Rebecca Attard‑Phillips is co-founder of the video games brand and communications agency Boost. Previously, she led global communications at companies such as Square Enix, Creative Assembly, and Splash Damage.
Indie development is full of contradictions. You are creating something deeply personal, yet are expected to know how to promote it every day. You’re instructed that visibility is essential, but you have scarce time, a limited budget, and few people to help you. You want to reach players, but you’re frightened of shouting into the void.
After many years of working with publishers and studios of all sizes, I’ve learned a simple truth: indie comms only works when it’s based in reality. Not the perfect marketing fantasy. Not the pressure to be everywhere. Not believing that success is random. Real communications is a matter of clarity, consistency, and connection. All three are easy to develop without grinding to a halt.
This guide dissects the basics: how to talk about your game, when to begin, where to apply your energy, and how to build momentum sustainably. We’ll also wade into the “tiers” framework for public comms, because it’s one of the most sanity-saving tools that an indie team can have.
Why comms feels hard, and why it doesn’t have to be
Indie teams work under real-world stress. You are building the game, managing production, attempting to build a community, and often working around other jobs or responsibilities. Comms becomes the thing you “should” be doing, but often don’t feel ready for.
But communications isn’t magic, and it isn’t luck. It’s not about shouting louder or chasing every platform trend. It’s about helping players find the game you’ve poured your soul into. The good news is that comms doesn’t have to be intimidating or overbearing. Your main focus should still remain on the game you are crafting.
If you only take one thing away from this article, it’s that small, steady steps beat large, sporadic efforts every time.
Begin with the story you’re actually telling
Before you write or create anything for a platform, trailer, or press release, you need to know how to talk about your game. Not a feature list or a genre mash-up, but the story.
I recommend a straightforward framework: the Three Messaging Pillars.
- The Emotional Fantasy. What the player wants to feel when they play your game. Not “roguelike progression,” but “the thrill of surviving one more night.”
- The Signature Mechanic. The mechanic that determines that experience. Not “physics-based grappling system,” but “swing through danger with impossible agility.”
- The World and Tone. The atmosphere and personality. Not “post-apocalyptic,” but “a collapsing world where hope is something you rebuild, one risky run at a time.”
These three pillars are the foundation of every trailer, social post, Steam page, and pitch you ever create.
Turn your pillars into a positioning statement
A positioning statement is one short guiding sentence that sums up what your game stands for at its core. It’s not a tagline; it’s your internal compass. Below are some examples of how you can evolve a positioning statement.
A weak version sounds like this: “A metroidvania where you explore an underground kingdom.” Accurate, but generic.
A stronger version is: “A hand-crafted action adventure in which you descend into a ruined kingdom to uncover its forgotten truths.”
The best version? “A lonely descent into a fallen kingdom where every single secret asks what you’re willing to become.” This adds emotion and makes the game feel far more distinctive.
The key takeaway is to draft your positioning statement early. This will give you that crucial one-liner to describe your game with confidence.
When to start thinking about comms?
Most indies will wait for a polished build or a near-final trailer before thinking about comms. By then, you’ve missed opportunities to shape how you talk about the game.
Thinking about comms doesn’t necessarily mean talking in public. Much of the highest-quality work gets done long before you launch your Steam page.
- Defining the fantasy and basic mechanic. If you can articulate the feeling of your game AND how players interact with it in one sentence, you’re ready to start building your messaging.
- Collecting and testing visual moments. A simple screenshot, a crude prototype snippet, or a mood image might help you grasp what’s visually stunning about your game. You can post it publicly or privately to guide tone and style. You don’t need to jump straight to a polished trailer to build interest.
- Using your messaging to influence your Steam page and assets. Instead of crafting your “hook” by writing a Steam page and retrofitting it, let your positioning statement and pillars dictate the tone and style of your external assets and platform copy.
- Be present in the spaces that matter, long before you are ready to “promote”. Simply existing in the ecosystem is enough. Being there, updating on a few small milestones, and being a person in the spaces your potential players are invested in can be effective. This doesn’t require a huge campaign; it can be light, sporadic, and honest.
All of this is about allowing your communications thinking to evolve with the game, so when you’re ready to go public in a bigger way, you’re not starting with a blank page.
The tiers: a sanity‑saving framework for indie comms
Developers often tell me this framework provides them with much needed structure and reassurance, and a way to prioritise their content roll-out. You don’t have to be on every platform or chase every trend. You need to be repeatable, not omnipresent.
Here’s the order of things you should do, ranked by importance:
Tier 1: The Must-Haves
If you only do these, you’re already ahead of the curve.
- Steam page
- Trailer
- One social platform (choose whichever one you can maintain and which suits your communication style)
- Website or link hub – this allows you to post updates at your own pace
This is the foundation of discoverability, ensuring players, press, and creators can understand your game and find more information.
Tier 2: High‑Value Extras
Great if you have the bandwidth.
- Devlogs
- Press kit
- Discord
These deepen engagement and help build community, but they’re not required from day one.
Tier 3: Optional Channels
Only if you have the capacity.
- TikTok
- Newsletters
- Events
These can be powerful, but if you can’t maintain them, they may become sources of stress rather than growth catalysts.
Key takeaway: You don’t need to be everywhere, but you need to have a reliable presence somewhere.
Create momentum without burning out
Most indie comms do not fail because the strategy is wrong; they fail because the workload becomes too heavy. Here’s how to keep going:
- Reuse content across different platforms. One screenshot can sprout into a social post, devlog, discord post, and Steam update.
- Create a weekly “comms hour”. Just one hour a week beats a frantic sprint every three months.
- Maintain notes instead of writing new content. Show what you’re already doing. Don’t create extra work.
- Use templates for announcements and patch notes. This saves time and builds clear structure.
- Create a minimum viable presence plan. Define the simplest definition of “showing up” that you personally can commit to, then follow through.
Press and creator outreach
Press and creator outreach is often regarded as a mysterious black box. In truth, it’s much simpler.
Press outlets want a story. Not “we just added 12 more levels,” but:
- A unique angle
- A human story
- A surprising mechanic
- A cultural moment
Creators want freedom. They do not want scripts and jarring approval steps, they want:
- A fun game
- A clear hook
- Permission to be themselves
- Easy access to your game
Both groups want your game to be easy to understand, access, and talk about.
What really moves the needle
When building a plan to approach press and creators, there are some important things to remember.
- A clear, compelling hook. They won’t cover your game if they can’t explain it in one sentence.
- A playable build (or at least a trailer). Coverage is built on experience.
- Clean, ready-to-use assets. High-res screenshots, a short trailer, a basic press kit, and a couple of GIFs.
- A short, respectful pitch. Five to seven sentences, with the hook first, a link to the assets, and a clear ask.
- Smart timing. Avoid big showcases, major releases, and holiday windows. Indies thrive in the off-season and mid-week.
- Relationships over cold emails. You don’t need to “network.” Just be human and treat the person you are contacting like a human. Do your research and take a genuine interest in their work. Don’t just contact someone when you need something.
Comms does not have to be paralysing. It shouldn’t take the same time or effort you are investing in your game. What counts us getting to the emotional heart of your project, communicating openly about it, and committing to a simple, sustainable presence that gives players a real opportunity to understand what you’re building.
The tools and tactics will change, but the basics won’t: a strong hook, a few credible channels, and an unflinching willingness to follow through. You needn’t be everywhere, and you don’t have to do everything. You only need to tell your story with clarity and sensitivity. Your voice, after all, is one of the most powerful assets your studio has. Wield it in a manner that facilitates your game, your team, and most importantly, your sanity.
