When Should You Bring In PR For Your New Game?

Marketing can engage and nurture your potential customers if done in a way that doesn't push them away. Directly targeting your audience with ads doesn't work as well anymore, and most consumers view ads more negatively now than in the past. 

There are many ways to get your game out there to the players who want to see it. Public relations is a relatively easy way to ensure your game's information reaches audiences of interest. Today, PR brings more exposure as you can appeal to an endless number of gamers across the internet on the sites they love. But starting your PR campaign at the right time can be the difference between success and failure. First, let's look at what a PR strategy may mean for you.

What is a PR strategy?

PR is a great way to get your game out there. But it has some differences from typical marketing. One of them is that consumers generally trust media more than ads. Additionally, the audience is less targeted than your ad campaigns may be, and you won't have complete control over the content you will get. But the reach is outstanding.

You need a strategy to get the most out of your PR campaign and develop a systematic approach to build media hype around your game. However, you can't just shoot an email and wait to be accepted. Instead, you need a PR strategy so the media will grab your story from thousands of others. 

Tips:

• Research your audience and know what they want
• Develop your list of contacts to pitch your game
• Determine all visuals to go with your pitch
• Use a calendar to manage your outreach efforts
• Include strategies to build an online presence
• Research your competitors to get the hang of the market
• Define your goals clearly (what you want out of your PR campaigns)

Figure 1: PR state of affairs. Source: PR Daily

Your game doesn't stand a chance without PR

Thousands of games are released each year. Unless you're a big name like EA or Blizzard, getting noticed among the endless pool of games is difficult. New developers find the situation even harder with zero brand recognition. Unless you have a breakthrough game with exciting themes, extraordinary characters, or unique gameplay, your game will probably get lost in the noise. 

PR is one of the most effective ways to build a brand image and get the word out about your game. Businesses use PR to boost their corporate image, and a good PR program can help create a positive image of your game and brand. Gamers will be more likely to take notice of your product and generate more hype around your game. 

What makes the media interested

A few things about your game can attract media with little effort:

• A game that no one has ever heard about
• Credibility and past record of launches
• A compelling founder's story
• Online presence of your game (including social media)
• An active community 

Your game needs to be accessible

Journalists who review your game should focus on the best parts of it. So, playing the whole game to discover its USPs (unique selling propositions) will not work. Also, the media can get hundreds of pitches every week, and they don't have the time to try out whole games. As a result, the duty lies on you to show things that make the media jump in and start loving your game. 

Find out more how to showcase why your game's special in How to Share Your Video Game's USP to the Press.

Pitch perfect

According to Muck Rack, 93% of journalists like to be pitched over email. So approach journalists via email, and:

• Write a compelling subject line
• Provide the essential facts about your game in bullet points (who, where, why, when)
• Keep your emails within 100 - 300 words
• Provide stunning visuals, screenshots, videos
• Personalize your pitches for every single journalist or media platform
• Include statistics in your pitch if possible
• Remember that the best time to pitch is in the morning

Get all the tips you need in our blog here: How to Create a Video Game Marketing Press Kit.

Provide incentives

Incentives can help catch the attention of the media. Some simple techniques include providing early access, specific save locations that showcase your game's best features (like a demo), and gaming key giveaways. Some gaming companies even include influencer strategies like tournaments in their PR game marketing plan. Journalists may also be okay with a free exclusive t-shirt or a mention on your website. However, don't go for huge gifts as it puts the journalist in a tough position and can even raise accusations of bribery. 

Build online presence

Start publicizing your game before you go for PR. Use various channels like social media and gaming forums to talk about your upcoming game. You can even share tidbits and updates on your development process. Channels like Discord and even Reddit can be excellent to improve the accessibility and reach of your game to attract media houses and journalists. 

Go for audience-focused tactics from the start

The whole goal of your PR efforts is to get your game out to your audience. You need to reach the audience and create a name for yourself. So, why not involve your audience right from the beginning? 

Getting your audience involved can give you a head start on getting press coverage. Start building an online presence and try to create an active community around your game. Always focus on your audience and consider what appeals to them best. Once you get your audience in, the rest of the process can shift to autopilot. Your fans will start talking about your game, eager for every update or feature you release. Soon, they will start creating posts and strengthening your presence online. 

Media loves hype, and a thriving interest in your game is enough to rope in a journalist's interest. Work on growing your fans; the more fans you have, the more coverage you will get. Try the following to get your audience engaged:

Create a great landing page: Your game website is your storefront. Make it as appealing and engaging as possible.

Develop communities: Steam, Discord, Twitch and similar platforms can be great to get gamers together. Take part in conversations and interact with your fans regularly. Learn more here: How to Grow a Gaming Community.

Create a social media strategy: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Reddit- gamers exist everywhere. Find out where your audience is and create your social media presence.

Create and share content: Use screenshots, videos, updates, behind the scene stories, and more to get your audience hooked. 

Go for influencers: influencers can provide a ready base of audience to boost your brand awareness. Work with influencers to increase the exposure of your game. Here are 7 Steps for Creating a Good Influencer Marketing Strategy for your game. 

Time is of the essence

Don't wait till the very end to launch your PR campaign - that may be too late. Instead, start thinking about PR early on to get the most exposure. So, when should you start?

When should you consider PR?

PR helps you get the word out about your game and grow your brand image. So, the earlier you start considering it, the better your results will be. The best time to start thinking about it is when you know how your game will appeal to your audience. If you have your plot, setting, characters, or gameplay ready, consider how to attract journalists. 

Note: If you are considering a time frame, 6 to 8 weeks before your launch is the latest you should get started. 

Thinking about PR early can improve your game

Write one or two lines you want to use to hook journalists and see how they turn out. The pitch you write will tell you whether you have a good product or something too generic. Here are a few different versions of your pitch you can test out:

• "Our new game is just like GTA."
  (Not interesting at all!)
• "We have a GTA developer working on our team to make a great game."
  (Appealing to the media, but not your audience.)
• "Our game has 10 cities and 50 vehicles to try out, along with countless new weapons."
  (Sounds great to journalists and gamers.)

If writing your pitch seems too difficult, you may need to improve your game or concept. Do you now see why it's never too early to think about PR?

If you understand why PR is essential but still need a few more pointers, check out our 10 Tips To Help You Run a Successful PR Campaign.

Running a PR campaign is challenging when you don't know where to start or what to do. The market is saturated, and journalists have so many options when looking for games worth talking about. You need a solid PR plan for your game marketing strategy to get the hype you need.

The team at Game Marketing Genie can help you discover the right PR strategy to gain top exposure for your game. Connect with our professional gaming marketing agency for expert guidance and complete resources to craft your PR strategy.

We even collaborate with popular influencers to grow your brand. Contact us today to discuss your game marketing strategies.