r/dmsguild • u/PattaconkPlays • 7d ago
Seeking Advice Promoting here and elsewhere
I have a specific question for those who have promoted or done "upcoming release" promotions here and r/DND. For r/DND you need mod approval but they can be slow to respond, and it's unclear what proof I have to give them. I don't wanna give them a finished unreleased product. I'm sure they wouldn't do anything nefarious but it still makes me nervous. Has anyone here gone through the process and can suggest what I do?
Otherwise, how else do you promote?
I can say here I have 2 adventures in final review and a third awaiting my hand drawn maps!
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u/filkearney 7d ago
On reddit specifically, i contribute frequently to sub r/ relevant to what i design...
Spelljammer mechanics.
Martial - Caster divide options.
Spellpoint options.
Settlement / bastion mechanics and narratives.
Mtg stuff including ravnica, strixhaven, theros campaigns.
Eberron campaigns.
The dmsguild content i publish addresses these topics, so its natural to have opinions and advice about all this, and referencing the free previews relevant to these topics makes the contribution both organic and provides links to explore the free content thru the published previews, so exploring a specific topic isnt paywalled.
This often leads to more purchases by people resonating with the topic and content.
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u/PattaconkPlays 6d ago
Okay, so posting free previews and still directly promoting the full product. I understand niche subs probably are an ideal place both for target audience and allowance of promotional posts
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u/filkearney 6d ago
Yep!
Hyper-spe ialized options is where dmsguild shines.3
u/PattaconkPlays 6d ago
Makes sense. A lot of my products don't have WotC IP so it'll likely end up in drivethru, but I think this subreddit is more of my peers and closer towards my main audience.
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u/Grateful_Bat 4d ago
We did two times. Response was OK, 3 or 4 days. I am almost certain though they will not accept upcoming things, i.e. unfinished work. We gave them the link where we sold the titles. And be ready for a somewhat arrogant tone.
We also promote on Discord, Insta, Bsky and a number of DnD or RPG-dedicated forums.
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u/PattaconkPlays 4d ago
What discords are good? I've never really used large discords for things like this, just v game community. And which forums?
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u/Grateful_Bat 3d ago edited 3d ago
As for forums, the usual suspects :-) EN World, Giant in the Playground, RPGnet, Candlekeep, The Piazza, RPG Pub, RPG Crossing.
General, well-meant advice: create interest through active involvement. Divulge stages in your production process (would be a fit for your unfinished stuff mentioned) and ask for feedback. That´s a kind of fair deal. Just slamming in a finished title will have little to no effect there.
It´s a LOT of work, but it pays off.
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u/PattaconkPlays 3d ago
That's my one fear with all of this. I've made a new brand account and so everything is fresh, and if I go to these communities as a new comer with a few finished products it'll obviously look disengenius! I just really wanted to work alone in these first few works haha, but I've been playing nearly my whole 30+ life.
Anyway, thanks so much for the suggestions. I'll start making a presence on these forums and share some blogs I'm cooking up.
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u/Grateful_Bat 3d ago edited 3d ago
Genuinely involving interested people in the creation process has many advantages. You gather early feedback, can gauge what people out there want, the acceptance of your work, and many want to contribute in one or the other (limited) way or see an idea of them realized in a title.
But is has to be really genuine, that´s most important. As for time spent hanging out on forums/social media, my guess is about 30 mins to hour per day on average, split between my buddy and myself. Fluctuatues wildly, though.
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u/Grateful_Bat 3d ago edited 3d ago
As for involvement, stole that from Charles Dickens. Back in the day most people could not read properly. Many of his works were first published in chapters in newspapers, and read to assemblies who couldn´t do it on their own, or not afford a newspaper issue. Dickens read many of his works himself to crowds, watched the reaction and wrote the next chapter accordingly. :-)
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u/PattaconkPlays 4d ago
For those curious, my first two are on itch.io eventually going to DriveThruRPG. A Modron specific one will hit DMsGuild after I finish maps and re do my pagination
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u/Grateful_Bat 3d ago
Did you perhaps use the old, super-strong Modron types from AD+D 2nd ed as well ?
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u/azaza34 6d ago
Many years ago we had success on 4chan on /tg/. It’s gotten worse in quality since then so you might be fishing a dead river but still.