TL;DR: Your subject line determines everything. Use the formula "Genre + Hook + Timing" or "Comparison + Differentiator." Keep the email to five paragraphs max with the hook in the first sentence. Follow up once after 5-7 days, never three times. Test variables like subject line formula and personalization depth.
Key Takeaways
- Journalists scan 150+ subject lines; yours needs genre, hook, and timing in one line (e.g., "Roguelike deckbuilder with fishing mechanics, demo live now")
- Five paragraphs max: hook, details, why now, links, close. No life story, no "I know you're busy," no attachments
- Personalization dramatically improves response rates: reference a specific article they wrote, not just their name
- Follow up once after 5-7 days with new information if possible; two follow-ups maximum, never three
- Have your keys ready before you pitch; losing coverage because you needed to "check with the team" is a self-inflicted wound
Game journalists receive somewhere between 50 and 200 emails per day. During Steam Next Fest or E3 season, that number spikes higher. Your email lands in an inbox next to a Devolver Digital embargo, three publisher newsletters, and 30 other indie pitches that all open with "Dear Gaming Journalist." Most of those emails get deleted in under two seconds.
This is the single biggest bottleneck in getting press coverage for your indie game. You can build the perfect press list, have a stunning press kit, and ship a genuinely great game. None of it matters if your email never gets opened. Or if it gets opened and skimmed in four seconds before landing in the trash.
I've sent hundreds of press emails across multiple projects. I've also talked to journalists about what makes them stop scrolling. The patterns are remarkably consistent. This guide breaks down what works, what doesn't, and gives you templates you can adapt (not copy) for your own outreach.
Why Your Emails Get Deleted
Before we talk about what to write, let's talk about why most press emails fail. Understanding the delete triggers helps you avoid them.
No hook in the subject line. The subject line is a gate. It's the title screen of your pitch. If it reads "New Game Announcement" or "Check Out Our Indie Title," it communicates nothing. A journalist scanning 150 subject lines needs to know the genre, the hook, and why right now. "New Game Announcement" tells them none of those things.
Too long. Journalists skim. If your email is eight paragraphs with a three-sentence backstory about your childhood love of Zelda, you've lost them by sentence two. Kirk McKeand, formerly of VG247, has said publicly that the ideal pitch email fits on one screen without scrolling.
No personalization. "Dear Sir/Madam" is an instant delete. So is "Dear [FIRST_NAME]" with the merge tag still showing (yes, this happens). If the journalist can tell you bulk-mailed 500 people, they treat your email exactly like what it is: spam.
Wrong person, wrong genre. Pitching a cozy farming sim to someone who exclusively covers competitive shooters wastes everyone's time. It also signals that you didn't spend 30 seconds looking at their recent work.
Attachments instead of links. Large ZIP files clog inboxes and trigger spam filters. Some email clients block attachments from unknown senders entirely. Links to your press kit, trailer, and Steam page are faster, safer, and easier for the journalist to use.
Five Subject Line Formulas That Work
The subject line determines whether your email gets opened. Everything else is secondary until that gate opens. Here are five formulas that consistently perform, with examples. What developers who track response rates report is that the formula matters less than the specificity—vague subject lines get deleted regardless of format.
1. Genre + Hook + Timing
This is the workhorse. It tells the journalist what kind of game, what's interesting about it, and why now.
- "Roguelike deckbuilder where you play as a debt collector, launching March 20"
- "Cozy farming sim set during the apocalypse, demo live on Steam"
- "Horror FPS with a painting mechanic, new trailer"
2. Comparison + Differentiator
The "X meets Y" formula works because it gives journalists two mental anchors. Add what makes yours different.
- "Stardew Valley meets XCOM, but you're managing a haunted vineyard"
- "Slay the Spire meets cooking, releasing into Early Access Feb 15"
Don't pick comparisons that are too obscure. "Baba Is You meets Dwarf Fortress" might excite certain people, but most journalists need at least one widely known anchor.
3. Social Proof + News
If you have traction, lead with it. Numbers get attention.
- "Indie horror with 50,000 wishlists drops new gameplay trailer"
- "Steam Next Fest demo hit 100,000 downloads, full launch date announced"
- "Our reveal trailer hit 2M views on TikTok, here's why"
4. Personalized Reference + Pitch
This is the highest-effort, highest-reward formula. Reference something specific the journalist wrote.
- "Loved your Balatro deep-dive, built a poker roguelike you might dig"
- "Re: your 2025 hidden gems list, one more for 2026"
This only works if the reference is genuine. Journalists can smell fake familiarity instantly.
5. The Intriguing Question
Use sparingly. It works when the question is genuinely interesting, not clickbaity.
- "What if your save file fought back?"
- "Can a train be a horror villain?"
Choo-Choo Charles basically proved that last one. Sometimes the concept sells itself.
Free Tool: Press Email Generator — Generate a ready-to-send press pitch email in 60 seconds. Runs in your browser, no signup required.
The Full Pitch Email (Annotated)
Here's a complete pitch email, broken down by purpose. Adapt this structure, but don't copy it word for word. Journalists can spot templates.
Subject: Tactical RPG where your party members permanently betray you, launching April 10
Hi Zoe,
[Opening: the hook, one to two sentences max] Oathbreakers is a tactical RPG where every party member has a hidden agenda, and at least one will betray you before the final act. The betrayal is procedurally generated, so no two playthroughs end the same way.
[The facts: genre, platform, price, release date] It's coming to Steam and Switch on April 10, 2026, priced at $19.99. We're a two-person studio based in Montreal. This is our second game after Hollow Circuit (82% positive on Steam, 45,000 copies sold).
[Why now: the news hook] We just released a new story trailer that shows the betrayal mechanic in action. I thought it might be a good fit for your coverage, especially after your recent piece on emergent narrative in CRPGs.
[The links: easy to find, easy to click] Press kit: https://presskit.example.com/oathbreakers Trailer: https://youtube.com/watch?v=example Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/example
[The close: short, specific offer] Happy to send a review key or set up a 15-minute call if you want to see the betrayal system in action. Thanks for your time.
Alex Chen Co-founder, Ironpact Studios alex@ironpactstudios.com
A few things to notice about this template:
It's five paragraphs. That's the ceiling. Four is better. Three is great if you can pull it off.
The hook is in the first sentence. Not the second paragraph. Not after a pleasantry about the weather. First sentence.
Specific numbers. "82% positive, 45,000 copies" is more compelling than "well-received." If you don't have those numbers yet, skip this line. Don't invent social proof.
The personalization is genuine. Referencing a specific article by the journalist demonstrates you did homework. If you can't find something specific, at least reference why their outlet is a good fit. "I noticed PCGamesN covers a lot of tactical RPGs" is better than nothing.
No attachments. Everything is a link. The journalist clicks what interests them.
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Pitch
Starting with your studio's history. Nobody cares that you founded your studio in 2019 after leaving your corporate job. That's paragraph five material at best. Lead with the game.
Writing "I know you're busy, but..." This is meant to be polite. It reads as apologetic and signals low confidence. Skip it entirely.
Embedding images in the email body. Many email clients block inline images by default. Your beautifully embedded key art shows up as a broken image icon. Use links instead.
Pitching too early. If your Steam page isn't live and your press kit isn't ready, don't pitch. Journalists will click your links. If those links lead to placeholder pages, you've burned a first impression you won't get back.
BCC blasting. Sending one email to 200 BCCed journalists is obvious and insulting. Most email clients show "undisclosed recipients" in the header. Even if yours doesn't, the generic tone gives it away.
Following up the next day. Give it at least five days. Ideally seven. Anything sooner feels pushy.
The Follow-Up Email
You should follow up. Ana Diaz at Polygon has said directly: always follow up. Nine out of ten times, the first pitch lands at the wrong moment. A well-timed follow-up can make the difference.
Here's a follow-up template:
Subject: Re: [Original subject line]
Hi Zoe,
Just bumping this in case it got buried. We've also just hit a new milestone: [new trailer / demo live / 10,000 wishlists / featured in Next Fest]. Happy to send a key if you're interested.
[Original links again]
No worries if it's not a fit. Thanks either way.
Alex
Key rules for follow-ups:
Wait five to seven days after the initial email. Not two. Not ten. In practice, developers who follow up too quickly report burning bridges, while those who wait too long often find the journalist has moved on to other stories.
Add new information if you can. A new trailer, a milestone, a demo release. This gives the journalist a fresh reason to care.
Follow up once, maybe twice. Never three times. Two follow-ups without a response means they're not interested right now. Try again with your next milestone instead of pushing on this one. When you do build your press list, track who responded and who didn't so you're not flying blind on follow-ups.
Keep it shorter than the original. The follow-up is a nudge, not a resubmission.
A/B Testing Your Pitches
You don't need marketing automation tools to test your pitches. You need a spreadsheet and some discipline.
Split your press list into two groups. Send Group A one subject line and Group B a different one. Track open rates if you're using a tool that reports them (Mailchimp, even Gmail with tracking extensions). If not, track response rates.
Variables worth testing:
- Subject line formula. Genre + hook vs. comparison + differentiator.
- Email length. Three paragraphs vs. five.
- Personalization depth. Name-only vs. article-reference vs. outlet-specific.
- CTA specificity. "Happy to send a key" vs. "I've reserved a key for you, want me to send it?"
The "reserved a key" variant tends to outperform the generic offer, by the way. It implies scarcity and personal attention. Tom Sykes, formerly a freelancer covering indie games for PC Gamer, noted that pitches offering a specific reserved key felt more personal and got his attention faster than open-ended offers.
Test one variable at a time. If you change the subject line and the email length simultaneously, you won't know which change drove the result.
Sample sizes in game PR are small, so don't expect statistically significant results in one round. But patterns emerge over multiple milestones. If "comparison" subject lines consistently outperform "genre + hook" for your game, that tells you something about how people think about your concept.
Timing Your Sends
When you send matters, but less than people think. Tuesday through Thursday mornings in the journalist's time zone tend to perform best. Monday mornings are inbox triage. Friday afternoons are mentally gone.
More important than day-of-week: avoid sending during major industry events. Your email during The Game Awards, GDC week, or Summer Game Fest will drown in AAA announcements. The week after a major event is often a sweet spot. Journalists are back at their desks and looking for content to fill the gap.
Also avoid sending the same day as a major game launch. When Elden Ring DLC drops, nobody is reading emails about your platformer.
What Happens After They Respond
You got a reply. Someone wants a key, or wants to schedule a demo session, or just wants more info.
Respond within 24 hours. Ideally within a few hours. Journalists work on deadlines. If they're writing a roundup of upcoming roguelikes and you take three days to send a key, you missed the window.
Have your keys ready before you pitch. Seriously. Generate a batch of Steam keys in advance. Losing coverage because you needed to "check with the team about key allocation" is a self-inflicted wound.
Send the key directly in the reply. Don't make them fill out a form, join a Discord, or jump through hoops. Key, link to press kit, brief "let me know if you need anything else." Done.
One Last Thing
The best pitch email in the world won't save a game that doesn't have a clear hook. If you can't explain your game in one sentence that makes someone curious, no subject line formula will fix that. Work on the hook first. The email is just the delivery vehicle.
But if your hook is solid, your press kit is ready, and you've done the research on who to contact? A well-crafted email is the difference between coverage and silence. Take the extra 15 minutes per email. Write a real subject line. Reference their actual work. Keep it short.
The inbox is a battlefield. But it's a battlefield with rules, and now you know the cheat codes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best subject line formula?
"Genre + Hook + Timing" is the workhorse (e.g., "Horror FPS with a painting mechanic, new trailer"). "Comparison + Differentiator" works when your comparisons are widely known (e.g., "Stardew Valley meets XCOM, but you're managing a haunted vineyard"). Personalized references to the journalist's work have the highest response rate but require more effort.
How long should I wait before following up?
Wait 5-7 days after the initial email. Not two, not ten. Add new information if you can (new trailer, milestone, demo release). Follow up once, maybe twice. Never three times. If they haven't responded after two, try again with your next milestone instead.
Should I embed images in the email body?
No. Many email clients block inline images by default, so your beautiful key art shows up as a broken icon. Use links instead. Everything should be one click away, nothing attached.
What time should I send my pitch emails?
Tuesday through Thursday mornings in the journalist's time zone tend to perform best. Monday mornings are inbox triage. Friday afternoons are mentally gone. More important than day-of-week: avoid major industry events when your email will drown.
Related Guides
This article is part of our series on press coverage. Start with the complete guide:
Also in this series: