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How to market your mod

Started by Xifanie, February 08, 2020, 04:16:34 am

Xifanie

February 08, 2020, 04:16:34 am Last Edit: February 08, 2020, 04:55:00 am by Xifanie
In Progress

PS: Not sure if it's a little too late

I'm writing this, because as I've been building my business, I realized so few people invest any time in learning how to market, because it is such a broad subject. I will write what I believe are the most effective way to reach your target market.

Contrary to popular belief, listing all your changes is a terrible way to market your mod. Here is a list of its disadvantages:

  • It takes forever to read. You make people consider taking the time to read your post to consider playing your mod, proportionate to the number of changes you made.

  • It doesn't show the intent behind the changes, only the finicky details.




My recommendations:

Use Images
They're great to show the amounts of changes the mod includes. Do you have new maps? New sprites? New events? You could literally take a screenshot of 2 if not 3 of those changes in the same image.

Use Video
I'm sure most won't bother, because it is a lot of work, but the truth is, it does work! Playthroughs are -fine-, but I'd really recommend a short 15 seconds to 2 minute video showing the most dramatic changes of your mod. And remember to try to hook/captivate your audience in the first 15 (particularly the first 5) seconds of your video. Make them want to keep watching!

Use Keywords

Less is More
Length induces confusion, not clarity. Going for fancy words will reduce clarity, so stick to simple words that everyone understands without any ambiguity in your marketing.

Grammar
Yes, I know you don't want to see it in this list. Yes, it's bothersome to spellcheck everything. But this also show the importance of 'Less is More'.

Start With a Short Description
Think of it as a tl;dr. You want people to know what they're investing their next 3-15 minutes in. Feel free to use keywords, but do not abuse them. Get the post across in as few words as possible. Be general. It's a balance between the number of words VS the impact, so make those words count. Ex:
A new threat from another world awaits Ramza and his new companions.
Enjoy playing with your favorite characters from other series:
Dante (Devil May Cry), Snake (Metal Gear Solid), Link (Legend of Zelda) and Cloud (Final Fantasy VII)
alongside Ramza 2 years in the future of Ivalice.


The name is important, but don't emphasize too much of it either
It's important to have a name that sounds appealing, but that also stays true to its content. Some mod names are very... vague. Put an emphasis clarity. You don't want to have someone not consider your mod because it is not what they thought was advertised. It's all on you if people misinterpret the name of your mod or its description.

In Conclusion
Everyone has different expectations when it comes to releasing their mod. The harsh truth is that if you can't sell it, maybe your mod isn't that good. It's not because you made a mod that you're entitled to everyone trying it out. There can be other reasons too, it's for you to judge if they're good excuses or not (spoilers: they rarely are). Note: I didn't say if it sells or not; some mods made it even with poor marketing, but that's relying on luck--I don't recommend it. If your mod is in fact good, if you had the energy to make it good, you will be able to make the efforts to learn+apply how to effectively and properly market your mod to your target audience, because they deserve it. This post is meant to inspire you to do so. Think "I want to make X type of person learn about my mod because they would LOVE it!" instead of "I want people to play my mod." Same sentiment, but one is selfless while the other is selfish, and they yield different results.
  • Modding version: PSX
Love what you're seeing? https://supportus.ffhacktics.com/ 💜 it's really appreciated

Anything is possible as long as it is within the hardware's limits. (ie. disc space, RAM, Video RAM, processor, etc.)
<R999> My target market is not FFT mod players
<Raijinili> remember that? it was awful

Talcall

I feel slightly targeted here.
Good advice though.
  • Modding version: PSX & WotL
""The only thing more hardcoded than FFT, is more FFT."
    - A wise man"
       - Talcall
  • Discord username: Talcall

Xifanie

Yes, don't worry, you're targeted. As well as every single person who's ever released a mod in the existence of FFH. No one has ever marketed their mod properly on here lol.

I know you're referencing the fact that you just posted about your mod, but the fact is, 75% of people just list the changes in their mod and I think it's a shame so much effort goes into making a mod and then no one even looks at it because the 10-25% extra time required to promote it properly is not spent, as people just don't know how to do so! And the only one I have to blame for this is myself, because I never wrote a tutorial for this before, or asked the opinion of others on the subject, yet I own the place.
  • Modding version: PSX
Love what you're seeing? https://supportus.ffhacktics.com/ 💜 it's really appreciated

Anything is possible as long as it is within the hardware's limits. (ie. disc space, RAM, Video RAM, processor, etc.)
<R999> My target market is not FFT mod players
<Raijinili> remember that? it was awful