Steelbearded Games

Marketing Strategy for Your Indie Game on Steam

I find the ONE thing holding your game's marketing back, and tell you plainly what to stop doing.

  • A framework I built and tested on real indie games
  • Concrete moves for YOUR game instead of a generic checklist
  • Any stage, from first prototype to post-launch
  • Built on how Steam actually works
Request my diagnosis

The Indie Game Market

Around 20,000 games launched on Steam in 2025 (SteamDB). That's more than 50 a day, with 2026 being right on track for even more!

Almost all of them are indie games, yet nearly 50% of those never make it past 10 reviews. Working hard might get you there someday, but a smart plan will get you there faster.

What I can promise

There's no reverse-engineering a hit. A plan that worked great for one game can fall flat for the next one, so I don't promise sales.

What I do promise is a clear read on where your marketing stands, and a plan that keeps your few marketing hours away from the stuff that doesn't move the needle. That way you get more out of the time you put into marketing, and keep the rest for the most important part, making a great game. :)

The Framework

The Signal Stack is a framework I built for indie games on Steam. It's based on three things:

  • Almost 10 years in marketing, with a focus on strategic topics
  • My passion for getting to know how systems and platforms (Steam!) work
  • Being obsessed with indie games and marketing for games

It looks at six layers, starting with basic things like "would a stranger get my game?" all the way to "what's building momentum after launch?". Every audit I've done so far has helped me refine it, making sure to provide you with the most value possible!

Read how the Signal Stack works

Request my diagnosis

How we get started

First the boring part: we both sign an NDA, so your game and my framework stay protected. After that I send you the service agreement, with everything you get in writing.

  1. NDA

    We both sign, so everything you share stays between us.

  2. Service agreement

    What you get, in writing.

  3. First half

    Half now (150€), the other half after you get the results; that's fair for both of us :)

  4. Questionnaire

    About 50 questions, roughly 30-45 minutes. Grab a coffee, tell me about your game, I'll take it from there!

300€ 150€ before I start · 150€ once you have your results in hand

As soon as the first half is in, I'll send you the questionnaire. Once you've sent it back, I'll dig into your game, and you'll have your results within 7 days :)

DEV REVIEWS

Straight from the devs.

Unedited, as sent. Tagged by what each dev got.

Full Project

The experience was great! You were very clear and upfront with your service. I definitely benefited from thinking about my game through a new lens even just by going through the questionnaire. The final feedback was incredible comprehensive and eye opening I appreciated how you ranked your suggestions based on speed pointing out some changes could take less than a day

The feedback about audience and momentum booth were hard pills to swallow but important for me to hear, and the slide deck is definitely going to be shown to the rest of my team so we can start planning some pivot strategies and answering those questions about how to better define our audience, and how to better build momentum for release

Al Theodore · Cooking Fist
Full Project

It was easy and the questions are framed in a way that really helps me think about the game in ways I didn't really think of before, so it helped identify gaps and areas of improvement.

Jon · Sprout's Meadow
Full Project

Pretty nice, i enjoyed it... thank you!

Kyrie · GODSPEED
Freebie

Meik gave specific, prioritized Steam page feedback that caught things we'd missed (a localization refund risk, an unsold Remote Play angle, capsule readability at search size), and almost every note became a task before Next Fest.

jimmcq · Aviary Interactive (Cleanup on Aisle 3)
Freebie

Hey! Woah, great feedback, I really appreciate it! I'll see what I can do with what you gave me right here. Thanks!

Considering I got a freebie, the feedback is detailed enough and indicates what's good and bad about the store page, also gives useful suggestions about tags and such.

I'd give it a 5.

Fair-Drop9648 · Momotaro and the Oni Island
Freebie

Your action points were easy to follow and totally made sense to me. They also made me more secure in what I am presenting to players. Hell, it all might be placebo, but with all the stress surrounding solo development that alone is worth a lot. Anyway, they make too much sense to be placebo, so I am excited to see how it all turns out. Thank you, Meik!

wclaas · HUEMON

FAQ

What exactly do I get?

A diagnosis of where your game's marketing stands, and a plan you can start on right away:

  • a one-page verdict with your scores across six layers and the one thing currently holding everything else back;
  • a presentation that explains the reasoning, layer by layer;
  • three concrete moves for the next 30 days;
  • a list of things to stop doing.

Everything lands in a Google Drive folder set up just for you, and for 7 days after delivery you can send me any follow-up questions you have.

How does payment work?

The diagnosis costs 300€, invoiced in euros in two halves: 150€ before I start, and 150€ within 7 days of receiving your results. You can pay by bank transfer (SEPA) or PayPal, with more options coming soon. Any transfer or currency fees are on your side. Change your mind before sending the questionnaire? You get the first half back in full.

Can you guarantee wishlists or sales?

No, and nobody honest can. There's no reverse-engineering a hit. What I promise is a clear read on where your marketing stands, and a plan that points your hours at what actually matters for your game.

Do you run my marketing or my socials?

No. You get a diagnosis and a game plan; the work and the decisions stay with you. Posting, creating assets, contacting press or creators and running ads aren't part of the service.

Do you use AI?

Yes, AI helps me speed up parts of my work. The core value, and every conversation you and I have, stays human. So is the presentation made with AI? Absolutely. Is the content of the presentation my own work? Absolutely 2.0. Any tool that touches your information is bound by confidentiality terms, and wherever a tool offers the option, your data is never used to train AI models.

Is it too early or too late for my game?

Neither. I work with games at every stage; only the plan changes. If you've just started, it's about what to build first. Close to launch, it's about timing and the weeks leading up to release. If your game is already out, I find out why it's stalling and what can still be turned around. Some of Steam's launch visibility only happens once, so I'll be honest about what's still possible.

How long does it take?

The questionnaire takes roughly 30-45 minutes. Once your first payment and your answers are in, you get your results within 7 days max, usually I'm quicker tho! I keep it short on purpose, since I value your time, and sometimes the upcoming Next Fest is just around the corner!

Should I be on vacation or a planned break, I'll let you know upfront and the date moves back accordingly. :)

Is my game's information safe?

Yes. Before you share anything, you and I both sign a mutual NDA. It covers your builds, keys, questionnaire answers, Steamworks numbers and business details. I never name your game or publish a case study without your written okay, and on request I delete your information within 30 days. The only thing I keep using are anonymised, combined insights across several audits, which never identify you or your game.

Why pay when free Steam page checkers exist?

Free checkers grade how your store page looks. I look at your whole situation: the page, but also your audience, your channels, your launch plan, your time and your budget. Then I tell you the one thing to fix first, and what to stop doing. A tool can't tell you that your hours are going into the wrong channel.

Service Request Form

Tell me a bit about your game, and I'll get back to you myself. Do it like Dave, and dive right in! :)