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Episode Summary

Think your Steam page is just a simple storefront? Think again. While most indie developers treat their Steam page as a “set it and forget it” afterthought, the smartest ones understand it’s actually their most powerful marketing weapon and the key to unlocking Steam’s algorithm.

In this comprehensive episode, we’re joined by Jarvs Tasker, Head of Communications at Happy Volcano and former community manager at Raw Fury. Jarvs breaks down the exact strategies that took her team’s click through rate from 8% to an incredible 24% in just one week, and reveals why Steam is more like a social platform than Amazon.

We dive deep into the psychology behind Steam’s discovery algorithm, explore the critical importance of click through rates as “Steam’s currency,” and uncover the specific tag strategies that can make or break your game’s visibility. Plus, Jarvs shares the post launch tactics that keep games selling for years, not just weeks.

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Meet Our Guest: Jarvs Tasker

Jarvs Tasker is the Head of Communications at Happy Volcano, currently working on the upcoming factory automation game Modulus. With a unique background that spans from drama and English teaching to becoming one of the most respected voices in indie game marketing, Jarvs has built her expertise through hands on experience at studios like Raw Fury.

During her time at Raw Fury, Jarvs worked on an impressive portfolio of indie hits including Dome Keeper, Blue Prince, The Seance of Blake Manor, Pizza Possum, Moonstone Island, Friends Vs Friends, Sable, Routine, and many more. Her work on Blueprints helped establish it as one of 2024’s breakout indie successes, and her community management on Dome Keeper showcased her ability to build lasting player relationships.

Jarvs is known for her data driven approach to Steam optimization and her ability to translate complex algorithm insights into actionable strategies for indie developers. Her work has helped numerous games achieve significant visibility improvements, and she’s become a go to resource for developers looking to understand Steam’s ever evolving discovery systems.

LinkedIn: Jarvs Tasker

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Key Takeaways

“If your click through rate is anything below 0.5%, Steam is gonna bury your game. It’s just not gonna show it to people. It doesn’t matter if it’s the best game in the world, if people aren’t clicking on it when they see it in a list, it’s getting buried.”

— Jarvs Tasker, Head of Communications at Happy Volcano

• Click Through Rate is Steam’s Currency: Steam’s algorithm prioritizes games based on click through rates. Below 0.5% gets your game buried, 1 2% keeps you safe, and above 3% means Steam actively promotes your game to more users.
• Quality Over Quantity for Tags: Using 5 6 highly specific, relevant tags is far more effective than selecting 20 loosely related ones. Irrelevant tags actually hurt your visibility by showing your game to audiences who won’t click through.
• Steam is a Social Platform, Not Just a Store: Treating Steam like Amazon is a critical mistake. Regular posting, community engagement, and active presence on Steam itself is essential for long term success and algorithm favour.
• Iteration is Everything: Successful Steam pages are constantly evolving. Regular updates to descriptions, screenshots, and tags based on performance data can dramatically improve visibility and conversion rates.
• Capsule Art Should Show, Not Tell: Your capsule image must immediately communicate what type of game this is and what players will be doing. Pretty art that doesn’t convey gameplay mechanics will hurt your click through rate.
• The Follow Button is Underutilized: Asking users to follow your game page, not just wishlist it, creates a more engaged audience that sees your updates directly in their Steam feed, leading to better long term visibility.
• Post Launch Strategy Matters: Games that continue posting updates, engaging with community, and participating in Steam festivals after launch can maintain and even grow their sales for years rather than experiencing the typical post launch drop off.
• Screenshots Need UI and Variety: Include user interface elements in screenshots to prove it’s actual gameplay, and show different aspects of your game across the first five images to demonstrate depth and variety.

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Show Notes & Mentioned Resources

Jarvs’ Current Project

• Modulus: Happy Volcano’s upcoming creative factory automation game with demo available

Essential Reading & Resources

• How to Market a Game: Chris Zukowski’s comprehensive game marketing resource and Discord community
• Chris Zukowski’s Discord: Active community for indie developers with event notifications and marketing advice

Games Mentioned

• Blue Prince: Mystery detective game that became a breakout hit in 2024
• Dome Keeper: Mining and tower defense hybrid that exemplifies excellent post launch support
• You Suck at Parking: Happy Volcano’s previous racing party game
• Core Keeper: Example of excellent Steam page optimization and capsule art
• Factorio: The gold standard factory automation game
• Satisfactory: Popular 3D factory building game

Tools & Platforms

• Steam Marketing & Visibility Tools: Built in analytics showing click through rates, traffic sources, and conversion data
• Steam Events: Regular festivals and themed events for ongoing visibility
• Steam Community Features: Posts, updates, and community engagement tools

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