Publishing lessons

Announcing a new game or expansion might seem straightforward—just post on Facebook, tweet it out, and send a newsletter, right? Then you can sit back and watch the buzz build as people discover, discuss, and share your news. How I wish it were that simple!

In reality, announcements are one of the most challenging, and to be honest, nerve-wracking parts of the publishing process. After spending years working on a project, the moment finally arrives when you’re ready to reveal it to the world. Except, no one knows it exists yet. The announcement is that critical push that sets everything in motion, and it’s your job to ensure it gathers momentum and reaches as many people as possible.

Despite my experience with multiple Kickstarters and game releases, I’ve still had people ask me, “Was this on Kickstarter? I never heard of it.” It’s disheartening, especially after investing countless hours to ensure the announcement reached far and wide. The truth is, no matter how much effort you put into it, your message won’t reach everyone—but how can you give it the best possible chance?

Many publishers simply post on social media, send out a newsletter, and call it a day. Perhaps that works if you’ve already built a large, engaged audience. But for me, I like to do everything I can to maximise the announcement’s impact, and I do that by announcing my announcements.

I create Facebook and YouTube events and promote them about a week in advance. This way, I hope to increase the chances that people will be aware of the announcement and join me for the big reveal. I then host my announcements via live streams on Facebook and YouTube simultaneously, giving the event the attention and excitement it deserves.

During the live stream, I get to do more than just drop a one-liner about a new game. I can share the journey, the story behind the creation, and why this new project is so important to me. It’s an opportunity to build excitement and connect with the audience on a deeper level. Perhaps it resonates more with people; perhaps it doesn’t. But for me, it’s the best way to set the ball rolling.

I’d love to hear how you prefer to make or hear about announcements. Do you keep it simple with a newsletter and social media posts, do you prefer live events, or something else? Let me know in the comments what your preferred technique is.

As for my next big announcement, it’s coming up this Thursday and you can find the events on Facebook and YouTube. I’m currently seeing about 60% of people click through to YouTube and 40% through to Facebook. I’ll be interested to see the final split on the day.