How to email game journalists: a pitch worth opening

If you are wondering how to email game journalists, start with what the player does, something current to look at, and a clear request. The email should let the recipient decide whether to look further without first asking you for the basics.

This guide is for indie developers contacting journalists and creators about an existing game. It is not a funding pitch to a publisher. The aim is to help someone understand the game and decide whether it fits their coverage.

I run Crit Pick, a gaming magazine. The examples here come from being on the receiving end of developer pitches. They explain what helped me make a decision; they are not a formula for getting coverage from every outlet.

In this guide: Find journalists · Subject lines · Sample email · Press material · Timing · Follow-up

Give someone a reason to be curious

Quantum Covenant caught my attention because of its custom-built engine. It was not the sort of game I would usually gravitate towards, but that detail interested me, and the developer's friendly approach made me want to take a look.

The lesson is not to build an engine for your pitch. It is to find the interesting, truthful detail that belongs to your game. A particular design constraint, an unusual interaction, or a development decision can give someone a reason to ask a question.

“An innovative experience unlike anything else” leaves me guessing. “A delivery puzzle game where every new railway changes the routes your other trains can take” gives me something to picture. That second game is an invented example, but the difference is useful: it describes an action and its consequence.

Be specific about what is interesting, then let the recipient decide whether it interests them. You do not need to announce that your game is groundbreaking.

Find the media outlets that fit your video game

Use Google Search, then check the publication itself

Look at what an outlet actually covers and read its current submission instructions. Check whether you are offering a game for players to discover, a technical development story, a review build, or news about a particular milestone. Those can be different requests for different people.

Game Developer, for example, describes its audience as game developers and separates news submissions from advertising. A development story might fit that audience differently from a straightforward recommendation to players. Pocket Gamer publishes separate routes for reviews and news or previews. Its instructions also ask developers for relevant information, assets and access to the game.

A Google search can give you a starting point: search for a comparable game and look at who covered it. On a gaming website, use its search bar to check whether those writers still contribute and whether the publication covers this kind of project. A years-old article is a lead to verify, not a current invitation to pitch.

Find the appropriate editor or submission inbox using the publication's own contact page. Check contact details there before relying on an old media list or a social profile. You do not need to hire PR agencies or buy tools to do this initial research.

Keep a small, useful media list

I would create a spreadsheet with the outlet, journalist, relevant article, current contact route and submission notes. Add when you sent the pitch, any response, and whether a follow-up is welcome. Keep the list focused on a good fit rather than collecting every address in the industry.

For example, a writer interested in railway simulations may not be looking for a routing puzzle. Read enough to understand the difference. The same idea applies to choosing between a technical story about your engine and an offer of a review copy.

After sending, record what happened. If an editor asks for more information, answer that question. If they say the game is outside their remit, use that knowledge to improve the list. Do not turn a refusal into a sales argument.

Connect the game development story to the audience

The practical check is simple: can you explain why this game or story belongs with this recipient? Use a real reason. If you refer to a previous article or video, read or watch it first. A made-up compliment is not useful personalisation.

For a creator, consider whether the game gives them something their audience would want to watch. Then use their stated business or submission route. This guide is about the approach and the email; it is not a guide to key-distribution services or paid creator campaigns.

What your elevator pitch needs to answer

Before polishing the wording, make sure the recipient can find these answers:

Put the core description in the email, even if it is also on the website. Links should provide the evidence and further detail, rather than contain the entire explanation.

A press kit brings together the game facts, screenshots and other material someone can use when preparing coverage. For its contents and setup, use the game press kit guide. Keep this online press kit accessible through a normal link. It has a different job: it keeps the facts and assets accessible after someone has decided to investigate.

A pitch email and a press release have different jobs

A press release sets out an announcement, such as a demo becoming available or a confirmed release date. A personal pitch explains why you are bringing that news to this particular journalist or creator and what you are offering them. If you have a release as well, link it or include the relevant announcement text where the recipient's instructions call for it. The short email still needs to make sense on its own.

Write a subject line that describes the offer

I would use the game's name, the kind of game and what is ready to look at. The subject line should help a journalist understand the email before opening it. It does not need a superlative or a promise that you cannot support.

For the fictional Lumen Freight, compare these options:

Use the last option only if that build really is available. Put a relevant embargo or important date where the recipient's instructions require it. Do not make a public demo sound exclusive to manufacture urgency.

This is also the approach described in The Indie Game Website's own coverage guide: it asks for informative subjects, the requested kind of coverage, useful links and clear embargo information. That is an outlet's stated preference, not evidence that a particular subject line guarantees a reply.

A sample pitch email, with the subject line and links explained

This is an illustrative email for a fictional game, Lumen Freight. The game, recipient, demo and links are invented; this is not a pitch that produced coverage. Replace the link labels with working links to your own material.

Subject: Lumen Freight — a railway-routing puzzle demo for Windows

Hi Alex,

I'm developing Lumen Freight, a railway puzzle game where laying a new track changes the routes available to the trains already running. The challenge is getting deliveries through without blocking your own network.

Your recent coverage of transport puzzles made me think it might be a fit for your readers. The public Windows demo is now available on Steam, and I wondered whether you would consider it for a demo feature.

Steam and demo: [your store link]

Gameplay trailer: [your trailer link]

Press kit and screenshots: [your press kit link]

The full game does not have an announced release date yet. The demo is public and there is no embargo on this material.

I'm happy to answer questions about the routing system or the current build. Thanks for taking a look.

[Your name and studio]

The subject identifies the game, the kind of experience and what is available. The opening explains a mechanic instead of listing adjectives. The request names a possible format without demanding a commitment. The links let someone investigate, and the final lines explain the current state and keep the conversation open.

The reference to earlier coverage only belongs in a real email if it is true. If there is no relevant previous piece, explain the fit plainly instead.

Make the press kit and current game build easy to assess

I prefer a Steam page to be available when someone pitches me a Steam game. It gives me a place to check the description and look at the material, and it gives readers somewhere useful to go if I write about it. A demo is especially helpful when I need to understand how the game actually plays.

That is my preference at Crit Pick, not a universal rule that games without Steam pages cannot be covered. An announcement can have enough current information to support a story before a store page exists. The question is whether the material supports the particular coverage you are requesting.

With Night Whisper Lane: Anniversary Edition, I asked for a Steam page and/or demo before covering it. The existence of the older game was not enough for me to judge the current version. If graphics and other parts are being reworked, I want to see what that edition looks like now.

For your own pitch, label the material clearly: which version the footage shows, what build is available, and what is still changing. A screenshot from an earlier release should not quietly stand in for an updated edition.

If access is private, explain how to use it and check that it works. Do not assume every Steam key permits play before release: Valve distinguishes different key types. Follow the recipient's current instructions about receiving builds and keys.

Plan your pitch around the material and release date

Give reviewers enough time with the game

Make important dates and access conditions explicit. If you are requesting launch coverage, provide material early enough for someone to assess it and ask questions. There is no lead time I can promise will work for every outlet or format.

A 2024 survey by PR agency Big Games Machine collected responses from over 150 games-media professionals, mainly in the UK and US. It reported that 67% wanted review copies three weeks or more before release. These are historical, self-reported preferences from that sample, not a universal minimum or a coverage guarantee. Ask the recipient what is practical, especially for a long game or a particular review format.

Explain embargoes and access conditions

If material is under embargo, state the exact date, time and time zone, explain what it covers, and arrange acceptance before sharing information that depends on that agreement. A date written in a subject line is not evidence that someone has agreed to it.

Follow the outlet's attachment instructions

Follow the destination's file instructions rather than applying a blanket rule. Games Press accepts announcement text in the email body or suitable documents, asks for attached images rather than pasted ones, and permits download links for larger material. It is an announcement resource, not a promise that a magazine will write a story.

For an individual pitch without special instructions, my starting point would be readable email text and clearly labelled links. Keep the game explanation outside a PDF or download.

A follow-up can help without becoming a campaign

El Mequetrefe was already interesting to me, but the email got buried while I was busy with my day job. A follow-up brought it back to my attention and helped the coverage happen.

That experience is why I would not treat silence as a definite rejection. It also does not mean repeated reminders are always welcome.

Check for a stated follow-up policy first. Otherwise, my default would be a brief reply in the original thread after giving the recipient reasonable time, especially when you have useful new information. Say what is available and keep the links easy to find. Avoid guilt, urgency you have invented, or a demand to explain why they have not replied.

A follow-up that adds something useful

For the fictional demo pitch above, I might write:

Hi Alex, a quick follow-up on Lumen Freight. The Windows demo is still available, and the press kit now includes a short gameplay clip showing the rerouting mechanic. The links are below in this thread. If it fits something you are planning, I'm happy to answer questions; if not, no problem.

That is a made-up example of useful new information, not the email sent for El Mequetrefe. In a real follow-up, mention the clip only if you have actually added it. If nothing has changed, a short reminder can still be enough; you do not need to invent a milestone.

If they decline, respect the answer. A genuinely new milestone can justify a future pitch; an unchanged message sent again and again does not become more relevant.

Make emailing journalists the start of a conversation

When emailing journalists, remember that you are writing to a person who has to decide what story they can tell. Being available for questions matters to me. You do not need every answer in the first email, but I should know who I can ask and whether the material is current. If a question exposes a gap in the website or press kit, fix the information there as well. That makes the next conversation easier without assuming the journalist owes you a reply.

Check the email before you send it

• Is this the right journalist, editor or submission inbox for this game?
• Does the first paragraph explain what the player does and why you are writing now?
• Are the platform, release date or unannounced status, and available build clear?
• Can the recipient open the trailer, store page and press kit without requesting permission?
• Have you explained any embargo, build limitation or review access requirement?
• Is the request something the recipient can understand and consider, with a working reply address?

Before sending, open the links as someone outside your team. Check the store page, gameplay and press kit. Read the email without those links: does it still explain what the game is and what you are offering?

If you want to put your game on my radar, submit it to Crit Pick. Submission is free. I choose what I cover; neither a submission nor paid See Indie work buys coverage or a positive verdict.