Promoting like a normal person.

I went to college twice. Once for politics and again for branding. (I'm a glutton for punishment.) In both, there were two opposing camps fighting for control. The human side and the business side. The human side wants to sneak art out of the bullshit we have to do to survive under capitalism. The other side wants to make the shit inescapable—they're the fine folks who brought you banner ads.

You can make a lot of money promoting yourself the way they do. The human approach, by comparison, is a lot of work. It requires a good product, vulnerability, and none of it is automated. Being a huckster is so much safer. It's more profitable, scalable, and convenient to be shit. And, if it doesn't work for you, like the other 95% of people who try it, you can pretend it was just bad luck. Nothing wagered. Nothing lost.

As for me? I think you should be human.

I'm not saying there isn't value in pitches, cold calls, and performance marketing. I just don't think it should start or end there. People are being carpet bombed 24/7 by faceless corporations and con artists. When we borrow their language and tools, we blend in with their bullshit. And there's a lot of it.

Start your career by being human. Protect your identity with a pen name or a business name, if you must, but be a person. Talk like one and think like one. At the end of the day, it's people you're connecting with.

#1 Stay grounded and personable on social.

If you're on social media, I recommend writing and sharing your work like a normal person who makes things with their hands. Don't launch your blog or latest project with, "We're pleased to announce, the latest evolution in blahblahblah!" Just say that you released a thing. Especially when you're just starting out.

• Present yourself as a person making things. Not a company or a messiah.
• Write conversationally. Don't write like you're in front of a snake oil cart.
• Avoid buzzwords, sales speak, and any words that resemble merch peddlers.
• Don't talk in the 3rd person. You're not Donald Trump, Kanye, or the Hulk.
• Write in a way that's easy to comprehend and hard to misconstrue.
• Remember low reading comprehension and bad faith readings are common.
• Writing "I think..." and "In my experience..." are not redundant on social.

#2 Connect with people through dialogue.

Treat your work like it's a bonus item. Whatever it is you're promoting, it's secondary. Tell stories, connect with people, show your passion, and then tag your work at the end (if it feels organic), or let the audience settle in and come to it naturally. You're playing a bigger game on the human team.

• Talk about other people and their work. Tell others why they inspire you.
• Show off what you like. Share what excites you. It draws in likeminded people.
• Create things based off other's work. Make adventures, tools, and commentary.
• Comment, repost, and share other people's stories. Don't only post your stuff.
• Share your process, thoughts, and ideas early and often with blogs and threads.
• Be genuine. Don't feign interest. Don't lie. Don't be transactional or "tactical."
• Look for the people and places where you can be yourself comfortably.
• Don't be that loser on Reddit that drops links in chats just to sell their wares.

#3 Give away your work to friends and colleagues.

Don't be precious with it. Give it away freely and often. And do it directly. I'm not suggesting you make things free to the public. That's just makes you into a vending machine. Give away work to people you admire, appreciate, and care about. Whatever you think you're losing in sales you're getting in goodwill.

• If you made something inspired by someone else's work. Send them a copy.
• If you made something for someone else's game or system. Send them a copy.
• Offer free pdfs and download keys to closed communities you're in.
• Fill your convention luggage with zines and give them to people you meet.
• Send copies to your favorite content creators with no strings attached.

#4 Respect everyone's time and intelligence.

Act like a human being and treat others like human beings. A lot of marketing "best practices" I see being touted on streams and Discords only work when you're a corporation or reaching out to one. Some tactics, like press kits and demos are perfectly fine, but most are just rude.

• Research partners before you reach out. Do they cover what you make?
• Be efficient when you reach out. Don't open with "Hey!" and then wait.
• Write personalized emails. Don't send generic copy-and-paste messages.
• Don't make people jump through hoops after they donate their time.
• If you have a question, it should show off how much you already know.
• Ask yourself, "Do I sound like a bot or troll?" If the answer is yes, stop.

#5 Avoid the unkind, unhappy, and unhelpful.

The internet is full of bullies, trolls, and clueless people that follow them. The more you put yourself out there, the more vulnerable you'll be. It's an unfortunate part of being a person online. You have to pay attention, make note of who is doing what, and avoid them at all costs. Remember, it's all about safety.

• Do not engage. The engagement will only benefit them and hurt you.
• Be kind. Resist the urge to be mean in retaliation. (This is hard.)
• Avoid people who spend their time making enemies and causing drama.
• Don't assume you know what a bad actor looks like. They're everywhere.
• Look out for sealioning. They like to hide among the clueless reply guys.
• Move any rants offline. Find a support group closed off from the public.

How to reach out to content creators.

1. Consume their work. Don't just hit them up like they're a billboard.
2. Do your research. What do they do, how do they work, who are the hosts?
3. Reach out to them through their preferred method of contact.
4. Write a message that's tailored to them. Keep it specific, concise, and polite.
   1. If they're reviewers, give them the PDF or download key right away.
   2. If they're something else, try to give them something tailored to their show.
   3. If you're looking to advertise, give them your budget and timeline.
1. Tell them you like the show, why you like it, and what you're sharing.
2. Doublecheck that your message is self-explanatory and easy to respond to.
5. Wait for a response. Until they do, live your life and keep making stuff.
   1. If they reply, respond graciously and promptly. Be easy to work with.
   2. If they don't reply, move on. Reach out when you have something new.

How to build an audience.

• Participate in the community that matches your values and interests.
• Make things for other people's games and share them with their audience.
• Blog about other people's work by posting play reports, reviews, and hacks.
• Make things that are easy to play, build on, or react to. You want engagement.
• Participate in events like Blog Bandwagons, game jams, and online cons.
• Design things with an audience in mind. Then make it easy for them to find.
• Be helpful. Give feedback on Discords, run playtests, share expertise, etc.
• Collaborate with people the same size as you. Cross-promote each other.

When do you shift gears?

Things like paid social ads, press kits, and sales copy are tools in your toolbox. When you're working in spaces that exceed your audience and move too fast to be intimate, like Kickstarter and Facebook, that's when you use macro tools like ads and promotional content.

The thing a lot of marketing and sales gurus fail to mention when they're carpet bombing the masses, is that two of the most useful powerful forces in marketing are earned media and organic social. That's a fancy way of saying, "People are talking about, promoting, and sharing your shit." It's something that can't be bought or manufactured without spending a lot of money.

And if you're a friendly face who makes great stuff, you won't have to.

Explorers Design is a production of Clayton Notestine. If you liked this article, please consider liking, sharing, and subscribing. Members who pay $5/month also get access to additional tools, templates, and inspiration.