6 Beginning Steps for Indie Games to Get Noticed!

Indie Developers like you, with big dreams and big ideas, need a marketing strategy that helps you reach out to the audience you need. In the growing field of indie game design, more and more developers are finding out that there is always an audience that wants their content.

The trick is reaching that audience, and spreading the word. Assuming you don't have the budget to devote to marketing, here are 6 beginning steps to help get your game noticed.

1: 3 Minute Trailers: Gamers need something tangible to understand what your game is about, and a trailer that has laser-focus on your game's mechanics is one of the best ways to do that. It CAN NOT be longer than 3 minutes, it needs to be short and digestible. Personally when a friend throws me a YouTube video, if it's over 5 minutes long I am less likely to watch it. You can find plenty of simple video editing software out there like MPEG Streamclip or Windows Movie Maker.

2: Email The Gaming News Websites: Sits like IGN, Rock Paper Shotgun, and The Escapist exist to create content, if you contact them and provide them with material, You bet they'll run it if it's a slow news day. Be professional and distribute your trailers to anyone and everyone!

3: Website and Social Media: Build a simple, elegant website with all the information about your game in one place. It can even be a WordPress or Squarespace Website, just make it clean and simple. Get on Social Media and be real, spread the word and Champion your game. Fill your posts with #Hashtags that personify your game, or at the vary least include your game's title.

4: Celebrity Personalities: There are many internet famous people out there who have Let's Plays. If your game is fun and powerful, try to get the attention of people like Markiplier, PewDiePie, or The Game Grumps. They will give you a massive audience and generate buzz.

5: Release New Screen Shots on a Regular Basis: The more content you generate the more exposure you'll have. Put them on Twitter and Facebook, share them on Forums and Image Boards. Do everything you can to be seen.

6: Interact with your fans: Do an "ask me anything" on Reddit, go on podcasts, and make a blog to communicate. And be yourself, be real! You are a human being, not a corporate PR machine. And above all have fun, if you are having fun interacting with the fans, they will see that and react positively! Personally I LOVE IT when Game Devs interact with the fans, it makes me feel more connected with the game! The feedback you will get from your fans will also help you become a better designer!

There is so much more, but I hope that this is at least a good starting point. I recommend watching the amazing folks behind Extra Credits, they have great incite into the game industry. Need more information? Here is a video that explains more of this sort of stuff in detail. They bring up a ton of other topics to help you on this journey.

Thank you for reading, check out the folks at Extra Credits, and keep making awesome games! I look forward to playing your creations!