Why you should use video to promote your indie game

One thing that large games publishers tend to do well is video content. Unsurprising, since they work in the video game industry. However, a lot of indie game developers neglect this area.  In this post we explore the different types of video content you can (and should) make, and why it’s such a good way to promote your game.

Concise

Videos are relatively easy to consume, but you can get a lot of information into that short amount of time. Moving images AND sounds? Think of the possibilities! It’s a great intro to your game – you can use this on the home page of your game, or any time anyone asks you about your game.

Sharable

It’s incredibly easy to share videos, it’s just a link. You can put that link anywhere online, and get people to watch your video. You can embed the video in blogs posts, or give it to other people, like the press, to do the same. You can share it on Twitter, on Facebook, and in countless obscure forums.

Better representation of game

Have you tried describing your game to someone? How did it go? Even with a great elevator pitch, sometimes words just aren’t enough. It’s a video game after all. Sometimes people just need to be shown.

Great for SEO

How many times have you done a search for something, only to find the top search results to be videos from YouTube? That could be YOUR video! Google adds a lot of weight to video in search, something you can take advantage of to drive viewers to your videos and ultimately players to your game. (If you are interested in SEO for your indie game, check out our guide)

It convinces people to buy

There’s a study that shows that people who watch product videos are 85% more likely to buy the product. Granted that study isn’t about video games, but I’m sure a similar thing is true for games. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve gone out and bought a game based on the trailer alone.

People like video

I would much rather watch a demo of a game that read about it. It’s a better experience. There’s a reason that the world’s second biggest search engine is YouTube – video is awesome.

So hopefully now you are convinced that video is bloody amazing. Below are the four main types of video that can (should) be created for your game. Sure there are other types, and we could get much more granular, but these are the big four.

Trailers

Everyone knows what a trailer is. They tend to be stylised, blending cinematics with gameplay. Often it’s a teaser, show a little, get them interested, whet their appetites. Sometimes trailer makers get carried away and show every feature in the game, making the trailer too busy and leaving gamers a little jaded when they realise they’ve already seen all the good bits of the game.

Demos

A demo allows you to show off the game play, let people see what it would be like to play your game. It’s a chance to show off certain features, like elements of innovative gameplay, special moves, shots of the environment.

Interviews

Sometimes you may be asked to conduct an interview by the press. Other times you may want to interview someone on your team, or even conduct a self-interview where you answer questions you’ve been asked. Or maybe just make them up yourself. Who knows? Interviews are a great way of adding a human element to your game. And that’s especially true for video

Dev diaries

We’ve mentioned in the past that a good way to keep customers happy is to give them lots of content, and that showing what goes on behind the scenes can be a great marketing tool. Developer diaries bring the customer into a game much more than a trailer can. They allow the viewer to feel like part of a game.

The sum up

Obviously you don’t necessarily need to make one of each – each game is different. You may not have the time to create a video diary, or are too camera shy to do an interview (you should probably work on that). However, they are all great ways of promoting your game in different ways, to different people. If you are serious about promoting your game, then video should be a big part of your plan.

If you like this post, why not subscribe by email by entering your email address in the sidebar (or by clicking here). And why not follow us on twitter?