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How to market your indie game on social media
DreamEp, founder of NextWishlist · Updated · 3 min read
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Short answerFor most games, social media brings fewer wishlists than festivals and creators; visually striking games are the exception. Post short gameplay clips aimed at players on one or two networks, and give each post its own Steam UTM link to see what it brought.
Social media is where most developers start marketing, and where most of them lose time. It works for some games and barely for others. Here is what practitioners measure, what to post on each network, and how to know if it's working for yours.
01Be realistic about what social media brings
Practitioners who track hundreds of launches rank social media after festivals and creators as a source of wishlists, for most games. The exception is visually striking games, whose clips can spread far beyond their followers (how to make your game go viral). So post where your genre's players are, keep it sustainable, and measure what each post brings.
02What to post, everywhere
- Gameplay, in the first seconds. A clip that shows the game moving beats a logo, a title card or a static screenshot.
- One idea per post: a mechanic, a reaction, a before/after, a funny bug.
- For players, not developers. Shader breakdowns impress peers; players want to see what they'd do in your game.
- A Steam link with its own tracking code, in the post or its first reply.
03Network by network
TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels
Short vertical video, shown to people who don't follow you. TikTok says its For You feed ranks videos on how people interact with them (watching to the end, sharing, commenting), not only on the account's follower count. A new account can reach strangers on its first clip.
X
Still home to many developers, press and creators. Chris Zukowski's 2026 advice on viral tweets puts the clip first and the text short. Buffer's analysis of 18.8 million posts found that Premium accounts get much more reach, so weigh the subscription against your budget.
Bluesky
A growing indie developer and player community, with chronological feeds and custom feeds by topic. Good for staying in touch with peers and early fans.
The best place for a well-made clip or demo post, if you follow each subreddit's rules: see how to market an indie game on Reddit.
YouTube
Your own devlogs are a slow build. Other people's videos are far stronger: see how to get YouTubers to play your game.
04Measure every post
Views don't pay; wishlists do. Give each post its own Steam UTM link, and Steamworks shows the wishlists it brought within 72 hours for logged-in visitors. After a month, keep the networks and formats that brought wishlists and drop the others (Steam UTM links).
store.steampowered.com/app/1234560/Your game's Steam page?utm_source=redditWhere the link lives&utm_campaign=demo-launchThe moment, or the creator05Copy what works for games like yours
NextWishlist reads the public posts of the fastest-growing games in your niche, network by network (rhythm, formats, best posts), next to yours, and tells you which of your posts brought wishlists. It never posts for you. Join the private beta.
How to market your indie game on social media: quick answers
Does social media bring Steam wishlists?
For most games, less than festivals and content creators, according to practitioners who track launches. Visually striking games are the exception, as their clips can go viral.
What should I post for my indie game?
Short gameplay clips that show the game moving in the first seconds, one idea per post, aimed at players rather than developers, with a tracked Steam link.
Is TikTok good for indie games?
It can be: TikTok ranks videos on how people interact with them, not only on follower count, so a new account can reach strangers. It suits visual, easy-to-read games best.
How do I know which posts bring wishlists?
Give each post its own Steam UTM link. Steamworks shows the wishlists each link brought within 72 hours, for logged-in visitors.
Is there a tool to see which posts bring Steam wishlists?
Steam's UTM analytics show the wishlists each tracked link brought, for free. NextWishlist reads that report every day and ties each post to the wishlists it brought.
Sources
Valve's rules can change: the official Steamworks page always wins. Practitioner benchmarks are surveys of developers, given as ranges.
- Valve, UTM analytics (Steamworks) (read Oct 28, 2026)
- Steam Page Analyzer, “How to get Steam wishlists” (June 10, 2026)
- TikTok, “How TikTok recommends videos #ForYou” (June 18, 2020)
- Chris Zukowski, “2026 tips for making your tweets go viral” (May 7, 2026)
- Buffer, “X Premium review” (18.8 million posts) (2025)
- presskit.gg, “Reddit marketing for indie games” (updated February 19, 2026)
Know which post, creator or subreddit brought wishlists.
Your posts and tracking links tied to your wishlists, the formats that work for games like yours, and the creators of your niche. NextWishlist is a Steam marketing tool for indie developers, in private beta.