MavPR Partner Matt Frary Dishes PR Advice for Indie Devs at IndieCade East

“PR FOR INDIES” SESSION AT INDIECADE EAST 2015 DRAWS STANDING-ROOM-ONLY CROWD AND OFFERS INSIGHT INTO THE WORLD OF GAMES PR

Reaching your audience as an independent developer is difficult. Let’s face it, if you’re a small team working on your baby, you don’t have time, the expertise, or the patience to do what’s necessary to reach out to hundreds of media, be they bloggers, streamers, writers or something in between.

The cruel twist is that you could make an amazing game and it won’t ever take off because nobody knows about it. So how do you save yourself from this common game industry trap?

That was the crux of MavPR Partner Matt Frary’s presentation to indie developers at IndieCade East — Video Game Marketing and PR for Indie Devs. And no, the focus was not on “HIRE AN AGENCY” (although that is also a great idea!), but instead on what indie devs can do themselves, how they can think about PR more effectively, and tips for getting their foot in the door with an increasingly difficult enthusiast media group.

I’m not going to post the entire PPT here, because you should go to IndieCade and support the independent development scene, you know! But… what were some of the highlights?

 

• “Make Your Own Luck” – breaking big (or even moderate) like Minecraft and Flappy Bird takes some luck, but PR and Marketing is all about making your own luck, preparing for and creating opportunities that lead to success.
• Know What You’ve Got – Know your game, know your messages, and know how to articulate those things quickly.
• What’s the Deal With VG Media Anyway? – Have enthusiast media lost the “enthusiasm” part, allowing random kids with streaming accounts to eat their lunch?
• Plan & Replan – Know the industry calendar; know your development milestones, and execute a strategically considered plan. If it doesn’t work or something changes, don’t be afraid to tear it up and start over.
• Assets and Access – PROVE. YOUR. STUFF. Asset/Access = Coverage.
• Make It Easy to Say Yes – Have everything ready, remove barriers, engage.
• Build Your OWN Channels – Media too prickly, non-responsive, or just not activating like you want? The tools available to you nowadays are unprecedented with social outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and others and video streaming like YouTube and Twitch providing instant access to millions of gamers.

That’s just a very small taste of the hour-long, standing-room-only session that was held at IndieCade East. Want to learn more or ask questions directly? Better get yourself to the next IndieCade event!