This year you may find yourself in the midst of a scramble preparing for the Game Developers Conference, E3, or some other industry event. As you race to meet project deadlines or complete other deliverables for the event, let me turn your attention for a moment to your public relations strategy.

Now before you start backing away in disgust or dismiss PR as a topic reserved for big companies with deep pockets, be aware that there are some simple steps that you, a developer, can take to increase your chances of getting limelight focused on your company. Even if you don't like to be the center of attention, I'm sure you do like the idea of attracting the attention of some publisher who thinks your game project is brilliant, and having a tradeshow PR plan can help in that regard.

What's Your Press Message?

Let me start out by saying that plenty of executives and PR people I've known have defined "news" as anything you write a press release about. Not so. You need reporters who are going to think their readers/listeners/viewers will find your story interesting, entertaining or valuable in some way. If you understand that concept and can live by it, then you will be ahead of the game, so to speak. Plus I'm going to share some alternative ideas to the traditional press release, if you have the patience to bear with me.

	If you're fortunate enough to get on camera, keep the answers short, on-topic, and cite examples to back up your comments.

First, think about PR in broad terms, like how you communicate with your target audience. In plain English, your target audience is made up of the groups of people that are most important to you and your business. Groups like publishers, analysts, other developers, and of course the consumers who will hopefully buy many copies of your game. One effective way you have of reaching these audiences is through the media. Although there are a variety of media outlets that may be relevant to your business, one of the most effective groups you can reach is the trade press, and those outlets are limited to a handful. In the trade press category you can put all the outlets (print and online) that are read specifically by people in the games industry. These include Game Developer, Gamasutra, Develop, Gamedaily, Consumer Electronics Daily (formerly MM Wire), MCV and a handful of others you can probably name without too much effort. In the consumer press category are all the game fan sites like IGN, Gamespot and Gamespy, plus newspapers, TV, radio and online 'zines and news sites read by the general public (we'll skip the magazines this time since they have long lead times of several months).

Once you can visualize the target audience in each category, it becomes easier to consider what "message" (PR slang for your unique selling proposition - what makes your game noteworthy) you should get across. Evaluate what's noteworthy about your:

• Game (the underlying technology, its game play, etc.)
• Business model (funding, organizational structure, corporate partnerships, etc.)
• Company personality (an ethos that binds your company together, a common vision, a common work style, or unique public face to the company)
• Company employees (the developers' backgrounds, experience, and so on.)

Are you using a new technology that is going to enhance game play in some new way for games that will be available a year or two from now? Is it something consumers haven't seen yet? One effective way of getting coverage is by being part of an industry trend that is already getting substantial coverage. Today, for example, one of those trends is mobile entertainment. If you have a game designed especially for "wireless" distribution, then you'll want to take advantage of the media attention that will be directed at the overall wireless topic.

As you evaluate your work for newsworthiness, put yourself in the shoes of these potential audience members:

• A publisher looking for developers with a fresh outlook.
• A game fan who has been playing games for years.
• A business man who is considering a game industry investment.
• A person who likes to read the life section and thinks games are fun, but doesn't know much about videogames or technology.

If that sounds like a lot to remember, you can keep things simpler by having just one message directed at the trade industry, or take your PR message and spin it slightly differently to appeal to each audience member.

Keep in mind that not everyone that you talk to is as savvy about technology as you. Because you are immersed in the game industry, you may not realize that the issues that are second nature to you might just now be reaching an awareness level for the general public. Rest assured too, that those important-to-your-future game publishers are also watching, reading and listening to consumer media outlets, so if you are trying to secure a publishing deal, press coverage can help.