Guide to Promoting Your Game 
There are many good and many bad ways to promote a game you have designed and/or published on BoardGameGeek.
Free promotion techniques
- Be sure the game has a complete game entry in the database.
- Announce your game in the Forums, but be honest about your role (eg, "I am the publisher of this game and am very excited about it being released")
- Be responsive and thorough in replying to community questions and comments. (Also see "Things to avoid" below)
Low cost promotion techniques
- Advertising your game on BoardGameGeek with a paid ad can be a very effective approach.
- The BGG community typically responds well to giveaways and contests, including a number of Official Contests used to promote a game. Contact Scott Alden if you want to offer a giveaway/contest to the BGG community.
- Sending review copies to a few people will often yield good buzz, but you should be prepared that someone being given a review copy is no guarantee they will like the game.
Things to avoid
- Inevitably, your game will be criticized. Be thick skinned, and avoid being defensive about criticisms of your game, even if they are unfair or antagonistic.
- Shilling. Feel free to rate your own game, but if you are going to rate it very highly, it's considered good practice to note in the comment that you are the designer/publisher/etc. Similarly, encouraging all of your friends to rate your game highly is likely to be looked on with suspicion.
- Excessive promotion. Posting in the Forums about your game is fine, but don't go overboard. If you want regular constant appearance on the site, consider buying Advertising.
- Comparing your game to Monopoly. Outside the gaming community, this is often perceived as positive. Within the BGG community, it is usually not.
- Comparing your game to a current highly rated game. If there is a real similarity, others will note it and it will avoid the appearance of exessive puffery.
Things to do
- Become at least somewhat familiar with the BGG community before starting to promote your game
- Be honest and frank about your game and your enthusiasm for it, but don't go overboard
- Let individuals know how to obtain it
- Let game stores know how to obtain it
Questions to be prepared for
- "What are the components like?"
- "How was it playtested?"
- "Isn't this just a ripoff of ...?"
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