Solved: Need a Marketing Roadmap Consultation for Indie Games

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out!

I understand you're looking for a consultation to build out a marketing roadmap for your indie game, covering everything from the demo launch to ad spend. It's good you're thinking about this early and have a budget set aside, that's half the battle won already. I'm happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance based on my experience running paid advertising campaigns, especially for launches in similar spaces like software and apps.

What follows is a pretty detailed breakdown of my initial thinking. It's a lot to take in, but it should give you a solid framework for how to approach this.

We'll need to look at your foundations first...

Before you even think about spending a single pound on ads, we have to talk about where you're sending people. Your Steam page, your website, your landing page for the demo – whatever it is, it has to be absolutely spot on. Tbh, this is where most people fall down. They spend a fortune on ads driving traffic to a page that just doesn't convert, and then wonder why the ads didn't work. It's like inviting loads of people to a party but not telling them the address or having no drinks when they arrive.

Think about your sales process, but for a player. What is the single most important thing you want someone to do when they land on your page? Is it to Wishlist the game on Steam? Is it to download the free demo? You need to pick ONE main goal for your page and optimise everything for that single action. The entire page, from the headline to the images and the final button, should be screaming "Click here to do this one thing!".

I've looked at a lot of software companies, and the ones that succeed almost always offer a free trial. For you, a free demo is the exact same thing. It's non-negotiable. It's a huge ask for someone to buy a game from a new studio without trying it first. A demo removes that risk. It gets them invested. If you look at your competition, the big studios and successful indies, they nearly all use demos or open betas to build hype and a player base before launch.

Some thoughts on your page itself:

-> Persuasive Copy: You need professional copy. Not just a description of the game's features. You need copy that sells the *experience*. What's the core fantasy? What emotions will the player feel? We often use specialist copywriters for this, particularly for software launches, because it makes such a massive difference to conversion rates.

-> Visuals are Everything: For a game, this is obvious, but it's amazing how many get it wrong. You need killer visuals. A polished, exciting trailer is your number one asset. High-quality gameplay GIFs and screenshots that show off the best moments. If your page looks cluttered, loads slowly, or the assets look amateur, people will assume the game is too and they'll leave. It sounds harsh, but it's true. It erodes trust, and a potential player who doesn't trust you won't give you their time or money.

-> Trust Signals: People need to feel comfortable. Show them you're legit. Link to your socials, mention any festivals you've been accepted into, show off any press mentions or streamer playthroughs you've had. Customer reviews and testimonials (once you have them from demo players) are gold. Make it easy for them to see there's a real, passionate team behind the game.

Get this foundation right, and your ad spend will go so, so much further. Every 1% increase in your page's conversion rate means you're getting more players for the same amount of money.

I'd say you need to define your player...

Okay, so once the destination is sorted, we need to think about who we're actually sending there. Who is your ideal player? I mean *really* think about it. This is probably the most important part of any paid ad strategy. If you get the targeting wrong, nothing else matters. You'll just be shouting into the void.

I see this all the time with new accounts. They target massive, broad interests because they think it'll get them more reach. For example, if you've made a sci-fi RPG, targeting something like "Video Games" or "Sci-Fi" is a total waste of money. You'll hit millions of people who couldn't care less about your specific type of game.

You need to be specific. You need to build a persona. Think about:

-> What other games do they play? Be precise. Not just "RPGs", but *which* ones? Are they playing 'Baldur's Gate 3' or 'Stardew Valley'? 'Hades' or 'Disco Elysium'? These are completly different audiences. The more niche and specific you can be, the better. Your ads will be more relevant, your cost per click will be lower, and the people who see your game will be far more likely to be interested.

-> Who do they watch? Which YouTubers or Twitch streamers do they follow? These creators have already done the hard work of building a community of people who like a certain type of game. Targeting their followers can be incredibly effective.

-> Where do they hang out online? What forums, communities, or social media groups are they active in? This helps you understand the language they use and the things they care about, which is invaluable for writing your ad copy.

The goal here is to find targeting options where your ideal player is over-represented. Think about it like this: if you're selling high-end fishing gear, you don't advertise in a general sports magazine; you advertise in 'Trout & Salmon'. Same principle applies here. You need to find the digital equivalent of 'Trout & Salmon' for your game's audience.

This work will inform every single ad campaign you run. It's the difference between precision bombing and just dropping leaflets from a plane and hoping for the best.

You probably should have a plan for your channels...

You mentioned wanting to use both organic and paid growth, which is the right way to think about it. They work together. Organic builds community and trust, while paid provides scale and predictability.

Organic Growth

This is your groundwork. It's often slow and takes a lot of effort, but it's what creates true fans. For an indie game, this means:

• -> Game Festivals: You mentioned this, and it's spot on. Getting into things like the Steam Next Fest is massive for visibility and wishlists. It's a stamp of approval.
• -> Indie Directories: Get your game listed on places like itch.io, IndieDB, and similar sites. Early adopters and other devs hang out there, and it's a good way to get initial feedback on your demo. I remember one software app getting its first users from places like Product Hunt or Betalist; this is the gaming equivalent.
• -> Content & Community: This is the long game. Being active in relevant communities (without just spamming your link), sharing your development journey on social media, creating interesting content around your game. It builds a narrative and gets people invested in your success.

Organic is great, but it's not very controllable. You can't just decide to get 10,000 more wishlists next week using only organic methods. That's where paid advertising comes in.

Paid Growth

This is where your "significant Ad Spend budget" becomes a powerful tool. Paid ads are a tap you can turn on and off. If a campaign is working, you add more budget and get more results. It's scalable and, most importantly, it gives you data, fast. You can quickly test what messaging resonates, which trailer gets the most views, and which audiences are most interested in your game. This is what allows you to make informed decisions instead of guessing.

We're going to spend the rest of this letter focusing on a solid paid strategy, because that's where my expertise lies and where you can really move the needle quickly for your launch.

You'll need a proper paid advertising strategy...

Alright, this is the core of it. A good ad strategy for a game launch isn't about just boosting a post on Facebook. It's a structured, multi-stage process. We need to choose the right platforms, build a proper campaign structure, and test our creatives relentlessly.

Platform Choice

The best platform is simply where your target players are. For games, you've got a few brilliant options:

• -> Meta (Facebook/Instagram): Still a powerhouse. It's fantastic for visual games. The targeting options based on interests are very powerful. You can target people who like specific game genres, other indie titles, or even specific gaming hardware. Its video ad formats are perfect for showing off gameplay.
• -> TikTok: Can't be ignored for games. The audience is huge and highly engaged. Short, snappy, vertical gameplay clips can go viral and drive a massive amount of traffic very cheaply. We worked on an app launch recently that used TikTok heavily and it was a huge part of getting them over 45k signups.
• -> Google Ads (including YouTube): This is more for capturing *intent*. You can run search ads for people typing things like "best new indie puzzle game" into Google. More powerfully, you can run video ads on YouTube that play before videos from specific gaming channels or that are shown to people who have shown interest in certain game genres.
• -> Apple Search Ads: If your game is on iOS, this is a must. You can have your game show up at the very top of the App Store when people search for keywords related to your game. It's incredibly effective.

You don't need to be on all of them at once. We'd likely start with one or two, probably Meta and maybe TikTok, prove the model works, and then expand from there.

Campaign Structure & Funnel

This is where we get a bit technical, but it's crucial. I structure campaigns based on the marketing funnel. Think of it as guiding a potential player from "never heard of this game" to "I just bought it". When I audit client accounts, this is the main thing they get wrong.

Here’s a simplified version of the structure I’d use, adapted for your game:

1. Top of Funnel (ToFu) - Awareness:

This is for reaching cold audiences – people who have never heard of you or your game. The goal here is to introduce the game, show off the hook, and get them to watch your trailer or visit your Steam page. You're not necessarily going for the wishlist just yet, you're just getting on their radar.

-> Audiences: This is where your player persona research comes in. We'd test ad sets targeting different clusters of interests. E.g., Ad Set 1 targets players of Game X and Game Y. Ad Set 2 targets followers of Streamer A and YouTuber B. Ad Set 3 targets broader genre interests like "Roguelike" or "Cozy Games".

-> Creatives: Short, attention-grabbing video is key here. Your main trailer, or exciting 15-30 second gameplay clips.

2. Middle of Funnel (MoFu) - Consideration:

This is for retargeting people who showed some initial interest but didn't take the main action. They're aware of you, now you need to convince them.

-> Audiences: People who watched 50% or more of your trailer ad. People who visited your website or Steam page. People who have engaged with your Facebook or Instagram page. We exclude anyone who has already wishlisted or purchased.

-> Creatives: Here you can show them something different. Maybe a video focusing on a specific feature of the game, positive quotes from reviews or streamer reactions, or an ad that directly asks for the wishlist.

3. Bottom of Funnel (BoFu) - Conversion:

This is for the people who are right on the edge. They're highly interested and just need a final nudge.

-> Audiences: People who visited your Steam page in the last 7 days but didn't wishlist. People who added the game to a cart on your website but didn't buy (if you sell direct).

-> Creatives: More direct ads. "Wishlist now to be notified on launch!", "Play the free demo today!", or an ad announcing a launch discount.

This structure allows you to tailor your message to how familiar someone is with your game. It's far more effective than showing everyone the same ad over and over. You'd have seperate, long-term campaigns for each stage of this funnel, and we'd constantly be testing new audiences and creatives within them, turning off what doesn't work and scaling up what does.

What to Expect on Costs

This is the million-dollar question. The answer is, it depends. It's affected by your genre, the quality of your creatives, your targeting, and the time of year. However, I can give you some ballpark figures based on what we see across thousands of campaigns.

For a "conversion" like a demo download or a wishlist in a developed country like the UK or US, you're probably looking at a Cost Per Click (CPC) somewhere between £0.50 and £1.50. From that click, you might see a conversion rate on your page of between 10% and 30% if it's well-optimised. Let's do teh maths:

Objective: Demo Downloads / Wishlists - Developed Countries

Low end: £0.50 CPC / 30% Conversion Rate = £1.67 per download/wishlist

High end: £1.50 CPC / 10% Conversion Rate = £15.00 per download/wishlist

That's a massive range, I know. But it shows how much of a difference good ads and a good landing page can make. Your goal is to get as close to that low end as possible. A cost of around £2-£5 per wishlist would be a very solid result to aim for initially.

To give you some real-world context, we've had a lot of success with launches. I remember one campaign we ran for a software client, which has a similar goal of getting installs, brought in over 45,000 signups at under £2 each using Meta Ads, Tiktok Ads, Apple Ads and Google Ads. I also recall for another B2B software client, we generated over 5,000 free trials at around $7 per trial using Meta Ads. It's definatly possible to get great results, but it requires a very disciplined approach to testing and optimisation.

When you get to the actual game launch and you're optimising for sales, the numbers change. Your conversion rate from page visit to purchase might be more like 2-5%. So your cost per purchase could be much higher, but then you're looking at Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) as your main metric, not cost per sale.

This is the main advice I have for you:

This is a lot of information, I know. So I've put my main recommendations into a table to give you a clearer, actionable overview of the roadmap. This is a simplified version of the kind of plan we'd build out in a full consultation.

Why you might want expert help...

You can absolutly take all this information and try to implement it yourself. But as you can probably tell, it's not a simple process. Having a "significant Ad Spend budget" is a fantastic position to be in, but it also means you can waste a lot of money, very quickly, if you don't get it right.

Running paid ad campaigns for a launch is a full-time job. It's about deep analysis of the data, constant A/B testing of creatives and audiences, and knowing which levers to pull to optimise performance and scale the budget effectively. It's a science and an art that takes years of experience to get right, especially in a competative space like gaming.

Working with a specialist means you have someone in your corner who lives and breathes this stuff every day. We can help you avoid common mistakes, accelerate your learning curve, and ultimately get a much better return on your investment. That frees you up to do what you do best: make a brilliant game.

I hope this detailed breakdown has been helpful and given you a clearer picture of what a professional marketing roadmap can look like. If you'd like to discuss how we could build out a tailored strategy specifically for your game, I'd be happy to offer you a free initial consultation call where we can go through this in more detail.

Just let me know what you think.

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh