Cheat sheet sparks debate on the dos and don'ts of indie game marketing

Every indie developer discovers that creating a video game is just part of the job – the fun part for many. You also need to sell the game, which is the part many indie game devs find disheartening (see our feature on getting started in game design).

It's no fun to launch a game on Steam after years of hard work only for it to go unnoticed. Yet the importance of marketing in indie game development is still sometimes overlooked. Fortunately, someone's made a handy cheat sheet that serves as a starting point, and devs are already debating what they would add to it.

I'm a third-year game design student, and yesterday we were given this marketing cheat sheet from r/IndieDev

Posted on Reddit, the cheat sheet was created for a game design course and sums up some of the tips from Matt Hackett's Amazon bestseller How to make a Video Game All By Yourself. It succinctly highlights topics from trailer and capsule art design to tips to maximise a game's placement in Steam's widgets.

The reality of each game will have more nuance than what can fit on a single page, but a lot of devs think the overview is a great starting point, featuring advice they wish they had known when they started out to save them from having to learn the hard way.

One recommendation that rings true for many is the advice for trailers. Go short and go direct to gameplay. A common mistake with indie game trailers is to waste time with logos, artwork or cinematics as an introduction , with developers copying what they see in AAA games trailers, but these are different beasts.

For big-name releases, the audience is prepared to sit through a long trailer because they're already interested, be it in the game, franchise or the developer. Small-time devs just don't have that luxury, and potential players want to see what the game actually looks and plays like.

Another key takeaway is the recommendation to get at least 10 reviews on Steam, even if they're bad reviews. That's because the algorithm starts to promote games after they've received 10 reviews.

The sheet also notes the importance of a discount of at least 20% as a marketing trigger to send out a newsletter to wishlisters on launch.

The importance of capsule art is also stressed. And it might seem like a small detail, but it mentions the colour code for Steam's background colour so devs can either avoid using it to make their art stand out, or use it to make animated gifs with fake transparency for their game description.

The recommendations for translating Steam pages have sparked some debate on Reddit. The cheat sheet recommends prioritising Japanese, Chinese and Korean, while some devs suggest that Japanese and Korean have a low impact, recommending instead simplified and and traditional Chinese followed by Brasilian Portuguese and Russian.

Of course there's a lot more steps involved in marketing a game. The big question for many is how to get those 7,000 wishlists before launch. Unless a game looks unique or goes viral it's hard to get that early boost.

For many, social media content creation is a big part of the formula here. Multiple staged trailers and progress updates are all part of the build up for a game.

One dev responding on Reddit recommends making a list of at least 50 similar games and trying to replicate their content strategies. Others suggest reaching out to bloggers and streamers who play similar games (whoplays.com can help here) and collaborating with other indie devs for shotuouts or cross-promotions.

Another key step not mentioned is participation in Steam festivals like the Steam Next Fest, which is running now until 3 March. These can be a great way to gain visibility.

Is there anything you think is missing from the cheat sheet? Let us know in the comments.

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.