Approaching podcasters/bloggers

iamseph,

First, I wish you the very best in your endeavors for Nightlancer. In only a few short years, we've moved from an almost impossible situation for would-be designers to ever have their ideas brought to the attention of a world-wide audience to the existence of Kickstarter, Indiegogo and other sites that provide a platform for designers to promote their idea...but, it's only a platform. You have all of the heavy-lifting with regard to promoting your idea.

Second, remember there are podcasters and bloggers who want to promote their own e-zines, blogs, podcasts, etc, so you'll find a few who will provide feedback for free, but expect to pay something for their time. If you have a presence on BGG already, great..if not, get one. Once there, you can certainly branch out to those who have an interest in the game and see who has a blog to which you can provide information, prototype, etc.

Third, and specific to your inquiries...

*Offer more than just your game (e.g. for an interview suggest other subjects that could be good to discuss and that you have interesting ideas on)

That's a great idea. Several years ago, I sat for a few podcasts in which we talked about games in general, and eventually discussed our product.

* Focus on the differences, what makes your game stand out, what most adds to the content of their show/blog

Absolutely...but, remember to remain positive even about competitor's games, as there's always something about a game which you can find appealing.

* Get to the point, say what you want, don't dance around the issue, give them something specific so they know what they are saying yes (or no) to

Sure...but most seasoned podcasters, like any interviewer will, if they're professional, provide a list of questions in advance, so they're not trying to play "stump the chump" ~ remember, they want a successful podcast, as well.

* Expect to wait for them to have a slot they can put you in (so get in touch early!)

Yes! During the Outer Limit Kickstarter, we unfortunately missed our "during the campaign" opportunity with the Brawling Brothers, but as I communicate often with them, we'll follow-up after Origins to have a great discussion.

* Don't expect all (or even the majority) of responses to be positive

Hardest thing for most designers to understand. In my personal opinion,. it's probably good for the industry as a whole if many, many designers fail. It's not easy to design a well-balanced, well-written, and enjoyable game. Unfortunately, the existence of Kickstarter gives the illusion that it's extremely accessible. It's not. But that's okay...as one video on game deign makes abundantly clear...Fail Faster. Learn from your mistakes and continue to refine it.

Cheers,
Joe

There is a closed group on facebook called "Boardgame Reviewer" where designers can go and request their games be reviewed.

There are a lot of people in this group that do podcasts, blogs, etc. At the least you could go take a look and see if you think it would be a good place to ask for reviewers. The group is fairly large at 1.9k members. Let me know if you need an invite to the group and I'll see if I can add you.