Distribution A Press Release gets an Instant Audience

[Chatterb0x]

Hey guys,
I've published 2 mobile games (with a 3rd on its way). The biggest hurdle, I think for any developer, was getting media coverage. A Press Release is an easy way to promote your game FAST.

What's a Press Release?
A short, compelling explanation of why your thing is newsworthy. They are issued to media personnel.

Typically, they consist of a headline, subject & summary line, paragraphs explaining your game in depth, and contain information. It's prudent to have official photos (ie. game icon, logo).

Apptamin did a great How To. Their expertise is mobile apps, though you can apply it to any game.

Who to Contact
All developers must submit to Game Press. They redistribute your Press Release to hundreds of websites. Independent journalists will scour Game Press to scoop games which fall between the cracks. I've been promoted on Raging Gezebo, Doctors of Gaming, and Super Game Droid.

You've probably heard of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Essentially, SEO is ranking websites well on Google. Publications like Gamasutra are considered to be authoritative. Because links from authoritative websites is good SEO, your game gets a boost in search results! Be sure to include website and store listing.

A Press Release can be tailored to specific media personnel. I've even been contacted by local media.

"Damn it, Jim! I'm a developer, not a marketer"
Like it or not, indie developers must wear 2 hats. Code is, sometimes, the easy part. I recommend purchasing copy writing books from Amazon. If you've ever purchased online, pay attention to what compelled you buy. It's a skill that will carry over to other industries.

Personally, I've spent years studying persuasive language. If you're more comfortable with code than people, hit me up! My side hustle is content writing. We can hash out a Press Release in 24-Hours.

Good luck! As I get more, specific questions, I will update this topic.

 

[Genetix]

Love seeing marketing advice based on mobile/app releases - this kind of content exists relatively heavily for Steam developers etc, but we need more for app developers. Good post, and one I'll keep in mind as I release my new mobile game today.

 

[Chatterb0x]

Love seeing marketing advice based on mobile/app releases - this kind of content exists relatively heavily for Steam developers etc, but we need more for app developers. Good post, and one I'll keep in mind as I release my new mobile game today.

A Press Release is such a stupid easy way to get media buzz. 300+ words is peanuts next to pages of code, haha. Of course, it's relative to your copywriting skill.

 

[Yal]

To be honest, my first impression of the opening post was "this seems kinda fishy". You might wanna consider changing your wording a bit to make it a bit less... advertising-y? Like consider rewording the "YOU MUST GIVE YOUR CREDENTIALS TO THIS SITE <link>" bit, for instance... being too persuasive sends off the wrong vibes

Paranoiadvice aside, those are some helpful tips. I suppose the idea with that site is that rather than wasting time looking for cool games to cover, they put the burden on the devs and just curate the material looking for the diamonds in the rough? Sounds like a business idea that could work, even though I've not heard of any of the sites you mentioned. I'm not really into mobile games, which might be a reason.


Also, let me chime in with some advice on my own: make your trailers interesting. I've seen some horrible stuff, like trailers with 20 seconds of main menu footage while they set stuff up for the actual recording left in. Long snips of the same thing looks boring, and ideally you should show off as much of the actual gameplay as possible in the trailer (unless you're making a story-driven game, in which case you should squeeze in as much emotion as possible ). Just as game descriptions and press releases need to be somewhat copywrite'd, trailers needs a smidgen of cinematography.

 

[Chatterb0x]

To be honest, my first impression of the opening post was "this seems kinda fishy". You might wanna consider changing your wording a bit to make it a bit less... advertising-y? Like consider rewording the "YOU MUST GIVE YOUR CREDENTIALS TO THIS SITE <link>" bit, for instance... being too persuasive sends off the wrong vibes

Paranoiadvice aside, those are some helpful tips. I suppose the idea with that site is that rather than wasting time looking for cool games to cover, they put the burden on the devs and just curate the material looking for the diamonds in the rough? Sounds like a business idea that could work, even though I've not heard of any of the sites you mentioned. I'm not really into mobile games, which might be a reason.


Also, let me chime in with some advice on my own: make your trailers interesting. I've seen some horrible stuff, like trailers with 20 seconds of main menu footage while they set stuff up for the actual recording left in. Long snips of the same thing looks boring, and ideally you should show off as much of the actual gameplay as possible in the trailer (unless you're making a story-driven game, in which case you should squeeze in as much emotion as possible ). Just as game descriptions and press releases need to be somewhat copywrite'd, trailers needs a smidgen of cinematography.

For the record I am not affiliated with Game Press. Your marketing strategy should not end with a Press Release. The developer can submit their material wherever they'd like (and should), though Game Press is a low hanging fruit.

That's great advice with the trailers! YouTube/Vimeo uploads are also great backlinks. I personally would hire someone to do footage because cinematography is not my specialty (yet).

EDIT:

To clarify, developers should submit to Game Press BECAUSE they redistribute to, I suspect, hundreds of journalists.

 

[Electros]

For the record I am not affiliated with Game Press. Your marketing strategy should not end with a Press Release. The developer can submit their material wherever they'd like (and should), though Game Press is a low hanging fruit.

That's great advice with the trailers! YouTube/Vimeo uploads are also great backlinks. I personally would hire someone to do footage because cinematography is not my specialty (yet).

EDIT:

To clarify, developers should submit to Game Press BECAUSE they redistribute to, I suspect, hundreds of journalists.

Thanks for this @Chatterb0x - definitely an area I (and probably a lot of other indie devs) need to focus a lot more on. Look forward to any more tips you and others have!

 

[zombieattack]

To ask a fundamental question, which is very relevant - when you say that a press release should be

A short, compelling explanation of why your thing is newsworthy

Why is any game newsworthy? And newsworthy according to who, based on what criteria?

(not being negative, I believe there are answers to these questions, just trying to get more ideas and discussion)

 

[woodsmoke]

Not "evening news" newsworthy, but "gaming news" newsworthy.
What is new that sets it apart from other games?

 

[Chatterb0x]

Not "evening news" newsworthy, but "gaming news" newsworthy.
What is new that sets it apart from other games?

@zombieattack
What he said. ;-)

If you don't believe your game is newsworthy, neither will anyone else.

EDIT:
But, if you believe it evening newsworthy, pitch it that way!