Your Press Kit Checklist for Steam Next Fest
Your press kit during a normal month needs to be good. Your press kit during Steam Next Fest needs to be bulletproof.
TL;DR: Next Fest press kits need demo-specific updates: current screenshots from your actual demo build, a supplemental fact sheet with demo details, and a quick-download asset package. Creators are covering 2,000+ demos in a week. Make their job effortless or they move on.
Key Takeaways
- Screenshots must come from your demo build, not the full game or older versions.
- Create a single ZIP file with everything a creator needs: screenshots, logos, trailer, fact sheet.
- Pre-generate demo keys and turn around requests same-day during the fest.
- Include a key request form or clear instructions in your press kit.
- Link your press kit from your Steam page, website, social bios, and Next Fest registration.
During Next Fest, hundreds of content creators and journalists are covering demos simultaneously. They're under time pressure, juggling dozens of games, and making snap decisions about which ones to feature. If your press kit is incomplete, outdated, or hard to find, they move on. There are 2,000 other demos waiting. Nobody will chase you down for a missing screenshot. Going into Next Fest with a broken press kit is like entering the bonus round without collecting any power-ups.
This is the single most overlooked piece of Next Fest preparation. Developers spend weeks polishing their demo and hours on store page optimization, then link to a press kit that still shows pre-alpha screenshots and lists a release window of "2024." Don't be that developer.
If you're starting from scratch, presskit.gg gets you a professional press kit in minutes. If you already have one, this checklist covers exactly what to add and update before Next Fest.
What Changes for Next Fest
A standard press kit includes the basics: game description, screenshots, key art, trailer, fact sheet, and contact info. Our guide on when to create and update your press kit covers those fundamentals.
Next Fest adds specific requirements that your normal kit probably doesn't address. The demo is now your primary product. Creators aren't covering your game in the abstract; they're covering a specific, playable build. Your press kit needs to reflect that.
Here's what to add.
The Demo-Specific Fact Sheet
Your existing fact sheet covers your game broadly. For Next Fest, create a supplemental fact sheet (or update the existing one) that answers these questions:
Demo details:
- What content does the demo include? (levels, chapters, modes)
- How long is a typical playthrough? (15 to 30 minutes, or whatever your range is)
- Is the demo a standalone experience or the first portion of the full game?
- Will demo progress carry over to the full game?
- When will the demo be deactivated, if ever?
Event details:
- Which Next Fest edition are you participating in? (month and year)
- Is the demo available now, or only during the fest?
- Where can players provide feedback? (Steam forums, Discord, etc.)
Game overview:
- Genre and sub-genre
- Core hook in one sentence
- Release window for the full game
- Platform(s)
- Price point (if announced)
- Developer and publisher names with links
Keep it to one page. Journalists skim. Creators skim faster. If the key information isn't visible in 10 seconds of scanning, it might as well not exist.
Updated Screenshots
This is where most press kits fail during Next Fest. The screenshots show the full game, or worse, an older build that looks nothing like the demo.
Your Next Fest screenshots should come from the demo build itself. Not the full game. Not concept art. Not renders. Actual screenshots from the actual demo that players will download.
Include at minimum:
- 5 to 8 gameplay screenshots showing core mechanics in action
- 1 to 2 screenshots of the demo's most visually striking moment
- 1 screenshot of the UI or HUD (creators need this for thumbnail composition)
Label your screenshots clearly. "GameName_Demo_Combat_01.png" is infinitely more useful than "screenshot_final_v3_FINAL2.png." Creators download dozens of asset packs in a single day. They need to find your files quickly.
Resolution matters. Provide screenshots at 1920x1080 minimum. 4K (3840x2160) is better if you have it. Creators working on YouTube thumbnails and article headers need high-resolution source material. I've tested this: creators consistently use the highest resolution option available when composing thumbnails.
One more thing: no watermarks on screenshots in the press kit. Watermarks are for social media posts, not for press assets that creators will use in their own content.
Key Art and Logo Variations
During Next Fest, your game's visual identity appears in various contexts. Content creators need your art in formats they can actually use.
Provide:
- Horizontal key art (16:9 aspect ratio, for YouTube end screens, article headers, website banners)
- Vertical key art (2:3 or 9:16 aspect ratio, for YouTube thumbnails, mobile previews, social stories)
- Logo on transparent background (PNG with alpha channel, so creators can place it over their own backgrounds)
- Logo on dark background and light background (for creators who don't want to deal with transparency)
Most press kits include one version of the logo. Most creators need three or four. The extra 20 minutes of exporting saves them time and makes covering your game more attractive.
The Trailer (Updated and Accessible)
Your trailer should be current. If you've improved the game since your last trailer, cut a new one. Next Fest is worth the effort.
Include in your press kit:
- A direct download link for the trailer file (MP4, 1080p minimum)
- A YouTube link for easy embedding
- The trailer's runtime
Creators frequently use trailer footage as B-roll in their videos. A downloadable MP4 makes this painless. A YouTube-only trailer forces them to rip it themselves, which some will do and some won't bother with.
If you've created a short gameplay clip (15 to 30 seconds of pure gameplay, no titles or logo animations), include that too. These clips are gold for creators making roundup videos where they show 10 seconds of each game.
Key Request Form
During Next Fest, dozens of creators will want demo keys. Some will email you. Some will fill out a form. Some will DM you on Twitter. Having a standardized key request process saves you time and reduces the risk of key fraud.
Your press kit should include either:
- A link to a key request form (Google Form, Keymailer, Woovit, or a custom form on your website)
- Clear instructions for how to request a key via email
The form should ask for:
- Creator name
- Platform (YouTube, Twitch, etc.)
- Channel URL
- Subscriber or follower count
- Email address for key delivery
Don't make the form complicated. Five fields is enough. Every additional field increases the chance a legitimate creator bounces before completing it. For a deeper look at managing key requests at scale, our guide to handling game key requests covers the full process.
During Next Fest specifically, consider pre-generating a batch of keys and having them ready to send within hours of a request. Creators working through dozens of demos won't wait three days for a key. If you can turn around requests same-day, you dramatically increase your coverage odds. Developers who track their Next Fest outreach consistently report that same-day key delivery correlates directly with actual coverage—creators who have to wait often move on to the next game in their queue.
