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The indie gaming world is a hard market to break into, especially for newbies. But having your very own gaming community is one of the things that will propel you forward. They act as a ready-made audience for your game by building up your Steam wishlist, increase your reach through word-of-mouth referrals, and help you collect feedback.
Here’s how you can build a loyal gaming community in 5 steps:
1. By building relationships on social media
Be it X, Instagram, Twitch, or TikTok, go where your target audience hangs out the most. Create an account, start posting about your game using indie game-specific hashtags, and network with other gamers. Make sure you post your game trailer and your elevator pitch so that players know what your game is about. Interact with other players and build personal relationships. This won't happen overnight, though, so you need to be patient and put in consistent efforts.
2. Through engaging content
Once you start building your followers' list, it's time to post engaging content about your game. Consistently. In addition to increasing awareness about your game and building your credibility as an indie game developer, this shows your audience that you’re committed to your project and care about keeping them in the loop.
When you post engaging content regularly, social media algorithms also begin favoring your posts, which means an increase in organic reach. You can post screenshots from your game, talk about your development journey, or give them some behind-the-scenes information about your process. The key is to be authentic and post content that your players will want to engage with.
3. Via your own Discord channel
So, you have been posting on social media and have the beginnings of what looks like a community. The next step is to bring them into your fold; to a place where you can engage with all your players exclusively, such as your very own Discord channel.
Drop a link to your channel on social media and encourage your followers to join you there. Present it as an exclusive community. You can post ongoing updates about your game, have gaming-related discussions, host fun streaming parties, get your community’s help with game development dilemmas, and bulk up your wishlist.
Alternatively, you can also start a mailing list and keep your audience engaged through a newsletter. Our suggestion: why not do both?
4. By rewarding loyalty
Congrats! You have built a gaming community. The next step is retaining them by rewarding their loyalty to you. There are several ways in which you can do this: by giving them early access or discounts to your game, hosting giveaways, or creating exclusive gaming merch for them. They will feel appreciated and valuable. This will also act as an incentive for more people to join your community.
5. By valuing their feedback
One of the biggest benefits of having direct access to your target audience is having the opportunity to ask them what kind of game they would like. Not sure whether a certain element or feature would fit in well with your game? It’s as simple as asking your players what they think. By showing your players that you value their feedback, you’re sending out the message that they are an important part of your gaming journey, which will increase their trust and loyalty in you.
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