:
      • your currently most promoted game,
      • easy access to the platform store pages (Steam, Epic, GOG, Xbox etc),
      • all social and community links (Discord, TikTok, Instagram etc),
      • the ability to request helpā€¦
      • ā€¦or to leave feedback.
    • Press and influencers need to:
      • find the gameā€™s presskit with comprehensive fact sheet, links, and visual & promotional assets (it can be hosted directly on the website, or on a dedicated third-party page, or on Google Drive).
      • and have their distinct needs addressed, like art assets helpful in making a viral YouTube thumbnail or game-specific instructions, tips, cheat sheets, and cheat codes to save their time.
    • Business partners, investors, and publishers need to:
      • see the company portfolio, including both self-published work and contract work,
      • identify the key people, company values, objectives, & culture.
    • Job seekers will want to know more about:
      • the team, work culture, communication practices, benefits, growth opportunities,
      • and of course job offers themselves.
    • Indexing bots need to:
      • quickly find the most important and relevant information and links to catalog them.
      • Do not underestimate that part! SEO is a very powerful tool.
  • Having a mailing list signup form on the website is strongly recommended (remember about honoring GDPR & other data privacy acts).
    • A mailing list will inform both regular fans and press folks about your newest projects or activities without exposing them to social media buzz.
    • Newsletter boasts the highest click rate of all organic marketing methods!
  • The properly categorized contact info or contact form will save your team the time and effort of going through their daily mail inbox (for example having separate emails: press@companydotcom, support@companydotcom).
  • Make sure the information is up-to-date (what would you think about a company using a website with 2021 timestamp with no info on their recently announced project?)

Discord

Link: https://discord.gg/

  • Discord, as a live chat, is the place for the most dedicated fans that want to be a more active part of the community.
  • Do not start your own Discord server if you donā€™t have a plan to make it grow and to keep it active! There is nothing worse than a silent, abandoned community.
  • Make the rules clear and be consistent when enforcing them. Draw that line!
  • Start small! It is better to have only a few channels that are active than dozens of them that are rarely, if ever used.
  • Suggested structure for a humble beginning goes like this:
    • 1x Rules
    • 1x Official links (storefronts, social media)
    • 1x General chat about everything
    • 1x Game-specific text chat (you can create a separate game-specific feedback channel or forum once things get more crowded)
    • 1x General voice chat room
  • Make sure the community knows who to direct their questions to (have a dedicated community manager).
  • Keep things alive by prompting people to post their own reactions, replies, stories, and opinions. Make your fans feel welcome and never let the community go stale.
  • Share and announce larger news or smaller development bits about your game on a regular basis. This is the reason why people joined in the first place!
  • Donā€™t overdo role mentions, especially @everyone and @here. Save them for when you actually announce something of substance.
  • Donā€™t hesitate to ask your community for feedback or help. Thatā€™s another reason why they joined and they expect it.
  • If the team is exposed to the public chat, the community managerā€™s duty is to monitor security threats and safeguard the team from private messages.
  • Discord server admin settings offer a variety of security and privacy features. Use them but do not go too far with the limitations or your Discord community will fall silent.
  • Visit other Discord communities to see what ideas, tools, and initiatives they use to make it work.
  • Use bots and integrations (as long as it makes sense), they are easy to add and enable additional functionality in your chat and voice rooms. Some popular ones with automatic moderation features are: Dyno, MEE6, YAGPDB
  • Helpful reads:
    https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/360045138571-Beginner-s-Guide-to-Discord
    https://discord.com/community/community-management-the-basics
    https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/categories/200404378-Server-Setup
    https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/categories/115000168351-Trust-Safety

TikTok

Link: https://www.tiktok.com/

  • At the time of writing this text, TikTok is still the most effective social media platform for growing a following organically.
  • The reason is that TikTok is not yet in the late stage of the enshittification process (aka ā€œhow platforms dieā€). Right now it makes more sense for TikTok as a service to give users free visibility. For now and this will not be the case forever. They will eventually make users pay for visibility!
  • Make an effort to understand the platform. Use it yourself. Learn what it is all about.
  • IMPORTANT: Use a phone (or another mobile device). Using the web browser version of TikTok will result in subpar experience. You will also be penalized by the algorithm.
  • Be authentic. If possible, speak with your natural voice and show yourself in front of the camera.
  • Do not try to make an ad. Do not be a salesman. Just be interesting.
  • Address the short attention span: have a strong hook from the 1st second then get to the point within a couple of next seconds (ideally something in the 8-22 seconds range).
  • Trends are good but you either need to jump on them right before they really take off orā€¦ put a fun twist on them. Be fast, be the first šŸ„·
  • Understand the whims of the algorithm. Recommendations work in a mysterious, and yet extremely accurate way.
  • Old videos sometimes resurface after a while, especially successful ones.
  • Using hashtags and interacting with other accounts will help the algorithm place you in the right niche.
  • Re-post your successful videos. Noone keeps track.
  • Do not bother with using VPN or other workarounds to post from the US region. Unless you are living in a region where English literacy is unusually low, your videos in English will still get to the US audience (in my case I post from Poland and most of my viewers come from the US, Canada, UK, and Germany).
  • TikTok videos tend to work well when reposted to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts (and sometimes other platforms as well). Work smarter, not harder!
  • Helpful reads (some might be slightly outdated by now):
    https://olima.medium.com/79f86dfc3deb
    https://www.victoriatran.com/writing/among-us-tiktok
    https://howtomarketagame.com/seven-great-tips-for-marketing-your-indie-game-on-tiktok/
    https://jaredtanj.com/tiktok-strategy
  • Examples of indie game developers using TikTok:
    https://www.tiktok.com/@strayfawnstudio
    https://www.tiktok.com/@anaopara
    https://www.tiktok.com/@valiantgamestudio
    https://www.tiktok.com/@jacobjanerka
    https://www.tiktok.com/@togeproductions

Twitter / X

Link: https://twitter.com/

  • The platform lost most of its appeal under current ownership. Both organic visibility and paid ads went down. The spambots are out of control. Privacy and safety suffered as well.
  • However, Twitter had a bad reputation for organic growth even before. Low clickrates and difficulty to get noticed
  • And yet, Twitter is still being used by a lot of gamedev and publisher professionals, as well as video influencers and live streamers. You can use it to build friendly relationships and interact with industry folks.
  • And some people are easier to reach by Twitter direct messages (DMs) than through email.
  • Due to the design of the platform, Twitter giveaways tend to be a very cost-effective way to boost engagement and following.

Instagram

Link: https://www.instagram.com

  • I do not know enough about Instagram to give expert advice. Here are some things I have picked up:
  • Instagram is another mobile-first platform. Using it in the web browser is like trying to push a rock uphill. Key functionalities are missing from the web version. Save yourself the trouble and use a mobile device.
  • Instagram Reels are a popular feature of the platform and one of the easiest ways to get seen. Re-posting TikTok videos to Instagram Reel will save you time and yield tangible results.

Facebook

Link: https://www.facebook.com/

  • Facebook is known for being absolutely terrible for organic visibility and really good for paid ads (due to laser-pointed audience targeting).
  • It suffers from a not entirely undeserved reputation of a platform for boomers (so, not exactly your core gaming audience).
  • That said, there are some regions in which Facebook is absolute nr 1 and the preferred platform of gamers and influencers alike (mostly in South America and Asia).

Reddit

Link: https://www.reddit.com/

  • Despite being yet another platform that suffered from the irrational management decisions and an influx of bots, Reddit is still one of the most effective means of organic marketing.
  • To succeed on Reddit, you have to use & understand Reddit (much like with TikTok). No, really. There are a lot of written and unwritten rules that you have to follow – or face the consequences and be swiftly banned.
  • Make sure to regularly collect karma to bypass the self-promotion limitations and make your account appear legitimate. That means making non-promotional posts and participating in comment threads.
  • Find niche communities revolving around themes of your game and your company’s daily activities. Ideally not too niche communities but probably not mainstream ones. Be part of the conversation.
  • If you take care of building a long-term Reddit strategy early, you will be able to self-promote when the time comes.
  • Reddit is among the best paid ad platforms for indie game developers and publishers.
  • Helpful resources:
    https://www.rengenmarketing.com/podcast/game-market-research/
    https://howtomarketagame.com/?s=reddit

Imgur

Link: https://imgur.com/

  • Imgur can be an effective way to generate wishlists – if done on a regular basis.
  • Yes, this is another platform that you have to learn to understand if you want to get results.
  • While a vocal minority of the community is against self-promotion, the best path to take is to ignore any negative feedback.
  • Still, donā€™t treat Imgur as a free ad spot. Have something to say, tell a story, participate in the community.
  • You will have better chances if your game presents itself well on a GIF or video.
  • Despite Imgur being mainly a visual platform, you can also write a lot of text in picture description. Use that to your advantage (and post the link to your game although preferably AFTER youā€™ve gone viral – see the Chris Zukowski method explained in links below).
  • Other indie game marketers recommend using 9Gag in a similar manner to Imgur. I have not tried that but it is something to consider.
  • Helpful resources:
    https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/how-to-get-on-the-front-page-of-imgur
    https://howtomarketagame.com/2021/08/30/does-imgur-still-work/

Twitch

Link: https://www.twitch.tv/

  • Twitch is not likely to be a major source of awareness for your game or company.
  • It has other uses and the most important one is: Twitch is a good place to host events and competitions dedicated to your community. An opportunity to showcase upcoming changes and new additions or explain things in detail.
  • If you decide to livestream your game, make sure to learn all the bells and whistles – it will be worth it. Use OBS. Display the live chat window and reply to your visitorsā€™ messages. Remember about the camera. Be talkative. Use scenes and transitions.
  • Of course, Twitch is most useful when partnering with experienced livestreamers that will show your game to their large audience (although permanent videos are more effective than one-off livestreams).
  • Use tools such as SullyGnome to look for streamers that are a good fit (the ones playing similar kinds of games).
  • Use SullyGnome to track coverage for your game as well.
  • Examples of indie game developers using Twitch:
    https://www.twitch.tv/anderssonkev/about

YouTube

Link: https://www.youtube.com/

  • Similarly to Twitch, YouTube rarely is used for self-promotion by indie game developers and publishers (although it works for some).
  • YouTube is where you are expected to host your game trailers and gameplay videos.
  • You can also use it to host devlogs, informing your followers about upcoming or ongoing changes.
  • I recommend creating a list of curated playlists on your channel. For example, you can have one with your game trailers, and another with your game being featured by third-party channels. That way you determine what others see first when they look for your game on YouTube.
  • YouTube Shorts are another great target for TikTok reposts, similarly to Instagram Reels. Their algorithm works in a different way so looking into that might be worth it.
  • Livestreaming is another use for YouTube. While the momentum for YouTube Gaming is long past us you might still wish to choose a livestreaming platform that is not Twitch.
  • Examples of indie developer YouTube channels:
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC523Er8E2Qfv8mrSqU48wFg
    https://www.youtube.com/@BlueGooGames
    https://www.youtube.com/@AuroDev

Mailing list (Mailchimp)

Link: https://mailchimp.com/

Alternatives: MailerLite, ConvertKit, SendGrid, Drip

  • Email marketing is the only form of marketing aside from your own website you have nearly 100% control over.
  • The emails you collect are owned by your company, not by the mailing service provider. You can easily migrate the lists and change the service you use within 1 day.
  • Not everyone uses TikTok, Discord, or Instagram. But everyone has an email account.
  • Newsletters boast the highest click rate among all following sources!
  • It can be the least intrusive form of marketing: you send emails only to people who specifically approved they wish to receive them. You also control how often you want to send them – could be once a week, once a year, or simply only when you want to share something noteworthy.
  • It is a reliable way to inform members of the press and influencers that have already expressed their interest in your games or company (for example, because they worked with you before or enjoyed your previous game).
  • Remember to honor GDPR as well as other data protection laws.
  • More on this topic:
    https://howtomarketagame.com/2021/11/01/dont-build-your-castle-in-other-peoples-kingdoms/
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ5H6DeaKKs

Other

  • Other platforms such as: 9Gag, Tumblr, GameJolt, Mastodon, or Bluesky can still work for you, usually under very specific conditions or circumstances.
  • Be flexible with your approach. Be creative. But also be realistic – it is all about cutting edges and getting maximum results from a minimum amount of effort.
A steam powered locomotive. Choo choo!

STEAM & STEAMWORKS

The information listed below is only a stub meant to point the reader in the right direction.

It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the official Steamworks documentation on Sales, Marketing, and Store Presence.

Introduction

Steam is currently the single most important accessory in your toolkit when youā€™re self-publishing. It is prudent to learn how to use it efficiently. The big guys do it (EA, Activision Blizzard, Ubisoft), the medium guys do it (Coffee Stain Studios, Devolver, Team17), little guys do it (and while some succeed, like Vampire Survivors, or Peglin, over 80% of them fail).

It is not a ā€œfire and forgetā€ game hosting tool. You gotta learn how to get maximum out of Steam. The set of functionalities it gives you is unparalleled: from worldwide distribution through extra features for your game to visibility and discovery mechanisms. And so much more.

From the marketing perspective Steam strongly augments all your marketing efforts and provides the most powerful means to promote your game save for the game itself.

Steamworks – General View

Link: https://partner.steamgames.com/apps/landing/<game App ID here>

This is a game-specific view. From here you can go into multiple directions, the most important ones are explained by me below. However, this is not all that Steamworks dashboard menus offer.

Make sure to also visit dropdown menus on the top, such as: Apps & Packages, Tools, Financial Info, Documentation, Resources, News & Updates, and Support.

If you work in a team, some of the sections might be unavailable to you. That usually means you have not been given access by your organization admin.

Edit Steamworks Settings (App Data Admin)

Link: https://partner.steamgames.com/apps/view/<game App ID here>

While this section is mostly dedicated to managing the game builds and additional features, there are some elements that are important from marketing and community perspective:

  • SteamPipe -> Builds
    Here you can see the latest version of the game build uploaded to Steam server. Useful when you are coordinating playtests with the community or providing technical support. You can also link a build id to a news post so it gets published automatically when the build goes live.
  • Installation -> Client images
    Important from the branding perspective, you gotta make sure the game icon is scalable and easy to read at all sizes, like the standard Windows desktop shortcut, or even the smaller one visible in the Steam library list view.
  • Stats & Achievements -> Stats and
    Stats & Achievements -> Leaderboards
    If properly configured, you can see the latest gameplay stats in here and then organize it as a leaderboard (gamers love a challenge). Or even use it to share it as a fun fact with your community, for example ā€œtogether, the community slayed 1000000 monstersā€.
  • Community -> General Community
    Official link to your game community hub, also accessible from the publicly visible store page. Useful during the pre-release period.
  • Community -> Community Icon
     See: ā€œClient Imagesā€, same pointers apply here.
  • Manage keys
    The place to manage Steam keys for the game, also accessible from different menus. You can see the already issued keys here as well as request the new ones. Always be honest with Valve what you intend to use the keys for.
  • Publish
    All changes done in other tabs require publishing before they go live.
  • Other
    Please refer to the official Steamworks documentation to learn more.

Edit Store Page (Store Page Admin)

Link: https://partner.steamgames.com/admin/game/edit/<Id number here>

One of the most important sections for a marketer!

Make sure to provide as much information as possible and that all of the information is up to date, especially if the game gets regularly updated with new features and content.

Basic info

  • Pay attention to the search keywords. Do not repeat official categories like tags or genres here but think what users might look for when searching for a game like yours. Is it likely they will type the name of the game in a certain way? Make a typo or abbreviate it?
  • Make sure to provide the accurate and recent info regarding supported features, singleplayer or multiplayer modes, languages, and genres.
  • The user tags can be determined using the Steamworks Tag Wizard.
    • Think about niches you would like to cover and avoid highlighting generic tags like ā€œactionā€, ā€œadventureā€, or ā€œpvpā€.
    • Generic tags might be important to establish game categories in the store but waste space (there is a limit for maximum tags) that could be used for people looking for more specific themes and experiences, for example: ā€œmythologyā€, ā€œchoose your own adventureā€, ā€œbirdsā€, ā€œsoccerā€ etc.
    • Finally, make sure your tags are accurate by checking the ā€œMore games like thisā€ section on the store page. If it shows games from the same genre and representing the same theme or gameplay type (like for example Overcooked is to couch co-op games), you are doing alright. Keep in mind ā€œMore games like thisā€ prioritizes popular and bestselling games.

Description

  • Short description is one of the most important pieces of information about your game – because it is visible in multiple places in the Steam store as well as on the top of the game product page.
    • Ideally, the short description should be reusable as your gameā€™s pitch – in your presskit, in your emails, in conversations etc.
    • Make sure it looks attractive and stimulates imagination. Provide the player with a fantasy they can find themselves in.
    • For example: ā€œAs a powerful martial arts master smash your way through the hordes of sentient rock pillars. Grow in strength and unlock abilities from 100 possible combo paths. Craft artifacts that will imbue you with mystical qi magic!ā€
  • ā€œAbout this gameā€ section aka long description is a good place to put:
    • Repeated short description – for people who will scroll past it initially and for SEO purposes as well.
    • 1-3 catchy gameplay GIFs (keep them small both in file size and dimensions)
    • An accurate bullet point list of game content, for example: ā€œHuge skill tree with 100 possible combo paths. Stylish hats referring to the famous characters from Chinese mythology. At least one monkey.ā€
    • Emojis are your friend.
    • This is also a good place to put any keywords that will be picked up by search engines, both Google and the internal Steam search, for example: ā€œInspired by games like Mortal Kombat, movies like Enter The Dragon, and legends of the Monkey Kingā€. That way your game might be found when someone is looking for either of those things!
  • Reviews and awards can make the game stand out in the crowd and give the product a professional look. If you donā€™t have any public reviews yet, you can use internal reviews from the first playtesters.
  • Special announcement section can be used in a lot of creative ways. For example, you can highlight a recently added flashy feature. In general, image banners and GIFs can go a long way, if used responsibly.

Graphical Assets

  • The game capsule (in three dimension variations: header, main, and small) is probably the most visible part of your Steam presence – it will be visible in the search results, on various sale pages, collections, highlights, and category views.
    • It needs to interest the player enough so they click it to see the full store page for the game. It is a little bit like a YouTube thumbnail in that aspect.
    • It has to convey the general vibe and theme of the game, for example: a futuristic soldier lost in a dark hallway in the Dead Space capsule tells us that the game is likely dark, probably in the horror genre. Then a lightly colored pixel art and some elements of countryside and nature convey the peaceful themes of Stardew Valley.
    • It needs to be readable in all sizes (make necessary adjustments and crops to the small one, if needed).
    • If possible, have a professional capsule artist make it. Seriously. Someone who understands how to make a marketing banner and understands gaming. This is a different, special type of artwork because it is heavily oriented towards baiting the clicks.
  • Screenshots are often viewed first by Steam users that may be too impatient to watch the entire trailer.
    • Make sure that they look high quality and accurately convey the in-game experience.
    • Include the user interface elements, like HUD and such. For example: including a dialogue window with branching options in an RPG game can immediately inform the visitor that there are elements of diplomacy that might depend on the character abilities. This in turn might lead to an increased interest from someone who enjoys text-heavy RPGs.
    • Have at least 6 screenshots but make sure that they effectively prove that the game offers a variety of experiences (different game modes, interface screens, maps, vehicles, etc.)

Trailers

ā€¦also deserve a dedicated, precise approach.

  • The best practice is to always present at least 10-15 seconds of uninterrupted gameplay first, so the player immediately understands what the game is about.
  • Avoid slow crossfades, presenting your company logos, and other transitions.
  • Never start with a completely black frame, it might end up as an automatically generated thumbnail and dissuade people from watching the rest of the trailer.
  • Unless you are making a game in a well-known brand or series or make a story rich game, avoid story-based trailers. They are too slow and lose the attention span of the average Steam visitor.
  • In general: show, donā€™t tell.
  • Steam automatically generates a supercut of your trailer visible as a GIF in various places around the store. Keep it in mind as it is yet another reason to showcase gameplay and avoid any slow methods of presentation in your trailer.
  • On the top of the classic trailer, provide a separate, extended gameplay video as well.

Remember to publish the changes after applying them!

Marketing & Visibility

https://partner.steamgames.com/apps/marketing/<Id number here>

Another crucial Steamworks area for a game marketer. It has four subsections:

Overview

Learn how to use launch visibility and update visibility rounds mechanics:

  • Launch visibility is used to boost your launch efforts. It revolves around the amount of follows and wishlists your game already has.
    • The more follows and wishlists you collect before launch, the stronger your launch visibility (which in turn might lead to a snowball effect).
    • The ballpark number most indie developers agree on is about 7000 pre-launch wishlists
    • It is not a precise number that will magically make your launch successful, it is meant to give you a vague understanding of the expected order of magnitude.
  • Update visibility round is meant to notify people who already own the game or already have it on their wishlist when a major update was released. Use it to bring players back to your game, boost your DLC sales, and convert the existing wishlists.
  • Understanding these and using them correctly can make your game release or game update much easier to execute.

Store Traffic Stats

ā€¦aka Store & Steam Platform Traffic Breakdown

Link: https://partner.steamgames.com/apps/navtrafficstats/<game App ID here>

  • Monitor this section religiously, daily in the periods of active marketing, weekly otherwise.
  • While an increase in traffic is important data, even more important is that it goes along with the increase in conversions to wishlists and purchases. If it doesnā€™t, something might be wrong.
  • Steam provides information about which websites lead visitors to your store page (for example: Reddit, Google, etc). Always track and investigate the source of a traffic increase and the reasons behind it.
  • Another important bit of information is the percentage split of the visits between countries and regions.
  • The categories in this section include internal traffic and are accurate enough that you can learn where in the Steam store your game is being displayed. Always analyze how people find and interact with your game page.
  • Clickthrough percentage rate of the game capsule is not very relevant information, as it goes drastically down the more popular the game gets.

UTM Analytics

Link: https://partner.steamgames.com/apps/utmtrafficstats/<game App ID here>

  • UTM analytics will allow you to track results of specific traffic sources, promotional campaigns, split of traffic between devices, including conversions to wishlists, purchases, and key activations.
  • Aim to use it as often as possible. While not extremely accurate, it will give you data points to work with.
  • It is an important tool in tracking which campaigns & partnerships paid off and which ones did not.
  • It is especially helpful when doing any kind of A/B tests on the same platform under the same conditions, usually social media ads. Meta Ads Manager wonā€™t tell you how many wishlists you earned, Steam UTM will.
  • Documentation on how it works exactly:
    https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/utm_analytics

Sales & Activations (& Wishlists) Reports

Link: https://partner.steampowered.com/app/details/<game App ID here>

  • This page looks similar to the traffic stats.
  • Observe increases in sales and wishlists closely (perhaps wishlists even more so). They are the most visible and measurable fruits of your marketing labor.
  • The split between the main game and DLCs provides an important context on how people perceive and purchase the game and its packages.
  • From here you can also see your results in various regions. This might indicate your game themes resonate more with specific markets.
  • This area of Steamworks interface also includes links to some less obvious stats, such as: game & demo playtime, game controller use, and more. Dig into these for extra insights.

Price Management Tool

Link: https://partner.steamgames.com/pricing/dashboard/<partner ID here>

  • Managing prices on Steam used to be a tedious task, but the current tool provides helpful automations.
  • Donā€™t sell yourself short, unless your main objective is to have the game easily available to everyone. Set the price of your game using not only the aspects visible from outside (how many levels, visual quality, how other games in this genre are priced etc.) but internal ones as well (how big is your team, how long took to develop the game, for how long do you intend to sell and support it and other elements of long term strategy).
  • In general, pricing the game lower is one of the least effective ways to boost sales. As long as you deliver a quality product, deciding on the price should not be your first worry.
  • Use data to determine pricing strategy. VG Insights or Gamalytic is a good place to start.
  • Increasing the price over time to reflect value added by continuous updates is okay! However, you gotta communicate such increases well in advance. Be clear and honest with your players or risk bad PR.
  • Using Steam’s recommended conversion matrix for regional prices is a good idea. There might be some exceptions to that rule so listen to what your community says.
  • Be aware of the price change cooldowns. You can only change your price every so often. Changes will also impact your discount eligibility. See Steamworks documentation for more.
  • Making the game free-to-play might lead to more trouble than it is worth. It makes the game compete with all kinds of free-to-play games, including the top charts titans such as Dota 2, CS2, Destiny 2 etc.
    • Counterintuitively, sometimes it is easier to market a premium (one-time-payment) game than a completely free one (and donā€™t get me started on other forms of monetization, like subscriptions, battle passes, in-game transactions etc.).

Discount Management

Link: https://partner.steamgames.com/promotion/discounts/dashboard/<partner ID here>

  • The current discounting tool on Steam is easy to use and partly automated.
  • As a rule: the games sell nearly exclusively on discounts. Paying the full price is a rare luxury. The current culture of discounts got gamers accustomed to waiting for a sale.
  • Therefore, discount as often as possible. There is no downside, that is just the only way to get people that wishlisted your game to convert.
  • If possible, discount gradually: start with -10% on launch, then -20% after a couple of months, -33% within a year, -50% within two years etc.
  • However, you might not have such luxury if your launch failed in the first place. You might want to discount heavily to make up for the lost opportunity.
  • Be strategic about discount timings. Save the best ones for the best opportunities, such as third-party events where you get visibility, major feature updates for your game etc.
  • When you discount 20% or more, people who wishlisted your game get notified by email. This is an extremely potent way to drive Steam sales.
  • Be aware of the discounting cooldowns. See Steamworks documentation for more.

Community Hub

Link: https://steamcommunity.com/app/<game App ID here>

In short – reply to your audience, moderate the content, keep it clean and professional to maintain a positive impression both among newcomers and the regulars.

  • All
    Here you will find summary of all the latest community activity for your game from all the following categories:
  • Discussions
    ā€¦aka Steam forums. Create pinned threads with key information, like FAQ, Discord link, or how to report bugs. Monitor it on a regular basis (even daily) and answer all questions willingly to be perceived as a professional with good customer service. Help out with technical issues, discuss the game and the design choices, make people engage in the conversation.
  • Screenshots
    Mostly self-explanatory. You might want to consider adding some screenshots here first before the game launches, so this section looks less empty afterwards.
  • Artwork
    Similar to the screenshots section.
  • Broadcasts
    Livestream of your game broadcasted directly on Steam. Oddly this feature is mostly used by game developers to boost their visibility and not the players themselves.
  • Videos
    All game-related videos, including third-party (from YouTube). Consider asking video makers that already made videos on YouTube to add their videos to this section.
  • News
    List of all game news and updates along with their likes and comments. Make sure to communicate with the players on a regular basis. The radio silence conveys the message: the game is dead. There is no going around that.
  • Guides
    Various guides, from how to get all the achievements, through general gameplay tips and installing a fan-made translation, to adding a meme picture into the game. Consider adding your own to help certain groups or boost certain activities (like modding the game or hunting for achievements).
  • Reviews
    Just like with the discussions (aka forums), address this section on a regular basis.
    • It is also visible on the game store page and determines the user score: from negative through mixed to positive.
    • You need a positive score, ideally over 80% for your game to be perceived as a quality product.
    • Post developer replies to user reviews, especially the ones that do not represent the actual state of the product.
    • No matter how negative the review, never disagree or fight the poster in your reply. Address them with respect and understanding. Encourage the person to join the discussion on Discord, to report a bug, or to give the game a try after a bug fix is issued. They might not change their review from negative to positive but how you react matters to other visitors.

Steamworks Support

https://help.steampowered.com/en/wizard/HelpWithPublishing

A very underused feature. Developers are often afraid to use it but you shouldnā€™t. Steam makes money out of selling games, so they need game developers. They dedicate employees to help the developers.

Use this to your advantage and ask for guidance or clarity whenever you need it. Worst case scenario, you will be directed to Steamworks documentation. And even that is a good outcome because the Steamworks support team will likely point you directly to the part of the documentation you might have overlooked.

From my experience, Steamworks support representatives have always been friendly and tremendously helpful.

If you have any doubts regarding how Steam works for you as the developer, any at all, send a Steamworks support ticket.

This is also the place to go if you want to start a process of organizing your own sale event (aka festival).

Steam & Steamworks – Other

There are other various aspects of using Steam and Steamworks that I will address only briefly here. Please research them further in the official Steamworks documentation.

  • Bundles
    Steam allows for making bundles with other developers and publishers. You can reach out to other devs in the same genre or niche. Leverage that cross-promotion to get visibility from other store pages than your own.
  • Achievements
    In-game achievements are a way to attract a certain group of players – achievers. Many of them might decide not to buy the game if it does not feature achievements. Give your players a challenge and design an engaging achievements system!
  • Trading cards
    Similarly to achievements, those have also a dedicated group of fans that might decide not to buy a game that does not have trading cards.
  • Community points shop items
    Steam offers profile customization for its users with items like avatars, stickers, and background images. You can create and add new ones that will represent your game. Steam users can spend the points they earn for buying games and interacting with the Steam community to purchase them.
    • It is a good way to make your game represented in additional places on Steam.
    • It also creates a way for your fans to engage with the game further beyond playing it – effectively deepening their relationship with your brand.
  • Event pages
     On top of Steam seasonal sales and themed events Steam offers a way for developers and publishers to create their own sale events. Such sale events (also known as festivals) can be visible from the Steam store front page which works great to boost sales, wishlists and follows.
  • Steam Deck
    Steam Deck is a handheld console-like PC from Valve. Make sure that your game is Steam Deck Verified before release. It is not that difficult for an indie game to get that status. It is yet another way to make your game more visible for Steam users. Consult the Steam documentation for specific steps.
  • Localization
    Localizing your game can increase your game visibility significantly, especially in the areas with low English literacy. It is heavily recommended by Steam itself. When localizing the game, do not forget about the achievements and the store page as well.

Once again – Steam is at the core of your operations.

Learn as much as you can about effectively using it.

There is a right tool for everything.

OTHER TOOLS

Data analysis & key distribution

  • Woovit, Lurkit, Keymailer, Rainmaker
    • All four platforms offer automated or semi-automated Steam key distribution as well as automated Twitch and YouTube performance analytics for each influencer that claims a key.
    • The idea is that they offer you access to a huge database of video content makers that can easily request a key for the game for coverage purposes.
    • You can also invite video influencers directly to your campaigns on those platforms.
    • Unfortunately, all those platforms suffer from the same problem. They are riddled with bots and scammers that will request the keys only to resell them on a third-party website. They also do not provide that much visibility among legitimate influencers.
    • Lurkit also offers a way to negotiate a sponsored video directly on their platform. Similar services have proved useful to indie game developers in the past.
  • SullyGnome
    • Extremely versatile and completely free Twitch analytics tool.
    • Great for monitoring the performance of your game on Twitch.
    • It is also great for finding Twitch streamers that play games similar to yours (so you can send them keys for the game).
    • Aim for middle sized ones – the ones with millions of subscribers will not work with you for free, and the smallest ones do not provide enough return on time investment.
  • PLAYBOARD, SocialBlade, NoxInfluencer
  • Games-Stats.com
    Analyzing the market data of Steam games.
    For example, which game genres sell best.
  • GamingAnalytics.info
    Monitoring and analyzing game market data.
    Mostly Steam but also GOG, Nintendo, and Xbox.
  • TwitchTracker
    Twitch analytics.
  • SteamDB
    • An all-in-one database of everything on Steam.
    • Great for research or finding things quickly.
    • Here you can find all Steam-related data, links, and parameters for a game. Or filter out the entire Steam catalog. Or find info about past and upcoming Steam sales. Or learn which new Steam features or tags have been recently added. Seriously, use it.
  • VG Insights, Gamalytic
    A very complete picture of the Steam games market. Great for finding out trends and doing comparisons and benchmarks.
  • SteamScout, Steam Review Explorer
    Different tools for analysis of Steam reviews for any game.
  • IndieBI
    Business intelligence (BI) for indies.
  • Steam Stats Portal
    An inventory of links to functionality already offered by Steamworks dashboard, all in one place.
  • Similarweb
    Estimate the website traffic and reach. Useful when considering a direct partnership with a specific website, for example putting your banner ad there.

Game industry calendars

Learn about upcoming industry events and game releases from those calendars:

Useful when planning dates for releases, discounts, and other marketing beats.

Content & social

  • Gleam.io
    Host giveaway contests where participants finish tasks such as: boost/retweet your post, follow a social media account, find a secret code on a website etc. for a chance to win. Giving away Steam keys or physical merchandise that way transfers directly to engagement. It is one of the most cost-effective solutions.
  • Bit.ly
    Using the famous link shortener might lead to some level of mistrust but it helps everywhere where length matters. Also, it provides analytics for each link along with UTM parameters to track campaign performance.
  • Agorapulse
    A social media management platform. Schedule posts, track performance, measure sentiment, listen to people talking about your brand, and more – all in one platform.
  • Awario, Brand24
    Tools dedicated to social listening. Just pick topics and keywords to automatically discover mentions of your game or brand. It is also effective when looking for business leads or researching the competition.
  • Ezgif.com
    The alpha and omega of GIF and short video generation. Someone once said ā€œit should be illegal that ezgif is freeā€ and I agree with that sentiment. It can do everything and effectively optimize the result (which matters since GIFs were only ever designed to be small in size).
  • Delay, Postpone
    Scheduling tools for Reddit with subreddit peak hours analysis.
  • Photopea
    A free web alternative to Photoshop. Useful when you donā€™t have Photoshop installed but need to edit a PSD file quickly (and PSDs are used in marketing quite a lot, even by the Steam team).
  • RoboStreamer
    A pre-made solution to play looped videos on your game Steam page through the Steam Broadcasting feature. Very cost effective.
  • DeepL, Google Translate
    Every now and then you will get a forum message, an email, or a chat message, or a Steam review in a language you donā€™t speak. These automated translation services are your friend. Use them but be straightforward when sending a message translated by a robot. It is common courtesy to inform the recipient about it.
  • Anvakaā€™s Related Subreddits
    Another Reddit analytics tool, helpful when trying to determine subreddits related to a specific topic.
You either pay with your time or with your money.

PAID MARKETING

Paid marketing is simple in theory: you give money to get more money.

Unfortunately, not all forms of marketing have been created equal (or effective), otherwise everyone would be rich. Use your judgment but most importantly, use data. Learn from it and improve your efforts.

Social media ads

That might sound counterintuitive to anyone who uses adblock but social media ads are still very effective means of marketing.

I will not go into details here because the self-serve process for running an ad campaign on each of the platforms is explained well everywhere else.

Here is my rough estimate of which social media and/or ad platforms are best for running paid ads for games and gaming-oriented B2C businesses:

Recommended: Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, YouTube
Not recommended: Twitter/X, Imgur, Twitch
No opinion: Google

When in doubt, reach out to ad experts with a proven track record.

Website banner ads

  • From my experience, a direct partnership with a quality website oriented towards indie games will always yield better results (ROI) than working with a big ad network.
  • Just make sure that the website is a good fit for your ad (that it is visited by people who would be interested in your game).
  • Research the website traffic level through tools such as Similarweb.
  • Then send that email!
  • Make sure to track effectiveness of the platform through UTM links.

Sponsored video content

YouTube videos are constantly among the best ways of showing your video game to a vast audience.

What to do when an influencer is not interested in your game enough to publish a video of them playing it on their channel? Establish a paid partnership.

The Lurkit platform can be helpful in that aspect. However the majority of meaningful partnerships will be established through direct email outreach.

Always do your research first before you decide to spend money on partnerships:

  • Screen the channel and social media presence of an influencer manually.
  • Ask other indie game developers and publishers that they worked with whether it was a good experience.
  • Use YouTube analytics tools and benchmarks to establish what to expect from an influencer of a certain size as well as how much to pay.
Marketing is an ever-changing discipline. There is always more you can learn.

GAME MARKETING LEARNING RESOURCES

ā€¦and game business learning resources, because these two are intertwined.

PROCESSES & PRACTICES

The following practices have been incorporated in my work in the last years:

  • Organic outreach
    Make sure to make a habit of reaching out to influencers, press, other game developers, potential business partners, community members. Hone your email writing skills. Learn to communicate clearly, honestly, and build relationships that last.
  • Media assets
    Always have them readily available: promotional pictures, screenshots, GIFs, videos. Have one set of them ready for social platforms and another for when you need to pitch the game to press or apply for an event. They are an important weapon in your marketing arsenal.
  • Product and update release
    Create an actionable strategy for releasing a product, and another one for releasing game updates. Remember to cross all the items out of your list in a timely and organized manner. Never release on Friday unless you are willing to do overtime during the weekend. Capitalize on your strengths and always aim to make a big splash.
  • Other marketing beats
     Create your own opportunities to celebrate your product and your brand. Come up with initiatives. Events. Competitions. Remember to keep things interesting and lively, even when they are not.
  • Social listening
    Use services such as Awario, Agorapulse, or Brand24 to monitor the web. It can give you a lot of important insights and identify alarming situations early enough for you to act.
  • Playtesting
    Community is your asset. Use that asset to your advantage. Bring them closer to you so they can help you out. Gather feedback and bug reports as early as possible. Your product will make a much better first impression if you address its issues before the public release.
  • Engagement driving
    Communicate in a manner that encourages others to participate in the conversation. Ask simple but open ended questions. Be relatable. Use calls to action.
  • Partnerships
    Sometimes help can come from most unexpected places. Work with the community. Work with third-party websites. With various platforms. With other game developers. With small and medium streamers. Seek allies to your cause everywhere!
  • Clear communication
     Aim to convey as much as possible in as little words as possible. Be honest, most of the time it is easier to do than otherwise. It will earn you respect. Never be fake or slimy. Announce your intentions in advance. Ask for help when you need it.
  • Research & trends
    Develop a routine of learning what is going on in the world of game marketing and the gaming world in general. Always dedicate a portion of your work time to research. It will save you time and money in the long run. Document newfound knowledge if possible. Or at least have an inventory of third-party links.
  • Cross-company co-operation
    Other indie developers are not your competition. They are your friends. The games market is huge. Steam is huge. There is truly space for everyone. By working together you can achieve way more than by isolating yourself. Host events together. Do bundles. Cross-promotion and banner exchange. Share knowledge and get knowledge in return.

Last but not leastā€¦

GAME DESIGN IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT MARKETING TOOL YOU HAVE AT YOUR DISPOSAL.

Make informed decisions. Make a marketable game. Determine a clear plan on how to monetize it. There is no game development without marketing. And no game marketing without development.

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