Slashdot Mirror
Navigating The Gaming PR Dance
PhPetey writes "I recently began reviewing games and gaming culture for a U.S.-based national trade publication. I find the most difficult aspect of my job so far to be the lack of communication skills possessed by many of the people involved with the public relations departments of various developers and publishers. Simply establishing a basic relationship with these organizations is mind-numbingly difficult, as calls and emails repeatedly go unreturned. Are there any tips and tricks from experienced gaming journalists that could make this process any easier?" Tips from people who just pretend to be journalists to get free games are, of course, also appreciated.
If you're from a small publication, lie like a dog and say you're from "Computer Gaming World" or something like that?
Just remember that the company you are contacting, their most valuable resource is Time. And they get hit with lots of reqs for comp copies ("I run a major website", "We're a new magazine", etc).
What you need to do is make it a) idiot-proof, i.e. provide bonafide credentials that are self-complete, and b) make it cost them no time to respond. That often means phoning until you talk to them, and closing the matter then and there-- or better, getting whomever you reached to tell you which individual below them will handle 'the details' (you then follow up with said individual immediately with 'your boss told me to give you my addy so you can send X to Y, here's the details, I'll call you to confirm it arrived')
Basically, less shmooze and more effort. Make it worth their while because they have _no_ spare time to rustle up marketing/PR past their already-set-in-stone list of output sources.
A.
We're a small game developer that has gained a bit of notoriety, at least to the point where I can't keep up with the PR opportunities the way I'd like to.
:)
When I do pick which to do, I choose the ones where a small amount of my time can go a long way. If someone wants an email interview, that's pretty tough because it takes a couple hours away from coding. If they would like an in-game tour, that's a bit easier - I can show them the highlights of the game, and then let them explore. If they want to do a review, and just want to spend a few minutes on the phone, that's best of all - I never turn down one of those.
So, my advice is to go out of your way to make it easy on the person you're trying to reach. At least that works on me
Reading the one comment on here by an actual developer and several other online articles/posts on this subject elsewhere, I'm developing a new perspective on the supposedly harsh world of game development.
From what I've seen/read, many of the same game developers who are crying about how hard it is to develop a successful title are also the ones who can't make time for their PR duties. Complain about the big studios all you like, but if you're a small developer you *need* each and every PR opportunity that comes your way, and if you're "too busy coding" to take the time...well, good luck getting anyone's ear next when you need them.
I think this is another sad case of geeks underestimating the need for good sales/marketing/presentation. We all hate to do marketing/sales, but if you want to be successful in business - any business - great code isn't enough and maybe isn't even the most important thing.
If you're anyone but the top 5 developers/publishers and you're turning away *any* PR opportunity for any reason, you should either have your head examined or hire someone that can do the job properly.
The crimes of eBay are a disgrace to it's pig latin heritage!
Interesting comments so far on my first Slashdot posting. I find the real problem is the divide between outsourced PR firms - and those on the inside that are truly immersed in the gaming world. To an outsourced firm, a game producer/developer/whatever is just another client - yet the paradigms that apply to the gaming biz are different from those in typical industries requiring heavy PR support.
It depends on who you're contacting. If you're contacting the developers, don't bother. Other than a few, most don't do their own PR, they let a publisher do it for them. If you contacted me or my company, I could talk to you generally (and would, happily), but couldn't mention any specific product we're doing, or send you screens or builds. Why not? Because that's contractually the publisher's right, and we're forbidden, contractually, from doing it. (We can, and do, get the permissions to post info on our website once products are announced).
So if you're contacting the publishers, you need to make sure you're calling the right person. The PR game from the publisher's side is them desperately trying to place info where it will be seen by the greatest number of people who matter to them. So, as you'd expect, enthusiast magazines like GameNow! get screens, press releases, new game builds, interview opportunities, etc. pretty much as a matter of course.
So do large mainstream magazines, like Time, and magazines that appeal to the demographic, like Maxim. They get anything they want, but typically use a lot less of what they get (since they cover things other than games).
Generally, most publishers will use a mix of in-house PR and contracted PR agencies. In-house people usually dedicate themselves to key accounts, so you may have one person who's job is enthusiast press, and one who's job is mainstream press. The out-of-house PR is usually dedicated to creating things like mass-mailings and dealing with less important media outlets, like small fan-run websites, and weird press inquiries, like those from freelancers.
If you're a freelancer, the reality is that they are going to want to hear from your editor, not you, at least until you've built up a pretty strong relationship. If your publication isn't an obvious fit, and you're a freelancer, and you want something they don't want to give out (like exclusives or game builds) chances are you're going to get shuffled to the bottom of the pile and get no calls back.
So, what do you do? The easiest thing is to work you way up. Find out who you need to talk to at each place, and ask to be put onto the email press release list, or for access to the press section of their site. This costs them nothing, so it is most likely to happen. Once you're getting press releases, when you want to cover a specific game, call them about the specific game, why you want to cover it, and make it easy for them.
Yes, their job is getting information out, but that doesn't mean they're supposed to drop everything when you call. They already have their hands full with their existing portfolio of publications, and are likely to think that they are pursuing all worthwhile opportunities, so your job will be partly to convince them that your outlet is a worthwhile opportunity -- you'll need to do some PR for yourself before you can get the game PR people to come around!
The number of fan web sites who barrage game PR people is pretty high, so to stand out, you can't just expect them to come to you. It can be tough, but it can be done -- I was launch editor of one of the first game fan sites (it wasn't a hobbiest site, but run by a publishing company) and it took a lot of work before we were taken seriously by the PR companies.
Good luck!
Dude, I think I can see my house from here.
I briefly did this sort of thing for a now defunct website which was then gamehacker.com (now domain trash) and didn't make much headway. My only big successes were when I asked a publisher a direct question in an email, for instance when I asked Bethesda, directly through their website in fact, whether or not in the wake of the whole quake source thing they were considering releasing the source to Daggerfall. [The answer was no, they didn't think this would boost sales, and yes, they were still selling a good many copies.] It wasn't much, but it was a blurb you could fit somewhere.
Unless you're a gaming mag, you're screwed. In my experience, as a tech reporter, we seldom have luck getting game companies to respond to requests, in any form other than "news releases."
"Martha Stewart can lick my Scrotum......do i have a scrotum?" -- Sharon Osbourne
The guy who posted the original is legit. I know this because he works for me as a freelancer, and he does an excellent job with the game reviews and general-audience coding columns he produces for us each month, despite his "newness" as a writer and our magazine's relatively new (but rapidly growing) gaming section. Hey -- gaming is becoming a HUGE influence not only on the electronic culture, but on "real life" and "real world" entertainment, as well. Does anyone honestly believe any tech-oriented mag worth its ink would ignore forever what is shaping up to be such an important market segment? I can't imagine that -- but then again, I'm not a marketing guru.
Thanks for your tips, "former gaming journalist!" I'm sure your insight will be invaluable to the poster, and I applaud you for taking the time to answer! You occupy a unique position from which to comment about this, and both PhPetey and I appreciate it, I'm sure. As far as I know, neither of us was aware before now of the many intricacies of the game-publishing industry, but being journalists, we're always curious and eager to learn. (And contrary to what may seem intuitive since the NY Times scandal broke, the vast majority of journalists actually DO work very hard for LONG hours to produce ORIGINAL pieces -- and we do it for considerably less financial remuneration than the average successful game producer or PR hack makes. We do what we do -- despite personal privation -- because we can't NOT do it ... and, granted, because we probably have a few screws loose.) ;-)
Yes, I do assist as often as I'm asked by writing to or calling PR folks, developers, publishers, etc. on behalf of "my" freelancers and staffers (and PhPetey is religious about asking for my help). Would you believe I handle about 10 requests of this sort each WEEK, in addition to my other duties? Ten may not sound like a huge number, but when you add the additional time required to contact those 10 people to the 60-80 hours I work in an average week ... well, you can begin to see where I'm going with this. Developers and PR folks are not the only ones who see the demands on their time outpacing their ability to fulfill them. Frankly, I think the system might work a bit better if each of us cogs in it could see ourselves as something other than The-Most-Overworked-And-Important part of the machine....
This is part of the reason we in the media sometimes hear from companies who complain that we're "not paying (enough) attention to their magnificent new product(s)." We're trying, but like the developers, publishers and PR hacks, journalists' time is limited, too. It's much easier for us to move on to someone who's eager to work with us, even if that person/company has received more than his/her/its fair share of "free advertising" in our publication in the recent past. (For example: Microsoft, Sony, and other "biggies" in the gaming industry send us their new products well before they're released to the public -- whether or not the product is appropriate for our market. Some of them even send us the machinery on which to experience the product, just to make sure we have what we need to review it, in case we're interested. They know we won't review everything, but can they take a chance on missing the market we serve? Apparently, they don't think so. Of course, such behavior is just a drop in the figur
Here is how it is:
A) Small game devs, as pointed out already, don't know didly about how to manipulate the press and do solid PR on their products. They need to learn, or they need a publisher. Of course, we all know how big publishing houses tread the small devs they absorb.
B) PR firms for publishers and hardware companies are seeking maximum exposure, and pliability. They want a large target audience when they sink time, materials, product samples, etc into a review site or mag. They also want pliability on the part of the mag/site towards the following:
1) Editorial review of any materials that will be published prior to publication and input on the article/review. The amount they request and get usually varies, for sure, but in general they usually get some concessions (whether admitted to by the mag/site or not) in this area. This is one reason that the smaller, independent sites find it so hard to get established relations and a regular flow of review materials... they don't allow interference with the review process nor preview and edits on the part of the product maker.
2) Some kind of reciprical advertising... banners, blurbs/side stories that are essentially adverts, reduced ad rates, free sponsorship listings (simply listing your name can be a big deal). Again, smaller sites won't do this for free/cheap and this turns off pubs and manufacturers
3) Severe mental retardation on the part of many PR firms... they still feel that most people get their info from a magazine and not off the net, and not from multiple sites. They also believe that no one will suspect that they have manipulated reviews through peer systems and advertising dollars for better ratings. This is why it's best to avoid the big three sites and big five mags - they are biased, easily twisted from integrity to the dollar, etc.
4) Junkets... yes, they are still alive, in the form of stand alone events as well as trade shows with exclusive parties. Nvidia knows all about this one, just read about their stripping porn stars at the closed party and super slut Dawns or any other company with booth girls and free booze afterhours. They spend top dollar on these and expect solid, free press and forgiving reviews in return (or you don't get invited back again)... it is still a very persuasive tool in PR circles.
I guess to answer the question directly you have two choices. Establish your rules and stick to them or become a puppet player in the PR machines of the big publishers and manufacturers. If you truely are the 'press', stick to your integrity and be prepared to be overlooked by the big guys. The little guys are swamped, so be persuasive. Some independent devs/manufacturers (Klipsch, Creative, Lucas Arts, 3DR, etc) also like to only go to the biggest sites and skip the 'smaller' sites, even though they are missing out on alot of potential free press by just being accomidating... they fall into the retarded ranks because of this as they simply don't realize the power that a site with a few million hits has, even when it is compared to a site with 10's of millions of hits, and they have no concept of the effect of cross linking and news board sites... it's one of the reasons also that many of the smaller mags are now gone or absorbed by the big sites.
I think I should tell you something about that Nvidia party. The "porn star" incident WAS NOT a planned thing by the producers of that event. I happen to know the individuals involved and it was simply a matter of someone stumbling into a party - it was a case of a party being crashed and the big media picking up on something that NEVER really happened the way they said it did.
That's an interesting take as several Nvidia reps have stated on public forums that the Producer and his entourage were indeed invited (and that no one would have gotten through the security of that party as it was). They were embarrassed that the girl in question did what she did however and that was not scripted.
First of all, what do you call a journalist? The overwhelming majority of the gaming press are, in fact, NOT journalists. A professional journalist's main goal is to inform the public of the truth about whatever the subject matter is. First-hand reporting is a fundamental aspect of journalism (which is at the core of the problems at the New York Times and the Jayson Blair scandal). In the case of games it means giving people fair, accurate and balanced information that they need to make a judgement of whether a game is suitable for them. It's a form of service journalism and public advocacy.
What you have described is not a ''lack of communication skills'' -- PR reps are professional communicators whose job is to present their client's/employer's message to the appropriate audiences and to filter out those people who they see as unnecessary or unhelpful to their corporate goals.
Establishing a relationship with these organizations is INTENDED to be mind-numbingly difficult. In most cases, they instantly recognize who can give them the coverage they desire and reach the audience they are looking for. As for the unknown quantities, they take a wait and see approach.
We've been around for a while and gaming has been a secondary focus of our site. It's only recently that the gatekeepers have opened the doors. Now most of what we get from them is hype, fluff and the same kind of stuff that the gaming press calls news. At this point when we meet people from PR agencies and company reps they are starting to tell us that they have heard of us.
The best tip is not to dance. Don't be like the rest of the so-called gaming press and regurgitate whatever hype they send you.
The best trick is not to play any tricks. They've probably seen any tricks that you can come up with or that anyone advises you to use. Professionals don't play tricks and don't have to play tricks.
As for the people who pretend to be journalists just so they can get free games, they are probably the worst problem because they are singularly the biggest reason why it is so difficult to establish a new relationship with hardware and software companies.
What publication do you work for and what is its history? If it is a national trade publication as you say, you should have no difficulties at all.