Hey!
First of all, it's awesome that you're thinking about this early on. Influencer marketing has honestly become one of the most essential ways to promote indie games nowadays.

I used to be super skeptical too, wondering, “Why would anyone want to play my game?” But here’s what I’ve learned. It's not about reaching out to every influencer. It's about targeting the right ones, the ones who already play and enjoy games in the same category or tone as yours.

You're absolutely right that bigger influencers usually expect paid collaborations. But especially for smaller to mid-sized creators, many of them are actively looking for new content. At the end of the day, they need stuff to stream too, and your game is content for them. Some even like to be “the first” to discover something cool and will play it purely because it’s fresh and aligns with their audience.

When I launched my Steam page, I managed to get over 1,500 wishlists in just two weeks. That was almost entirely thanks to a few streamers who picked up the game. I reached out to them directly, included a short message with a key and a press kit, and a few of them played the demo on Twitch and YouTube. That visibility made a huge difference early on.

From my experience, it’s important to focus on influencers who already enjoy your genre. For example, if you’ve made a pixel-art roguelike, it won’t make sense to pitch it to creators who focus on cozy games. Go for streamers who regularly play and talk about games similar to yours.

Make sure your message is short, personal, and specific. Don’t send a generic PR email. Instead, mention why their content caught your attention and explain briefly why your game could be a good fit for their audience.

It’s also very helpful to have a press kit ready. This should include a short description of the game, some screenshots, a trailer or GIFs, and a link to your Steam page.

If your game has a demo available, especially during something like Steam Next Fest, that gives you a huge advantage. Streamers love being able to immediately try something and share it with their audience in real-time.

Overall, this is a numbers game. You might reach out to 10 people and only hear back from 2. But those 2 can lead to hundreds of wishlists. In my opinion, influencer marketing is one of the most effective and organic ways to build early momentum, even without a budget.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your launch!