Hi Everybody,

I want to invite everybody to talk about methods to attract upcoming (new) customers. Also I hope Steve is interested to give also some ideas about this subject.


-high quality product demo, with order link to your website. You sell the difference between the demo version and the full version. So more powerups, more obstacles, level editor etc.

-first you need a professional website, from where your demo can be downloaded.

-you got a newsletter (your site) which is mailed to every subscriber when there is news, like an update, new release, contest etc.

-to find your webpage, you need to use key words (also hidden) to when the customer types in a search engine "puzzle games", he see in the search list your website. Perhaps you can sponsor your link, so it's bigger then the other links. Or better it will be presented on the first page of the search engine. I don't know if this is very expensive?

-you submit your demo with screenshots (if possible) and story to all important download sites. You also hope that upcoming customers will place a positive review at the download site. So other people are interested to look at it soon. This is very important and the basic to distribute the first signal about the fact that your new game exist.

-often you update your demo, so it's fresh presented on the downloadpage.

-you want to place an advertisement on the frontpage of the downloadsite, so customers will see the download link and information about your product at the homepage. I am afraid that this can be expensive?

-you participate on game sites in newsgroups to tell about your game. So people will look at it and give there opinion about it. Important is that they are interested to buy it and tell others about it. I am not sure if this will work out well?

-you send every reviewer of every important game site a press release about your game. Where they can download the demo and a good story about the game content . You hope that they will publish this press release on the frontpage of the game site. So people look at it and download the demo and buy it.

-you want an advertisement on some of the importants game sites, so people will click on the banner and will be transfered to your website. I am not sure if banner advertisement works well by the way?

-you contact all important printed game magazines and send them a press release. Very important are the the game magazines who distributes a cdrom with demo's. Imporant is that your demo's is add to this cdrom. Important is when they review your game, that the review is positive.

-you contact all important retail publishers, who publishes shareware collections in retail. You submit your demo to them, so they will add it to there shareware collection(s). I am not sure how well this will work? Because there are mostly also complete freeware on this collections.

-you can submit your (complete) game for a non exclusive agreement to all retail publishers. Perhaps they can add it to there complete collections with complete games or they are perhaps interested to sell it stand alone. I am not sure if publishers will agree about this? But it's a try.

-you can try to submit your demo to some (chain) local stores and check if it's possible that the sales staff gives every customer after they bought something a copy of the demo (as present). This can be for instance computer shops, food stores, supermarkets, etc.

-you can try to set up your own deal with stores if you can't find any retail publisher who want to sell the game as stand alone. You sell the complete game in a jewel case on the shelves of some local stores. I don't know if this will work out well. I heard some people who did this. But for so far the profits aren't big.

So that's it, perhaps someone else got some ideas about this subject.

>-you can try to set up your own deal with stores if you can't find any retail publisher who want to sell the game as stand alone. You sell the complete game in a >jewel case on the shelves of some local stores. I don't know if this will work out well. I heard some people who did this. But for so far the profits aren't big.

This won't work of course, when it's a big store chain, like Walmart. I mean little stores. So I am afraid that it isn't worth the time to use this method.

>-you can try to submit your demo to some (chain) local stores and check if it's possible that the sales staff gives every .customer after they bought something a >copy of the demo (as present). This can be for instance computer shops, food stores, supermarkets, etc.

I think that the demo distribution in stores is a nice idea, what do other people think about it. Of course the supervisor must agree about this. I don't know it they will count any costs, because you use there staff for this. On the other hand they can give there customers something free. So... in that case this is a win to win situation.

A problem with reviews (gamesite or game magazine) can be the fact that if a review is negative, the reader isn't perhaps interested to spend time in downloading. Another problem is that the most media are target at the hardcore player. So they aren't mostly interesed to place your press release or even to review your game. Only some of the sites like avault is a possibilty and some magazines. But the most of the media is target on the hardcore niche. Are there other people who also noticed this?

Problem with magazines who distributes cdroms is the fact that they also contain freeware, utilities etc. and I am not sure if an important part of the (family) casual gamer niche buy this kind of PC magazines.

The submission problem with publisher is a general problem, just like Dexterity receives hundreds of submissions each week, the retail publisher also do. They got enough choice to add games to there collections, shareware or complete games, publish or not of standalone games. I know this for instance from eGames. Also they don't update these kind of collections regulary. For standalone games they look mostly not for 1 puzzle game or 1 card game to publish. If you check the productline of these important publishers you notice that they sell mostly this kind of games on collections, so not seperate as standalone (seldom happen). And with these kind of collections you notice the submission overload problem, they got enough offers, more then even can be released on a collection. Also the collection isn't update for instance regulary, like each month. Drive games (these are also played by casual gamers) are released as stand alone. Complete games sold on extreme big collections, you won't earn much. So I doubt that is't worth the time. If the collection is (very) small it can be interesting, but mostly if they add it, it will be put on the big collections.

I think that participate in forums of game sites isn't worth the time, mostly they are target for the hardcore players.

So my conclusion is very clear, the important way to market your product is to have:

1) a good demo
2) a good website + newsletter
3) search engines (key words) + if you can afford sponsors.
4) submit demo to all important downloadsites + often update demo + use if you can afford sponsors to promote your demo.
5) press release to game sites, who also are interested in casual games, like avault, gamespot. + If you think that a review will be very positive you can give it a try to ask. But you never know of course about the result.

6?) shops who give your demo away as a present to customers, I don't know how well this work out. So perhaps someone who got experience or more knowledge with this method can react?