Why do IndieHackers find Content Marketing so hard? + 1 on 1 advice for your project!
Indie hackers are the best in the world at creating products. Solving solutions that no other group could. But your execution stinks.
Mostly because you're feature-orientated, not marketing-orientated.
I want your products to be seen by the world - so let me help you?
I haven't done content marketing for 10 years, wrote a book, or received any awards. But I do know a thing or two.
So much so that I was cursed with creating (https://www.spreadtech.online/)... I made it to help Indiehackers, such as yourself bring your INCREDIBLE projects to market. Easing the content marketing process to a beginner level.
But as the title says - WHAT DO YOU FIND SO HARD ABOUT CONTENT MARKETING??!!?!?!?!?!?!?
DROP A COMMENT OF THE FIRST THING THAT CAME TO YOUR MIND!!!!
My team and I are working on a mobile word game - it's multiplayer, minimalist, and has some deep strategy/gameplay. https://hexiconapp.com
We have blogged about the development process in a few articles: https://medium.com/hexicon. We are comfortable writing about this, but these are the main 3 reasons why we find content marketing difficult:
We are not sure who will be interested in this content and how to spread it effectively, and have gotten limited results to date.
We do not expect the target audience of our readers (small biz owners, game devs) to be our target customers (gamers).
Generally inexperienced with all marketing/business, so we're unsure of the best approaches.
Ultimately, I think our goal is this: Establish ourselves as a studio that openly shares our development process for others to learn from. Then use this following to give future games and non-game products a head start when we release them.
Any advice appreciated! Thank you
Documenting, don't create. I do love your approach. One that usually works very very well.
However, I think some different types of content could help you more... Such as stuff genuinely about your game that your target audience is interested in.
---
Somewhere on this IH post as a reply to @Gshock I have convered this in-depth. But to be specific to the content I can see you've already created. Here's how you can spread it.
You see your Medium posts as just Medium posts, I see it as a goldmine.
---
Firstly. Start uploading to a blog on your OWN website, and then import that to Medium. Primarily for the SEO and inbound traffic benefits.
If you want someone to read your blog post, you want it to be on your own site.
---
Secondly. Use that same blog post and repost it to:
You may have to tweak some of it, but generally speaking a blog post like that you can simply just post to these sites and get a great response. (Especially Indiehackers for your product!!!!!!)
---
Thirdly. Repurpose and repackage those blog posts.
Use that (whole or part) blog post as:
I hope this gets you the results you were after with those blog posts.
---
I'm not a huge gamer, and defo not a mobile gamer. But my best advice is to find out where they hang out, and speak to them there like I'm doing with you now.
---
For your product, an online game.
Video would be my go-to. Video of somebody playing the game in action.
if you already have enough users, then creating community will be very important.
Create community on Twitch, Youtube, and TikTok (especially). Get members of the community to post the game they're playing on all of these sites.
Perhaps even rewards the ones that do with in-game special stuff, like a gold colour of the hexagons.
Content is MADE FOR YOU, by YOUR USERS, every day. You don't have to produce anything.
The same way @rosiesherry doesn't directly create content, she provides a platform for others to create content. You have provided a gaming platform. One where the screen can be recorded and uploaded. To both your own social channels, and the user it's self.
However, saying that. Your product is very niche and not in your face exciting. So this may not be the most amazing route.
---
BUT PLEASE LOOK AT TIKTOK AND TWITCH OVER ANYTHING> IM BEGGING YOU.
Look at these videos and these channels please:
https://www.tiktok.com/@glitchythumbs/video/6806023903274700037 (200k views)
https://www.tiktok.com/@swissbrawlerbros/video/6817119323283344646 (100k views)
https://www.tiktok.com/@stevermobile/video/6808874047221386501 (100k views)
Put your app store link in your tiktok bio and you will do amazing I promise.
And copy these hashtags for when you make tiktoks:
#mobilegames #gamedev #gamedeveloper #gamedevelopment #mobilegame #mobilegaming #tiktokgamer #indiegame #indiegames #gaming
---
REALLY HOPE THIS MAKES SENSE AND HELPS YOU!!! - I'm hella tired and I cba to read over and correct mistakes...
Ask any questions !!!
(FYI I'm using this reply as a twitter thread #repurposingcontent)
Thank you so much Louis, this is a goldmine of helpful info. I feel like 1 on 1 tailored recommendations is what I and many others have been seeking out for a while since every product and situation is entirely different.
Lots of things to think about, especially TikTok, hosting our blog on our own domain, and reposting content everywhere from there.
As you say, I think we need to figure out where our target players are hanging out and also figure out how to best market the game considering it's not as flashy as other games.
Thanks again for taking the time to write this all out, I'll reach out again if some other questions come up!
"I feel like 1 on 1 tailored recommendations is what I and many others have been seeking out for a while since every product and situation is entirely different."
I couldn't agree more. I wish I had the time to do this for everyone but I just don't hahaha
I'm so happy this has helped you.
I created a tool to actually do the heavy lifting of content marketing/repurposing (specifically blog to social media posts for you) - https://www.spreadtech.online/.
This will relieve a lot of time and pressure from you. Currently free to use if you sign up for the BETA release.
My cofounder and I are afraid of coming across as being too salesy. We like to stick to the facts! The facts, however, do not seem to attract/captivate attention from users!
You gotta get attention somehow. I know how cringey it can be to use clickbaiting titles, but sometimes it has to be done.
What type of content are you creating?
I'm building a task manager called Hero ( http://mytaskhero.com/ ).
We currently have ~60 users. We got to almost all of them through word of mouth. Standing out as a task manager online has proven to be VERY difficult.
Any advice would be appreciated :)
There are SO many task managers out there.
One thing you HAVE to do... niche the fuck right down.
Don't be a general task manager. Be the task manager for Founders.
Or Seed Startups.
Or Indiehackers.
Or Content Marketers.
ANYTHING. Just make it specific.
You don't have to change your product (it looks beautiful on the homepage btw) just change your messaging and branding to fit a certain niche.
You don't have to upgrade your product to be fit for a certain niche. Just make it sound like it is. I promise you it may hurt not being 'open' to every potential customer. But in the long run you will thank me hahaha
---
In regards to actual content....
Make the task manager situated around something you already know. E.g Task Manager for Indiehackers
That way making content will be hella easy for you.
Also check out the reply I did to @Gshock that was also for a task manager app, which I gave some good advice on!
Thanks for the advice! How would you choose on which target "persona" to focus?
Among our current users, there are founders, lawyers, real-estate developers, investment bankers, freelancers, etc.
We really want to segment our users and double down on the features/concepts that captivate those who are getting the most value out of Hero.
The problem is that we do not have enough data to conclude what segment is getting the most value out of Hero.
Which of these segments is the most active (uses the app the most often) and requires little to no support? Which of them has the shortest conversion path? And which of them found you organically / has the lowest acquisition cost?
Later on, when your customer base is large enough, you can look at retention rate and CLV: which of the segments sticks around for longer.
Honest to god I couldn't have given a better answer tbh.
If you've literally just launched then accepting everyone and not niching down is an option (one I'm following right now)
But eventually, you will want to be very deliberate and specific
@asosa16 does any niche in particular shout out to you? What areas of life or even careers ar you interested in?
Could even be business model related
Business/industry-specific
See what clicks for you? :)
This comment was deleted 4 years ago
I couldn't agree with you more. Especially as an Indie bootstrapper, I deeply feel your pain.
You need to find a reliable SYSTEM to continuously generate content that doesn't take all day. yet still produces valuable content.
---
Here's how your Content Marketing workflow should go:
Pillar content/longform content --> Shortform content --> Micro/Social content
Repurpose and repackage your longform content into shortform content, and then that shortform content into micro/social content.
And at each stage distribution to multiple channels should also be key.
This is copied directly from the world's best content marketer, Gary V.
---
How does this practically work?
(I don't know what content you create, but let's just imagine for a second)
You create a longform video. 10 minutes. On why procrastination is the biggest reason you won't succeed in business.
You'll probably upload it to Youtube and call it a day... nahh not even scratching the surface.
Upload to it HideoutTV, IGTV, Facebook Watch, etc...
---
Then you use https://www.spreadtech.online/ to turn that video into a podcast.
Use the video's title and description identical on the podcast.
Upload that podcast to Spotify, itunes, Google podcasts etc etc etc
---
Use https://www.spreadtech.online/ to turn that same podcast into a blog post.
Upload that blog post to your own website (increases DR/SEO benefits), Medium, Indiehackers, hackernoon, Growthhackers, Quora, etc.
---
Now comes Shortform Content
Remember that video from earlier? Take some main points from that video and expand upon it, into 4 more videos.
Repeat all the above steps again.
---
MICRO CONTENT
Yeah still on the longform video...
Grab that video and cut out the most interesting parts. 15-60 seconds each.
Use tube2gram.com or soon Spread (https://www.spreadtech.online/) to cut out the video and auto-schedule to:
---
Now use Wavve or soon (https://www.spreadtech.online/) to cut out the best parts of the podcast you created. And upload to Instagram and Pinterest. Spread the scheduling out on these though.
---
Use the blog post to create a Twitter thread.
My favourite tool to do this is Hypefury. But this will be a main functionality in the https://www.spreadtech.online/ BETA.
---
I REALLY hope this helps you, and you can understand my half-asleep nonsense hahaha
Any questions, ask away!
(FYI I'm using this reply as a twitter thread #repurposingcontent)