The definitive primer for publishers and developers on striking deals with influencers

Gamesight’s Emilee Helm shares five influencer marketing strategies, and how to identify good offers from bad ones

Navigating the world of influencer partnerships can be daunting for game publishers and developers, but a well-structured deal can create an invaluable, campaign-defining activation that makes the difference between a game arriving to modest fanfare or becoming an unignorable, widespread presence in gaming culture.

Strategic deployments with content creators simply hold too much potential to ignore when launching a game, particularly as budgets continue to tighten for the vast majority of teams through the foreseeable future.

While every campaign is unique, there are common concepts within these negotiations developers and publishers of all sizes should keep in mind as they consider activations in 2024 and beyond. Gamesight has had the privilege of collaborating with thousands of creators across top platforms, including TikTok, Twitch, and YouTube.

Here are five key strategies I’ve learned from over a decade working in influencer marketing and supporting some of the most successful, renowned games released in the industry’s modern era.

1. Know when your game is ready

Qualifying your own game and knowing when it’s ready for influencers to set you both up for success. Basic qualifiers are:

• Does your game have an upcoming beat, launch, DLC, and so on?
• How are you incentivizing paid, organic, or earned engagement?
• Can your budget hit your goals?

2. Setting budgets

Ask yourself which influencers can you afford, and what deliverables can you achieve with that budget?

Your influencer marketing budget should reflect your overall objectives, whether performance-driven (clicks and conversions) or awareness-focused (views and engagement). Common goals and KPIs can guide your budgeting decisions; determine whether you’re prioritizing:

• Cost per view/cost per viewer hour
• Genre takeover (appearing higher in the Twitch directory)
• Earned engagement
• Website visits
• Pre-orders or purchases

There are many nuances to calculating this, but as a starting point you can multiply a streamer’s average viewership by two – keep in mind, however, that streamers with larger followings will be in the five-figure range.

For Twitch streams, the industry standard to calculate payment is called “cost per viewer hour” or CPVH. This is when you pay for one viewer to watch a stream for one hour (extrapolated based on average viewership). For YouTube or short-form content (like TikTok), you will look at “cost per view” or CPV.

Creators are also more likely to participate with a campaign that makes it seem less like an ad and more like regular content

Here are some general measures:

• $1.50-3 CPVH on Twitch
• $0.05-0.15 CPV on YT/VODs
• $0.02-15 CPV on short form (TikTok, IG Reels, YT Shorts)

The number of deliverables you would like from an influencer should be part of the budget. Each deliverable you’re asking for will incur its own cost. Deciding how many deliverables to include really depends on the game, the KPIs, the type of content available from the game, and the lead-time available to outreach creators for specific things.

If a company’s goal is to get within the top five games on Twitch for example, having simple deliverables makes it easier to align more creators to go live at a given time.

Creators are also more likely to participate with a campaign that is straightforward, allows them creative freedom, and involves a process that makes it seem less like an ad and more like regular content.

3. There’s always room to negotiate, but be realistic

As a brand, there are questions to ask yourself before reaching out to creators. You should set your KPIs and gather data on the creators you’re considering working with. Consider:

• How much will you spend for x amount of views/clicks?
• Does this creator’s content align with your brand?
• How well does this creator’s sponsored content perform? Do you have backup creators in case this creator doesn’t work out?

These initial steps are crucial in determining whether a rate is reasonable and preparing for negotiations. They also help educate creators and build better relationships. If both parties can’t agree on a rate that meets the brand’s KPI goals and provides a reasonable return on investment, it’s okay to walk away. Most creators understand this is a business, and every brand has different objectives. Creators are usually open to negotiations, but sometimes, they can be firm on their rate or quote significantly higher than anticipated. This is a sign that it’s time to look for another creator.

Creators and agencies understand that budget is finite, and sometimes, you need to work with what you have. You can always position yourself for success by:

1) Giving your best offer

2) Understanding what informs a “premium” rate:

• Platform restrictions (mobile, PS5 only, etc.)
• Any level of “risk” to a creator’s brand or reputation
• New vs established IP
• Rigidity of requirements (for instance limiting creative freedom)
• Tight timelines
• Asking for usage rights

3) Knowing when to move on

4. Contracting pitfalls

When sponsoring content creators to advertise your game, it is essential to understand what works and what doesn’t. If audiences realize that a segment, stream, or video is sponsored, they are less likely to engage with it positively.

To avoid being perceived as a sellout, it is essential to allow creators to create con