I couldn't believe it.
I cold emailed a single YouTuber yesterday with over 200,000 subscribers and got an almost instant reply.
You can too (hopefully) with these six tips...
1. Personalize the crap out of your email. Bonus points if you lead with humor or don't actually pitch them on your game right away. If you're going to pitch right away, try to lead off with something like, "I noticed that you enjoyed [insert game name here]. We were deeply inspired by that game in the creation of ours. You might like ours as well!" - Take a few seconds to browse the channel and learn a bit about the YouTuber, then tailor the email specifically to them. You can also develop a more authentic relationship by not pitching them right away, and being more genuine with your initial email (such as asking them a question that you're curious about).
2. Make it easy for them. Don't make them dig for basic information about the game. This is a given, but include screenshots, a link to the trailer, and a brief one-line summary in the body of the email. Then, attach a press kit. Remember, if they want to cover your game they'll need to create a custom thumbnail for it--make it as easy on them as possible. If the game's not already out, make sure to specify a release date and whether or not they'll need to wait for a specific date and time before releasing it.
3. Have patience. YouTubers have crazy schedules, and they get pitched multiple times a day. If the YouTuber doesn't reply, it's perfectly fine to send a follow-up after a week or so to check in, but don't spam their inbox. Remember that there are significantly more indie games being released than there are YouTubers willing to play them.
4. Come up with a sexy subject line and leading sentence. Make the first line count. If the first line doesn't convey enough value, the YouTuber will delete the email. The best advice is to use the road less traveled and try techniques that haven't been used before. Most YouTubers have seen generic pitches a gazillion times--don't be like everyone else.
5. Make sure your email is relevant. Most emails get ignored because the YouTuber probably has no interest in covering a game of that genre and/or caliber. Early in my career, I worked with a YouTuber with over 4 million subscribers. It didn't translate to game sales because the targeting was wrong. It's all about knowing the audience--this is kind of common sense, but make sure that the YouTuber has a track record of playing games that is similar in genre to your game.
6. Have flawless spelling and grammar. If your email looks like it was written by a 10-year-old, the YouTuber isn't going to be very convinced. Most of these horribly-written emails get tossed straight into the bin. Proofread your stuff. It's okay to have a typo here and there. I mean, I make small mistakes all the time.