---
title: Pitching to Publishers
description: Pitching to Publishers
category: strategy
tags: []
accessLevel: public
author: Baby Ghosts
publishedAt: '2025-11-10T10:42:09.228Z'
---
# Pitching to Publishers

_Jennie's notes from Jason Della Rocca talk at Digital Alberta. These can be fleshed out and expanded on!_

## Mindset

You’re pitching an opportunity, not a problem. Pitching is a critical survival skill - there’s no shame in getting out in the world and talking about yourself.

Think beyond publishers. Pitching is also to garner:

- Love/support from platform holders
- Favors from vendors
- Input from peers

Pitching is about getting people behind your vision. Think in terms of long-term relationship building - not every meeting is a win/lose.

## Before going

1. **Build a target list**
   - Do research on past deals/genre tags supported by publisher
   - Chase most important first
2. **Book meetings before the event**
   - Chase via email, get intros, cold call
   - Sign up for the matchmaking system
   - Pro-tip: Schedule most important targets for day 2 - day 1 is for practice
     - Avoid early morning - higher flake risk
   - Pro-tip: Chase a published studio for an intro
3. **Prepare materials**
4. **Practice practice practice**

## Pitch materials

- Prep your meta materials for publishers to look at
  - LinkedIn
  - Website
  - Social channels
- Prepare materials
  - 1-pager
  - Visual assets: video, screenshots, concept art
  - Pitch deck
  - Stable game build - absolutely essential
    - Best result is request for pitch deck and build of the game
- Pro-tip: load everything to your laptop and phone for backup - don’t rely on access to the internet

## Intro Cycle

Intro based on one-line summary and piece of art.

- Ideal if done via a mutual trusted connection
- Or “cold call” on LinkedIn/Twitter or meeting matchmaking system

Meeting request with one-pager

- Pro-tip: Include one-pager link in matchmaking system request

Likely agreement to meet

- May request extra information
- Don’t send anything unless asked

Keep email exchange simple, focus on logistics

- Save game details for meeting
- Pro-tip: Update contact cell numbers

## 1-pager design

- 1 letter sized page, PDF
- Visually sharp like a movie poster
- Key data elements
  - Genre, platforms, price-point
  - Current production status, target release date
  - Key features/USP
  - Competition/market
  - Studio logo, contact info

## Pitch formats

- Casual/at-the-bar
- Elevator
- “Performance” (e.g., GDC pitch, pocket gamer big indie pitch)
- Initial meeting
- Follow-up meeting

## Typical “1st Meeting Pitch” Elements

LESS IS MORE. Make it fit on 10 slides - target 5 minutes. No walls of text - keep it highly visual as support for your presentation.

1. **Awesome cover art/logo**
    - **Goal**: Catch attention right from the start
    - Establish brand vibe

![](/content/pitching-to-publishers/image1.png)

2. **Gameplay/story overview + art**
    - **Goal**: Articulate core essence of the game succinctly
    - Don't waste time on discussing combo mechanics for 20 minutes

![](/content/pitching-to-publishers/image2.png)

3. **Video clip**
    - **Goal**: Show off how cool the game is and that it is (mostly) real
    - Could be teaser, raw gameplay footage, mock gameplay
    - 30-45 seconds
4. **USPs + art**
    - Prove your game has unique/innovative elements, compelling
    - Already thinking about how it will be marketed
    - “Fun to play” or “indie style” are NOT USPs

![](/content/pitching-to-publishers/image3.png)

5. **Traction**
    - **Goal**: Prove that others think you are cool or worthy
      - Social media likes and views
      - Festival selections/showcases
      - Discord size
      - Press coverage
      - Special deals, relationships, partners, advisors

![](/content/pitching-to-publishers/image4.png)

6. **Business model + Competitive analysis**
    - **Goal**: Demonstrate there is a market for your game
    - Include: pricing, platforms, genre tags
    - Skip sales forecasts and focus on finding good comparables
    - Ideally games released in the last 12 months

![](/content/pitching-to-publishers/image5.png)

7. **Production timeline**
    - **Goal:** Help publisher understand the state of the game and how much work is left until launch
    - Use “sausage” timeline visual
    - Include key production milestones past/future, reveal, release, DLC dates, events or big marketing beat dates
    - Assumes you have budget and production schedule!!

![](/content/pitching-to-publishers/image6.png)

8. **Team, pedigree, awards**
    - **Goal**: Convince them you are the team to make this amazing game
    - Can include production partners
    - Past notable studios/projects

![Your team information](/content/pitching-to-publishers/image8.png)

9. **Ask**
    - **Goal:** Clearly ask what you need and expect from the publisher
    - Can cover stuff like:
        - Funding requirements and broad use of funds
        - Role/functional needs (ie, PR, trailer, localization, porting, etc)
        - Product/genre expertise
        - Specific geographical or platform needs

![Your ask](/content/pitching-to-publishers/image9.png)

10. **Contact/socials info, more awesome art**

## Practice, practice, practice

### During an event

1. **Use 1hr meeting blocks to allow for buffer**
    - Be 2 people in each meeting (one talker, one note-taker)
    - Pro-tip: Mark actual local time in the calendar title
2. **Meeting zones**
    - Biz lounge
    - Expo/booths
    - Other chill areas like hotel lobby - scout in advance
3. **Daily debriefing and tweaking**
    - After each pitch, assess how it went and update your deck
4. **Meeting flow**
    - Typically 30 minutes
    - 3 min. - small talk and biz cards
    - 7 min. - Get publisher talking about themselves
        - Pro-tip: Get them talking first so you can modulate
        - Ask open ended questions
    - 5min. - Run through deck
    - 5 min. - offer to play build (they’ll prob decline)
    - **10 min. - Q&A/discussion and next steps**
5. **On-site chasing**
    - COVID impacts to keep in mind
    - Parties and networking events
    - Ask for on-the-spot intros via other devs
6. **Goal of the meeting**
    - Get past the “shit-filter”
    - Assess compatibility
        - Timing, funding size, roles
    - Setup next meeting, post event
        - Have clear follow-up/action items
    - Collect market intelligence
        - Use notes! What are publishers focused on?
7. **Post-show follow-up**
    - Debrief and update targets spreadsheet
        - Pitch postmortem (what went right/wrong, to improve)
    - Follow-ups
        - Follow-up emails per action items
        - Add everyone on LinkedIn
    - Nags
        - Max 2 nags after call, 1-2 weeks apart
        - Afterwards, only ping based on meaningful progress

![Post-show follow-up](/content/pitching-to-publishers/image10.png)
