How to make an indie game press kit that gets used

A press kit is the page you send to a streamer or journalist so they can cover your game without writing back to ask for a logo. Most people who cover indie games are busy, and the games that get covered are often the ones that were easiest to cover. The press kit generator builds the page for you. This guide covers what belongs on it.

One link, not an attachment

Put everything on one page and send one link. Large zip attachments get blocked by mail filters, and a PDF is hard to copy text and images out of. A web page is easy to open, easy to scan, and easy to update when your release date changes. If you want a downloadable copy, offer it as well, not instead.

What to include

1. The game's name and a one-line pitch. What is it and why is it different, in a sentence people could repeat.
2. A short description. A paragraph or two that a writer could use as the basis for a piece. Lead with the strongest hook.
3. Key facts. Platforms, release date or window, price, genre, supported languages, and the developer's location. Put these in a plain list so they are easy to lift.
4. Where to get the game. Store links, including your Steam or itch.io page, and a way to wishlist or follow.
5. Trailer. A link to a hosted video, and the best one first. Streamers like seeing the game before deciding to play it.
6. Screenshots. Full-resolution images of real gameplay. Add a few animated GIFs if they show something a still cannot.
7. Logo and key art. Give them in a form people can drop into a post, ideally with a transparent version of the logo.
8. About the team. A short paragraph on who made the game and a sentence about why. People like writing about people.
9. Contact. A real email address that you read, plus your social and community links.
10. How to get a copy to play. Say how streamers and press can request a key or a build. If you have a policy on who gets one, state it in a line.

What to leave out

• Long histories of the studio. Keep it to a short paragraph.
• Marketing language with no information in it. "Epic" and "immersive" say nothing.
• Low-resolution images, or screenshots that include placeholder art.
• Anything you are not sure about. Wrong facts spread quickly once they are in a post.

Make it easy to use

• Check the permissions. You need the right to let others publish every image, track, and font in the kit. Say so, for example "free to use in coverage of the game", so no one has to ask.
• Give images useful names. A file called my-game-logo.png is easier to deal with than IMG_0231.png.
• Keep it current. Update the page when the date, price, or platforms change, and after launch add early reviews and notable coverage.
• Test it as a stranger. Open the page in a private window and on a phone. Can you find the logo, the trailer, and your email in a few seconds?

When to send it

Send your kit when you have something to show: a trailer, a store page, and a date or window. Write each message to the person, saying why you think their audience would like the game, and keep it to a few lines with the link. Streamers and writers get many emails, so being brief and specific works better than a long pitch.

Using the generator

The press kit generator asks for the facts above and builds a clean press page and a fact sheet you can download and host anywhere. Everything you type stays in your browser unless you choose to publish it. If you have an account with a verified email, you can also publish the page on indiedev.games and get one shareable link. Published press pages are not listed in search engines, and you can edit or delete yours at any time from your dashboard.

Before you send the kit out, run the store page readiness checker. The first thing a journalist will click is usually your store page, so it should look as good as the kit does. See the store page checklist for what to fix first.