Video Game PR

When launching a new game, it’s essential to pick up as much media coverage as possible to help boost sales for a successful launch. One of the best ways to do that is through a press release. But, like everything, how well you write your press release will depend on how much coverage you will receive. So let’s look at eight key elements you’ll want to consider when writing the perfect press release for your next game launch.

For those who don’t know, a press release is an official announcement that an organization releases to the news media that shares a big announcement such as a new game launch, a new company launch, or a major change in an organization. It shouldn’t be confused with a PR Pitch, which shares general news updates, new assets, etc. A press release should only include news that is worthy of telling the world.

When done well, press releases:

Attract media coverage
Are a cost-effective promotion tool
Help launch new products and breaking news
Boost brand awareness
Help build backlinks with trusted news sites

So let’s jump into exactly what you need to consider when writing a press release.

Determine Your Key Message

Once you’ve decided that your news is worthy of a formal press release, it’s important to decide on the key message. In other words, if the reader only took one thing away from this press release, what would it be?

A few examples of great key messages include:

Veteran developers from [Company] have now launched their studio
[Studio] is launching a new fantasy rogue-like this March on Console and PC
[Company] has hired industry veteran Joe Smith to head up development on their newest Sci-Fi RPG
[Studio] recently received [$Amount$] of seed funding

Your key message should be short and to the point and be the bulk of your press release. Remember, you only have a few seconds to make an impression on the media outlet, so make sure you grab their attention.

Any additional content you include should be relevant to the key message. For example, if you announce a new game, you could include info about past titles, sales successes, or expanding to new platforms.

For quantitative content, such as sales numbers and market expansions, include supporting data. Simply stating “[Company] hit a new sales record” won’t be anywhere near as effective as, “[Company] sold 300,000 copies of [Game] this year, hitting #1 on Steam’s autumn sales charts, and making it the biggest seller for the company since their last title [Game], which sold 25,000 copies.”

Specific numbers are always more appealing to those reading the press release than generalizations.

Press Release Format is Everything

While the content of your press release is important, the press release format is a close second.

A perfectly formatted press release allows the reader to quickly scan the press release and understand what the key message is.

A good press release follows this format layout:

Headline
Subhead
Body Text
- Quotes
Boilerplates
Contact Info
Assets/Press Kit

Press Release Headlines and Subheads

Headlines

Your press release headline will determine if the reader opens it or just passes it over. A boring headline will get your release ignored or moved to the “read later” pile. And if a reader doesn’t open your press release, nothing else matters.

There are two basic rules for writing a press release headline that readers click:

Keep it short and to the point.
Add specific key info, including sales numbers or well-known brands/names to increase curiosity.

Here are a few examples of weak vs. strong headlines:

A weak headline: [Company] Announces Three New Additions To Executive Team

A strong headline: Award-Winning Game Company, [Company], Adds Veteran Designer [Name] from [Important Game] to Design Team

You also want to keep the length of your headline in mind. Several email apps, especially mobile clients, will cut off email subjects after a certain number of characters. So, to avoid getting cut off, limit the number of words.

Subhead

The subhead is a follow-up sentence within the release immediately following the headline. It’s used as a continuation of the headline. Use this opportunity to expand on the news you stated in the headline.

Looking at our previous example:

Headline: Award-Winning Game Company, [Company], Adds Veteran Designer [Name] from [Important Game] to Design Team

Subhead:[Company] Has Also Brought on [developer #1 Name] to Head Up New Project for Expansion onto [new Platform], and [developer #2 Name] as Creative Lead on the Project

Your subhead should still be direct. Be sure to avoid any information that doesn’t add context to the statement.

Press Release Body Text

The body text is where you continue what you’ve said in your headlines and subheads. The first paragraph should focus on your core message, including, ‘Who, What, Where, When, and Why”.

Tell the reader the key message and explain why it’s important. Keep the paragraph short, no more than six sentences.

Following paragraphs can discuss additional topics or continue to expand upon your original paragraph, but remember, it’s important to include supporting data in the form of actual numbers and quotes from related parties.

Including 1-2 quotes makes your press release feel more personal and relatable. When choosing your quotes, be sure to use one that uses specific information. The standard “We are thrilled to be working with [Company]” tells the reader nothing. Also, be sure to attribute the quote correctly, including a title and company. If you can’t find a quote that meets that criteria, it’s best just to skip them altogether.

Press Release Boilerplates

Once you have drafted the body text, you should include the first of two standard elements – the boilerplates.

Boilerplates are the “About [Company]” paragraphs you see at the end of press releases. They help the reader quickly learn more about the companies involved, including key people, products, and other important elements.

Ideally, each boilerplate should be between 4-6 sentences. Your goal should be to give the reader a condensed summary of the company or product. Include links to the official website and any relevant social links.

Press Release Contact Information

The second standard element you want to include after the boilerplate is the contact information. Even though your press release will have basic info included, it should be standard practice to include a Contact Information section at the end.

This section should include the key PR contact for each region/territory and both phone numbers and email addresses.

Press Release Assets/Press Kit

Finally, you want to include a press kit with your press release. A typical press kit includes:

logos of all involved companies
images of the product itself (in the case of a game, screenshots of gameplay)
videos or trailers
photos of relevant executives or team members

You should already have all of these items as part of your marketing and pr toolkit – just make sure they are the best representation of your company and product.

Spreading the Word

Now that you’ve created the press release, it’s time to share it. But how do you send it, and who do you send it to?

There are several services that allow you to send out press releases – some for free and some paid.

However, if you really want to get the most bang out of your press release, this is where a PR agency can be invaluable. A PR agency provides you access to experienced PR teams and their established relationships, which can help you get your press release into the right inboxes. They’ll also ensure that the press release you send follows the key elements outlined above and is optimized for the best results.

Need a little more help putting together a press release that gets you media attention? Get in touch with the UberStrategist team to see how they can help you with your next launch.

So, you’ve got a new video game releasing and you want the major media outlets to cover it so your launch is a success? Well, the first step you need to take is developing a killer video game PR pitch strategy to grab the media’s attention. Here’s why!

Want the major media outlets to cover your video game release? Then follow these steps to develop a killer #videogame #PR pitch strategy!

If you want a journalist to review or draft a story about your video game, writing and sending PR pitches are an essential part of the process. While you may feel that your story, news, or business might be compelling, if you don’t write a video game pitch that grabs a journalist’s attention, it’ll simply get buried in their inbox.

David Mack, the deputy director for breaking news at BuzzFeed News, receives around 300 emails each day in his inbox. Mack will typically read only the subject line, and if it’s not explicitly targeted at him and BuzzFeed, he won’t open it.

With the average journalist receiving up to 100 pitches a day, it’s essential that you know what media members are looking for before you start pitching. Getting them to open your email and respond is one of the beginning steps to cultivating long-term media relationships.

In this article, we are going to cover the basic mechanics of a video game PR pitch strategy that will increase your chances of success.

What’s a Video Game PR Pitch?

A video game PR pitch is an email you send to media members to secure interest or press coverage for your new video game. Traditionally done through email, you can also consider pitching your video game via phone or social media platforms.

To be clear, a pitch isn’t the same as a media alert or press release. It needs to be simple and to the point. The goal of your pitch is to get the recipient interested in writing a story, not simply reposting news. Think of it as a step between a friendly email and news post outreach correspondence.

To create a successful video game pitch, you should outline the potential story and why it’s exciting and valuable. By the end of your pitch, the recipient should know exactly why their readers would be interested in your product and be compelled to write a story about it.

When drafting your pitch, consider the following:

Keep it Short: Your video game pitch should be two to three paragraphs in length with a few sentences in each (91% of journalists prefer pitches under 200 words).

Keep it Concise: Keep your pitch brief but comprehensive, giving the reader enough information to garner interest.

Make it Actionable: Your pitch needs to tell the editor what they can do with the information.

Make it Personal: Illustrate in your pitch that you know the editor’s beat and why they’d find your story interesting.

Make it Valuable: Will your story bring their website clicks or lend some level of credibility to the outlet? Make sure you clearly outline the value your pitch brings.

4 Key Elements of a Video Game PR Pitch

While short in length, each video game pitch you write should include the same four key elements to be effective.

1. The “What”

Before you get started, you need to know what you’re pitching. Consider if your story is “meaty” enough to warrant a pitch. Journalists look for newsworthy and relevant stories to write about. You want to clearly show them the value of your story because they ultimately want to see page views at the end of the day.

You also want your story to help you get the “right” attention. Look at your concept from various angles. If there’s a chance someone could negatively view your story, you’ll want to rework it.

Your story should also be new and current. You won’t benefit from trying to rehash old news since readers and editors won’t pay attention to it.

Your pitch should also be relevant to the publication and editor you’re pitching to. While the outlet they write for might be gaming-centric, you don’t want to pitch a story about an app to a journalist that only focuses on Xbox games.

Think about the unique elements of your story. The more memorable it is, the better. Imagine being an editor and receiving your pitch in your inbox. Would it stand out among the rest as a potential story?

2. The “Why”

It is always essential to consider why you’re pitching this story. Is there actual value to the media in your pitch?

The editor’s focus is on their readers and page views. They’ll determine the value of your story by how many clicks it’ll generate. Not all stories will generate page views, but they can lend some credibility to the outlet. For example, a significant financial announcement or a CEO interview can make an outlet seem more professional. Don’t overlook that angle when writing your pitch.

3. The “Who”

You’re trying to start a conversation with an editor and develop a long-lasting relationship. You’re not simply blasting out information. You need to decide who you want to talk to and how you’ll break the ice with them.

One of the first steps to get media coverage is to create a targeted list of editors. Each person on the list should focus on the topic you’re pitching or similar topics. You want to start a conversation with a small, targeted media list, not blast your pitch out to a massive list of media.

While you can create a more extensive list of editors, you shouldn’t pitch to it all at once. Instead, pick a subset of five to ten targets from the list. Pitch to them, adapt your pitch based on their responses, and pitch another subgroup.

And for the best feedback, start by pitching your “friendlies” first, or the outlets you know the most about. That’ll help you easily draft your first targeted pitch.

When developing the pitch angles, break down your product into multiple categories. For example, a snowboarding video game can get broken up into the following categories:

Videogames: General, board sports, and winter sports games
General entertainment
General sports sites
Winter sports sites
Skateboarding publications
Music outlets (if the game has a soundtrack)

4. The “How”

Next, consider how you’ll be pitching. As we mentioned before, email is usually the go-to, but you have multiple options.

Some journalists prefer various modes of communication. Some won’t ever pick up the phone or return a voicemail.

Do your research to learn about the journalist or ask your colleagues about their experience with the person.

Ultimately, you want to respect the editor’s time. You can do that by keeping your pitch short, relevant, and to the point.

Start your pitch with the “meat” in the first paragraph. Tell the editor what your story is about and why it’s interesting. In this section, you can include social proof such as sales stats or testimonials. Wrap up the first paragraph with what you’re offering them, like an exclusive interview or breakthrough story.

After the first paragraph, you can add more information as you see fit but always keep it brief. If the editor opens your email and sees a wall of text, they might just skip it altogether. If your email fits on one screen, then it’s less intimidating.

You should always address the writer by name twice. That way, they’ll know it’s not an automated email.

Also, don’t be afraid to double-dip. If you’re discussing one game with an editor, there’s no problem with mentioning other games you’re working on that have similar pitches.

What to Do if You Don’t Get a Response

Not every pitch lands a story after the first email. Following up with an editor and sending them an ICYMI (in case you missed it) email is okay, but keep it at one follow-up. Any more than that is annoying and could get you on their blocklists.

Also, consider other channels to follow up. If you started with email, you could hit them up via DM on Twitter. Or give them a call to let them know you sent them an email.

Next, if you feel like your pitch generally missed the mark, you can rework it before sending it out to other media members. Consider the following things when reworking your pitch:

Can you make it more personal?
Is there a way to shorten it?
Does the subject line need to be more straightforward?
Pitch on a different day, like a Monday or Tuesday
Send your pitch at a different time between 5 AM and 12 PM EST
Test some pitches with A/B testing

Sample Video Game Pitches

To help you better understand the construction and layout of a successful video game PR pitch, we’ve put together an example that incorporates the four key elements and the advice we outlined above.

Sample Pitch #1

Hi [insert first name],

As someone who covers [product-niche], I thought you might be interested in learning more about [product name] – a unique new video game developed by [developer name]. If your readers are interested in [unique value of product], then I know they’d be interested in learning more.

We have pulled together a media packet full of assets that you can review and use, should you choose to share information about this new game with your readers. Would you be interested in getting full access to those assets so you can learn more about [product name] so you can share in an upcoming article?

Sending out video game PR pitches is all about trial and error. Keeping your message short, sweet, and to the point is essential when reaching out to the media. Show how your story will bring value to the editor, and if you don’t get a response, move on to your next list.

If it all feels a bit overwhelming, the UberStrategist team of PR pros can help with your pitching efforts. Schedule a strategy call with us to discuss what we can do for your projects and studio.

As a video game PR agency, we work with indie game developers and studios to create PR campaigns, and one of the questions we often get asked is, “how do I promote my game?” Today we are answering that by exposing video game PR strategies that will help you get media coverage for your video game!

Want to know how to get more media coverage for your video game? Use these video game PR strategies!

We can say from our experience that developing marketing campaigns for video games and achieving success with them is one of the most challenging stages in a developer’s career.

Coverage is king. But if you think word-of-mouth alone is sufficient to your game under the press radar, you’ve got it wrong. Marketing and promotion of your video games takes more than that.

A strategically planned and well-executed PR campaign can capture positive media coverage for your gaming business and give an invaluable boost for your game launch.

But what does it take to create an effective video game PR strategy? How do you know if you are on the right path?

Here are 7 PR tips and video game marketing strategies to help your video game and studio get media coverage.

1. Tell a Unique and Captivating Story

Journalists sift through countless PR pitches to find titles that are worth reporting on. But, to cut through the noise and grab their attention, you need a different approach that sets you apart, builds authority and credibility.

Merely copying ideas or reproducing similar content your competitors write won’t get you anywhere because of sameness.

The key to success is crafting a unique and interesting story that captivates readers’ minds immediately.

As every successful promotional campaign begins with a strong foundation, find topics that people are passionate to hear about. You can start by asking the following questions:

Does your game accomplish something interesting that’s not seen very often from competing titles? Highlight that.

Is your company staffed by notable individuals worthy of a name drop? Drop those names in.

Has your studio just come off of other successful releases? Add in that information.

Don’t be afraid to rewrite your PR pitch. The only way to create a killer video game PR pitch is by practicing it and polishing it.

2. Develop a Press Portal or Press Kit

For media members, finding out about a game is only the first step in the process of getting media coverage.

They need to have easy access to information and assets, so they can include those details in whatever they write up about your title. Not having all of that at their fingertips could result in your game getting little to no coverage.

Rami Ismail of indie studio Vlambeer created a free web template called presskit that’s a perfect tool for game studios (both big and small) to use. You’re able to host the most important information and assets about your company and projects within the platform. It’s free to use, and you can create press pages in as little as 30 minutes.

As a developer, you don’t have time to spend hours or days building a press kit for media members. By using presskit(), you can create a simple destination for the press so they can gather the necessary details to produce preliminary coverage.

Another option is self-hosting a press kit file directory with assets and documents in Google Drive, OneDrive, DropBox, or a similar file-sharing platform instead.

Just be sure to remember to update it with new information, screenshots, key art, and videos.

3. Develop a PR Timeline

A PR timeline is the organizational foundation of what, how, and when information about your studio and game will be broadcast. It typically spans the first utterance of your game to the press and public up until launch. Sometimes timelines will include post-release beats, depending upon the project.

When developing your PR timeline, include the following items:

Formal Announcement Press Release: Issue a press release to gaming media at the following major news beats:

- - Studio and/or game announcement
  - Release date
  - Launch
  - Partnerships

Development Milestones: Within your timeline, note when you expect to hit certain development milestones (i.e., a new level, multiplayer, etc.). These milestones can help determine what kind of future opportunities may become available for press or public showing. In addition, you can follow our video game marketing and PR checklist to make the process easier.

Events: Track tradeshow events or propose self-hosted press events you intend to or can bring your game to. Pay attention to events that happen not only in physical but virtual settings as well.

Visual Asset Drops: Regular asset drops via informal media blasts will keep your game in the public eye through appealing visuals. This can include screenshots, artwork, and full gameplay trailers.

Preview Code Opportunity: Do you have plans to show your game to press members prior to launch? Determine when you’re comfortable distributing home access to your game so you can line up pre-release coverage. You typically want previews to hit 4-6 weeks prior to launch.

Review Code Availability: You want your game to be ready to be formally reviewed by the media prior to launch so you can have reviews hit on launch day. The length of time between the moment you send out review codes and the game’s launch is determined by several factors. One of these factors includes how confident you feel in your game being played by the media.

4. Compile a List of (Potentially) Friendly Media

Select your media targets wisely. You want to ensure you’re sending your pitches out to the right people. Not only will it increase the likelihood of your game and/or studio getting written about, but you won’t waste your time by sending pitches to media who won’t be interested.

Create a list of media contacts who have previously posted positive articles about your studio or products. If you’re completely new to the industry, do some research.

Search online for games that are similar to yours. Then, find out what media outlets and writers covered those games. Add their names to your list and get their contact information.

5. Create and Proactively Use Social Media Channels

You need to have an online presence for your studio and your games. In addition to a dedicated website, a social media page is crucial. You need both pieces so the press and prospective fans can find out information about you.

Reach out to consumers and media members on social media channels they frequent daily — Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. While they may visit your website on occasion, the primary place they’ll find out information about you and your projects is on social media. Those are also great channels for building up your video game community.

Using one or more of these social media sites keeps your presence alive, allowing you to actively share important information with newly gained followers. Repeatedly interacting with them is fundamental in building a following and retaining it. These sites also help increase your organic reach via retweets, comment feeds, re-shares, and recommendations.

6. Fine Tune Your Messaging

Before you start reaching out to the media, make sure you draft your pitch, DM, tweet, or post ahead of time and have someone outside of your company look it over.

Have them consider:

Is this interesting?
Is this well-written? (no typos or spelling mistakes!)
Is it concise?

Media and influencers don’t have time to read a four-page email. So instead, give them two to three concise paragraphs with an attention-grabbing headline. Don’t waste your time drafting a novella that no one will take the time to read.

7. Utilize a PR Agency

Video game marketing and PR agencies exist to take the load off your team. Finding the right media to contact, determining what message to use, and reaching out to those individuals takes time. An agency can save you time and wasted effort through their networks of established media and influencer contacts, which they can engage on your behalf.

Follow Our Video Game PR Tips to Secure Media Coverage

Landing media coverage isn’t something that happens overnight. However, it’s a crucial component of an effective video game marketing and PR campaign. Without the media talking about your game on their social media accounts and websites, your game won’t take off as it should.

Want to learn more about how we can help you land positive media coverage and PR for video games? Contact UberStrategist to discuss what we can do for your studio and projects.

You’ve done it. What started as an idea in the back of your mind has turned into a full-fledged video game ready for people to purchase and play.

But wait! How will people know that your game is available and ready to play?

That’s when video game marketing and PR come into the picture.

Video game marketing and PR are essential parts of promoting your game and ensuring that people can find it and play it. But marketing for video games can become tricky if you don’t know exactly what to do.

To help you launch a successful video game, we have pulled together this video game marketing and PR checklist that you can follow to ensure success!

Clueless about video game #marketing and PR? If you are a developer, you’ll want to grab this helpful checklist to make your next game launch a success!

If you’re an indie developer but don’t have a marketing team to get the ball rolling, follow this guide to get a better idea of how to plan out your video game marketing and PR campaign.

What is Video Game Marketing and PR?

Before we dive into the nuts and bolts of video game marketing and PR, let’s talk about what it is.

The goal of video games marketing is to get information about your game out to the general public. That way, you can target the right audiences and let them know about your game’s release.

When developing your campaign, you must consider how to position your game, what the hook is, and how to get the public interested. You want tons of buzz around your game before its release and after, keeping gamers engaged and leading to sales.

Find Success with Our Video Game Marketing and PR Checklist

As a video game marketing and PR firm, we know exactly what it takes to promote a new video game, so it gets a lot of buzz. So take this checklist we’ve created to sketch an effective video game marketing strategy and plan out killer video game PR.

1. Identify Key Development Milestones

Knowing your development milestones will help you determine when to activate certain components in your marketing timeline. For example, you don’t want to announce a game too early in the process, especially if it’s still in the ideas phase.

A perfect example of when timing went awry is with the No Man’s Sky launch. Players felt that the game didn’t deliver what was promised to them during the marketing campaign and that the game didn’t meet specific milestones. This resulted in the game receiving terrible ratings at launch and was investigated for false advertising.

Another reason why you want to create a timeline of your development milestones is to plan your announcements.

You can use press releases and trailers to announce new game features that haven’t previously been released, like a new level or multiplayer. Keeping a strong cadence of news leading up to launch is important to keep the public engaged.

To stay on track with milestones, create an outline for each major beat that you know of and when they’ll happen. Some common questions to ask yourself include:

When will the game be ready for alpha testing?
Will we run a Closed Beta test?
Will there be an Open Beta phase?
When is a realistic launch window/date?

As you get closer to the game’s launch, you’ll want to think about additional milestones that could occur in the future and track those.

2. Develop A Well-Thought Out Steam Page or Digital Marketplace Landing Page

How many times have you browsed the new releases on Steam and found a visually compelling game with fantastic key art, but then scroll down to the game description only to find it rife with typos, grammatical errors, and completely boring descriptions?

That’s a BIG mistake if you want to launch your game successfully. Don’t minimize the impact your Steam or other digital marketplace landing pages have on potential users.

Many platforms allow players to add upcoming titles to their wishlists. Even if it’s months before the game launches, you want to create an attention-grabbing page that gets people excited and results in them remembering the game at launch.

Other than Steam, additional digital marketplace landing pages you’ll want to update include:

Nintendo eShop
Microsoft Store
PlayStation Store
Xbox Store
GOG

When updating your pages, make sure your copy, images, and videos are professional and consistent across all platforms.

You’ll want to make sure you get your landing pages set up well in advance of the launch to give you peace of mind and avoid scurrying around at the last minute trying to throw together a page. We often see developers miss this step in the video game marketing process, and it can have a huge impact on your overall impression on players and success at launch.

3. Assets and Branding

A picture speaks a thousand words, and that old saying applies to the images you use to represent your game. The quality of your branding, including logos, screenshots, trailers, and key art, will be the first thing potential customers notice. On the flip side, it can also turn them away if it’s bad.

When pulling screenshots for your video game, capture only the most dynamic, high-quality images that reflect the game’s tone. Single out the best ones and use them on your store pages, on social media, and in your ads. Eye-catching logos and stunning key art will grab players’ attention.

Additionally, when press releases or media alerts are issued about your game, your key art or logo will be included at the top of the document. That’s the first thing a member of the press sees, and you want to hook their attention as well. Press also receives an asset pack that includes additional screenshots and possibly a video. Make sure that you showcase the best aspects of your game so the press gets excited and writes an article about your game.

For video game trailers, make sure they are exciting and build hype. Think about how you feel when you watch a movie trailer. Does it leave you wanting more, or do you walk away uninterested? Apply the same thinking when creating videos. Consider the music, pacing, narrative, and quality of voice acting and gameplay used. All of these components come together to create a powerful video.

4. Social Media and Community Building

Without a strong social media presence, it’s unlikely that your game will build a strong community.

Gamers expect their favorite video games and studios to have a relatable and approachable social media presence. People want to know the humans behind the brand instead of feeling like they’re communicating with a robot.

There are several ways you can build your video game community.

One approach would be to take Wendy’s route and post memes and playfully poke fun at your fans.

(Video Game Marketing Tip: Discord is a great platform for connecting with players.)

Perhaps your horror game warrants a spooky and creepy vibe on social media. It’s really up to you but always look to your favorite brands and games with a successful social media presence for ideas and inspiration.

When creating the persona of your social media accounts, think about the theme and style of your game. You can totally embrace it, even making posts as one of your game’s characters. With any post you make, you want it to be sincere and not come across as trying too hard or pandering.

The sooner you start building your video game community, the better. Not only does this give you a large pool of potential gamers to communicate updates to, but you can also ask them for feedback after Closed Beta tests and implement that feedback into the game as it’s being developed.

5. User Acquisition

User acquisition stems a lot from the community you build. But, you’ll also need to target players beyond that reach.

Here are some ways to go about it:

Create Buyer Personas

Research the types of gamers who are most likely to play your game. Think about the types of people you’re targeting and what they’re interested in and create buyer personas.

Determining these things ahead of time will help you tailor your marketing messages to your specific audience.

Find Where Your Target Audiences Are

Knowing where in the world your potential audience is located is also important. Make a list of what global regions are your priority. Then, figure out how you can access players in those specific regions.

Promotion

Another way to extend your reach is with ad buys and promotions.

You can connect with major media outlets like IGN to inquire about partnerships and social media promotion. However, don’t discount media sites with as large of a following as the big guys. Working with some B and C tier outlets with an avid follower base can bring extra interest to your title.

Research Your Competitors

During the research phase, you’ll also want to look at who your competition is. Evaluate what their tactics are and think about what worked well and what didn’t.

You’ll also want to figure out how to make your game stand out from the rest while still tapping into some already existing communities.

6. Developing Your PR Campaign

It’s never too early to consider when and how to build publicity for your game. Of course, this will go hand in hand with your development milestone plan, which will dictate major beats that have news value.

It will also dictate when you can start outreach to media members about “first looks” or previews of your game. A preview is an unrated review written by a media member after playing through your game and interviewing you.

Before you allow previews, you want to ensure that your game is stable enough that the media member has a good experience playing. The last thing you want is for them to see a game that’s rife with bugs and glitches.

Previews typically start to hit at around six weeks before launch, so keep that in mind when planning your PR timeline.

Think about if you want to handle PR activities on your own or outsource to a professional video game marketing and PR agency. You and your team likely have a lot on your plate dealing with game development, so it can be beneficial to offload some tasks to people who are experienced.

Before you decide to go with an agency, research to find the right fit for you. You want an agency that will listen to your needs, provide strategic advice, has a lot of experience, and produces notable results.

7. Influencer Marketing

Video game influencers are everywhere. Accessing an influencer’s community is a great way to build interest, tap into an already existing audience, and increase your video game marketing sales.

As you research influencers, look at ones that can reach the target audience for your game. A good start would be looking up ones that play similar titles to yours.

You’ll also want to consider setting aside a budget for a sponsored campaign. To approach a larger channel, you’ll need to have some money to spend since they rarely play a game for free unless they’re super hyped about it. Some of the smaller channels will play a game in exchange for a free code, but typically the channels with larger followings will require payment.

Sometimes you can get the interest of an influencer by sending them a merch pack. It can be branded sweatshirts or water bottles with your key art on them or something more creative based on the theme of your game. If you can encourage them to post about it on social media or wear the clothing items while they stream, that is the type of marketing and PR that will help bolster your game.

As you create your list of influencers to pitch, think about when your game will be ready to preview. Will you have a demo for “first looks” or a solid, virtually bug-free vertical slice to send them? Just like when you show your game to media members, you want the influencers (and their audience) to have a good experience with your game and not be turned off because they can’t play through it.

And finally, think about how you can include influencers in your community. By having them engaged in the community, you’ll increase overall engagement and awareness for your game.

8. Tradeshows and Events

Tradeshows and events are an awesome way to create visibility with consumers eager to discover the next big game. When evaluating events, think about who will be attending those events. You don’t want to take a single-player puzzle game to an esports-focused event.

If you participate in a video game tradeshow or event, you want to make sure that your game will be ready to be seen by consumers. You’ll also want a bug-free demo or vertical slice to show consumers or have them play through in your booth. Media members are used to playing early builds that are buggy, but consumers are less forgiving.

The timing of attending an event is also key. You don’t want to go to an event and have people excited about your game but unable to purchase it for months. By the time it launches, they’ll have already moved onto something else. You’ll need a strong call-to-action to get consumers excited, so it pays off in your favor.

You will want to keep in mind that attending events can be expensive, so work that into your marketing budget. Consider buying a space on the show floor as this gives you access to consumers and media and invest in a vibrant booth that stands out from the crowd. Think about having merch and/or branded takeaways for players. You’ll also have to budget for staff, travel, accommodations, and other items.

If getting a booth at a trade show is out of your budget, another option is reserving a hotel room close to a major trade show. For example, this is a common strategy used by developers at GDC (Game Developers Conference), typically held in the spring in San Francisco. You can reserve a room and invite media members to come and play your game.

Whether you go with show floor presence or a separate space ultimately depends on your goals and where you’re at with your game’s development.

9. Thought Leadership

There’s no better way to lend massive credibility to your company or studio than generating thought leadership content among the executives. When those at the helm of your organization are regarded as thought leaders, people in the industry and beyond are going to come to you for your compelling insights, opinions, and anecdotes. Thought leaders bring new ideas to the table, and their ideas create conversation by being an authority figure in the industry.

For example, if you’re creating a horror game that you feel is cutting-edge and a solid 10, you may want to generate thought leadership content about what it takes to create a horror game. For example, an article titled “How to Create a Tasteful Horror Game When Our World is Already So Horrifying” could share things like what genre elements are most important or even something relevant to current times.

Thought leadership is typically achieved through a combination of strong social media presence, organic content such as blogs, videos, and newsletters, guest posts on larger outlets, and podcasts.

If this sounds like something up your alley, UberStrategist will soon offer bespoke thought leadership packages, including blog writing, podcast interview placement, and social media auditing and consultation. Reach out to us if you’d like more information.

Don’t Forget About Video Game Marketing and PR When Launching Your Game

While we’d all love to send our video game out into the world and have it get all the attention it deserves, that rarely happens.

Marketing your video game takes time, money, and a lot of effort. There are multiple moving pieces that hinge on one another. Building hype about your game and getting people to buy it is essential to its success, and effective video game marketing and PR play a key role.

We hope this marketing checklist comes in handy and helps you achieve more success.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed at the thought of developing a video game marketing and PR campaign? Then, contact UberStrategist, and we’ll create a comprehensive plan to build up hype for your game.

A video game community is an essential part of connecting with your player base. If you’re growing one successfully, you’re bringing together people who have a common interest and keeping them involved in your game.

You can be part of an industry with a market size estimated to be worth $65.49 billion if you know how to market it right to the right audience.

By building a strong gaming community, you can introduce your game to new players and keep it alive, even months or years after its initial launch.

If you’re embarking on the task of attempting to grow your video game community and need a starting point, we have good news. We’ve gathered together our top seven tips and tricks to help you establish your community as the place to be.

1. Understand Your Target Audience

In order to grow an online gaming community, you need to know where your target audience is. Don’t try to grow a video game community on Instagram if the majority of your players use Twitch.

Age, gender, occupation, and other audience demographic data also play a critical role in this.

The best way to address this is to create buyer personas and gather the necessary information that will help you identify your customers and locate where they are.

Conduct research on what platforms your players are most often on in order to maximize the potential of your community.

For example, if your game is on Steam, utilize the news and forums to interact with your audience. If players are mostly on Twitter, build up your community there. You can then reward brand advocates with extra access to information or small in-game exclusive items.

2. Stay Active in the Video Game Community

Marketing your game and staying active in your gaming community is vital to its survival. It may be overwhelming to be active and consistently post in your community but it’s important to your players.

While talking with other players about a topic they all love is great, they ultimately want to hear from the game developers. They want to get insider knowledge about the game and hear about upcoming updates.

One great platform to grow an online gaming community is Discord. It’s a great place to continually engage fans for ongoing conversations.

Keep in mind that it requires a lot of attention as players are in all time zones and can be very active.

If Slack, email, Skype, and/or any other service are too much for you to focus on, consider getting professional help from a credible video game marketing company like UberStrategist.

Choose the right agency in the gaming industry that provides promotional and social media management services to lift the weight off your shoulders and bring more value to your business. On top of helping with Discord, they can serve as your community manager for all of your social media accounts.

3. Keep Your Video Game Community Engaged With Rewards

You want your gaming community to offer value to whoever joins. If you’re not promoting things your audience finds interesting, they’re not going to want to stay.

Consider these following questions:

Are you sharing content that gamers want to read?
What does your gaming community offer them that they can’t find elsewhere?
Are you providing regular game updates?
Are you responding to questions, comments, and direct messages?
Are the posts you create visually appealing with a clear call to action?

Another thing you can offer to your community is in-game rewards. You can use promotional codes on social media to encourage people to share your posts. Be careful not to do it too often — you don’t want people to follow your accounts just for sweepstakes and giveaways.

You can also host community contests where players can create fan art based on your game. You can reward them with in-game items or even gift cards. This is a great way to keep players engaged and show them you’re serious about the community.

4. Partner With Video Game Influencers

Research some up-and-coming video game influencers who regularly play your game or play similar titles. Give them access to new levels, game modes, or other exclusive items that they can showcase on their steams or in videos.

Influencer marketing is known for its efficacy, generating more ROI, and improving the quality of leads.

According to a Medikix report:

71% of marketers agree that the quality of leads generated through influencer marketing is better than other marketing initiatives.
89% of marketers say influencer marketing ROI is either good or better than other marketing efforts.
80% of businesses consider influencer marketing to be effective.

Incorporating video game influencer marketing into your community growth plan will help you reach more audience groups.

While they’re streaming, join in their chats to engage with their community. You can also partner with them to do an exclusive interview while they play the game.

This is a great way to put a face to the developer’s name. And you never know, their community may want to join yours after hearing you speak about your game.

5. Be Patient

There’s no button you can press to quickly grow your community. There are certain things you can do, like growth hacking, to increase your following, but it’s typically better to do it organically. It takes time to engage with players to get their interest and gain their trust. If your game is a niche title, don’t expect thousands of people to follow you or join your communities overnight.

Talking to people and building relationships is essential in growing your online community. Putting in the work will pay off as you give your community quality content and listen to their feedback.

Building a positive community is another thing to keep in mind. You don’t want a large community filled with toxic people. Your community should be welcoming and a safe place for gamers to engage with one another.

6. Don’t Forget About Reddit or Imgur for Engaging Your Video Game Community

Reddit and Imgur are two other great platforms to broaden the awareness of your game. However, most subreddits don’t allow companies to come into their own communities to make posts about their product. Oftentimes those posts get deleted and you could get banned from the subreddit.

If you choose to go down the Reddit route, spend two to three months on various subreddits interacting with posts and communities. After you’ve established yourself as a fellow gamer, then you can start posting things of your own. Just be mindful of what content you post as you don’t want to seem overly spammy and insincere.

7. Participate in Video Game Trade Shows and Conferences

While online marketing and social media management work great for building an active and engaged community, trade shows can double your chances of getting more exposure.

Participating in video game trade shows, events, and conferences gives you the opportunity to market your game, meet new influencers and industry leaders, and a chance to showcase your brand while attracting potential collaborators.

Grow Your Video Game Community for the Right Reasons

As you get started growing your video game community, think about what your reasons are. Your goal should be to create a place for like-minded individuals to communicate with one another and engage more with a game they love. The average gamer often doesn’t respond to standard marketing strategies and will be more interested in joining an online community.

Ready to start interacting with your community but not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered! UberStrategist is the #1 choice of video game creators and influencers looking to grow their gaming community, and seeking expert-level guidance and exposure. We create industry leaders, you could be next.

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