Starfinder Voice Pilot
Copywriting and creative lead case study
Amazon partnered with board-game maker Paizo to convert the popular RPG, Starfinder, into an Alexa voice skill. We helped them launch and promote the pilot episode.
As the marketing project’s copywriter and creative lead, I dove deep into the game’s lore and let my inner geek run wild with the rest of the team.
My role(s)
Copywriter and creative lead
My responsibilities
Learn about Starfinder voice pilot and Alexa brand guidelines. Write press release, email copy, Alexa skills page, and social posts. Oversee creative concepts for the Amazon Echo portion of the pilot.
The team
Visual designer, technologist, connections strategist, project manager
Project Brief & Strategic Focus
We worked with a great connections strategist who kept us battle-ready. He established business goals for the number of beta opt-ins and set a communication goal to target two main audiences – the hardcore RPG gamer and the casual sci-fi enthusiast.
Our channel strategy would focus on Paizo-owned channels, Amazon-owned channels, programmatic paid media, and, most importantly, social media to generate word-of-mouth interest through three types of posts:
- Characters, setting, and story
- Game screens and gameplay
- Behind the scenes
Getting to Know Starfinder
To immerse ourselves in the three-week on-demand sprint project, we first set up time in the technology lab to play the board game and get into the spirit of the RPG. We also read the pilot voice script and listened to a rough version of the skill on an Alexa device.
Along the way, we learned about goblin guards and other baddies, weapons available to our characters, and Absalom Station, the primary location in the fictional solar system known as the Pact Worlds.
Amazon Guidelines
To promote the pilot, we wanted to make sure that all written copy aligned with Amazon’s brand guidelines. There are certain ways to phrase and portray skill utterances in the Skills store and there are rules for how to reference the many different voice devices.
Copywriting
Once grounded in the game, it became easier to create the marketing copy to support the project. I studied other Amazon skill entries and re-created a mock-up of the page for approval by Amazon and Paizo. I then turned my attention to the press release, email copy, and social. Each content type required a slightly different, nuanced approach, and kept in mind the two target audiences.
Key Challenges
Mindset Shift
I had just completed an in-depth B2B Industrial Internet of Things user experience design project (wow, that was a mouthful of design doublespeak!). Switching to something as fun and creative as the Starfinder project required a hard reset. But it was worth it, as I really enjoyed this project.
Voice Vs. Visuals
We got a little bogged down in creating the responsive assets for the Echo Show. We probably should have pushed back and questioned their necessity, as the focus on voice and the messaging around that innovation should have been paramount.
Visibility Beyond the Premiere Episode
We worked in a bit of a vacuum, and while the project was a success, we could have positioned the future intentions of the rollout more clearly.
Project Outcomes & Takeaways
This intensive, fast-paced 3-week project kept my creative muscle memory fresh and gave me confidence that the strategy and writing processes I had learned earlier in my career and more recently on B2B projects could translate to support other top-flight clients in new mediums like voice.
While I’m not a voice expert per se, I also supported a Morgan Stanley voice skill project as an editor and mentor in early 2021. I love opportunities to apply timeless writing and UX principles to new technologies.
