This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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Once you make a game for an app, how can you distribute it? If you make an iPhone game or it could be a PC game or some other platform or some other type of app, once you've got it made, how can you get it in the hands of as many players as possible? We like to feature lots of different side hustlers doing all kinds of different things. Today's question comes from Ahmed in Detroit. He has recently developed a game.
So he's gotten over that hurdle. I think maybe last month, sometime we had a question from someone who's like, I've got an idea for a game. What do I do next? So I'm not a coder. I'm not a programmer.
I can't necessarily advise people on what are the best programming languages to learn and how do you go through that process? But there are lots of resources where you can go and learn that. Here, we're gonna focus on like, okay, once you've got the game, how do you distribute it? And I'm gonna focus specifically on distribution as opposed to marketing. They're a little bit connected, but not quite the same thing because there are distributors who will do a lot of marketing for you with the right game or app.
So I'll talk about that in my answer. But if you're wondering, okay, I've got this idea and I've made it further down the road, what comes next? How do I navigate that process? And especially if I don't want to be a marketer, well, ultimately, I think everyone has to market in some way or another. But if you wanna focus on something else, let's look at the most effective strategies for distributing a new game or app.
Detailed question and my answer coming up in just 30 seconds. [Music]
Hi, this is Ahmed from Detroit. I recently developed a game and now I'm trying to figure out the best ways to distribute it. What are the most effective platforms and strategies for distributing a new game or app? Should I focus on certain app stores or try to hire a distributor to reach a wider audience?
I really just need to know what to do next. Thanks in advance for any advice or tips you have. [Music]
Hey, Ahmed, thanks for being out there. Thanks for the question. And congratulations on getting this far with your game.
And let's talk about how we can distribute it. So you've got a couple of options here. And one option is to work with a company that does this. And that could be the most suitable answer, especially if you want to go cross-platform. And if your intent from the beginning is like, I just want to make an iPhone game or an Android game, that's one thing.
But if your game actually takes off, you want to be in multiple places. Or your game might be for PC or for consoles even at one point. You know, if it takes off, Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, all that. So there are companies that do this and just look for game distributors. Maybe start with one platform and you'll see a whole bunch of them.
Of course, there are questions to ask as you go through that process. You want to understand how much revenue, what the percentage they're going to keep and so on. But it can make a lot of things easier. Now, if you want to just do it yourself, nothing wrong with that either. So that way you're going to keep much more of the profit.
But you do have to do a lot more for the distribution and then the marketing, as mentioned, distribution and marketing. Not the same thing, but can be connected. So there you want to begin getting it listed with the App Store or whatever the platform is. You want to make sure everything is working. You want to have done all your beta testing beforehand because then, you know, once it's on the App Store or elsewhere, reviews are going to start coming in and you want those reviews to be positive.
If it's a good game, you know, reviews tend to be a big part of spreading the word. If it's not a good game or, you know, if there's some problems with it, then that's also going to spread as well. And then eventually just kind of drop down on the listings and such. So you have one chance or maybe a couple of chances to debut well. You want to use those chances as much as possible and really kind of, you know, go all out during that time of making sure that your product is as strong as possible and being around to respond to any questions.
If you're able to respond to ratings and reviews, that's great. I would definitely go to websites like IGN and other game sites, you know, pitch them, send them a link to download the game for free. If they review the game, that can be really big, especially if they give you a good review. And then you just kind of go from there and keep doing that over and over. Like there's other review sites.
There are other platforms, as mentioned. Whenever you have significant updates, that also tends to refresh the game's listing in the algorithm for these different platforms. So that can help you reach a whole new group of buyers as well. Just a few steps for you there, Ahmed, but I'm sure you're up for it. Again, congratulations, listeners.
Thanks for being out there. I want to help with your projects as well. I hope the podcast is helpful to you. Every single day we make it seven days a week. Let me know what's on your mind.
If you have questions, feedback, ideas, sidehustleschool.com. Much more is coming up in the days and weeks to come. My name's Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
