In today's digital age, staying connected via social media is a universal necessity for people seeking the latest from friends and the wider community. A robust social media presence is essential in reaching potential customers for businesses and services. This demand has given rise to the essential role of a Social Media Manager tasked with upholding the brand's online identity. However, the challenge lies in the diversity of social media platforms and their distinct user demographics.
This blog delves into the dynamic landscape of social media, specifically tailored for game developers. We will explore the strategies for utilizing these leading platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Reddit, Discord, and blogs.
Twitter/X
Twitter, now known as X, is often used by people from the media, other game developers, and influencers, making it an excellent place to discover what other indie games are being made. However, it may not necessarily be the best platform for players to find new games since its new leadership; Twitter's algorithm is now less friendly towards tweets with links, impacting your post's performance, especially when promoting your Steam page. A number of games journalists have since left the platform, preferring alternatives such as Threads or Bluesky. Tweets also no longer follow a chronological order, meaning your posts might not always be seen by your followers when posted. Regardless, having a Twitter presence to market your game is still recommended, as it encourages developers and potential players to interact with each other.
To boost your game's visibility and awareness, we highly recommend you start networking with influencers, fellow indie developers, and the press. Once you get people to follow your account, they will follow you on any other platforms you own and, with careful strategies in place, drive wishlists, too. You should also utilize trending hashtags relevant to your content and do your best to be noticed by game development tools since they often showcase games that use their engines or services. For example, if your game is a farming simulator, you might use #indiegames, #indiedev, #farmingsim, #wholesomegame, or #cozygame! Twitter isn’t going anywhere - yet.
Instagram has become a rather popular channel in recent years. Ideal for visual content, a heavier algorithmic focus on Reels in recent years has pushed this type of content to all new users and helped generate visibility outside of the immediate native audience. A standard post can fit ten media pieces, and swiping through these counts as engagement, pushing strong visibility if you can command the correct type of time-on-screen.
Stories are the most widely engaging content and also help to show a more informal side to the team behind the game. Utilize engagement features such as polls and Q&As to let your followers participate in your content while gathering insight simultaneously!
Previously a hub for game devs, Facebook groups is now the most valuable place on the site for game developers. Many are still active, usually based on your location. Facebook groups are still used by indie game developers to share knowledge and information about their game or to hang out with other developers from different companies and share news and tips.
The type of post depends on what you want to show. Since Facebook allows long-form essay-like content, posting something while describing it in detail is often a good idea. Of course, the posts should also be accompanied by visual assets, such as images or videos, to make them more attractive and command space on the timeline. Providing links will also directly lead your followers to the page you intend.
Reddit is undoubtedly one of the best platforms to promote your indie game to your market. It has plenty of subreddits that will help you reach a big audience and get immediate feedback from your potential players. If you're lucky, your post will get abundant upvotes and, with time and effort, potentially go viral if you continue to work and learn. It’s an ideal platform for top-of-the-funnel exposure.
However, you need to make sure you're posting unique and bespoke content for each different subreddit you go to. Each subreddit has different rules and moderators, so pay attention to them before you post, or it'll get deleted before potential players even see it! Utilize every tool you can see when you post: share links, images, videos, or even a description to establish your audience and gain a potential player and wishlist.
Discord
Discord is considered your community's final destination, as they can be directed from other social media platforms to congregate here. If you have been consistently sharing updates about the development of your game, this may lead to potential players becoming more invested in the game and joining your Discord server. They will look forward to staying up-to-date with new information and possibly contribute to the game's development process if encouraged.
Manage your community on Discord by engaging with them and providing sneak peeks about your still unreleased game on other platforms! It’s a way to build interest in joining your server and grow your community, since they won’t get the information anywhere other than Discord. Utilize its ability to connect players together, and with the developers themselves.
TikTok
TikTok has seen strong growth in recent years, especially with younger audiences. We've successfully utilized short-form videos to demonstrate a game's concept quickly and concisely by making consistent content. At least 2-3 posts per week for the first few months will help the algorithm determine the type of content you have and will share it with the right audience!
We have found using hashtags greatly increases the visibility that posts on TikTok receive. It's a great practice to use just a handful, varying in length from more vast, common tags like #indiegames #videogames #parody #shooter and more bespoke like #lootershooter #rpg, depending on your game. Research is key. Aside from hashtags, using a trending song will make your videos more engaging and grant more views.
Blog
The final platforms you should consider are blogs, newsletters, and specifically Steam. The Steam page is the first place your players will see previews of your game, and if it's attractive enough, you can channel wishlists. We spend considerable time evaluating and measuring on-page conversion rates on Steam for this reason. Long-form content can be a way for people to know that you're actively updating them on your progress or your plans. Keep your community updated by giving them information on your team’s focuses over the previous or upcoming month.
Suppose you're unsure how to build a community from scratch or manage the newfound community you’ve established. Perhaps you want to focus on game development while still keeping your game marketing going in the background. In that case, Acorn Games can help you manage your Discord and social media accounts! Feel free to ask for a no-obligation discussion and we’ll be happy to share some thoughts and strategies.