Getting Through the Noise: How to Pitch Your Indie Game to Influencers

So, you’ve made a game and now you need some visibility. With many games launching every year, it can be easy for your pitch to get lost, especially when content creators' inboxes are flooded with emails to play games every week.

But the good news is: they want to find great games to play and share with their audience. You just need to make it easy for them to say yes.

Finding the right influencers
Not every creator will be right for your game and that is perfectly okay! The key is to find and reach out to creators you think will be most likely to play your game. Maybe they’ve played and enjoyed similar games before or perhaps they love showcasing indie games.

• Check their content, not just their numbers. A smaller creator with an engaged community can have just as much impact as larger creators.

• Look at their audience. Do they align with your target players? Would they be into your game’s genre?

• Make sure they play indie games semi-regularly. If their channel is AAA shooters, they probably won’t cover your cozy RPG.

Where to find them

• SullyGnome & TwitchTracker – Great place to find twitch streamers that have played similar games to yours.

• YouTube & TikTok searches – As before, look up similar games and see who covered them, take note of the type of content they make. Do they review games, give first impressions or maybe they lean more towards editorial content like “top 10 indie games to wishlist”. It’s good to consider a variety of creators making different types of content, that way you’ll reach a wider variety of people who may want to pick up your game.

• Bluesky & Twitter/X - There are lots of indie friendly creators on these platforms, particularly on Bluesky. Which is a great way to organically connect with creators.

Tip: It’s good to start a “target list” of potential creators early on that includes their contact info, type of content and why they’re a good fit. This will save you a bunch of time later!

How to create a pitch that stands out!
As most creators will get loads of invites to play games. A generic “Hey! Check out my game” email will probably end up in the bin.

A good pitch should be:
✔ Personal – Show that you know who they are! Keep it casual, friendly and give it some personality.
✔ Respectful – No demands, just an invite to check out your game or an offer for paid sponsorship.
✔ Straight to the point – Only give the information they need to decide if they want to cover your game (a short engaging description of your game, a link to its store page/trailer)

Be clear: What do you want?
If your email is too vague, creators won’t know what it is you actually want from them. Be upfront from the start but stay flexible, creators have busy schedules so it can be good to let them decide how and when they want to showcase your game.

• What are you offering? A key to your game, exclusive early access or paid sponsorship?

• If it’s a paid sponsorship, what do you want in return? A YouTube video, live stream, some short form editorial content? Maybe a shout-out on socials too.

• Is there a timeframe? What is your embargo, is it for launch week or a demo preview?

Following up, without being annoying
If you plan on following up, it’s best to wait about a week before doing so. Keep it casual, a simple polite check-in works well. If you don’t get a reply after following up, it’s time to move on. Some creators just won’t be interested, and that’s okay!

Final Thoughts
Pitching your indie game to content creators isn’t always about sending the most emails, it’s also about sending the right ones. 

✔ Find the right creators for your game.
✔ Keep your outreach short, personal, and clear.
✔ Follow up, but don’t be too pushy.

The goal isn’t just to get coverage - this approach also serves as a great way to build genuine connections with creators who will love your game. If you get it right, you’ll gain visibility at the time but also build positive relationships with creators for future updates or even your next game!

Don’t have time for all the above? Well that’s where we come in! At Mooncat Games we’ll take care of the strategy, outreach, and execution - Reach out today for a free consultation to get started on your influencer campaigns!