Indie Game Marketing 101 – How to Promote Your Game

Effective indie game marketing is a key step in promoting your new video game. Many gamers from all over the world will be itching to get stuck into your game and share their joy, but only if they know of its existence.

Marketing your game is a hugely important step to reap the rewards of your passion and expertise. Implementing a solid marketing plan will put your game on the map—and on the screens—of gamers around the world and bring it the success it deserves.

Game Developers Must Prioritize Effective Marketing Strategy

Specialists in indie game development know the importance of an effective marketing strategy for reaching their target audience. Many indie games fail simply because they don’t get the exposure they need or deserve to stand out in a crowded market.

Market research suggests that in July 2023 there were more than one million gaming apps on the Apple Store. This represents a huge global market for paid and free online games. Gaming is also a thriving business in Europe, with revenue in the games market projected to reach US$73.27bn in 2024. Experts predict a 7.54% annual growth rate on top of this.

Standing Out in the Crowd Is Key

The figures suggest that this is the perfect time to join this thriving industry. However, standing out in such a competitive market will be the main challenge developers face. So how does the average indie game, created by small developers (and without a huge budget) attract users?

The answer is simple. After creating a good game that will appeal to gamers across the globe, developers must focus their efforts on crafting the perfect marketing strategy.

Know How to Find Your Users

A 2023 survey by YouGov offered an intriguing snapshot of how gamers from six different countries find new video games. The findings revealed that gamers prefer online reviews, social media, and ads to discover new games.

Time and budget will largely determine the scope of your marketing campaign. Utilising insights into customer behaviour will help you set your priorities for marketing and maximise your return on investment (ROI).

How to Market Indie Games in 9 Easy Steps

Follow these steps to focus your marketing efforts and reach your target audience:

1. App Store Optimisation

Your priority in creating a best-selling indie game will be focusing on app store optimisation (ASO). Your target audience will invariably look for online games on an app. For this reason, you must make yourself visible in the place your potential customers are most likely to be. ASO is the key to visibility on mobile apps.

The following are key components of ASO:

• Use keyword-rich descriptions of your game. Don’t go above 99 characters in the description.
• Choose an appropriate name; if it includes a keyword, even better.
• Use creative language to highlight how your game is different from its competitors.
• Use an eye-catching icon.
• Include ratings and reviews.

2. Focus on Your Soft Launch

A soft launch can be hugely important for the success of your app. It allows you to determine if your game is ready to join the market or if it needs more iterations before being introduced to mobile users.

A soft launch involves releasing your game to a restricted audience. Ideally, the testers would be unbiased and ready to give you constructive feedback about your game. Gauge these users’ experiences and then use their feedback to improve your game before your full launch.

3. Set Up Payment Processing

Set up payment processing before launching your game. Credit card processing for online video games facilitates payments from gamers around the world. Many gaming developers already benefit from support from payment processors that offer state-of-the-art payment technology for online video games. Indeed, flexible payment processing solutions are becoming more important as gaming platforms evolve and diversify and require more modern solutions.

The global payment gateway offered by your merchant services provider offers benefits like multicurrency payment processing and tokenisation technology that offers gamers a secure way to complete in-game purchases. This is in addition to credit card fraud prevention and access to a central dashboard to oversee all your transactions in one place.

4. Get Your Game Reviewed

As an indie gaming developer, you might be working on a shoestring budget. If this is the case, you must make the most of the resources you have to reach the maximum audience possible.

Have your game reviewed by an influencer, a gaming journalist, or somebody else with influence within the gaming community. This will give your game exposure without burning a large hole in your pocket.

How to Work with Influencers

Look for influencers whose followers fall under your target demographic. Contact them to see if they’re interested in reviewing your game on one of their channels. Influencers will probably have a blog, YouTube channel, live stream, or social media platforms that have the potential to reach your target market.

Some pros of working with an influencer include:

• More authentic content than ads
• May be more cost-effective than other marketing channels
• Offers access to a large audience

Remember that most influencers rely on authenticity to win over their followers. Therefore, you’re not guaranteed a 5-star review. Be ready to accept some criticism as well as glowing reviews.

5. Leverage the Power of Word of Mouth

Word of mouth is an effective (and free) way to spread the word about your game and acquire more users. Maximise the potential of word of mouth before spending money on ads.

An influential survey from 2012 concluded that 92% of consumers from around the globe trusted recommendations from friends and family over all other forms of advertising. Harnessing this powerful source of organic traffic is therefore a must as an indie developer.

There are various ways to encourage recommendations via word of mouth:

• Encourage your users to invite their family or friends to the game. You may need to incentivise this by offering a discount code or another reward for bringing other gamers on board.
• Encourage satisfied users to leave reviews. Many consumers are swayed by reviews. Having a large arsenal of great reviews for your game is an effective way to get more gamers on your side.

6. Get Press Coverage

The digital world is full of platforms that could give your game some column inches. Possible sources of press coverage include:

• Local YouTube channels
• A press release on a gaming platform
• A professional review in a gaming magazine or website
• An article on a blog or a tech news website

Support Press Coverage with a Landing Page

Create a micro landing page that highlights your game’s best features. You can send anyone who writes about your game the link to the landing page to drive people to your content. If you have any other games, this may boost their sales too.

Your landing page should include:

• A short trailer
• Links to purchase the game on app stores
• Screenshots of the artwork or other elements you want to highlight
• Extracts from positive game reviews
• Calls to action

7. Use Social Media to Your Advantage

If your game isn’t on social media, you’re missing out on one of the most effective opportunities to acquire new users. Social media helps you reach out to new, interested gamers and keep your existing followers engaged and excited about your new launch.

Pinpoint who your target users are and prioritise the social media platforms they use. Start with Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram—all of which have huge outreach potential. Each platform has its strengths; use these effectively to hook new users.

Use Varied and Engaging Social Media Posts

Your game should have its own dedicated page on social media. Use your page to create catchy, engaging, and regular posts that your followers can engage with. For example:

• Share tips and tricks to improve gameplay.
• Share screenshots or short videos from the game.
• Repost videos of your users enjoying the game.
• Post content that encourages engagement.
• Initiate conversations with your commenters.

8. Be Active on Forums

Forums are still very much a part of the gaming experience. Look for forums and communities like r/IndieGaming on Reddit, where you’re sure to get gaming enthusiasts interested in your game.

Creating your own community from your game’s inception will keep your users interested, promote loyalty, and drive them to in-app conversions that boost your bottom line. This is an important step, but only when you have a playable prototype or a video with gameplay.

Build a Core Following on Forums

Creating a space where you can be in constant communication with people who are interested in your game will lead to greater awareness of your game. It also allows you to get constant, honest feedback from your users that allows you to make necessary changes during the development process. Nurturing a loyal following on a relevant forum is a great way to create a community that’s happy to spread news about your games and bring new users with them.

9. Participate in Industry Events

In-person and online events are great chances to promote your game and establish yourself as a professional game developer. For example, look into Google Play’s annual Indie Games Festival, where indie developers can present their new games. Apart from functioning as a game launch, industry events promote collaboration, networking, and inspiration for developers of mobile and PC games.

Make Your Game Stand Out with a Focused Marketing Strategy

Using your creativity and expertise to produce a great game is only one step on the road to success. Get the word out about your game with a clear and sustained marketing strategy to back up the hard work you put into development.

Because gaming is a global business, put everything in place to facilitate overseas interest and sales. This includes a marketing strategy that can create an international following and an internationally compatible payment gateway.