Are you thinking about creating a tabletop roleplaying game book or zine for a crowdfunded campaign on KickStarter, BackerKit or Crowdfundr? Want that title to have as broad a reach as possible? Then you need to consider how that title is going to play through digital channels, such as Meta, Google, Pinterest, and on a website.
Here are 5 tips for selling TTRPGs online based on my experience of selling hundreds of TTRPG books and zines through digital channels including this one!
Your cover image is your hook (even moreso online)
When I share a book through digital channels, that cover image is going to be your first contact with a potential player. The best images can grab a potential player's attention and accurately communicate what it offers them, world-, character-, or story-wise.
Get a valid ISBN or UPC if possible
If you don't have a globally valid ISBN or UPC, you're going to have trouble getting listed on certain digital channels, such as TikTok and Google. Facebook/Insta, however, are cool w/o an ISBN in most cases. And of course still OK to list on the website.
Be careful with your title
A lot of platforms will be unfriendly towards titles that have "unexpected" grammar. Punctuation marks can be problematic, as can abbreviations. Again, not saying don't do these things, just consider them and realize it may create some limitations.
Your product description should center on the player/reader
Lore is great, I love lore, but the potential player wants to know what cool or interesting things that playing this game might allow them to do, what's cool about exploring the world, what sort of stories could they tell with their friends. System is secondary (in most cases).
Conclusion: Keep the bits in mind
I hope this is helpful! Again, I'm not saying "don't do this" but rather, that these are some issues I've come across the past few months and on the flipside, some things I've appreciated. It can be hard sometimes to think about your creative work as a product, since it's so at odds with art, but it's important if you want to share your work with as wide an audience as possible.
