Game development marketing is just as important as the actual game. A mediocre game with a solid marketing campaign can still make millions, but a stellar game that goes ignored will only get attention from gamers who stumble upon it by chance.
Marketing your game on iPhone or iPad has never been easier than it is right now, with so many channels for content creators to reach an audience. As long as you have an engaging trailer that shows off your game’s features and gameplay mechanics, you’ll be able to attract press coverage from established gaming websites like IGN or Polygon that can help drive sales into the stratosphere.
Create a simple, but effective website
Your website is the first thing visitors will see when they land on your site, so it’s important that you make a good first impression. It should be easy-to-use.
One of the best ways to do this is by using a template as a starting point for your design. Templates are pre-made designs that have been created by professionals and tested with users so they work well out of the box. They often contain an easy way for users to edit or add content without having any experience coding or designing websites themselves; keeping things organized and making sure visitors can find what they’re looking for quickly makes them more likely to stay around long enough for you to get their attention!
Develop an amazing trailer
iOS game trailers are a great way to show off your game and build hype for it. They can be used to promote pre-orders, the game’s release and other marketing materials. The trailer should be engaging, entertaining and focused on selling the core gameplay elements of your title.
Set up pre-orders on your website
To ensure that you hit your sales goals, set up a pre-order system on your website. This will allow people to pay for the app before it’s released and get rewarded with a special price or extra features. You can choose to offer these options when customers sign up for updates or just add them into the checkout process as an option.
Pre-orders are also great because they give you time to collect feedback from users while they wait for their apps to be ready. When potential buyers see comments from other users who have already purchased the game, they feel more comfortable buying it themselves, knowing that others were satisfied with their purchase and had no problems using the app once it was available for download.
Get your marketing materials ready for release day
Getting your marketing materials ready for release day is an important part of the process. Make sure that:
- Your marketing materials are easy to find, like a dedicated landing page or tab on your website.
- Your marketing materials are easy to share, so that people can easily recommend them to others.
- The messaging in your marketing materials is clear and concise—you want players who are unfamiliar with gaming terminology (and even those who are) to be able to figure out exactly what you’re offering without having to read through multiple paragraphs. Consider using visuals as well as text when possible, since they help break up the monotony of reading and keep readers engaged longer than they would otherwise be interested in reading such long-form copy (which we all know isn’t always easy).
- While there may not be one right way or wrong way when it comes down to how many screenshots/videos should accompany this content.
Reach out to the gaming press
The gaming press is made up of many different types of journalists, but there are two main types: Indie game reviewers and mainstream gaming writers.
A good place to start looking for the right people is on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. You can usually see who they are by their profile picture or bio information (depending on the platform). You can also find some contact details on their website if they have one.
Besides this, there are many ways in which you can find out who your target audience is and how they like to be contacted:
- Search hashtags related to your genre (e.g., #chess)
- Check out popular forums dedicated to gaming
- Ask friends and family who play games what platforms they use
Reach out to YouTubers and Twitch streamers
You can reach out to YouTubers and Twitch streamers in a number of ways.
- By emailing them on social media, or messaging them on their YouTube or Twitch channel.
- By offering them a free copy of your game. If you’re not making any money yet, this is totally fine! If possible, provide some sort of incentive for the streamer to play your game; maybe offer a percentage of future profits from the game? It’s up to you!
Marketing is as important as development
Marketing is as important as development when it comes to mobile gaming.
In fact, marketing is the most important part of any business or product. Without marketing you don’t have a product, or a service, or even a company. You may have an idea for something cool that will solve all the world’s problems but if no one knows about it then it won’t matter how good your idea is – it will never become anything more than an idea.
That’s why we’re going to focus on how to market your iOS game after we’ve developed it and released it into the wild (or rather onto the App Store).
Conclusion
If you’re going to make an iOS game, it needs to be something that people want to play. That means creating something great and sharing your work. You’ll need both talent and luck, but marketing is just as important as development if you want your project to succeed.
