Marketing And PR Ideas...?

[Rhubarb]

I am due to launch an online browser-based sports game later this year and am looking at marketing ideas and advertising.

Now I have assessed all of the normal methods (Adwords, Banner Adverts, Specific Magazine Advertising, Affiliate Schemes, Newsletters, Blog, etc) and was racking my (tiny) brain for something a little more 'innovative' especially from a PR perspective.

I do have a small budget, which like all of us, needs to go a long way....

So my question is.... does anybody have any weird and wonderful ideas as to how to create publicity for a game, both on and offline?

Let your imagination run free :)

[revve]

A few suggestions:

1.) Ensure your game is excellent. Make other people want to rave about your good game. Make them want to blog about it. Make sure it's fun!

2.) Give out free (registered) copies to online magazines and review sites. Find popular blogs about games in your target field and send them free registered copies (e-mail them first and make sure they are interested and will review the game)

3.) Tell as many game news sites about it as possible. Either get Terin (http://www.vgsmart.com/) to do a press release (he sends it everywhere) or spend months doing it yourself.