Hi all, I'm a marketing guy so thought I'd share a few tips for those wanting to increase their download count. Maybe you're not that bothered, which is cool, but here's what's worked for me:
- Make sure you have at least one screenshot showing what the game looks like in play, or at the very least showing what the printout looks like. Having just a cover image with no way to tell what the game itself is like, is not ideal.
- I recommend using one of those as part of your cover image, rather than just a photo or graphic.
- In your blurb, say something like "___ is a free wargame where the player tries to ___ by ____, using dice/cards/whatever". Don't be vague. Keep it short. Mine is too long honestly.
- Post your link to FB groups like PnP, Solitaire wargaming, etc. - this is where 95% of my downloads are coming from. It's a well qualified audience, while other channels you're 90% dealing with bots and people who just follow because they want you to follow them.
- Think about how people will actually print/play your game. Are you providing a letter/A4 sized page? Are you giving any guidance as to how it should best be printed/glued/whatever? I've noticed most people are printing 3+ copies of mine - one to use as the map, one to use as rules, and the third to cut up for the counters. That's really interesting to me as I definitely designed it to be a one-and-done. Some folks are even laminating it!
- If you're asking people to use dice other than D6, I recommend pointing them to the dice app for those who don't own all the crazy dice.
- Likewise https://deck.of.cards/ for folks who don't have cards lying around.
- Personally I don't know anyone offline who is into wargaming. Some are into board gaming and have been a good help. If you do have a wargaming community around you, of course use them!
- Instagram, twitter etc. are useful in their own ways but you wont get many folks downloading anything via that channel
So if you're like me and want to learn about how to market games, this might be a good place to start :)
Next for me is a video demo. The key with these is for it to be short, and just a quick overview. 90 seconds max. A longer one is ok, but most folks wont be that committed and very, very few people will watch the whole thing unless you're a gifted communicator and/or editor.