Ask 1,000 people what the worst part of social media is, and you can bet about half of them will say “influencers.” Since around 2007, when Justin Kan used Justin.TV to broadcast virtually every moment of his life, the notion of the social media influencer has been heavily derided by the public. As more and more people labeled themselves an ambassador of a specific niche, the criticisms grew louder, and before long, “influencer” became a four-letter word. 

However, as a video game developer, you shouldn’t turn your back on these creatives. There’s immense value in working with someone with an audience, even if you’ve been able to curate your own sizable following. 

While the general public sneers at influencers, let’s take a moment to explore why you should be making a list of the most authoritative of them.

Influencers Have Pull

If someone has made it to “influencer” status, then they have enough behind following them and their every word. Use this to your advantage. Even moderately popular gaming influencers and content creators will have an audience of players you will want to reach. When you put your game in an influencer’s hands, you’re essentially giving direct access to the droves of viewers they may have. 

When marketing, you’ll tend to target a core audience that aligns best with your game’s theme and genre. However, there may be an entire target audience you’re overlooking, and that’s why you want to be in a creator’s ears. They may have the key to expanding your reach and guaranteeing a larger player base on launch.

At the very least, you can expect direct engagement on social media, which further broadens the audience you reach.

Direct, Honest Feedback

Influencers need their audience to trust them. They’ll quickly lose that trust if they peddle a game that may be subpar, uninteresting, or broken as the next big release. In a way, giving a creator access to your title is a way to get honest feedback about the product. 

Many, if they don’t like what they’re playing, will actually reach out before developing content for their audience with criticisms and reasons why they won’t present it. These exchanges are typically very polite and helpful, and you can extract potentially useful feedback that may be used to improve the experience. 

For example, if an influencer you were going to work with winds up refusing to promote your game because they ran into a game-breaking glitch during a test run, they may have saved you from a disastrous launch. Of course, that’s an extreme scenario, but even small feedback about a sound glitch or framerate drop or that it’s simply “not fun” can help guide your next steps.

Build a Fruitful Relationship 

The deeper you get into game development, the more you’ll need people on your side. By working closely with influencers, you can develop a long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationship that ensures you have someone to help promote future projects. In exchange, you provide them with a game from which they can create content.

Working repeatedly with an influencer may also start to attract the attention of other content creators. They’ll see someone earning views off playing your game and will want to take advantage of a possible increase in engagement.

It’s also helpful to have a Rolodex of influencers to contact. Not everyone covers every genre, and if you decide to cross from one to another, you’ll want someone on deck to contact.

Want to Get Your Game in Front of Popular Gaming Influencers?

We’ve all pretty much been conditioned to loathe influencers. The reality is, though, that they’re still a popular means for audiences to determine what they should buy next. Gaming influencers can be a gold mine of engagement for your upcoming release, and you should really consider getting in touch with a few.

If you’re ready to take that step, contact us, and we’ll work with you to pinpoint the best influencers for your game. We have a developed list of popular streamers and content creators that can help you reach a bigger audience.