For all those people out there who are the type to build awesome games and then slack on the PR side of things, all the while wondering why there game is not getting the hits it deserves (you know who you are). This is for you. Dev.Mag is a website made to assist and enhance the local game-making crowd it's filled with some really great articles all about the process or thinking behind game development. One such article I want to bring to your attention written by Rodain "Nandrew" Joubert, is all about getting your game known in the market without spending any dosh called The Zero Budget Indie Marketing Guide.
Rodain_Joubert wrote: Because today's gamers are so spoilt for choice, it's easy for new limelight seekers to be intimidated by the teeming throng of "play me!" titles and quick fixes that constitute the marketing rat-race. In the worst case, a particularly shy indie dev may just upload a small demo, paste the link in a small corner of his/her personal blog, tentatively approach one or two friends and basically just stay put and hope that somebody with media clout walks by, shouts, "oh my word!" and wakes up the digital neighbourhood for you.
With the help of RPS's Kieron Gillen and Fez developer Phil Fish, you know that this guide is authored by people who know the ins and outs of the indie game scene, and designed to help. It's a good read even if your already effective with PR you still could learn a thing or two. Also don't forget to read the official ModDB guide for effective PR.
Cool
Some points have been mentioned at other places. In general though the articles is very "meh". Could have been told all in less than half a page. People might still want to give it a read. At best you lost just a quarter hour reading lots of blah :D
I'll need this when I start up my indie studio. Excellent read.
Nice post! Although, from my experience, Rock Paper Shotgun and other video game sites will not cover you while your game is early in development. Overgrowth still has yet to be covered pretty much anywhere outside of the awesome TIGSource, IndieGames blog, and a couple other sites, even after personally talking to a hundred journalists at GDC and E3. Most of them straight up say that they would love to cover us, but only after we have a playable, and to call them then.
So the better question is, how do you get coverage for the year or so when your game is in development limbo? You're still busting your *** making it, but it's just not reviewable or "highlight ready" yet for the websites and blogs.
The answer to that is ModDB, Facebook, and to blog your *** off. :)
Well said, that said release posts are very very important.
You have to keep also in mind that your case is different. You have already a release under your belt prior to that project. Hence the word is already running prior to that. In general though those in need of such things have no release ever prior to their project. So for them only ModDB is a way to get anywhere. Facebook is overrated. You go under if you are not know yet. Blogs too are overrated. Again if you are not know already you go totally ignored. On ModDB though you can get seen if you do it right since it has already the coverage ( in the media I mean now ) which the other two totally lack unless you are known.
I would have to disagree with the blog notion, it takes time for those things to gain attention. They have to bake for a while, then eventually they'll be used more and more. It all depends on how you tie-in for your website, and there's also a lot of small tricks you can use to gain popularity on your blog. Some of which are:
Different screenshots on each website
Personal wording, or other notes, for your closest fans
Media not supported by other websites, but this is more of a fall back