About Amy
Amy Lowe is a marketer, strategist, and lifelong nerd whose career spans over two decades helping brands connect with audiences in meaningful ways. Though she’s worked across industries, Amy found her passion in the tabletop gaming space as the marketing and communications manager for the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) where she brought hard-won insights about brand strategy, customer research, and authentic positioning to help game publishers and designers not just sell more games—but build sustainable, trusted brands. In this episode, we explore why marketing isn’t just promotion but the bridge between your company and your community, how to identify your X factor, and why the courage to lean into your authentic voice is the key to long-term success. Whether you’re launching your first game or trying to grow a studio, Amy’s wisdom will give you a roadmap for connecting with players in real, human ways.
Ah-ha! Justin’s Takeaways
Stop Chasing Shiny Objects and Build a Real Strategy Instead: One of my biggest takeaways from talking with Amy is how vital it is to have a clear marketing strategy. Without one, you’re just chasing trends or copying what you see your competitors doing without knowing why it works for them. Amy breaks down how a good strategy starts with real conversations: first, talk to your team (from the top down) to hear how they describe your company and your customers. You’ll almost always find their ideas don’t match what your customers actually think! From there, she explains how to bridge the gap with research, customer interviews, and personas that help you spend your time and money in ways that actually serve your audience, not just your assumptions.
Get Out of Your Head and Go Talk to Your Customers: Amy believes that every great brand starts with one question: what does your customer need from you? She calls this “Jobs to Be Done,” the real, often emotional reasons people hire your product into their lives. You can’t guess this. You have to talk to them. Past customers, current players, your diehard evangelistt—they all have different insights. Put calls out on different channels, aim for 10 real conversations to start, and listen deeply. Amy’s lesson is clear: the best products drive product-led growth because they’re so good, your players talk about them more than you do.
Find Your X Factor and the One Thing They Can’t Resist: One of Amy’s favorite exercises is asking: what’s the one thing that would make your customer say, “I have to buy this game”? She urges creators to look for that emotional hook buried in your personas, the detail that turns a casual fan into a loyal supporter. Pair this with your X Factor: what sets you apart from every other company fighting for the same attention? This combination of clarity and differentiation can transform your marketing from noise to resonance. If you’re not sure, Amy suggests you start by asking your customers: “Why do you buy these games? How do you choose them? What makes you tell a friend about the game?”
Let Your Players Market for You but Make It Easy: One of the simplest but most overlooked ideas Amy shared is that your biggest advocates are your players if you give them something to share. Offer a print-and-play version so new players can try your game for free. Create how-to videos so they don’t feel intimidated. Encourage user-generated content and share what your community makes. Don’t feel like you have to post on every social media channel; pick one or two you can actually keep up with. Great marketing isn’t about doing more. It’s about helping your biggest fans do the work for you.
Show Notes
“Without a strategy, you can easily end up chasing shiny objects and kind of doing what's trendy instead of what works.” (00:11:32)
In the opening segment, Amy explains why a clear marketing strategy is so important for game creators. Without one, you end up copying what other companies do without understanding why it works for them. This lesson is simple but powerful: if you want to build something sustainable, stop guessing and start being intentional about who you want to reach and how.
“When I am starting my persona research... I conduct customer interviews and I go to everybody that I possibly can. So that can be past customers. It can be current customers. It can be your evangelists. It can be anybody that's had an experience with your brand.” (00:16:05)
A bit later, Amy shows how research really works in practice. She describes her process for gathering customer insights to build accurate personas. The takeaway is clear: if you want to know why people buy your games, you can’t just sit in a room and guess — you have to talk to real people, across different segments, to understand what they need.
“People would find that if they lean into that authenticity more, it's going to build trust and it's going to build that loyalty.” (00:27:06)
In the middle of the episode, Amy dives into the fear that stops brands from being real. Many creators worry they’ll scare people away if they show who they truly are. Amy’s insight: embracing authenticity may cost you some customers, but it builds trust and loyalty with the ones who matter most. If you want to stand out, don’t be afraid to be yourself.
“Don't try to be on every platform. Pick two and try to be on there.” (00:32:59)
Toward the later part of the conversation, Amy offers practical advice about managing social media without burning out. Her tip is refreshingly simple: you don’t need to be everywhere. Pick the platforms that make sense for your audience, use smart tools to save time, and amplify what your community is already creating. This focus keeps your marketing human and doable.
There’s a lot of variance. So you just have to iterate… Your strategy is going to evolve.” (00:48:04)
In the last part of the episode, Amy reminds creators that no strategy stays perfect forever. Author Robert Greene calls this “fighting the last war” in The 33 Strategies of War: the danger of clinging to past strategies instead of evolving with new realities. Markets shift, your players’ needs evolve, and you’ll gain new insights the more you listen. Amy’s lesson is simple: don’t get stuck waiting for a perfect plan. Build a clear strategy, launch, and keep talking to your customers so you can adapt and grow over time.
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