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How to build an audience for your indie game

, founder of NextWishlist · Updated · 3 min read

1staudience on Steam: your wishlisters, emailed at launchValve rule
2ndyour mailing list: no algorithm between you and themPractitioners
1–2social networks, picked where your genre's players arePractitioners
On this page
  1. Your real audience: wishlists
  2. A mailing list, started early
  3. Social channels: pick one or two
  4. Borrow other people's audiences
  5. Discord: once you have players
  6. Grow it with a plan
  7. A weekly routine you can keep

Short answerOn Steam your audience is your wishlisters first, then your mailing list: open your page early, start a list with a sign-up gift, post clips on one or two networks, and borrow other audiences through festivals and creators. Open a Discord once you have players.

Your audience isn't your follower count on social media. On Steam, it's the players who will hear about your launch: your wishlisters first, then your mailing list. Here is how indie developers build both, and in what order.

01Your real audience: wishlists

When your game launches, in Early Access or 1.0, every wishlister gets an email or a notification from Steam. No social network reaches your players that reliably. So before release, judge every channel by the wishlists it brings, not by likes or followers.

The first step is a Steam page live as early as you can show your game well: wishlists collected years before launch still convert. See how to get more Steam wishlists.

02A mailing list, started early

  • Start it before your Steam page, with a sign-up gift (soundtrack, artbook, in-game bonus): nobody gives an email just for news.
  • Tell the list when your page goes live, when your demo comes out, and when you announce your date.
  • At launch, send a short series: the announcement, launch day, and a last reminder before your launch discount ends. The last email usually does best.

One subscriber clicks far more than one social follower, and you own the list: no algorithm decides who sees your email.

03Social channels: pick one or two

  • Where your genre's players are, not where other developers are: screenshots and devlogs written for developers rarely bring wishlists.
  • Short gameplay clips at a pace you can keep. See how to make your game go viral for what makes a clip spread.
  • Reddit converts well once you've earned a place in the community: how to market an indie game on Reddit.
  • A tracking link per post (Steam UTM), so you keep only what brings wishlists.

04Borrow other people's audiences

The fastest way to reach players is through people who already have them:

05Discord: once you have players

A Discord server opened before you have players to put in it stays empty and costs you time. Open it when you have a demo or a beta: then it becomes where your most engaged players give feedback and wait for news.

06Grow it with a plan

NextWishlist reads your wishlists and your channels every night and turns them into a daily to-do list: which channel works for your game, which creators to contact, which festival comes next. Join the private beta.

07A weekly routine you can keep

  • Two or three clips a week on one or two networks, each with a tracked Steam link.
  • Ten minutes a day answering comments and taking part where your genre's players talk.
  • One creator or festival action a week: an email, an application, a follow-up.
  • One newsletter a month, or at each milestone, to your list.
  • A weekly look at your wishlists and which links brought them (how to track your wishlists).

Small and steady beats big and rare: a routine you keep for months builds more than one big push.

How to build an audience for your indie game: quick answers

What is the best way to build an audience for an indie game?

Open your Steam page early and collect wishlists, start a mailing list with a sign-up gift, post short gameplay clips where your genre's players are, and borrow other audiences through festivals, YouTubers, streamers and press.

Should I open a Discord for my game?

Once you have a demo or a beta. Before that, a Discord server usually stays empty and takes time you'd better spend on your page, clips and creators.

Is a mailing list still worth it for games?

Yes. You own it, no algorithm filters it, and one subscriber clicks far more than one social follower. Start it before your Steam page, with a gift for signing up.

Sources

Valve's rules can change: the official Steamworks page always wins. Practitioner benchmarks are surveys of developers, given as ranges.

NextWishlist

A Steam marketing tool that plans your next move.

Your wishlists, your Steam page, your channels and games like yours, read every night and turned into a short daily marketing plan, aligned with Valve's calendar. In private beta.

Join the private beta