How do I market my game??

sondi.gabri@gmail.comsondi.gabri@gmail.com Member Posts: 9

Hey I dont no how to market my game exactly, can you give me some tips?
Im only a 13 year old developer and have no money and the developer license was my birthday present ;)

Here is a link to my game
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/potatorunner/id816338385?ls=1&mt=8

Comments

  • SmokeyAce73SmokeyAce73 EarthMember Posts: 370
    edited April 2014

    Here's an extract from BBC news, Give it a read!

    First things first
    The first thing to do is inventory your app. Consider who your audience is and why they would want to buy it.

    Start using social media and your existing networks.

    "Friends, family, associates, your lawyers, accountants, service providers, anyone must download it, use it and review it," says Tony Mangan of Magnum PR.

    Bryce Keane
    Bryce Keane says small start-ups should be wary of PR companies promising the earth
    "Get advice on PR and marketing and make contacts with advertisers, PRs, marketers who might be willing to help for nothing initially, at least with giving advice, and then for a discounted fee for a while."

    Local tech hubs can be good hunting grounds for expert advice.

    "It doesn't make sense for you to go to an agency till you hit the point where your market traction and customer acquisition means it no longer makes sense for you to spend time trying to do everything, and you need to outsource it," he says.

    "That's the critical tipping point and where PR agencies have the most strategic value ... early stage there's a ton of things you can do yourselves."

    Be specific
    The next step, according to Erica Sadun, is to do your research.

    "I can't tell you how many times we get pitches for products we don't cover, technologies we don't cover. People have a scatter-shot approach in pitching. They figure if I send it out to absolutely everybody, somebody is going to bite.

    "What they don't realise is the more general that they make it, the chances are actually reduced in finding an interest."

    Find the journalists and bloggers that have reviewed similar apps in the past. Read their work, and personalise your pitch accordingly.

    "I would try to find an interesting angle to my story and something that's unique about my product," suggests Sylvain Gauchet.

    Tony Mangan agrees.

    "Looking at media and bloggers in particular, what can you give them or their readers that they would possibly need, amid hundreds or even thousands of other pitches and apps from other developers?

    "Test your pitch with the "so what?" question. If you can't answer that convincingly then you don't stand a chance. It's incredibly competitive out there."

    Find contact details online - Twitter is a good starting place, and for journalists sites like Muck Rack and Journalisted are useful.

    "Contacting journalists has never been more accessible," says Bryce Keane.

    "If all else fails you can call the switchboard and ask to speak to them."

    Check it off
    To create your email pitch, Erica Sadun has created a simple checklist of what a blogger looks for to write a post.

    The title should tell people what it is and why it's worth considering. If that fails to intrigue them your carefully crafted pitch may never be read. A promo code to let them download the app is also important - they can be tracked using services like Tokens.

    One element you might not have have considered including video.

    "If you have a video that can show us [the app] in 30 seconds, it gives us a really great overview. It just does more than a screenshot will ever do." she says.

    Using software like Reflector for iOS lets you video your app being put through its paces - although for your website you probably want a more professionally produced video.

    With a little luck and a lot of elbow grease you could secure that all important exposure.

    "Get out there, talk to people," says Bryce Keane.

    "Think about what you're trying to do, where you're coming from. Your story is interesting. The product is rarely the story, unless you've invented Facebook in which case good luck to you, you don't need an agency."

    The perfect pitch

    Your pitch should include:

    • The name of your app as it is spelt on the App Store
    • What it does, and why it is different
    • The price
    • One link to your product website
    • One link to the app store product page
    • One or two screenshots
    • A video - ideally no longer than 30 seconds
    • A description in a concise paragraph - who your audience is, what your app does
    • What sets it apart from the crowd
    • If you include a press release it should be in the body of the email under the pitch
    • Promo code for the app
    • Contact information - email and not a link to a contact form
    • Skype IDs, Twitter IDs

    Developer For BLUNTentertainment - Feel Free To Message Me! - Free Beginner Templates!

  • rdlew2008rdlew2008 Member, PRO Posts: 85

    Tell your parents you need 25 dollars and get a 75 dollar Adwords coupon. 100 dollars of advertising. Do 1 cent clicks. That's 10k people that see your app. On average you get a 1 percent turn around so 100 downloads for 25 dollars. Pretty sure that's a quarter per download. Bam you have roughly 100 downloads.

    If that doesn't work.
    Social media is the best. Make a Facebook page Twitter

    make blogs on blogger and other blog sights about your game.

    Usereddit. Get likes. tell your friends to like it.

    There are tons of forums about indie games. Post a link to it

    Submit your game to alternate market sites

    Post your game to the arcade and then embed it into a face book game.

    Post it on indie game sites

    Embed your game on your free blogs

    . Forums that allow it. Make sure to put that if they like it it's available on so and so markets

    Before I got into making apps I tried to learn internet marketing and search engine optimization. You should learn a little about that and apply it to promoting your app.

  • mcrtommcrtom Member, PRO Posts: 147

    Wish I had the initiative at your age to do something like this. Good luck mate! Check out this blog, loads of good info from a good guy.

    http://www.apptamin.com/blog/

  • paulirvingpaulirving Member Posts: 23

    agree with @mcrtom awesome initiative.
    I am in the process of launching an exiting website for indie developers.
    £8.99 for life time advertising on mysite.
    As you are so young but so talented, I will waiver the fee and add your app for free.
    If you are interested send me a message and i will upload it for you.
    Your app will be live on a website which will be going through some heave SEO which will increase your chance of your app being seen.

  • GirlTravelFactorGirlTravelFactor Member Posts: 15
    edited July 2014

    You can use your Facebook, Google+ and Twitter account in spreading your game, post it on your wall and use the #freegame or #freedownload or #freeonlinegame, so its not only your family and friends can see it but also people looking for that keyword.

    Post a link in Reddit with interesting title like 'Get my Potato Runner game for free, this will help me get my Game Developer License for my 14th Birthday'. Post it in /r/gaming, /r/Games, /r/gamedev, /r/IndieGaming. Redditors like it when you're honest and funny. You cannot post continuously, try to post in other /r/ the next day.

    Submit in StumbleUpon, Delicious or Folkd, it might help.

    Set up a blogspot, post article, pictures or anything about the game or games that you will also develop. It will not have an effect yet, but for a long run, it will appear on search engine. Back link the URL of your game with the right keywords like Free Potato Runner Game, Free Download Game or Free Game. Submit in StumbleUpon, Delicious or Folkd too.

  • jigglybeanjigglybean Member Posts: 1,584

    As @girltravelfactor says, hashtags is your best bet. Get retweets, approach vloggers and give them a brief outline of your game and maybe a story about why you wanted to develop the app - give them a reason to feature you.

    Appannie is free, and has a great search for key words for games similar to yours.

    Like Balls? Then click here! We've 100 coming soon

  • GirlTravelFactorGirlTravelFactor Member Posts: 15
    edited July 2014

    Also, do you only usually sell in Google Play and Apple App Store? For me, that market/location is way too crowded to compete with pro and company game developer.

    If you know Gabriele Cirulli 2048 game that accepts Bitcoins as donation (check the lower right that's says Donate BTC). And Bitcoin community had been supportive of him since he help by including Donate Bitcoin on his game.

    Now I am planning to develop games and sell it to Dogelet, an online store that accepts Dogecoin. This is the only place I am able to sell my Photography and actually have people buy my pictures.

    Anyways, that is a shameless plug and hopefully can help you to monetize your games and apps too in other channel.

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