Four mandatory assets that every game developer should have…

1. A website or landing page. Whether your website acts as a hub for all of your games or just your current project, it needs to be updated as often as possible. The homepage should feature captivating screenshots and a few gifs of your game. Your homepage should also have a way for people to sign up for a newsletter in exchange for something truly valuable — this can either be early access to a beta, or perhaps some kind of external reward. There’s no excuse to not have a website. You can get one set up easily with Wix, or even Itch.io if you’re on a tight budget.

2. Social media accounts. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. All three are very important for drumming up early traction. There are more that you could experiment with, but this is the bare minimum. Post 1–3 times a day on all of these platforms, and experiment with hashtags that work for your niche. Once you master these three, you can graduate to Tumblr, Snapchat, and Pinterest. There are gaming communities on all of these platforms. You just need to connect with the audience that aligns with your game’s niche.

3. A good trailer. A good trailer is probably one of the most important things for your game — don’t skimp. Either spend a ton of time learning how to craft a good one, or pay someone to do it for you. Watch the game trailers of your closest competitors, and emulate their style. A well-done trailer should excite the viewer within the first 5 seconds (please, no extended logo intros).

4. A development blog. Both gamers and developers love to read about the personal struggles required to make indie games. Keep it super personal and conversational in tone. Post as frequently as you can. I’d recommended at least once a day if possible, or at least three times a week. This is one of the hardest things to keep consistent, but if you can do it… it’ll pay off in dividends. When marketing your indie game, content is king. The more posts on your devblog, the more traffic you’ll eventually get.

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About The Author

Daniel Doan is the Co-Founder & CGO of Black Shell Media and the developer of SanctuaryRPG and Overture, among dozens of game prototypes. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

If you’d like to steal his marketing and game development knowledge, you can book a consultation with him for only two bucks.