GUIDE
Indie game marketing: a practical guide for solo devs and small studios
Most indie developers don't have a marketing team. This guide covers the four things that move a small game forward: a clear voice, posts that fit each platform, streamers who actually play your genre, and affiliate links that show you what's working.
1. Define your game's voice
Before writing a single post, decide how your game sounds. A consistent voice makes every post recognisable and saves you from rewriting from scratch each time.
- Write a one-line pitch. Genre, the core loop, and what makes it different. Example from Wizards Advance: a solo action RPG built on Fight · Gather · Hunt · Craft · Explore.
- Pick three tone words. Funny, eerie, cozy, chaotic — whatever matches the game.
- Save a few sample posts you're proud of. They become the reference for everything else.
- Decide whose voice it is: the studio, the game, or you as the developer. Solo devs usually do best speaking as themselves.
In Questline, this is the creator voice you set up in the Launch Agent. Generated posts follow it, and posts written by the AI carry a disclosure.
2. Write posts for each platform
Copying the same post everywhere is the most common mistake. Each platform rewards a different format. Keep the message the same and change the shape.
X
One hook, one image or clip, one link. Lead with the moment that makes your game different, not the genre label.
TikTok
Show gameplay in the first second. Write the caption as a reaction to the clip, and keep the call to action short.
Read each subreddit's self-promotion rules first. Share as a developer: what you built, what you learned, and a genuine question. Link only where allowed.
Bluesky
Conversational and a little behind-the-scenes. Dev progress, small wins and art work well here.
Discord
Your community hub. Post updates, patch notes and early access news, and invite feedback directly.
Always include one clear next step: wishlist, download, join the Discord. Questline's Post Studio drafts a version for each of these platforms from one set of game details.
3. Recruit streamers
Streamers let players see your game being played. Small and mid-sized creators who already play your genre are often the best fit.
- Match on genre, not follower count. A creator who streams action RPGs to 300 engaged viewers beats a variety streamer with 30,000 who never plays them.
- Watch before you write. Mention something specific from their content.
- Keep the pitch short: what the game is, why it suits their channel, and a free copy with no strings attached.
- Make it easy: a key, a press kit, key art and a trailer in one place.
- Let creators come to you with a public application page.
Questline gives you a creator application page, ranks applicants against your game with a short reason, and drafts personalised outreach that you approve and send yourself.
4. Run tracked affiliate links
Give each streamer or partner their own link or code. You learn which creators actually drive players, and they get a reason to keep talking about your game.
- One link per creator, so results are never mixed up.
- Agree the terms up front: what counts as a sale, the commission, and when you pay.
- Require disclosure. Creators should clearly label sponsored or affiliate content, as advertising rules in many countries require.
- Review monthly and invest more in the partners whose links convert.
5. Keep a steady rhythm
Consistency beats bursts. Pick a cadence you can keep — daily, three times a week or weekly — and build a simple calendar around milestones like wishlist pushes, early access and full release. For Wizards Advance, that means building up to Early Access on October 28, 2026 and Full Release on December 25, 2026.
Questline's autopilot can post to Discord and Bluesky on that cadence in your voice, and pauses if something goes wrong.