Indie games have made it big, thanks to the coverage influencers and content creators have made through YouTube and Twitch. Viewers and other content creators flock to these games, in order to share it with their own friend groups and influencers.
Here are ways you can gain the attention of the right YouTubers and Twitch streamers to help your game succeed in the busy marketplace.
Make Sure the Game Fits Their Content
Most content creators fit a particular gaming niche or target demographic to help them gain views and work the algorithm to their advantage. For example, if you want to get the attention of Fortnite fans with a new battle royale that’s colorful and quirky, you’ll want to find channels that cater to that audience.
“For me to cover a game, it has to be a game I am personally interested in,” said streamer PenPenTheVTuber to Frowns Marketing. “It’s important as a streamer to make sure I play the games that me and my community will enjoy.”
Search up a game that is similar to yours on Twitch and YouTube and see what streamers are playing it, big and small. If you search Fortnite, you may see content creators like NickEh30 or Mongraal playing the game and streaming through Twitch. Watch a few minutes of their stream to see if they’re suitable for your target demographic and then make note of their contact details.
Does Your Game Fit?
“If a game is visually very pleasing, interesting and fun,” said PenPen. “If I am enjoying the game then not only is the stream more fun, but it means I can genuinely promote the game as well as it deserves!”
You’ll want to make sure the game fits their content. Otherwise, it may look bad for the streamer in question and reduce their views. You wouldn’t expect someone who regularly plays a Hatsune Miku game to switch to the latest Call of Duty or a horrifying horror game like Carrion all of the sudden.
“That can be a shock to the system and not be something I would watch,” PenPen said. He says its his job to his audience to keep “branding consistent, but also to keep stream content consistent.”
As a result, PenPen regularly plays a game called Faaast Penguin, which has a bright art style and has you take on the role as the arctic animal sliding down a hill in a race. It’s honestly an adorable game that more people should try.
How to Contact Influencers / Content Creators
Once you’ve found a community that would resonate with your game, create a list on Google Sheets or Excel with their name, audience size, contact information, etc. Also note down their social media profiles.
If you’re active on social media (and you should be), also create a Google Form, which makes it easy for content creators to give you their details if they’re interested in covering your game. Whether they’re big or small, it is worth sending them a review code, especially if they blow up. If you help them early on in their career, they will definitely remember you and would be open to new opportunities in the future.
Emailing is usually the best way to contact a content creator, but sometimes direct messaging on social media can be a good tool to get someone’s attention. PenPen says he prefers to be emailed but doesn’t mind to get messaged on social media like X/Twitter or Instagram either.
Related: The Importance of Properly Tagging Your Indie Game on Steam
Why Should You Ask Content Creators to Stream Your Game?
It may be nerve-wracking to contact influencers and content creators to cover your game. However, it is certainly worth it.
“Gaming influencers are well-placed to promote products because they have genuine credibility within their community— gamers already trust influencers’ opinions,” said The Game Marketer. While traditional game reviews are also great, influencers and streamers have more of an emotional connection with the audience.
They can even have community nights surrounding your game if it’s multiplayer. Among Us became huge years after its initial release. Streamers and content creators paid attention to it. You can also stream directly to your Steam page and websites like Twitch to gain a connection with your audience. Many developers like Insomniac Games and Digital Extremes stream on Twitch regularly to keep their fans updated and reminisce about their past titles.
Insomniac Games in fact collaborated with a speedrunner named Xem92 six years ago and streamed the original Ratchet & Clank on PS2. It has 14K views on YouTube.
What are your thoughts?