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[davixe]

Hi,

I'm starting this thread to ask and talk about PR agencies experiences, and discover new ones.

I'd read other threads about this question, but most of them are from 2014-1016. Since the market changed a lot this last years, I think marketing changed a lot too.

We are about to launch our last game on different platforms, and wondering about contact to some marketing agencies to reach more audience.

Until now, we did the marketing by ourselves and some times we use cheap services like gamespress Pro, but the results were not as good as we expected.

How did you guys think about that?

[TribeOfLions]

Hey!

As you've probably guessed, people's answers are going to vary. I'd say that in a nutshell it comes down to (1) your game, (2) your budget, and (3) the agency.

No amount of promotion will do anything for a poorly crafted game. I just say this because often indie studios are not realistic about this fact. If your early supporters show enthusiasm for your game and reviews are generally positive, that's when you should be looking to promote your game far and wide. If you haven't dealt with any issues that your early adopters have warned you about, don't expect PR to do anything substantial for you. There's also the risk of just getting more players to negatively review your game.

Do you have the budget for PR? If you've provisioned for this carefully (which basically means you've calculated ROI), then go ahead and find a PR agency. If not, then see where you can raise the resources. Otherwise, use the small budget you have and be creative. I know, easier said than done. But there are lots of ways to promote your game that you're probably not thinking about. Did you design a fun game? Design a fun promo then.

Make sure you find a PR agency that has experience in your market segment and hopefully with games in your genre. If you can get a good recommendation, it also means that you'll probably get good results. Lots of agencies really know what they're doing. Several don't know anything past the basic press release, display ads, and social media marketing cliches. The thing is, a good agency may cost a pretty penny. Think about it carefully.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

Carpe Diem!

[teemuki]

Hey, I wonder if you've found any interesting PR agencies yet? I actually own one, and would be obviously interested to see what kind of game we're talking about. But just like TribeOfLions said, a lot has to do with the game itself.

Simply put, PR agencies can reach your games maximum potential to be picked up by the media and content creators by writing pretty words and so on, but the rest is up to your game.

If you're still looking for a PR agency, get in touch with me and I promise to give you my honest opinion on what would be the best steps for your game's promotion.

Pm me in discord, for example, teemuki#4147

[Mezzmer]

Hey teemuki.

We've got a product which has a few thousand downloads on Google Play store. This is fine as we haven't invested money in it.

We do have a very nice promo video and we're confident the product will do well. Shortly we'll be re-releasing the game (updated) with a small amount of capital we have got. Could you advise or may we can have a talk?

[Josh Bossie]

To be blunt, I think most PR agencies for indies are junk

There's a few reasons why. First off there's a lot of slimeballs out there that'll pressure you to enter into a partnership without any clear metrics. They might promise you X number of clicks or impressions without telling you they're coming from a mailing list of elderly farmers. This is a problem with any contractor but PR seems to attract this type a lot more

This'll sound controversial but the "ceiling" of a PR agency is really low compared to what you can just do yourself. Like, the difference between what I can do with art vs. what a true artist can do is astronomical, whereas what I do on Twitter and via mailing lists and Steam and contacting influencers and so on isn't all that different than what a professional can do. Is it really worth paying someone to write email copy and press "Send" if you're working on a small game? I dunno. I don't think it makes you stand out at all.

My advice would be to hire out specific tasks - like the making of a trailer or a press release - and handle the marketing and PR yourself

[taj]

Heyo!

I run a video games marketing agency and I can pop some thoughts down for you - what to ask, what to watch out for, etc etc.

Ok, so the first thing you should look for is making sure that you choose an agency that specializes in your platform. If you have a mobile game, don't go to agencies that deal with AAA's/console games, and vice versa. Mobile vs PC/console are two different worlds.

Next, see what games they've worked on, what coverage they got for those titles, and what services they offer. Some offer just PR support (they will write and send a press release to their database), some offer social media work, while others a combination of both. See what they do, see if you like their work, and take it from there.

When you chose a few, send them an email and tell them what you are looking for and see what they would offer/suggest to you. Any agency worth their dime should play your game first, ask a few questions about it, and then get back to you with a few suggestions, ideas, etc. If they just give you straight away a template like plan (we will send an announcement press release, date reveal, launch - 3 month campaign), leave them - that means they won't go above and beyond to help you out. You deserve above and beyond.

Lastly, chat to them, ask them questions, and see what vibe you get from them (that matters - I never work with anyone who I don't get a good vibe from). They will be your partner for some time, so it's always good to work with someone you get along with. Don't expect miracles either - are you working on another pixel-art rogue-like? Don't expect IGN to cover your game. If anyone guarantees this to you, then I would be cautious - that's someone that is promising you gold, but will most likely deliver bronze. And ask questions and expect honest replies. Also, be realistic with your ambitions too - a million sales on Steam in the first month would be cool, but that is a REALLY hard thing to do.

Hope this helps you out!

[IndieWolverine]

Hi There!

I'm Logan Williams from Indie Wolverine. We are a marketing studio that has worked on many indie games over the last five or so years (mostly console and PC games). That said, the market has undoubtedly changed, and a new round of helpful resources could benefit many studios. We've recently started moving towards paid content (we still heavily favor organic content) as we have seen the impact it can have on a game.

When reaching out to marketing agencies, make sure they aren't just PR companies. Getting your game covered by games media and content creators is a good start, but there is so much more a marketing agency should be able to provide. Including, but not limited to:

- Social media support
- Paid advertising
- Community creation, engagement strategies & management
- Sponsored content creator support
- Trailer and other marketing assets creation

You want a team that can cover all services under the marketing umbrella and not just email blasts and press releases.

Keep in mind, the big struggle with marketing agencies and indie studios is pricing. To have a team handle your social media (not just Twitter/Facebook), community management, content creation, advertising, etc. It takes a lot of hands-on-deck, which requires a lot of money. With PR studios, you can get by with a single person handling media and organic content creator outreach (which is a great value!), but there is no guarantee in exposure and as a result, could lead to a failed project.

I hope that answer helps!