So, you have developed a gaming app that is fun, attractive and (in your opinion) has what it takes to become the next Angry Birds or Candy Crush. If you want to help your app stand out from the crowd and be noticed in the sea of titles that are released every day, you need to get noticed. Creating your game is just half the battle—promotion is just as important. Unfortunately, hundreds of quality apps are released each year that only get a handful of downloads—despite the best intentions of the developer. If you want your title to get the attention it deserves, start by following these tips.
- Tell a Story – Why should someone play your game? Get your potential fans interested in your game by building a backstory. What makes Angry Birds “better” than other similar games? The story about the epic war between the birds and pigs. This is a relatively simple story, but it built interest in a seemingly simple game premise.
- Timing Is Important – Releasing your game before you have the promotional materials together or before you are ready to push marketing can be a huge mistake. By the time you start your marketing program, the game could seem “old” or outdated. Also, if your game fits in with a specific season, make sure you release to take advantage of this.
- Game Website – With all the social media profiles and your app page, do you really need a website? Yes! This gives you more space to describe the app and helps create a presence that builds your reputation.
- SEO – Build your website, app description and social media profiles with SEO in mind. Hiring content writers to create articles and blog posts will assure you have quality content on your page while still having the SEO elements that help you stand out on the search engines.
- Targeted Paid Advertising – For a niche game, this is especially important. Advertising programs like Google Adwords is a nice, but working with speciality sites to host your banner directly will often give you better results. For instance, if you have a role-playing game app featuring fantasy characters, you may work with fan sites for the TV show Game of Thrones or the Lord of the Rings movies. These fan sites will likely have lower advertising rates and the website visitors are your target audience.
- Press Release – Treat your launch like the big deal it is. Draft a press release and get the news out! This builds credibility and interest.
Releasing your gaming app is an exciting day for you as a developer. Take advantage of all the resources you have available to you to get news out about your app. In many cases, it may take a little time but you will eventually get your game in front of those who will download it, play it and share it with their friends.
Tracy S is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
