How to Find Your Next Indie Game Marketing Role
Nathan Adcock
Do you have a passion for promoting unique, artistic and creative titles made separate from big studios? If so, then an indie game marketing career is what you are after! Promoting independent titles involves working with solo creators, knowing their product and finding ways to make it appeal to its target audience. There are a lot of aspects involved in promoting such titles and turning them into a success. So, let us look at what makes a title independent, effective ways of promotion, and what to implement in a good market plan.
What Makes A Title Independent?
What makes a title independent compared to an AAA product is based on who designs it. AAA titles come from major studios with a lot of funding at their disposal. Titles from studios such as Ubisoft, Electronic Arts (EA) and Nintendo all fall within this category. These studios and their work already have a huge amount of name recognition and can reach a wide market. However, the downside of these titles is that to reach the broadest market the studios will often avoid original or creative ideas if they are deemed too “risky”.
Independent titles are made by smaller developers, whether by a single person, a group of creators or a small development team. Without the influence of major studios, these titles can explore new and exciting ideas. However, being a small solo project often means these creators are not able or do not know how to promote their titles to an audience. Many potentially interesting titles fail this way: for every success story like Minecraft, Braid or Among Us, there are countless other titles that end up languishing in obscurity. This is where indie game marketing is vital in helping these products find an audience that will make them successful.
How to Promote Independent Titles
When promoting solo products, consider the following:
• Who is it meant for? Knowing the potential audience for a product will direct the best ways to market it.
• How much does the creator hope to make from it? How many copies do they want to sell? Such goals will inform the overall price as well as set benchmarks to measure success.
• How do you plan to distribute it? For example, PC titles can be sold directly from your website or through online distribution software such as Steam. More casual mobile-based works will need to be optimised for app store searches.
• Is there any feedback that can be used to refine the product? Informing the developers of how the audience feels about the title will help refine its quality and improve its appeal.
• How do you plan to promote it? Reviews, live streams and cross promotions with other products are just a few ways to market a title. Demos are also a great way to promote key parts of the work while encouraging players to buy the full version.
• What is your presence online? Having an eye-catching and informative website with selected press quotes will help, as will community engagement through social media.
Promoting Independent Titles With OPM Jobs
At OPM Jobs we have been helping people find work in the gaming industry since 1998. We match applicants with over 100 gaming companies in a range of creative roles. To find your next game marketing job contact OPM Jobs today!
