Indie Game Marketing on YouTube: a Guide by Developers for Developers

We’re all hearing stories about successful indie games that suddenly become super popular. Some may say this is only due to their fascinating gameplay. But trust me, there are a lot of decent adventures that stay in the shadows. They never get all that glory they long for. Why? The answer is simple: their developers knew nothing about how to market an indie game. The key is to attract enough attention to the product. Waiting for a miracle is a lost cause. It doesn’t work like that.

Why YouTube?

Most focus on getting boosted via social media, such as Twitter, Discord, and Facebook. But when it comes to promotion, YouTube proves to be the most effective platform. It entertains more than 1 billion users each month and is the second-largest search engine. And a great deal of its content is devoted to gaming.

Have a look at the statistics: the video-sharing platform claims to have 40 million active gaming channels as of 2020. Over 80,000 channels managed to cross the border of 100,000 subscribers. About 1,000 blogs boast of 5 million admirers, while 350 entertain 10 million. Compared to 2018, the numbers have doubled. And keep growing. This is why the search engine is a promising platform to drum up the support you need.

Strategy First

Of course, simply saying "use" YouTube to become popular is lame advice. Thousands try and fail to stick to its algorithms and make it work for them. Most give up eventually. All because they don’t know how to use the platform for 100%. There are some tools to use if you want positive results. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a hard and time-consuming process. But at least you’ll invest your time and energy into well-tried techniques.

There are 3 opportunities for indie game marketing on YouTube:

1. Through ads
2. Cooperating with bloggers.
3. Launching your own channel.

No one says you should pick only 1 method. Feel free to combine them to reach out to as many people as you can.

1. Hello, Ads!

YouTube features a convenient system of promotion through video and audio ads. As well as adaptive banners. Advantages of marketing of indie games through advertising tools:

• Focusing on your target groups. Cover more people who can be interested in your creation. The better you set up your ads; the more users will click the link to try it.
• Direct contact with your audience. You talk to gamers using their language and explain what you have to offer. The goal is to create the right atmosphere to attract their attention. The better scenario you pick, the more response you get.
• Convenient tools to analyze the results of your efforts. An account in Google Ads clearly shows the efficiency of your marketing campaign. You can evaluate the visibility score and establish your budget.

Like in anything, benefits usually get along with disadvantages. Here are some downsides that spoil the fun a bit:

• Too many impressions cause negative emotions and simply annoy. Ruining the success and averting potential fans is easy with ill-adjusted settings. Keeping the balance is way harder.
• Such marketing is not free of charge. Shooting a video requires a team of specialists, which is not cheap. Besides, posting ads also burdens your budget.

2. Everything Starts Before YouTube

Before you go to YouTube, there is some preliminary work to do. If absolutely no one knows about your title, what is the first step? Find your first audience. Invite people to try it.

Start with gaming communities. Such as Reddit, a website featuring several fan-based groups. The most popular subreddit is r/gamedev. Then go r/playmygame, r/indiegames, and r/gamedevscreens. Actually, there are thousands of communities where you could find your first fans.

Players in different forums and groups discuss the novelty and make some noise. It’ll lure first YouTubers to talk about it in their blogs. This is how it started for the now-famous Voxorp, Zombs Royale, or Happy Sharks.

Is your product inspired by a successful commercial project? Even better. Post it on pages dedicated to fan versions to attract more traffic. The effect will be pretty strong.

Hunting for Potential Channels

Then proceed to the next stage: search for bloggers yourself. There are a lot of channels with large audiences. Check out the list of 150 top YouTubers in 2021: you’ll probably want to focus on them in the first place. If you manage to attract their attention, it’s great. But it’s highly unlikely, as they get thousands of such messages every day.

Reach out to average and smaller bloggers to get your first fans. Keep writing to as many of them as you can. But focus primarily on those who have the appropriate platform or console and who have experience in your genre. Watch some streams and the content they produce before putting them on your list. Attention: get primed for lots of email writing.

Here are some tips on how to contact bloggers:

• Don't use YouTube's messaging system. You’ll simply drown in the ocean of spam.
• Send a letter via email. Make it short, relevant, and filled with facts that hook the reader. Write a short description of the gameplay. Add a trailer or walkthrough to demonstrate the product. Offer to try it; attach a link.
• No answer? It’s not a reason to give up. Maybe your message went to spam, or they simply missed it? And even if they read it, they could easily forget to write back. Whatever the reason, draw attention politely through social media. For example, Twitter.

A "No" is Not the End of the World

Don’t let rejections put your spirits down. A lot of bloggers will say no. Even more will just ignore you. It’s perfectly normal, don’t take it personally. Complete all development stages, get rid of bugs, make sure it works with recording software. And then try again.

Bingo! You Got It!

You managed to interest your first YouTubers. What formats of videos are useful for the marketing of indie games?

• A review. Bloggers demonstrate the gameplay. Evaluate different aspects of the game. Maybe compare it to similar titles.
• A top list. Gamers like lists that feature the best adventures. Especially compiled by someone they trust. If your product makes it to such a format, it’s a win.
• A stream. Real-time action is popular among viewers. They trust unprepared comments more than scripted materials. Genuine emotions always work better.
• A developer review. Do you have several games to compare? Let YouTubers review them and speak about bright moments and downsides. As well as track your growth as a developer.

Building Your Own Channel

Sounds difficult? Well, it is a complicated process. And it definitely won’t bring any substantial results right away. But if you earn people’s loyalty and create a strong community, it’ll help. You don’t need thousands of subscribers to be successful. Strong means supportive, ready to try your products, give feedback, etc.

Promoting such a channel is a big topic with enough material for a separate article. And these are the basics to know:

• Quality. The content must be interesting to players in the first place. Take their perspective whatever you do and think: will it hook my viewers? Generating such videos takes time and experience. It’s useful to apply to videography agencies that help with ideas, planning, and releases. At least to begin with.

• Upload new videos on a regular basis. Keep the fire of interest in your work burning. Otherwise, it’ll become weaker and die out (the subscribers will sign off).

• Reply to users’ comments. Always. Even when your audience grows and you physically can’t be there for all of them. It is another way to build ties with your community. Apply SEO tools to your advantage.

  
  

Chronik Spartan is a bright example. With over 2.5K subscribers, the channel posts various types of clips. Reviews, tips, news, streams, etc.

Streaming is a Must

Once you have the community of fans, you’ll see what videos really strike a chord. But there is a universal trend in favor of one type in particular – streaming. We witness a dramatic growth of interest in this kind of content.

Check it out: live-streaming events went up by 300%, only in a couple of months (from March to August 2020). The trend is the same in video gaming on YouTube. In 2018, only over 195K users watched live streams. 2 years later, it’s a completely different picture – over 692K viewers!

These numbers prove one thing – there is an ocean of opportunities. Both for experienced Youtubers and only beginners. Shooting such content is not hard technically. You need some gear and a bit of patience to learn how it all works.

The Minimum Equipment for Successful Streaming

A Camera

Will a smartphone do? Smartphone manufacturers make cameras in their gadgets better with each new model. It will be ok for a start. But a camera is always better, with deeper settings and more opportunities.

Headphones with a microphone

The sound quality is much better with this gear. Viewers will hear what you have to say without any interference. While you’ll focus on the gameplay and hear every detail.

A Tripod

As you play and record the action, you need the picture to be stable. Fix your camera with a tripod or body mount and find the right angle to shoot from.

Live Streaming Encoder

It’s special software that transforms a video signal into a format, recognized by Internet platforms. Easy to adjust, it is a key element to launch a stream.

This is enough to begin with. As you get used to the process, you’ll see what else makes streams professional.

A Story of Success

Tobias Springer, a talented developer, is a fan of Factorio. It’s a 2020 real-time strategy about gathering resources, crafting, and building. Inspired by its gameplay, Tobias created an alternative – Shapez IO. Bright graphics, simpler rules, hooking action. But it would have stayed an unknown title if the developer didn’t have a plan. So, what is the drill?

Step 1

Post the free browser-based version on several game portals.

Step 2

Start building a community on social media (in this case, it was Discord).

Step 3

Tell everyone about yourself on Reddit. Tobias got Shapez IO into the section of Factorio admirers. They got interested and tapped the link to have a look.

Step 4

Analyze the way players complete levels, get feedback, and improve. Tobias used the statistics and tweaked the gameplay to make something happen every 15 minutes. It was the most effective way to keep users hooked.

Step 5

Post the game on Itch.io, a platform designed for selling indie titles. Then on Steam. While it’s under review, keep collecting wishlists.

Step 6

Contact YouTubers who usually play the genre. Tobias wrote about 1,000 emails about sponsorship opportunities to the bloggers who streamed Factorio. It worked out, with some big channels backing up the project. The sales skyrocketed, and the title went viral.

That’s it. The developer didn’t do it only intuitively. It was a deliberate and worked-through plan. The creator used all the tools to transform the unknown web game into a hit. With $1 million in revenue. Impressive?

What Makes You Cool, Bro?

Want a short answer? People.

Small projects don’t have big budgets for all-pervading and aggressive marketing campaigns. Instead, they use smart rifle approaches to step out from the competitors’ shadows. And as it turns out, people can set things going by simply discussing the novelty.

Good content doesn’t play a pivotal role. Even something brand new with hooking mechanics and perfect graphics won’t be enough. Use these tips on how to market an indie game to go in the right direction. Work out a plan. Back it with a smart advertising campaign. Monitor the trends. Rely on gamers to elevate your creation.