Unlocking Social Media (For Game Audio)
Why Use Social Media?
Social media generally gets a really bad rep and often for good reasons. However, it can be an amazing tool to push your career forward and expand your network if you’re using it the right way.
Socials allow us to connect with people from all across the globe and tap into communities effectively. This also rings true for the game audio community which is incredibly welcoming, helpful and incredibly creative.
I’ve made lots of friends on Airwiggles and Twitter, a bunch of which I even had the pleasure to meet in real life.
As previously mentioned in the networking segment - friends open doors. Most of the opportunities in game audio that have come my way were because of friends. If you live in a game audio hub you’ve got the advantage of the local community but tapping into the global one can be a powerful asset.
By having a positive online presence you can make yourself “known” in the community. This can be a deciding factor for someone looking to hire you as humans like to work with other humans they like and know they can trust.
Another huge benefit of social media is the ability to share cool stuff. Sharing knowledge is always a great way to elevate yourself and others in a positive manner and some well-placed memes are always welcome!
Lastly, people stay up to date on what’s happening in the broader community through socials. They are a great way to keep your finger on the pulse and stay informed about important (and sometimes not so important) topics.
Here is a great summary that I highly recommend reading by Ben Gallagher:
https://www.thegameaudiopro.com/post/the-3-best-ways-to-promote-yourself-on-social-media
How To Use Social Media Effectively
Every social media platform is slightly different and some platforms are better for certain types of content than others. You don’t need to become a huge social media user but I definitely recommend using at least one major platform and be active at least once a week to start making some friends in the wider game audio community.
Additionally, social media is awesome because we can reach so many people. By creating something awesome sounds and other content and sharing it with the game audio community you get to show off your skills and hopefully inspire or potentially even help others.
Platforms
I personally recommend focusing on the following three platforms with the first two being the most important:
Airwiggles.com - this is the social hub for audio people on the internet, it's amazing for discovering on and offline events, job openings and other opportunities, learning and sharing knowledge as well as asking questions and getting feedback on your work.
Twitter - this is where the game audio community lives, you’ll find job openings, news, quality memes and all-around great content. This is the best place to make friends and connect with the community.
LinkedIn - more “professional” and great for industry news and to show off your work.
Instagram - good for sharing cool redesigns and staying informed about the latest tech, gear and content from your favourite industry creators.
Do’s
Share cool stuff (redesigns, compositions, educational content, tips, tricks and memes)
Follow people you look up to or find interesting
Be kind, supportive and friendly
Support other people's work (share, comment, like)
Do respectfully ask questions or advice (people are generally happy to help)
Celebrate other people's achievements (this industry needs team players)
Be yourself
Don’ts
Don’t be disrespectful, mean, aggressive, or hurtful
Don’t share insensitive content
Don’t engage in petty “comment wars” (writing aggressive comments about why someone is wrong)
Don’t share anything you wouldn’t be happy with your future employer seeing
Don’t be a dick, it shouldn’t have to be said but sometimes it’s good to do so anyway
Becoming “Known”
Once you’ve been on Airwiggles, Twitter or LinkedIn for a while you’ll notice a lot of the same names pop up. The reason they are doing so is because they provide value to the community. This is often in the form of cool sound design stuff from short or long tutorials to a redesign or simply a weird sound.
The name for this is called content marketing but that term makes it sound very dry. Sharing stuff with people who are sound design nerds is awesome and it’s a great gift that we can inspire and be inspired by others.
So see it as an opportunity to get feedback from others and become a better sound designer as well as help others by sharing things that you’ve learned or resources that were useful to you.
Ben Gallagher has written an excellent article on this topic which I highly recommend: https://www.thegameaudiopro.com/post/how-to-get-more-game-audio-clients-with-content-marketing
Additionally, Akash Thakkar has put together an excellent post about how to find game audio gigs via Instagram: https://www.akashthakkar.com/post/find-gigs-online-2020
