#41 – Jon Hanson: Why Indie Game Marketing Fails (and How to Succeed on a Small Budget)

In this episode of The Gaming Playbook, I sit down with Jon Hanson, founder of Skill Tree Marketing and former EA & Warner Bros. publishing exec, who left the AAA grind to help indie and AA studios thrive. Jon shares the unfiltered truth about indie game marketing: why most devs misunderstand it, how to validate your game without wasting years, and what it really takes to cut through the noise with limited budgets.

Expect deep dives into:
- The biggest misconceptions about indie game marketing
- Why 30–50% of your budget should go to marketing (and how to use it wisely)
- How to validate your game early with market research & paid UA
- Case study: saving a VR game with better store optimization & ads
- Steam wishlists: what they really mean and how to grow them effectively
- Using Reddit, Discord & Facebook groups to reach players authentically
- Why storytelling and community trust beat polished “corporate” marketing
- Building a lean, sustainable business in a tough games market

Whether you’re an indie dev, a marketing lead, or a founder aiming to launch your first game, this episode is a brutally honest masterclass on how to market smarter, avoid costly mistakes, and turn your game into a business that lasts.

Connect with Jon:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonhanson1/
Website: https://skilltree-marketing.com/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/SkillTreeMarketing/

Connect with Harry:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hphokou
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou

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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:23 Why Jon left AAA publishing to help indies
03:09 Viral LinkedIn posts about Expedition 33 & Balatro
05:30 Building a small but powerful indie-focused team
09:02 Biggest misconceptions about game marketing
10:39 Why marketing needs 30–50% of your budget
11:34 When and how to start marketing your game
13:50 Market research tools: AI, Reddit, Discord, LinkedIn
16:12 Validating ideas without wasting years
19:04 Case study: VR game turnaround with UA & optimization
22:24 Paid UA done right vs. going “all in”
24:32 Realistic ad spend returns for indie games
26:13 Why indies overlook paid UA vs organic marketing
28:16 Using UA to test game concepts before building
31:55 Steam wishlists: myths, metrics & algorithms
35:15 Discovery channels indies overlook (Reddit, Facebook groups, Discord)
36:34 Building authentic community trust & engagement
42:22 Discord support, authenticity, and winning trust
45:16 Repeat customers & building a sustainable studio
51:46 Running a business with 8 Chihuahuas & 3 horses
54:40 Lessons learned starting a business: don’t go alone
57:41 Final advice for indie devs on marketing
59:54 How to connect with Jon and Skill Tree Marketing

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