🎙️✨ @freakingcoolindies.com  is the podcast for indie devs who mean business. Actionable tips from devs & marketing pros to help your game thrive. 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/rberljyxci #IndieDev #GameDev #IndieGames #Podcast

🦵NEW EPISODE: Kickstarter Reward Strategy: Lessons from $300K in Successful Campaigns with Sam from Indievelopment! 🎧 Listen now: freakingcoolindies.com/12-2/

Trobbio has one of the best death animations in all of gaming. What a performer!! (Hated this boss so much, though! 🌪️🌪️)

Fun fact for yeah! 73% of successful Steam games had active communities BEFORE launch (GameDiscoverCo data). Why it matters: Building an audience isn't post-launch work, it's pre-production work. Start today: Share your dev journey, not just your finished game. You got this, friend!

Show and tell time! 📢 Working on something (freaking) cool? Drop your: 🎞️ Game trailers 📄 Steam store pages 📸 Dev screenshots 💪 Anything you're proud of! Best submissions get featured in next week's digest. 🚀

Happy 24th Birthday, GameCube! Double Dash, Metroid Prime, RE4, Soul Calibre, the hits go on. Underrated console IMO

🌟 INDIE SPOTLIGHT: Star Rift Saga My guest this week, Jacob Vela didn't just talk legal theory, he walked the walk. His Metroidvania is great, and it features a brilliant Tetris-like skill customization system. Good stuff, Jacob! Check it out: store.steampowered.com/app/2158690/Star_Rift_Saga/

When friends make a game together without formal agreements, who owns the IP by default? ALL OF THEM. Equally. Regardless of contribution. This creates a legal nightmare where anyone can sell the game. Contracts aren't about trust, they're about clarity.

This week's newsletter is PACKED 📦 ✅ IP protection basics with lawyer Jacob Vela ✅ FREE professional sound effects from GDC ✅ Star Rift Saga indie spotlight Everything you need to level up your game dev journey in one digest. Subscribe: freakingcoolindies.com

Friday feelings: What's one small win you had this week in your game development journey? Could be fixing a bug, finishing an asset, or just opening your engine. Celebrate the small victories!

This week are talking game law! ⚖️ 💼 What's the most confusing legal thing about game development that you've always wondered about? Drop your questions below and let's help each other learn! No question is too basic.

🚨 NEW EPISODE: From Idea to Trademark: Protecting Your Indie Game the Right Way ⚖️ Story time: Your indie game just hit 100K downloads. Congratulations!! 🎉 But then the legal nightmare begins... 🧵

Congrats on all the incredibly talented devs who made AGDA finalists this year! 🙌 Some amazing representation from Queensland, continuing to prove the sheer talent of our local studios. From what I'm aware, it looks like 6 of the 18 are made in Queensland. That's HUGE!

Thanks so much for the mention! We use "eye trace" to direct focus toward key elements, but also reduce disorientation between cuts- it's supposed to convey "cozy", after all! For a peak example of this technique, check our trailer for the Cupboards & Drawers DLC: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfm-...

SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT: A Little to the Left 🧩 Derek's pick for cozy marketing done right: ✨ Authentic filming ✨ Perfect "eye trace" ✨ Seamless cursor flow ✨ Invisible detail mastery

MICRO WIN SATURDAY 🎯 Pick ONE marketing task you've avoided because "it's not perfect yet." Set 25 minute timer. Make it 80% good. Ship it. Done > perfect. Always. What are you shipping today? freakingcoolindies.com/challenge

Community spotlight time! 📢 Share your game trailers, Steam pages, or WIP clips below I'll feature our favourites in next week's newsletter + boost on socials. Free marketing for your marketing 😉 Drop 'em! ⬇️

@derek-lieu.com's "eye trace" revelation: Cozy games often have better visual flow than action games 👀 Invisible improvements keep viewers engaged without them realising why. Watch A Little To The Left's trailer. Notice the flow. Get more insights: freakingcoolindies.com/subscribe

It begins...................... Happy #silksong day, everyone! Be safe out there 😂🪡🪡🪡

🎬 NEW EPISODE: Meet the Man Behind Gaming’s Most Iconic Indie Trailers Did you love the trailer for Sea of Stars?? Yea, me too. This week I had the honour to sit down with @derek-lieu.com, the man behind the trailer.

Found the original Reddit post. Here's another comment that has aged like milk. People on the internet (ESPECIALLY REDDIT) can be incredibly harsh and hostile. It can really stomp you down as an indie devs trying to make your mark. But the best way to prove them wrong is to keep creating.

I chatted with @freakingcoolindies.com about the process of working with a game trailer editor and how to make it as smooth as possible!

What indie game are you absolutely obsessed with right now? Share your current favourite and tell us why it's got you hooked! Let's discover some hidden gems together 💎 I'll start, Dead of Darkness! @deadofdarkness.bsky.social store.steampowered.com/app/2157210/...

Persistence pays off when pitching publishers. They get so many emails that great games can get missed. Don't be afraid to follow up and contact people directly if you know someone at the publisher!

Show publishers how you FEEL about your game. If you have that passion, it's going to rub off. Practice your pitch, but make it your own words. Be so passionate you don't even need the deck!

Publishers are impressed if you've shipped a game, regardless of what happened to it. Sometimes the proof is in the pudding though. Send that prototype that makes them unable to stop playing! Experience matters, but great gameplay speaks volumes. 🗣️ 🔈

HAPPY FRIDAY! Pitch your game in 10 words or less. 🎯 Comment your best one liner that explains your game. Best submission's game get featured in this weeks newsletter Indie Spotlight! 🩵

🪏 Don't bury the lead in your pitch deck! Get your USP (unique selling point) front and centre immediately. Publishers want the meat and potatoes of why they should sign your game within the first few slides. Everything else is supporting details. #IndieGameDev #GamePublishing

🚨 NEW EPISODE: The Complete Guide to Pitching Your Indie Game to Publishers Most indie devs make the same mistakes when pitching to publishers. I interviewed Corey Caplan from tinyBuild and he revealed what separates successful pitches from the thousands that get ignored 🧵

Journalist relationship building gold IS KEY! 🔑 Always thank creators who cover your game. Send a quick "saw your coverage, thank you!" email. They remember kindness. Next time you announce something, guess who gets priority? Building relationships = building success!

Showcase timing secrets revealed! 🎪 Send press releases MINUTES after your trailer airs, not hours later. Journalists are racing against deadlines - your perfectly-timed email with assets becomes their lifesaver! Perfect timing = instant coverage win.

Screenshot psychology breakthrough! 🧠 Journalists typically pick screenshots 3-5 for articles, not #1. Your hero shot gets the click, but 3-5 tell the story. Put your absolute best gameplay moments in positions 3, 4, and 5. This changes everything!

"World premiere" hack revealed! 🌍 Even if your Steam page exists, you can pitch "world premiere" to showcases if press hasn't covered it yet. Exclusivity = guaranteed coverage. Showcases LOVE being first. It's a win-win situation!

Genius GIF strategy unlocked! 🎮 Upload your best game GIFs to Giphy and Tenor. When you're posting on mobile without cloud access, just search the GIF bar - boom, your own content appears! Every time your gif gets used by others, you get free marketing!

Game announcement timing tip! 🎯 Tuesday-Thursday, 10am-2pm EST = sweet spot for press attention. Avoid Fridays (unless you're in a major event). Journalists have deadlines. Work with their schedule and watch your coverage soar! 📈

Don't skip the "About the Studio" section in your press releases! 📝 One dev (@lente.me) makes boat-cleaning games... while living ON a boat. That unique story became marketing gold ⭐ Your location, team size, personal story = amazing free marketing store.steampowered.com/app/2240080/...

🎙️ NEW EPISODE: Want to know how to get your indie game featured on IGN or Game Trailers? Today on Freaking Cool Indies, I’m joined by Robby Bisschop of @piratepr.com, who has guided dozens of indie announcements from unknown → IGN features. 🧵👇

Start your game marketing with the end goal. Figure out what you want players to feel after seeing your content, then work backwards. Your last trailer frame should be so compelling that if someone only saw that, they'd wishlist immediately. Direction matters in game marketing.

Game marketing compound effect in action: Month 1: Spend $100, gain followers, no immediate wishlists Month 2: Followers engage with dev content, share with gaming friends Month 3: Friends discover your game, some wishlist Month 6: Original followers finally ready to buy Patience pays.

When your gameplay trailers flop but concept art goes viral, listen to your players. They're telling you: → Art style resonates → Gameplay needs work → Visual identity is strong Use your strengths to buy time while you improve weaknesses. Data beats assumptions in game marketing.

Game launch isn't the finish line. People keep buying after launch. Don't take a break. Keep marketing: → Get streamers involved → Create User-Generated Content campaigns → Maintain social engagement The real money comes after week 1.

🎉 Freaking Cool Indies just turned 1 month old! Here’s the journey so far and what I am experimenting with next 👇

🟥 Game marketing influencer red flags: → Spray & pray platforms → Low engagement rates → Massive follower counts with no interaction 🟩 Green flags: → 10K-100K followers → 5-10% organic reach → Consistent engagement across gaming posts Quality micro-influencers FTW

Game devs sometimes overthink marketing. "We can't use this concept art - it's not in the game!" Wrong approach. Right approach: "Here's concept art that didn't make the game. What are your thoughts?" You're building a brand, not just selling a product. People love behind-the-scenes content.

We had only 3 Steam keys for a giveaway. Rule: Say the game name in your post to enter. Result: Huge wishlist spike. Why it worked: People had to actively engage with our brand name. Simple participation created awareness. Sometimes the smallest campaigns have the biggest impact.

Marketing isn't a vending machine. You don't put $1 in and get $1 out immediately. You invest $100 → grow followers → they engage → share content → their friends see it → conversions happen later. Think compound growth

Most game devs waste money on "spray & pray" influencer sites. Better strategy: Target micro-influencers with 10K-100K followers and 5-10% engagement rates. 100 views from a random YouTuber ≠ good ROI Quality engagement from the right audience = conversions

When streamers are playing your game live, 👉 BE IN THE CHAT. 👈 Viewers ask questions: "Does this have co-op?" "Is there a demo?" "When does it release?" If no one answers, you lose potential players. Be present.

Niche streamers convert better than big ones: • 20k cozy fans watching a cozy streamer vs 100k general gamers watching a variety streamer For your cozy game, which audience is more valuable? Target your actual players.

Research streamers before you email them: • What games do they actually play? • What's their audience engagement? • Do they cover your genre? • What's their content style? 5 minutes of research > 50 generic emails Free email templates: freakingcoolindies.com/6-2/