Download: "Wishlist Workshop Part 7 Blueprint (PDF)" Here
New Strategy To Getting Wishlists
Indie Game Wishlist Workshop Part 7
This week is the most important because you'll learn my "secret" technique I used personally to successfully build three startups from scratch.
So, let me share with you an insight to help you better understand this new technique. And then you'll get a step-by-step guide showing you exactly how to execute this insight so that you grow your wishlist.
Here's what you need to know... and what to do if you want to grow your wishlist right now...
Here's a strategy that 99.9% of game devs use. And I'm sure it looks similar to your strategy. And that strategy is...
- Launch your game on Steam to get organic traffic to your Store page
- Post on social media to drive traffic to your Steam page
- Approach YouTubers, Streamers, and game journalists so their audience goes to your Steam page
- Get a demo finished
- If you have the funds, get a booth at a game convention
- If you know somebody in the industry, use them to help you find more connections
- If you know a content creator, use them to help you boost your game
But often what happens is, game devs try this strategy and it doesn't work.
Why?
This strategy has one common problem that you can't overcome:
You're relying on somebody else who has a big audience to help you market your game.
Why is this a problem?
Let me explain in a bit more detail. And then I'll show you a new technique that works far better...
Problem With Steam Organic Traffic:
To get organic traffic on your Steam page, you're relying on Steam's algorithm.
The problem with that is, nobody knows how this algorithm works. One day they say you need 10,000 wishlists... then another day it's changed and it's not the number of wishlists, but the velocity of wishlists.
So you don't need 10,000 wishlists if Steam sees that your wishlists are growing fast. If they see that, then their algorithm kicks in and you have a better chance to be showcased on the "New and Upcoming" tab.
Maybe.
And...
I'm not saying that we shouldn't try to understand Steam and how it works, and use that to our advantage. I'm saying that once somebody figures out how to "game" their system... or figure out how to take advantage of the algorithm... then they'll change it.
This always happens with platforms.
It becomes a "cat and mouse" game where you think you figured out their system, but you're actually wrong because they've changed it on you.
Problem With Social Media Traffic:
Then there's social media. The problem with relying on social media is that each platform wants different things. For example, you might post something on r/games and get a huge response. But then when you post the same thing on TikTok, you get almost no response. In fact, you might even post the same content on another subreddit and get no response.
When you rely on other platforms, you have to figure out their game and figure it out. And the game on TikTok vs. Twitter vs. YouTube vs. Instagram vs. Whatever... are all different games you need to figure out and adapt to. and this game always changes. The tides shift so fast in social media, that you just end up chasing trends.
And yeah, if you're lucky enough to catch a tide, then great. But hoping to go viral, or chase trends, isn't a good long-term strategy.
Also, just know that all social media platforms do NOT want you to leave. They are always tinkering with the algo to figure out how to keep you on their platform for as long as possible.
Social media used to be a place where you'd find other cool stuff and then go there. But these companies learned that they're not growing anymore. So now they have to figure out ways to keep you on LONGER. Their new metric isn't how many users signed up, but how LONG a user stayed on.
So this means that a player who finds your game on TikTok is now less likely to go into your bio and click your link to your Steam page.
Problem With Content Creator Traffic:
The problem with relying on YouTuber, Twitch streamers, and game journalists is that they are always chasing the new, trending, and what's popular.
So this means you often have only one shot with a streamer or journalist.
In other words, once a content creator talks about you, it's rare they'll make more content about your game. They need to always offer new and novel content to their users.
Sure, if your game blows up, and you're trending, they'll make posts about you.
But oftentimes, you only have one shot. That's because "old news" isn't attention-grabbing as something new, or popular, or trending.
The Game Of Relying On Other Platforms
My point is, when you rely on other people, and on other platforms, you are at their mercy.
This is why most game devs fail when they try using other people and other platforms to help market their game, and help grow their wishlists.
It's not because their game isn't marketable... it's not because their game is low quality... it's not because their game isn't fun...
...it's because other people and other platforms have different agendas than the game dev.
Their agenda is different from your agenda -- and that creates a conflict.
Your agenda is to "get your name out there". Your agenda is to get your game in front of your target player as much as you can. Your agenda is to use these platforms and people to help you grow your wishlists.
But their agenda isn't that. Their agenda is so that they grow their own audience, and to make sure that audience doesn't leave.
And if your game is already popular, trending, and has a lot of buzz, then yes, they'll be all-in and talk about you. That's because your game is helping them grow their own audience and keeping tuned in longer.
It's the same with platforms: if there's a lot of buzz about your game on YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, then the platform will support you and get your name out there to a lot more people.
But if your game fails to get any traction, well then your stuff will get buried.
Point is: most small indie games, no matter how unique or high quality they are, if they don't have this buzz and aren't trending, then it's very difficult to fight through obscurity.
That's why it's so hard to use these platforms and people when you're starting from scratch: you have no leverage, you have no "social proof".
So let me share with you a "simple trick", next...
A New Way To Find Players And Build Your Wishlist -- From Scratch
The reason why social media, streamers, and game journalists are so effective in helping indie game studios grow their wishlists is because when other people talk about you, it gives you more credibility.
For example, say I'm a world-champion archer. And I'm at a dinner party with new people. I so badly want to tell everybody about my accomplishments. But if I were to just go and talk about myself, and how amazing my accomplishments are, people are just going to look at me like I'm some arrogant ass. They'll be polite. But in their mind they won't care at all.
But say I kept my mouth shut. And my buddy off-handedly told one person at the party that I'm a world champion archer. And as word-of-mouth spread, my credibility would spread... and my "stock" would rise.... more people would be impressed... all without me saying anything.
It's the same idea when a streamer talks about your game. When somebody else talks about you, then it gives you way more credibility if you did it yourself.
And it's the same idea when you post on social media in hopes that people share the post.
That's why reposting, regraming, and retweeting are so important -- other people talking about you is a lot more powerful than you talking about yourself. In other words, it's more impressive if the content comes from other people rather than from the original poster.
But there's one more layer to all this that is hidden...
When other people approach streamers and game journalists, you'll get far better results if somebody ELSE approached them ratner than if you approached them yourself.
In other words, say you had a small group of 100 Discord followers. And if only 23 of them went to a streamer and left comments about your game and how it's totally a game that the streamer would love to play, then that streamer would listen.
Why?
Because word-of-mouth is more powerful when it doesn't come from you.
Let me explain...
The Best Marketing Is No Marketing
It's like when a pizza place has a big banner saying "Best Pizza In Town". Nobody believes it.
But say your friend told you that this one pizza place has the best pizza... and then you heard a stranger say the same thing on Facebook... and you read it in your local newspaper. Hearing it from other people gives the claim "Best Pizza" more credibility.
It's the same with attracting content creators (YouTubers, Twitch streamers, game journalists). If you go up to them and tell them how amazing your game is, and how fun your features are, then it's hard to believe.
That's because every game dev pitches their game like that. These content creators have heard it all.
But if somebody else approached that content creator, they'd perk up and listen.
Why?
Because if a content creator starts getting comments, emails, or messages talking about some game they never heard of, then they fear missing out on something new happening.
People want to be the first to know things. Especially content creators and people on social media.
For example, they want to be the first person to discover an "indie sleeper hit". If they can be the first to deliver this news, then it means more attention for them.
But this is hard to do if you do it yourself. It's far better if "word-of-mouth" does it for you.
Do you see what I mean when I say "the best marketing is no marketing"? Do you see how powerful word-of-mouth is?
So then, how do you build word-of-mouth? Let's work on that next...
How Word-Of-Mouth Is The "Secret Trick" To Getting Wishlists Fast -- And How To Get It
So again the idea here is:
You'll get better results if other people approach streamers and game journalists for you. And you'll do a lot better on social media if other people share your content.
How do I know this works?
My first successful startup (ScanCanada.ca) landed one of the biggest brands and organizations in Canada. I managed to land clients such as BHP (a billion dollar company), the Canadian Football League (the NFL of Canada), MuchMusic (the MTV of Canada), Associated Press, Random House Publishing, and the Government of Canada.
But here's the interesting part (and how it relates to you in getting wishlists)...
In 2005, I put up a wordpress website and focused on SEO and got on the front page of Google search. I posted on Digg.com and Facebook. I created content on EzineArticles.com. I also tried Google and Facebook ads. This helped drive traffic to my website. And I was getting ok sales.
But what really TOOK off is when I learned that real business is about going after clients yourself and not relying on other platforms.
What I mean is, I learned that if I wanted my business to support me financially, and survive in the long-term, I couldn't rely on other platforms (like social media, Google search, posting content). I had to go out and get clients.
So what I did was I emailed a local art gallery. And I got talking to the Art Director. And to be honest, I was scared as shit talking to him.
But I just asked him his opinion on scanning and what problems they had when they tried scanning. We emailed back and forth, and he invited me to have a meeting with him.
But here's the big "aha" moment:
As a director of an art gallery, he was pretty influential. So I got lucky because he spread word-of-mouth for me. And next thing I knew I was getting clients who owned local businesses.
They told me that they found me through that director. And this "wave" of word-of-mouth spread to bigger and bigger clients.
So here was my big "aha" moment: I believe that if I just kept posting content online, relied on Google Ads, search, and SEO, and on other platforms like Digg.com and EzineArticles.com, then my small business would never get traction and take off -- and would have failed.
It was only when I got out of my comfort zone, and actually started talking to people one-on-one that my business started to gain traction.
And you might be thinking...
"Good for you! But my game studio is different from some graphic design company from the 2000s. That was long ago!"...
And I would agree with you, but here's the thing:
In 2009, I joined a photography forum, and I talked to people. After talking to them, I realized that there was a need for a "how to guide" on scanning photos and fixing them in Photoshop.
So that's when I launched my second successful business (HowToScan.ca).
And I took the same approach when I launched my third startup in 2019 doing 2D / 3D game maps (my video game map art on ArtStation). I talked to indie game devs and asked what they wanted and needed. Word-of-mouth spread that I was to go-to indie game map maker.
The reason I'm telling you this is because, like you, I had no connections... no industry pals that owed me a favor... and no money to advertise.
And it doesn't matter if it was 2005 or 2025, the same principles in business work today as they did yesterday.
I say this because my "secret" isn't really a secret. In fact, I have to give credit to the principles I learned from Claude Hopkins. He wrote two books:
- Scientific Advertising
- My Life In Advertising
The crazy thing is, these books were published in 1923 and 1927. Back then he was marketing tires, laundry soap, and factory supplies.
Tires, soap, and supplies have NOTHING to do with scanning and running a digital company.
But I took his concepts, and applied them to my new ideas.
And guess what?
THEY WORKED!
So it doesn't matter if you're a game dev, graphic designer, artist, whatever...
It doesn't matter what year it is...
What matters is, if you understand what the customers want, and how to use words and images to show your game has what they want, then you'll get their attention. And getting their attention is the first step to getting wishlists.
And I learned that marketing isn't about "getting your name out there". It's about making something so exceptional that people can't help themselves and they need to tell other people.
So how do you build word-of-mouth? Well, good news is, after 19 years I've learned how to perfect word-of-mouth.
So let's do that right now...
The Secret To Growing Wishlists Isn't Using Other Platforms But To Build Word-Of-Mouth First -- Here's How...
Don't worry. You're not going to be "cold calling" anybody. And you're not going to have to spend 3 hours a day reaching out to people, one-on-one. And the idea isn't to go approach 10,000 people to get 10,000 wishlists.
The idea is to find key fans, and leverage them so that they help you spread word-of-mouth.
Again, you're not using them... you're not manipulating them... you're finding fans who will love you and want to support you because they love what you're doing.
Like I said, if you can get 20 people to leave a comment on a streamer to play your game, then that is 20x more effective than if you contact them yourself.
And the best part is, it only takes 20 minutes a day to do this technique. So, here's the step-by-step action plan...
The "Fan Finder" Method
Let's forget about other platforms... and forget about content creators.
Let's leverage your NUMBER ONE person who can help you grow MORE wishlist faster than anybody else...
And that is...
YOUR FANS!
But how do you get fans? And how do you get them to build word-of-mouth?
Well, let's use what I call the "Fan Finder" technique.
It's a simple method where you go out there and find fans for your game.
It works because most fans get treated like they're just NPCs in a game. In other words, most game studios just treat fans like they're a number in a wishlist database.
A better strategy is to, again, put the spotlight on them. And it works because people like to interact with people -- and not studios or corporate entities.
If they get a message from you, the creator of a game they might potentially like, then that's how you turn them into your biggest fan... a fan that will help you spread word-of-mouth, and drive those wishlists up!
So, go grab open your Wishlist Workshop. Go to a new page. And here's what to do:
Fan Finder Step #1: Go Where Your Potential Fans Hang Out
Ok, in Part 6, I already talked about this. But this is a bit different. Instead of posting a threat, in this strategy, you're going to approach a potential . And don't worry, it'll be easy.
Let me show you...
So as of now, the best place where a lot of gamers hangout is Reddit. But to do this right, let's narrow it down to specific subreddits that align most with your game. In other words, you don't want to go to r/gaming because that's not where your core audience hangs out.
So it's better to find a subreddit that matches your Top Five Tags (see Part 2).
So for example, say I'm making a roguelike, I'd go to:
r/roguelites/
Also, other potential subreddits where your core fans might hang out in, are:
Hades: r/HadesTheGame/
Risk of Rain: r/riskofrain/
Dead Cells: r/deadcells/
Rogue Legacy: r/RogueLegacy/
So take your Top Five Tags, and Google each Tag + reddit to find if there's a subreddit. For example, I would Google...
"Shoppkeer reddit reddit"
...and see what subreddits come up that relate to that tag / genre.
Ok, next...
Fan Finder Step #2: Approach Users In That Subreddit
Ok, once you found your subreddit, go find a new post. And then go into the comments section.
Then find a user that commented, and click on their username.
Once you click their username, you'll go to their Profile page. On the right, you'll see a button that says "Chat".
Click "Chat" and send them this message:
Fan Finder Step 3#: Ask Them Their Opinion
Here's a script you can use to contact.
Message Template:
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Hey, can I get your opinion on roguelikes? What's one thing you hate about them? And one thing you love about them?
I'm asking because I'm a small indie developer and want to find out how to make better games -- and your opinions will help a lot.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Your Name
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Again, the idea here isn't to try to promote or spam your game. The idea is to genuinely connect with another potential fan. If they reply back and give you an answer, then here's what to say:
Fan Finder Step #4: Your Reply
Here's what to say when they reply:
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Thanks for sharing your opinions. It helps a lot.
{then talk about what they told you here to build some rapport... then say...}
If you're curious, here's my game: (your game's Steam link here). What do you think? Can I get your opinion on it as well?
Thanks!
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Again, the idea here is to connect with potential core fans. And I know this is a risk. Getting negative feedback and getting rejected sucks.
But finding players and growing your wishlists is your number one priority. And that means you have to go out there and expose some of your vulnerabilities.
It would be nice just to put your game on Steam, and their algorithm helps you find players.
It would be nice to let other people like YouTubers do all the work for you and create content about your game so that it drives traffic to your Steam page and grows your wishlist.
It would be nice to post on TikTok, and people share it, and you go viral.
But it's not that easy.
When you have a game, you essentially have a product. And you're not just a game dev. You're a business owner. And a business is nothing without fans and customers.
So, as an owner of a business... as somebody who wants to make games so that you make enough income to support your life... you need to take action. You need to get out of your comfort zone, and reach out to customers, one-on-one.
It's the ONLY way to do it. If there's no customers, there's no business.
And YouTubers, Streamers, game journalists, TikTok, YouTube... they don't care if you get customers or not. They just care about their own views and getting more users. So it's up to YOU to take charge of how you get customers.
And the good news is, I'm here to help you along the way. So let's begin. Here's what to do...
What You'll Get If You Take Action RIGHT NOW...
Remember, this isn't about quantity, and spamming as many people as you can. It's not about trying to get something out of nothing. It's not about manipulating people.
It's about finding true, die-hard fans -- fans that love what you're doing, because they know if they help you succeed they'll get to play a game they're super excited to see succeed.
So do this right now and I promise you'll see results right away.
- Go to a subreddit that aligns with your game
- Find a post, and go into the replies
- Find a user, and send them a Chat request
- Ask them their opinion (see above or download the Blueprint Part 7 below)
- When they reply back, mention your game, and send them your link to your Steam page
Just do one today. Because by doing small, incremental actions everyday like this, you will start building a fanbase. You will start getting traffic to your Steam page. You will start gaining word-of-mouth because you're talking directly to your core audiences.
You're not relying on streamers and the press to do this for you.
To start growing your game company, and build sustainable growth, this is the first action you need to take: find players yourself, and talk to them.
So make a commitment to find 1 to 3 players a day. Send them a chat message. And reply back to the ones that respond. Start building your following by going out there and getting it yourself!
If you want more details on this step, I made a template you can easily follow:
Download: "Wishlist Workshop Part 7 Blueprint (PDF)" Here
What's Your Goal?
Launching soon, need wishlists? Click: Get Wishlists
Game sales low after launch? Click: Get Game Sales
Want to test a game idea to see if it's profitable? Click: Get Market Research
Thanks for reading! Hope you got one insight to help you market your indie game and start growing your audience, and finding customers!
Dariusz Konrad
Email: dariusz at mainquestmarketing dot com
Discord Username: dariuszkonrad
LinkedIn: My entrepreneurial successes
Work: Game devs I've helped so far