Complete Guide to Promoting your Virtual Reality (VR) Game for Free
Originally published at www.vudream.com.
“…indies skew their efforts far too far towards production and away from marketing: this is one of the reasons why so few games are a genuine commercial success…”
– Paul Taylor of Mode 7 Games
Almost every other day I get an email from a game studio that recently launched a VR game. Almost always it goes a little something like this:
Game Studio: Hey Mark! We launched our game but we only have 5 downloads.
Mark: Did you guys create a website up to a month before?
Mark: Ok well did you create a YouTube video that showcases gameplay?
I frequently consult game studios and other VR companies on how to market, brand and publicize your product for the world to see.
Sometimes I offer my help up for free for simple tasks but charge much more depending on how large a game launch is expected to be.
Please read this article if you are a game developer or work for a VR studio. Let me know if any of these tips benefited you or your game.
Successful marketing does not require a GIGANTIC budget.
You can start doing several things to upgrade the status of your game for free. All it takes a little bit of passion and time.
1. Begin Marketing your Game Right Now
I’m talking about the moment you begin designing, writing the story, etc.
After you finish designing or developing a section of the game. Post that on YouTube or Social media as a kind of preview to the game. Do this as frequently as possible. It’s astonishing to see VR companies begin the marketing process after the product is launched. It’s a defense tactic that most teams realize is required for the survival of the company.
Unfortunately, most indie studios come to this realization after it is too late.
Start doing all the things you learn in this article BEFORE your game comes out. I believe the marketing process should start once development of the game starts. Planning is taken care of, and it’s busy busy coding work.
Indie developers are “indie” not because they are bad, often times I meet some of the most talented devs working in indie studios.
Let’s say you have 4 people on your team. Dedicate 3 of them to developing the game and make 1 person responsible or hire an agency to spend their days marketing and branding the game.
2. Create a Website and Social Media Accounts
It’s 2017. The internet and social media are going nowhere. If you don’t think you need a website because you have a steam page please stop reading this article.
How much will a site set you back? Probably about $50/year. How much value will that website bring you? Practically unlimited.
Create a simple site with a landing page that prompts visitors to download buttons.
Survios the studio that made Raw Data has a great example of this.
Additionally, add recognizable media and people saying good stuff about your game.
- Landing Page with Download Button
- As Seen On or Press Media Evidence
- Forum (Depending on Game)
“Social Media is basically slang for the internet”
— Gary V.
Launch Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube, accounts, and post frequently.
Doesn’t get much simpler than that. Don’t use your accounts on networks to spam. Genuinely engage with the community on there and provide feedback and value to others.
Opening a social media account and posting 3 tweets and then complaining about lack of traffic doesn’t make sense.
Engage with your community plenty and build & establish your credibility before your game launch.
Use proper SEO keywords for your game in the description.
3. Send Free Keys to YouTubers, Designers, and Influencers in VR
Would you rather give away too many keys or not get any traction for your game at all?
YouTube is one of the best video platforms to date. Your team needs to spend a considerable amount of time messaging YouTuber’s on YouTube, Social Media, and Email.
When crafting your message try to provide some value back. You should give every single YouTuber a free game key whether they create a video on their channel or not. Some YouTuber’s only accept money but most will review a quality game for free.
- Link to your Website to their Video
- A special edition of the game.
- Social Media Shoutouts.
- Help promote their videos in different communities.
When searching for YouTuber’s try to look for videos that were posted within 1 day to a week.
If you would like to get a YouTuber’s attention, first try cold emailing them. No response? Start tweeting out their videos and @ them. Over time they will notice and your game/company will begin to peak their interest. Be consistent and keep going even if you don’t see the results at first.
4. Document the Development and Pre-Launch Days
Don’t waste any time trying to create content for your game before launch.
Simply, document the development days. Write a blog post or even film a video.
There are many ways to go about this. Here are my two favorites.
Consistent Strategy
- Write a Blog Post every single day. Ex. Day 01 — Planning and Initiating
- Document your micro-struggles and achievements.
- Post article on your Website, Medium, Quora, and LinkedIn.
As Needed Strategy
- Write a Blog Post because of a New Update. Ex. Update 01 — Game Character Graphics Done!
- Post article on your Website, Medium, Quora, and LinkedIn.
I love documenting the pre-launch days because it serves a testament to your studio in the long run. When your game down the road has millions of downloads people will be able to google what you guys went through at the beginning. You’re not creating a story for the game, you’re also documenting the story of creating the game.
Thanks for reading the preview of this article. Please click the link below to read the entire guide with over 10 sections to help boost your VR game.
