Influencer Marketing · Game Launch
Launching a Cozy Indie Game Through Creator Partnerships
How I Planned & Executed a YouTuber Outreach Campaign for Little Witch in the Woods
Timeline
Sep — Oct 2025
Game launch window
Client
Sunny Side Up
Indie Game Studio
My Role
Marketing Consultant
Influencer Strategy
Channel
YouTube
Creator Partnerships
Background
Little Witch in the Woods is a cozy indie life-simulation game by South Korean studio Sunny Side Up. Players step into the role of Ellie, an apprentice witch exploring a charming forest world — brewing potions, helping villagers, and uncovering stories. After years in Early Access, the game was preparing for its full PC launch in September 2025.
The studio needed to amplify awareness around the launch window. I was brought in as a Marketing Consultant to plan and execute a targeted YouTuber outreach campaign that would generate authentic gameplay content and drive wishlists and sales.
The Challenge
Build a launch buzz campaign on an indie budget — identify the right gaming creators, craft compelling outreach, and convert interest into published content timed to launch week.
Strategy
The YouTuber Outreach Playbook
Indie game marketing lives and dies on authenticity. I designed a creator-first outreach strategy that prioritized finding creators who genuinely love cozy/indie games — not just anyone with a large subscriber count.
Why YouTube Cozy Gamers?
There were many possible channels — TikTok, Twitch, Instagram. I deliberately chose YouTube cozy gaming creators as the primary channel. Here's the strategic reasoning:
Tone Match
Cozy gaming YouTubers share the same warm, wholesome aesthetic as Little Witch in the Woods. Their content tone — relaxing, gentle, story-driven — is a perfect match for the game's brand. No forced hype, just genuine delight.
Long-Form Depth
Unlike TikTok or Reels, YouTube videos are 15–40+ minutes long. This gives creators enough time to showcase the game's crafting system, story, and atmosphere — exactly what converts a viewer into a buyer for this type of game.
Vertical Fanbase
These creators have built highly concentrated niche audiences — fans who actively seek out cozy indie titles. Every view is a high-intent impression, not a random scroll-by.
SEO Longevity
YouTube is the world's second-largest search engine. Every video titled "Little Witch in the Woods gameplay" becomes a permanent, indexable asset — driving organic discovery long after launch week.
Target Persona
The Outreach Funnel
Research & Shortlisting
Identified ~10 YouTube creators in the cozy gaming / indie game niche. Criteria: audience overlap with the game's target demographic (cozy game fans, Stardew Valley / Spiritfarer communities), engagement rate over raw subscriber count, and history of covering similar titles.
Personalized Outreach
Crafted individualized pitch emails referencing each creator's past content. No copy-paste templates — every email showed we understood their channel and audience.
Negotiation & Briefing
Managed conversations, negotiated terms, and provided game keys + a creative brief that gave creators creative freedom while aligning on key talking points.
Content Coordination
Coordinated publish timing so videos would go live during the launch window for maximum impact.
Selection Criteria
Prioritized creators whose audiences actively play cozy indie games over those with bigger but less relevant followings.
Execution
From 10 Prospects to 3 Partners
I managed the full pipeline from initial research through to published videos.
Creators Identified
Researched and shortlisted from the cozy gaming YouTube ecosystem
Outreach Sent
Personalized pitches tailored to each creator's content style
Partnerships Secured
Converted to published YouTube content during launch window
What I Delivered
Creator Research Database
Built a detailed spreadsheet profiling each creator: subscriber count, avg. views, engagement rate, recent cozy game coverage, audience demographics, and contact info.
Outreach Templates & Pitches
Drafted personalized outreach emails with custom hooks referencing each creator's previous videos, plus follow-up sequences.
Creative Brief
Provided a content brief highlighting the game's key selling points and unique charm — while giving creators full creative freedom over their video format.
Launch Timing Coordination
Aligned video publish dates with the game's launch window to maximize visibility and capitalize on the launch momentum.
Results
Impact & Takeaways
Launch Visibility
All 3 creator videos went live during the launch window, providing a concentrated burst of authentic coverage to cozy gaming audiences.
Audience Alignment
By prioritizing niche fit over scale, the campaign reached viewers who were already predisposed to love cozy indie games — high intent, low waste.
Repeatable Playbook
The research database, outreach templates, and creative brief became reusable assets the studio can leverage for future game launches.
Key Learning
In indie game marketing, 10 right creators beat 100 random ones. Personalized outreach to niche-fit channels yielded a 30% partnership rate.
"Indie games don't need big budgets — they need the right voices telling their story to the right audience."