Panel sessions at industry conferences are a helluva lot more scary when you’re sitting on the panel rather than in the audience - especially if your day job involves asking those audience members nosy questions about their business.

That’s what happened yesterday though, at the Mobile Games Forum, with its closing journalist and blogger panel. It seemed to go well, although the bad news (if you weren’t there) is that nobody can report a conference session when all the reporters are on-stage.

Still, one of the interesting questions that came up was how mobile games companies can improve their pitches to journalists and bloggers when looking for coverage.

We all had stuff to say, so I’ve tried to summarise and expand upon it here - not in a ‘these are all the things I hate about PRs’ way (there’s plenty of hacks doing that elsewhere on the web), but in a more constructive fashion.

So...

1. GET THE BASIC INFO IN THERE

What platforms is the game on? Who's the developer (if not the same as the publisher)? When's it due to come out, roughly? How many levels / sections / enemies are there? This kind of stuff is really useful, but it's surprising how often it's not in a press release.

2. KNOW YOUR TARGET

We'll be honest, there aren't that many dedicated mobile games journalists / sites in the world. Getting an idea of who does what on each site, so you can make sure your news and follow-up queries reach the right person, is vital.

I don't say this in an arrogant 'don't bother me with X, I do Y' way, but more because quite often, I get sent news releases and for sundry reasons (travel, deadlines, disorganisation) don't manage to pass them on for a day or two. Any journalist on a site should be happy to send you a full list of who does what.

3. INCLUDE IMAGES

This is a bit of a strange one, as some journalists do get the hump if their inbox gets clogged with attachments. But trust me, many more want to write up your story RIGHT NOW without having to chase images (or they're writing it up late at night / in a different time zone).

So it's great to have 2-3 screenshots attached to an email, or at least a link to go and find some. And if it’s an industry release, the same applies to mugshots of whoever’s quoted.

4. YOUTUBE VIDEOS ARE ACE

It's increasingly common for game press releases to come with links to YouTube videos in, particularly on iPhone. This is always marvellous.

Not just because it lets the journalist you're targeting take a look at the game in action if they want, but also because pretty much every website or blog is keen to feature videos embedded in stories.

Plus, of course, having your own YouTube channel helps you create buzz among gamers.

5. DRIP-FEEDING ACTUALLY WORKS

Console games publishers drip-feed all their news - games are announced, then a few screenshots are released, then more details of the gameplay, then some more screenshots, then previews, and finally reviews.

Mobile hasn't worked that way for many publishers - especially in the Java sector, where all of the pre-release effort goes into a) finishing the game and b) sorting out operator stuff.

But that's changing - platforms like iPhone, N-Gage and Android are rewarding companies who look to build anticipation and buzz. Plus it helps us plan our review schedules in advance, and judge reader interest.

6. DON’T IGNORE RIVAL GAMES

It’s pretty rare that a game invents an entirely new genre - the vast majority will have several-to-many direct rivals on their mobile platform. And while some journalists and sites will be happy to rehash a press release without seeking out these comparisons, the good ones won’t.

So if you’re releasing a click-management game that’s a bit like Diner Dash, why not deal with the comparison head-on? Tell the journalist why you think your game is better than Diner Dash, whether it’s graphics, gameplay enhancements, technical innovation or whatever.

I’d much rather write ‘It may sound like Diner Dash, but [publisher] says it’s better because...’ rather than just ‘It sounds a bit like Diner Dash’.

7. COMPANY BLOGS ARE GOOD

Quite a few mobile games companies are running their own blogs now, through which they announce games, release screenshots, and (sometimes) vent forth with their views on the industry. And you can bet there are plenty of journalists who’ve added those blogs to their RSS feeds, to pick up stories.

When Fishlabs recently announced its plans to ditch the operator portals on its blog, a story was up on PocketGamer.biz within a couple of hours, because I happened to be checking my feeds.

So company blogs can be a great part of your PR strategy - and again, like YouTube, can provide a direct connection with fans of your games too.

8. EARLY WARNINGS WELCOME

Embargoes are a tricky subject: journalists are generally used to them, bloggers may or may not be depending on their background, and TechCrunch recently announced it would routinely break embargoes, in order to be fair to every company.

So they (embargoes) should be used with caution. However, letting journalists and bloggers in on something before it’s announced can give them time to collect their thoughts, ping back any questions, and write a bigger, more insightful story when the news does become public.

I’ve written a few iPhone preview/interviews recently where this was done, and it worked really well. Of course, this is about trust on both sides.

9. DON’T BE SCARED OF THE BIG GUNS

Half the press releases or emails I get from small developers start with an apology, or some kind of ‘you’re probably not interested in a small company like us, but...’

Stop!

If a journalist isn’t as interested in small indie developers as the big guns - particularly in the App Store era - they’re a fool, because they’re going to miss some cool games. One of my resolutions for 2009 is to try to always reply to emails from developers, and make sure they have all the information from point 2.

So the gist of this tip is, don’t NOT get in touch because you think you’re too small to be of interest, and there’s no need to apologise when you do.

10. HOW WILL YOU GET ME THE GAME?

If only there was a standard way for distributing mobile games to journalists and bloggers. Some companies email .jar files, others send WAP links to our phones, and some insist on sending a handset with the game preloaded (note: not a good idea unless you’re prepared to pick it up again - especially for freelance journalists who don’t get out to the post office much).

But whatever method you choose, let someone know when pitching whether you can get them a playable version now, and how you’d like to do it. On iPhone specifically, App Store promo codes should help - although with most of Pocket Gamer’s team based in the UK, we’re hoping Apple rolls the idea out further than the US soon.
Have these tips helped? We’d love to hear your experiences of pitching mobile games, and any further advice you have. Post a comment below to have your say!