dtrebella
@dtrebella.bsky.social
970 followers 270 following 320 posts
Founder of Spoke & Wheel Strategy. PR/marketing for indie games, tech & startups. Theatre lover, chocolate eater & dog snuggler. [email protected]
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dtrebella.bsky.social
A lot of new followers so time for an intro! Hey- I'm Dana!

-I run Spoke & Wheel Strategy doing marketing, brand strategy & PR
-Paris is my happy place
-I'm a musical theatre nerd
-Newish to LA but Chicago feels like home
-Love travel & interior design
-I have 2 goldendoodles & an amazing partner
dtrebella.bsky.social
Was completely offline earlier this week for some medical stuff but...

I am so thrilled that this game is finally out and the world can play it! Truly a fun and beautiful experience made by a team with so much heart. Been a joy to be a part of!
team.trinketstudios.com
BATTLE SUIT ACES OUT NOW‼️

Adventure through the stars with the found family of the Zephyr and uncover the secrets of the mysterious Relic suits. Play the Battle Chef Brigade team’s new heartfelt, dynamic card-battling narrative RPG NOW on PC, PS5 and Switch!
store.steampowered.com/app/2870530/...
dtrebella.bsky.social
Hey Hanna! Would love to chat and connect! :)
dtrebella.bsky.social
In this political, economic, and games-specific climate I'm seeing a major trend that ppl have gotten more rude and less patient/ considerate.

I know there's major stress and that so many are struggling. Not to be a cheeseball but please remember that the power of kindness and empathy matter.
dtrebella.bsky.social
This past week was an emotional doozy for a myriad of reasons and challenges. @whitakr.com and I stopped in Michigan and found this tree we carved in 2021 during one of the most challenging and arguably formative years of my life. It felt so meaningful to see it again.
dtrebella.bsky.social
Oh no. Hope everything is okay
dtrebella.bsky.social
Battle Suit Aces is launching before you know it on October 7th on PS5, Switch, and PC! It's so fun, joyful, heartwarming, and made by an incredibly talented hardworking team.
team.trinketstudios.com
🗣️ BATTLE SUIT ACES RELEASE DATE ANNOUNCEMENT 🗣

🤖cool robots
🏳️‍🌈queer, found family narratives woven throughout the game
👨‍🍳made by beloved indie Battle Chef Brigade team
🃏📺part-card battler, part visual novel
🎨iconic anime art style

Coming to Switch, PS5, and PC on October 7th! don't miss this! 🫵
dtrebella.bsky.social
Yeah I think that’s a good one.

My take as an incredibly inpatient person with anxiety is that a) it won’t always feel this bad and b) be patient and don’t expect things to turn around immediately
dtrebella.bsky.social
I heard this saying a few weeks ago and it really stuck with me: Bad things happen quickly but good things take time.

Suddenly life can be turned upside down in an instant with bad news (getting fired, a health crisis etc.) But good things...always take a lot of work, healing, and time.
dtrebella.bsky.social
Been talking to several ppl who have large game dev budgets but want to spend only 2-5% of the total budget on marketing.

No less than 10-20% of your overall budget should go to marketing (including trailers, comms mngr, marketing person etc.).

Games should not be made in a vacuum.
dtrebella.bsky.social
Me too!! This particular word really grinds my gears ha.
dtrebella.bsky.social
How do we feel about "uncomfortability" as a word? It's...not one technically but it feels like it's entered the common vernacular. I think it's silly to turn a shorter word like "discomfort" into such a long one.
dtrebella.bsky.social
Haha I think you need to start having more fun vacations! 😂
dtrebella.bsky.social
You know things are too busy/overwhelming when you have to schedule a time to have a meltdown.
dtrebella.bsky.social
They are so good at managing their communities!!
dtrebella.bsky.social
Do you make puzzle games? This is an awesome opportunity to get some support in the process!
draknek.bsky.social
We're excited to announce that applications are open for the Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant 2025 🎉

The grant will award $15,000 to five thinky puzzle game developers from all over the world, and a year's mentorship with genre veterans.

Deadline: September 28th
More info 👇
grants.draknek.org
dtrebella.bsky.social
Ohhh good idea! I haven't spent a ton of time in there
dtrebella.bsky.social
Exactly. I feel like I’m seeing the same people’s posts over and over and missing so many things! I was wondering if it was just me…
dtrebella.bsky.social
I was just talking about this earlier today with someone- how Bluesky feels like I'm missing a lot of stuff and there's a lot of people I follow where I just don't even see their posts.
dtrebella.bsky.social
It is not:

-A guarantee of sales/a promise of some sure thing success metric
-A thing you should wait until the last second to think about or do
-The same as community management
-About deception or inauthenticity
-Only sending out mass emails to press & streamers and hoping for the best
dtrebella.bsky.social
A few things marketing is/is not.

It is:
-Defining your differentiators/crafting messaging & strategy
-Understanding the landscape & your audience
-Ensuring cohesion across all marketing assets/anything public
-Managing a marketing timeline/strategy holistically
-Working to increase visibility
dtrebella.bsky.social
Marketing is an abstract concept. It's not as clear as making a website, or a trailer with a clear deliverable. But as belts continue to tighten I've been experiencing a lack of understanding about what marketing actually *is* with more folks than ever pushing boundaries or devaluing it.
dtrebella.bsky.social
So...apparently I totally missed that this podcast that I had so much fun recording with @draknek.bsky.social and @syrenne.com earlier this year is live! Check it out to hear about marketing shenanigans.
draknek.bsky.social
Draknek & Friends Official Podcast Episode 30 featuring ‪@dtrebella.bsky.social‬ is out now! Topics include best practices for how and when to message your game, common marketing pitfalls, and stories of working with the Draknek team.
pod.link/1777156468
Draknek & Friends Official Podcast
Join Alan and Syrenne from Draknek & Friends as they talk to developers of some of their favorite puzzle games, shedding light onto how games get made and the people behind them!
pod.link
dtrebella.bsky.social
It's important to get your messaging, differentiators & marketing plan in place before starting on your first trailer.

People love to do the trailer first...but how do you know what is most compelling if you START with the trailer before background research/pre-marketing marketing?
dtrebella.bsky.social
There's so many parts to marketing you should do before anyone ever sees anything publicly about your game. There's things like a SWOT, competitors, finding your differentiators & much more.

Everyone always wants to skip this and get straight to the marketing but remember, this IS the marketing.