Promotion tips

[Adam SBG]

Hello everyone:

I'm a little lost. Our first new game in a long, long time (we were on hiatus while my partner dealt with a death in the family) came out in October 2005. It's called Zombie Rally, and it's a card game. We've sold some at conventions, sold some to local retailers, and hooked up with Key20. Last month, we produced a PDF version as well and have put it up on RPGnow.

My problem is this: what are the best ways to promote the game online and in other venues? I know we need reviews to generate buzz, and we're willing to send out review copies of either the print or PDF version of the game. What are some good sites and outlets to hit with review copies? We have a good web site (I'm a web developer for a small multimedia firm by day) but we just need to start spreading the word more. If you have a good site to send a review copy (or if there's a list of good places I can visit) please post it here.

Thanks,
Adam

[tonyd]

First a disclaimer: I've never published or promoted a game.

But I do know a little bit about blogging, which may or may not fit your needs. Here's my opinion on how to go about it. Apologies if I state a bunch of obvious stuff you already know.

Don't set up your blog as advertising. It's a way to genereate converstaion and buzz. So rather than push your product, talk about your experiences in creating it, playing it, and promoting it. You don't have to post every day (though it helps). It's just as good to post something interesting once a week as to post something so-so every day. The key is to talk to your readers the way you talk to the people you work and play with every day. Respect them, be honest, etc.

Promote your blog and attract people to your conversation. Here's how:
- go to Technorati.com and set up a bunch of watchlists for anyone who's blogging about your game, your company, you, or your web site. When you find someone, go and join in their converstaion.
- actively search for other blogs that talk about the stuff you're talking about. Go and comment on those blogs to get some cross-blog conversation going.
- if you've got a budget, and your blog is starting to get some momentum, consider a Google textad or other low-cost targetted advertising to bring people to your blog.
- when people visit your blog, respond to their comments and visit their blogs as well.

Blogging is great for some people, but doesn't fit other, so your mileage may vary.

You're probably not going to get huge sales off your blog, but it's a great way to build community and get a buzz going.