"One Million Followers — Not a Guarantee": How to Choose a Blogger for Game Promotion

For some publishers, working with influencers has become a separate branch of marketing. But how do you choose the right blogger who will truly engage your audience with your game? We explore this with the Head of Marketing at ESDigital Games, Ilya Svanidze, and the lead influencer manager at Polden Publishing, Artem Akimkin.

The catalyst for this material was an intriguing case. Recently, the large Telegram channel MDK, with an audience of 530,000 subscribers, posted about the game “Murzavod.” The publication was not an advertisement and initially delighted the developers: a major channel took notice independently. However, within a day, the joy turned into disappointment—the post only brought in 25 wishlists for the game.

Many developers will confirm: a large reach does not automatically translate into significant interest in the game. A publication on a popular channel or reputable media outlet can generate considerable attention yet result in minimal conversion to wishlists. Meanwhile, a small blogger on TikTok might create a viral video and net thousands of wishlists for the game.

Look at recent videos, not just the follower count

Artem Akimkin from Polden Publishing advises first to focus on the views of recent videos and their consistency. “A million followers isn’t a guarantee. There is a very common scenario: a channel has many subscribers, but its new videos only garner 5–10 thousand views.” Therefore, the number of subscribers can be used as a reference point but not as the main one.