It’s been some time since I last wrote a feature on marketing, but I figured it was about time I do another. If you missed the originals, you can find parts 1 and 2 here and here. This next piece will dive further into points I had briefly covered in the previous articles, but also tack on a few things I’ve been meaning to add since.
Introduce yourself *before* you release your game
As a hobbyist covering a niche market (XBLIG), my inbox still manages to get flooded with e-mails from budding developers, eager marketers, and even the occasional hardware launch. I can only imagine what the inboxes of full-time professionals must look like. With this in mind, try to picture what a journalist is envisioning when scrolling through that mess each day. Naturally, people are inclined to spend their valuable hours socializing and conversing with individuals whom they know, and everything else is just stuff that gets in the way of that.
Therefore, it’s imperative that you introduce yourself before you actually have anything to sell them, because that’s exactly what you’re doing when you send out a press release about your latest title. Their time is limited and valuable, so they will gravitate towards whatever is going to get the most hits and chatter on their respective outlet. Moreover, people are naturally more receptive to pitches and conversations from people whom they already know, so make an introduction, and make it early.
Figure out what your angle is, then figure out the same for your game
Everyone has an angle. What is your selling point? What makes you unique or interesting? Why should someone remember your name or face? Pick out a few key features which identify you as an individual and roll with them. If you’re a know-it-all programmer with years of industry experience at a Triple-A studio and later went indie, say it. A bit of exposition about yourself will help people remember you and your game at a later time. Even if you don’t have top-notch chops in one field or another, make the journalist aware that you’re just a budding developer. At least at that point they will have something to remember you by.
Keep the intro short and sweet. This is no different than approaching someone on a face-to-face basis. A simple “Hey [Guy], I’ve been a fan of your work at [Outlet] for some time now, and just wanted to introduce myself. I’m [currently making my first indie, a yada yada yada].“ Add a personal touch by commenting on a recent piece of work they’ve done as well. You don’t want this to come off as a spam message, but instead as a way of establishing a personal relationship.
Sign off with something like “Well I look forward to seeing more of your work. If you’d like to know more about myself and my work, feel free to browse my personal site at [www.MyPersonalSite.com].”
What is the worst that could happen? So what, the guy doesn’t respond. At least you made the effort of introducing yourself. The benefits of a proper introduction are priceless though, and you never know where it could lead.
And for the love of god, put a signature in your e-mail. I should know A) Who you are, B) Who / What you work for (represent), C) What your role is there, D) How to get in touch with you, and E) Where I can find additional info on you. Take a look below for a good example (shameless plug):
Ben Kuchera of Ars Technica recently gave an excellent speech at Run Jump Dev on how to market your indie games. He explained that it’s important for developers to have a hook or selling point for a site’s readers to sink their teeth into. One example is that of a developer who had a generic game, but programmed it in a chicken coop at night and needed to wear headphones while doing so to drown out the clucking in the background. That’s precisely what journalists are looking for- you’re saving them the work of having to dig through information to find a story worth telling and instead pitching an interesting story yourself.
Make that Twitter photo memorable
If you read my previous article then you’re well aware of the benefits of Twitter. There is no reason why you shouldn’t be on there and constantly networking. See an article you like from a well known industry journalist? Let them know you enjoyed it! Don’t be afraid to ask for their input or thoughts on a relevant gaming subject either. The point of Twitter is to engage with an audience, and it has never been easier to do so than now.
Now that we have all of that out of the way, let’s talk about that ridiculous Twitter photo of yours. You know, the one with that dumb grinning ostrich. I have no idea of what you look like, based on this photo, so you had better hope to win me over with your 140 character bio. And why don’t you have a URL to your site in there?
Anyway, use a photo that makes a good first impression and gives followers a general idea of what you look like. This way, when you go to the next industry event people can actually recognize you when you approach them. Besides, it makes you come off as a bit more professional, regardless of how you may actually behave on there.
Find your tone
This can often be the most difficult part of writing a press release or marketing a game. Is your game serious? Silly? Whatever the matter, make sure the tone of your marketing material matches that of your game. It creates a disconnect between the two when the tones don’t match. There’s nothing wrong with mixing both silly and serious together; however, just don’t lean too far in one direction while only adding a splash of the other. It will leave a bad taste in the reader’s mouth.
Call to action
When the reader is done looking over your work they should have a clear idea of what they should do. A “call to action” is what it is referred to in the advertising industry. This should be found in the final paragraph, ideally in your last sentence. This focus and direction to offer your readers should persuade them to want to take action, with an understanding of how to go about it. In terms of your press release, you want them to write about your game. State that, without appearing to grovel or ask. Your use of language is of utmost importance here, so it’s essential that you use words to affirm your position without seeming over confident as well.
I’ll use some of the Summer Uprising press releases as an example. This first one is from 9/8/11:
“Finally, be sure to look for a postmortem on our site in the near future, where we will discuss all of the intricate details of the campaign, in terms of what went right, and what went wrong. You can be sure to find postmortems from each developer to follow shortly after, as well.”
I finish with “Be sure to look for a postmortem on our site in the near future.” I’m telling the reader what to do: Look for a postmortem and stating when they can find it. At the bottom you can also clearly find our contact information, should individuals have any more inquiries (which they commonly do).
The top of the press release clearly illustrates its purpose: “The Summer Uprising has an Xbox LIVE dashboard promotion!” Immediately following it is a bit of exposition explaining what the IGSU is, and why this headline is important. The more information you arm the journalists with, the easier it is for them to do their job. Overall, the message is clear, concise, and poignant and offers no information that is not directly related to the message I’m trying to convey. It is important to offer links to resources where readers can find that information.
How to write a press release: A guest entry
While writing this feature, a friendly developer e-mailed me and asked if I would mind looking over his press release, which I had offered to do for everyone involved with the Summer Uprising. With his permission, I’m reposting our conversation, albeit without any telling information that would identify the developer.
Hi [journalist]
Perfect. It’s always good to have the individual journalist’s name in here. It’s a small thing, and time consuming on your side, but it makes a huge difference, especially if you’re trying to make a good first impression. Also, it doesn’t hurt if you include a line or two about their outlet so that they don’t feel as though this is a spam message that went out to everyone. Again, it’s a subtle thing that goes a LONG way toward establishing a relationship.
My name is Guy (Always include last name) and I create independent games for tiny, upside-down (huh?) game developer ABC Games.(Include a link to the studio) We’ve just released our first title on the XBOX Live Indie Games marketplace (Xbox doesn’t need all caps, but the service, LIVE, does), and we’d really love to have a review or mention on [the site]. (I wouldn’t include this. Makes it sound like you’re asking for something. Which really, we all are, but don’t want it to be obvious. You’re basically looking for a selling point about your game/studio/self for the journalist to grab a hold of and write about. More on this later.)
The game is called ABC Game (Link to the game/trailer). It’s a tough (really tough) (you’re straightforward about the difficulty, good, this could be a selling point for the game) twin-stick shooter set inside a petri dish. Unlike most shooters where your goal is just to survive, your goal in ABC Game is to defend the Nucleus, an entity growing at the center of the dish, from invading bacteria. (You’re differentiating yourself from the rest of twin-stick shooters, good.) There are 13 waves to fight through, including two tough boss waves. You can collect power ups to increase your firepower, and drop mines to guard the Nucleus.
So the game’s description sounds pretty generic. It’s your job to find a selling point behind it, and pitch that to the journalist. You’re essentially pitching a story to them. You’re saying “Here’s why you should spend time covering my story today, and not that of the 200 other e-mails you’ve received.” Everything has a hook. It may not be the game, essentially, but the developer him/herself or the studio. Remember the chicken coop. People are going to talk about that, and the journalist had to do little to no work for it. Those are the home runs they are looking for.
Find your home run, throw it in here, and run with it. It may take you a few days to come up with it, but that’s the difference between getting your story posted or not.
If you’re interested, here is a promo code that you can use to download a copy of the game – [code goes here].
Here are some useful links:
ABC Games website
Press release
Press kit
Release trailer
Marketplace link
and some screenshots:
www.LinkToImage1.com
www.LinkToImage2.com
www.LinkToImage3.com
Thanks for your time and I really look forward to hearing from you.
As I said, it would be great to get your thoughts, but only if you have the time. (You don't need the "but only if you have the time" part. Otherwise, it's a solid and strong ending. You conclude with your "call of action," that is, something you want the reader to do.)
Regards,
Guy
--
ABC Games
ABCGames.com
@ABCGames
Good signature, but be sure to include a direct link to your twitter, not just the handle name. Also, an about.me page link or something is very useful in your signature. It allows the reader to get more of an understanding of who you are as a person and gauge interest. After I sent out e-mails for the IGSU I would check the stats on my page and see a sudden spike. That informs me that people are interested in knowing more about who just sent them this letter, but also that they may be interested in covering the game. You'd be surprised at how often people read your bio or whatever if you include it in a page of your own. Also, it allows the reader to connect with you on a way outside of games, for example, if you have a common interest. Those small things go a long way. Some people (myself included) have their phone number in their signature as well when contacting journalists. It sounds silly, but I've gotten plenty of calls that way when they need to acquire quick info. Not everyone is comfortable with handing out their personal info though, so it's a preference really.)
Finally you need to have your own e-mail address. By that I mean not "info@" but "Guy@." It makes it far easier for the journalist to remember who you are and also sift through e-mails later. For all they know, Info@ could go to everyone at your company, (when in reality I'm assuming that it goes just to you). Again, those subtle differences go a long way.
If you want to view some more press releases then free to take a look those we put together for the Summer Uprising. While they are by no means perfect, they get the point across and worked well when promoting the campaign.
Well that’s all for now! If you'd like additional resources and have access to the GDC vault, then you can find a panel I had the privilege of being a member of at GDC Europe titled Indie's got PR talent. There, we spoke about how to and how to not write press releases and market your independent games. If you think I missed something here then please feel free to get in touch with me or leave a comment below. At Armless Octopus, we love to hear your thoughts!
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Alexandre Avenard
