Please note, this guide is not about announcing the release of your game, but announcing to the world that you're developing it. If you’ve already announced it and the response was little or nothing, don’t panic, you can still create buzz for your second announcement.
Introduction
To maximize press/exposure of your first announcement and to increase wishlists, it’s best to plan beforehand. Do not announce your indie game if there’s nobody to announce it to, especially if you haven’t set-up your Steam store page. Posting too early may seem like a wonderful idea, but in reality, it’s not. There are hundreds of games announced each day, most of which go unnoticed. Don’t become a statistic, become a memorable announcement.
What You Need For Your Announcement
I will guide you, step by step, through what I believe to be the essentials for announcing your upcoming Steam indie game for maximum exposure. Let’s make marketing simple.
Contents
1. Patience
2. Wishlists
3. Steam Store Page
4. Website
5. Press List
6. Writing to the Press
7. Social Media
8. Timing
9. Conclusion
1. Patience
Big publishers can get away with announcing their game just months before release simply because of their existing reach. But for indies, it's wise to do this at least one year in advance. You need to give yourself plenty of time to build up wishlists and prepare a quality announcement. The press needs something tangible to write about, so give them content worthy enough to publish. Posting your announcement with mere concept art will not turn heads. I see a lot of indies announce their game far too early and have uninspiring/little content to show off with zero Call to Action. There’s no need to rush in. The stage of development matters when announcing your game. Your first announcement is your most valuable one. Use it wisely.
2. Wishlists
Wishlists are a fundamental part of telling the Steam algorithm that people care about your game. I know there’s some debate about how late or early you should start building up wishlists, but I think there is a happy medium which depends on the quality of your announcement. Valve do not care about how recent your wishlists are, they just care about how high the number is. The higher you can get this number, the more leverage you have when talking to them about promotional support for your title's launch - it's even beneficial if you're looking for Publishers. People will not forget they added your game to their wishlist if your announcement is memorable and if the marketing you do afterwards is consistent. That’s the difference.
3. Steam Store Page
Your Steam store page is your Call to Action, or to be more precise, Call to Wishlist. It’s important to use your announcement to build as many wishlist additions as possible. If your announcement gains a ton of visibility, it's likely many people will talk about your game. This means there’s a window of opportunity because people will search for it, but it won’t last forever. That’s why it’s crucial to have your Steam store page go live at the same time as your announcement, as opposed to launching it months or years later down the line. Have the following ready:
Short Gameplay Trailer: Containing exciting gameplay footage.
Beautiful in-game screenshots: 5 screenshots, each unique.
Features about the game: What are the best features your game offers?
Engaging Copy: Choose your wording wisely and don't go overboard with the text.
Tip: Don't flood your store page with tons of text or gifs. Keep it short and sweet.
4. Website
The primary purpose of your website is to re-direct visitors to your Steam store page and allow journalists to extract info from your press kit. At this stage in development, you only need two pages that serve two purposes: a professional-looking landing page that focuses on your Call to Wishlist and Press kit. As time goes on after your announcement, you can overhaul and add more to it. Keep the following in-mind:
Responsive: Make sure it's smartphone friendly and very optimised.
Press Kit: Keep it simple, you can thank Rami Ismail for this: https://dopresskit.com/.
Tip: Make sure your Press kit and Call to Wishlist is cleary visible for the reader.
5. Custom Made Press List
First, research which journalists have published articles about games similar to yours. This puts you on the right path to creating a tailor-made press list. If you’re confused by what I mean, here is an example:
Let’s say you’re releasing a Rougelike shooter with gameplay mechanics inspired by Risk of Rain 2. You’ve now identified your target audience and can begin searching for a journalist. Open your preferred search engine and type "Risk of Rain 2 reviews", go through each one and try to get the email address of the author and add them to your press list. As for what information to note down, here are the basics:
Region | Website | Name | Position | Social |
|---|---|---|---|---|
UK | indiegamejoe | Joe | Manager |
I understand the laborious part is finding an email address. Sometimes you won’t be able to, and that’s okay. Here are my tips on how to find them:
Find Contributors: The editorial team isn't the only one looking for games to write about.
Twitter: Sometimes they have their DM’s open or place their email address in their bio.
Linked In: If they do not list their email address, add them to your connection.
Email Finder: Use something like voilanorbert.com.
