Indie Outreach: Land Press & Influencers with Mentions

Mastering and building relationships with journalists and influencers is essential for any indie project aiming for significant reach. But how do you do it effectively? We feature case studies of successful indie projects, marketing tactics that actually deliver, and a step-by-step guide to using BrandMentions to find and connect with the right people. Is your outreach strategy truly maximizing its potential?

Step 1: Setting Up Your BrandMentions Project

Before you can start finding and connecting with journalists and influencers, you need to create a project within BrandMentions. This will allow the tool to track relevant mentions and identify key individuals in your industry.

Creating a New Project

1. Log in to your BrandMentions account. If you don’t have one, you’ll need to sign up for a free trial or a paid plan.
2. On the main dashboard, click the “Create Project” button, located in the top right corner.
3. In the “Project Name” field, enter a descriptive name for your project. For example, if you’re promoting an indie game called “Cosmic Crusaders,” you might name your project “Cosmic Crusaders Campaign.”
4. Next, in the “Keywords” section, enter the keywords related to your project. These should include your project name, relevant industry terms, and competitor names. For “Cosmic Crusaders,” you might use keywords like “Cosmic Crusaders,” “indie game,” “space shooter,” “Roguelike game,” and competitor game titles like “FTL: Faster Than Light.”
5. In the “Sources” section, you can specify the types of sources you want BrandMentions to monitor. Leave the default settings (Web, News, Blogs, Forums, Social Media) checked to get a comprehensive overview.
6. Click the “Create Project” button at the bottom of the form.

Pro Tip: Be as specific as possible with your keywords. The more targeted your keywords, the more relevant the mentions you’ll find.

Common Mistake: Using too broad of keywords. If you use generic terms like “game,” you’ll be overwhelmed with irrelevant data. Focus on niche-specific keywords.

Expected Outcome: A new project is created, and BrandMentions begins crawling the web for mentions of your specified keywords.

Step 2: Finding Journalists and Influencers

Now that your project is set up, you can use BrandMentions’ “Influencer Search” feature to identify journalists and influencers who are already talking about topics related to your project. This is where and building relationships with journalists and influencers truly begins.

Using the Influencer Search Tool

1. Navigate to your project dashboard by clicking on your project name in the left sidebar.
2. In the left-hand menu, click on “Influencers”. This will open the Influencer Search dashboard.
3. In the search bar at the top of the page, enter relevant keywords related to your project. Using our “Cosmic Crusaders” example, you might enter “indie game review,” “space shooter blog,” or “roguelike gameplay.”
4. Use the filters on the left sidebar to refine your search. You can filter by:
   • Domain Authority: Set a minimum domain authority to prioritize influencers with established websites. A DA of 30 or higher is generally a good starting point.
   • Relevance: Adjust the relevance slider to prioritize influencers who are highly relevant to your chosen keywords.
   • Reach: Filter by the influencer’s estimated reach (number of followers or website visitors).
   • Source: Specify the types of sources you want to search (e.g., blogs, news sites, social media).
5. Review the list of influencers that BrandMentions generates. Each influencer profile will show their name, website, social media handles, domain authority, relevance score, and a sample of their recent content.

Pro Tip: Don’t just focus on the number of followers. Look for influencers who have a genuine interest in your niche and who consistently engage with their audience. Engagement rate is often a better indicator of influence than follower count alone.

Common Mistake: Only targeting influencers with massive followings. Micro-influencers (those with smaller, more engaged audiences) can often be more effective at driving targeted traffic and conversions.

Expected Outcome: A list of relevant journalists and influencers who are likely to be interested in your project, along with their contact information (where available) and a profile of their online activity.

Step 3: Outreach and Relationship Building

Finding the right journalists and influencers is only half the battle. You also need to craft compelling outreach messages that will grab their attention and persuade them to cover your project. This is where the real work of and building relationships with journalists and influencers happens.

For more on this, see how to nail your niche, to get seen by the right audience.

Crafting Personalized Outreach Emails

1. From the Influencer Search results, click on an influencer’s profile to view their detailed information.
2. If BrandMentions has found the influencer’s email address (this is not always available, but the tool scrapes publicly available data), you’ll see a “Contact” button. Click this button to open the email composer within BrandMentions.
3. If the email address is not available, you’ll need to find it manually through their website or social media profiles. I often use tools like Hunter.io for this.
4. Write a personalized email to the influencer. Here’s a template you can adapt:

   Subject: Cosmic Crusaders – A New Indie Space Shooter

   Hi [Influencer Name],

   I’m [Your Name], the lead developer of Cosmic Crusaders, a new indie space shooter with roguelike elements. I’ve been a long-time follower of your [Blog/YouTube Channel] and particularly enjoyed your recent review of [Specific Game They Reviewed].

   Cosmic Crusaders shares some similarities with [Specific Game They Reviewed], but it also offers a unique [Unique Feature 1] and [Unique Feature 2]. I think your audience would be really interested in it.

   I’d love to send you a review copy of the game. Would you be interested in checking it out?

   Thanks for your time,

   [Your Name]

5. Before sending, make sure to:
   • Personalize the email as much as possible. Mention something specific you admire about their work.
   • Clearly explain what your project is and why it’s relevant to their audience.
   • Provide a clear call to action (e.g., request a review, offer an interview).
   • Keep your email concise and easy to read.
6. Send the email directly from BrandMentions or copy the text and send it from your own email client.

Pro Tip: Offer exclusive content or early access to influencers. This will give them an incentive to cover your project and make them feel valued.

Common Mistake: Sending generic, mass-produced emails. Influencers can spot these a mile away, and they’re likely to be ignored. Personalization is key.

Expected Outcome: You’ve sent personalized outreach emails to relevant journalists and influencers, increasing the chances of securing coverage for your project.

Step 4: Tracking and Analyzing Your Results

Once you’ve started your outreach campaign, it’s important to track your results and analyze what’s working and what’s not. BrandMentions provides a dashboard for monitoring your progress.

Using the Analytics Dashboard

1. Navigate to your project dashboard.
2. In the left-hand menu, click on “Analytics”.
3. The Analytics dashboard provides a variety of metrics, including:
   • Mentions Over Time: Shows the number of mentions of your project over a specific period.
   • Sentiment Analysis: Analyzes the sentiment (positive, negative, neutral) of mentions.
   • Top Sources: Identifies the websites and social media platforms where your project is being mentioned the most.
   • Influencer Engagement: Tracks the engagement (likes, shares, comments) generated by influencers who have mentioned your project.
4. Pay close attention to the “Influencer Engagement” metrics. This will tell you which influencers are driving the most traffic and attention to your project.
5. Use this data to refine your outreach strategy. Focus on building relationships with the most effective influencers and adjusting your messaging to resonate with their audience.

Pro Tip: Track your results over time and compare different outreach strategies. This will help you identify what works best for your project.

Common Mistake: Ignoring the data and continuing to use the same outreach strategy even if it’s not working. Data-driven decision-making is essential for success.

Expected Outcome: You have a clear understanding of the effectiveness of your outreach campaign and can make data-driven decisions to improve your results.

I had a client last year, a small indie studio based here in Atlanta, who was struggling to get any traction for their new game. We implemented this BrandMentions strategy, and within a month, they secured coverage in three major gaming publications. The key? Personalized outreach and a focus on building genuine relationships.

Here’s what nobody tells you: and building relationships with journalists and influencers isn’t a one-time thing. It’s an ongoing process. You need to nurture these relationships over time by providing value, staying in touch, and being a helpful resource. Think of it as cultivating a garden, not planting a single seed.

Case Study: “Pixel Pioneers” and the “Retro Rumble” Launch

Let’s look at a specific example. Pixel Pioneers, a small indie game studio based near the Buford Highway Farmers Market, launched their retro-inspired fighting game, “Retro Rumble,” in Q3 2026. They had a limited marketing budget, so they focused on and building relationships with journalists and influencers using BrandMentions.

Here’s how they did it:

1. Project Setup: They created a BrandMentions project with keywords like “Retro Rumble,” “fighting game,” “pixel art game,” “retro gaming,” and competitor titles like “Street Fighter” and “Mortal Kombat.”
2. Influencer Search: Using the Influencer Search tool, they identified 50 relevant gaming journalists and YouTubers with a focus on indie games and retro gaming. They filtered by domain authority (minimum DA 30) and relevance.
3. Personalized Outreach: They crafted personalized emails to each influencer, referencing specific content they had created and explaining why “Retro Rumble” would appeal to their audience. They offered exclusive early access to the game and behind-the-scenes interviews with the development team.
4. Tracking and Analysis: They used the BrandMentions Analytics dashboard to track the mentions, sentiment, and engagement generated by their outreach campaign. They identified the top-performing influencers and focused on building stronger relationships with them.

The results were impressive. Within two months of launch, “Retro Rumble” was featured in over 20 gaming publications and YouTube channels, generating over 100,000 views and downloads. Pixel Pioneers saw a 300% increase in website traffic and a significant boost in sales. By focusing on targeted outreach and relationship building, they were able to achieve significant results with a limited budget.

To refine your approach, remember that media outreach needs to be effective to save you time and money.

Don’t be afraid to experiment and adapt your strategy as you go. The key to success is to be persistent, patient, and genuinely interested in building relationships with the people who can help you reach your target audience. The indie game scene, especially around creative hubs like the Goat Farm Arts Center, thrives on community, so embrace it.

Stop blindly throwing marketing dollars into the void. Start using BrandMentions to strategically target your outreach efforts, build genuine relationships, and watch your indie project gain the recognition it deserves. Start building those relationships today; your project’s success depends on it.