How to Market Your Indie Game Before Launch
Build an audience before release day: indie game marketing tactics for social media, devlogs, press kits, creators, communities and wishlists.
Launch day is too late to start marketing. The games that break out usually spent months building an audience first.
Share development early
Post short clips of gameplay, bugs and before-and-after comparisons. Short videos under 15 seconds perform best on X, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Shorts.
Keep a devlog
A regular devlog, whether written or on video, gives followers a reason to come back and gives search engines pages to index.
Build a community home
Start a Discord server or subreddit once you have a small following. Share builds with members first. They become your testers and your loudest advocates.
Prepare a press kit
Include:
- A one-paragraph description
- A trailer and 5–10 high-resolution screenshots
- Logos and key art
- Release date, platforms and price
- Contact details
Reach out to creators
Find YouTubers and streamers who cover games like yours. Send a short, personal email with a key and a clear reason your game fits their channel.
Measure what works
Track wishlists, follows and clicks for every post. Double down on the channels that move numbers and drop the ones that don't.
Marketing isn't a phase after development. It's a habit that runs alongside it.
