“If you work in communication, I would suggest you
be very, very humble. It doesn’t matter what game you’re launching. It could be a AAA or a small indie title, but you need the coverage more than the journalists that write it because they can access hundreds of games that are not yours.” Petrullo says that he rarely hears of a journalist or
content creator that is desperate to cover a particular game. “Of course, everyone wants to cover the latest Call of Duty, the Assassin’s Creeds, Elden Ring, but the rest they can mostly do without and they can cover a game without having access to it anyway.” It means that outside of the five or six most wanted games in any given year, there are opportunities, even if they are hard to grasp. Having the right people on side for the right game is essential. “It’s a big, big thing for me, to maintain relationships with the people that generate content. Just know that they might not necessarily need you.”
“INFORM EARLY. ACKNOWLEDGE, RESPOND AND RESOLVE QUICKLY” This one might seem obvious, but Petrullo insists there’s more to informing a potential audience than throwing out press releases and trailers and expecting a return. Think about the three or four main touchpoints or beats in your campaign and get the information out early to build up interest. “Don’t assume people know your game. Give them
context. Getting coverage means letting people know about the game a long time in advance, and then
22 | MCV/DEVELOP March 2023
being responsive and resolving any issues as quickly as possible – within 24 hours max.” It’s about making a person’s life easier, says Petrullo, so that they can see that you are making an effort. It means that person is more likely to create content, even if it doesn’t influence the nature of it. “That’s a completely different story. Anyone who says they have the power to influence coverage is a liar. If I was able to manage how positive a review would be I would have a Ferrari. I have a Honda Civic. I love my Honda Civic.” This is all well and good, but what if your contact
goes quiet on you. How do you reestablish contact and get coverage moving again? “Don’t get anxious or put off by a lack of a response,”
says Petrullo. “I don’t know any journalist that doesn’t get at least 50 to 60 emails a day, perhaps as many as 300. How you step it up will depend on how well you connect with your contact. You might have to wait until you’ve got something new or more relevant to say. I have a creative approach to discuss all the elements of the game. It could be the hero. Could be the setting. Could be the multiplayer. With every game, you can explore seven or eight topics. You take those eight topics, and you start looking at what you can do with them.”
“MANAGE EXPECTATIONS WITH FULL TRANSPARENCY AND METRICS” “PR success is based on a couple of things,” says Petrullo, “which basically come down to putting media and content creators in the best possible position to do their job.” Essentially, if a journo expresses that their life
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