Seeking Game Promotion Wisdom: What's Your Go-To Strategy?

geoascenciogeoascencio Member, PRO Posts: 63
in Business and Marketing Theory

Hello everyone, I recently released my first game and just wanted to tap into the collective wisdom of this community and hear about your experiences.

What strategies have you found most effective in promoting your games? Have any of you experimented with Facebook ads, Instagram ads, or TikTok ads? Or did anyone find any success with marketing/PR services?

Any recommendations or tips would be incredibly valuable to me as I navigate this exciting journey. And my apologies if this question has been asked before.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Comments

  • RedRoboRedRobo Member, PRO Posts: 682

    My best advice, don't pay for advertising (rip-off), but find a way for your users to do the marketing for you.

    This could be by suggesting they share screengrabs/high scores/achievements via social media etc. If you can get an engaged community it will market itself.

  • adriangomezadriangomez Member, PRO Posts: 438

    My advice is to pay for ads. On Android, use Facebook to get cheap installs (< .15 cents).

  • uptimistikuptimistik Key Master, Member, Sous Chef, PRO Posts: 255
    edited February 10

    Dropping ads on a game that doesn't have a defined market means some level of 'shooting in the dark'... you'll need a big budget. Build a product for a specific audience, and let that audience play, love and talk about your game.

    Take this game I'm working on with a client. Her market is clearly defined, and she's solving a problem with her product.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/fuseboxgames/comments/1ae8yad/ive_completed_the_demo_for_my_game_if_you_want_to/?share_id=q1F7B27S9nOegZIPoYcMg&utm_content=2&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1

    The benefit of having an engaged audience like this is that you can fine-tune and polish your product so that an ad campaign thereafter will attract MORE of the same type of gamers.

    The risk of doing it the other way around (just dropping money on Ads) is that yes, it may get downloads, but may also get deleted WITHOUT any feedback to you as to what's going wrong or what they didn't like.

    A great free approach would be to study keywords. Take for example this game I'm managing for another client. Two years without 1 download. Now, with a re-launched game and 2 months of keyword optimization, she's getting constant downloads and sales.

    Screenshot 2024-02-09 at 8.13.43 PM.png


    GameSalad Templates and Custom Development at the Official Marketplace: http://gshelper.com

  • adriangomezadriangomez Member, PRO Posts: 438

    I think what @uptimistik said is mostly true, but you must work with your personality. I can't imagine starting a Reddit group and building a community. I am just not built that way, nor do I want to do that. I sometimes build apps just for fun, but I usually build one in a category where people are already looking for games. Examples of this are word puzzles and city building.

    I then pay a very small amount for advertising, sometimes as little as $10 a month, and at most $300 a month to buy cheap installs. I also do ASO with free services and a spreadsheet. I have done this multiple times for years, and some apps don't catch on (by-catch on, I mean $500 a month), and I remove them). It might not be the glimmer and glitter of a top hit game, but it is honest money.

    Screenshot 2024-02-10 at 10.44.46 AM.png


  • geoascenciogeoascencio Member, PRO Posts: 63

    Thank you all for your responses and valuable insights!! I'll keep you guys updated on what I've tried and what worked best for me!! Thanks again!

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