For The Keep · Marketing Lead
Plenty of people want to play and never find a table. Win them, and The Keep wins everyone else on the way.
Working prototype
The Keep is private by default: HomeTables are invite-only, and the FAQ says public events will flow into the Convention Directory later. This is one way that could look at the local level, with no signup needed to browse. Save a seat, or switch to the GM side and post a game. It works, and your changes stay in your browser.
Most beginner games open with ten minutes of the GM explaining the basics. You'll get a character, dice, and help with every roll. Nobody expects you to know the rules, and plenty of people come alone.
The Keep's community page names the problem well: scheduling scattered across group chats, details buried in threads, events found after they've ended. Outgoing players work around that. Quiet ones don't. They don't know which store runs beginner nights, and they won't be the stranger who asks.
That's who I've always ended up helping. As a school counselor I ran a D&D group, a fantasy book club and a Minecraft group for students who rarely signed up for anything. Once a seat was waiting for them, most kept coming back. I play too, and I'd like to play more.
Working definitions, to test against real data once tracking is in place.
Account created, any role
First session in the Quest Log, as player or GM
Back at the table
Free to paid, self-serve
My read of The Keep from its public site and FAQ. I'd check it against the real product and data in week one.
The growth loop is already built in. Every Magic Link a GM sends is a referral, and every convention table that becomes a Party is a retained group. Marketing's job is to make those two moments happen more often, and to measure them.
| Who | What they need | Example trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Player | Find a table and actually show up | Saved a seat, gets a what-to-expect note the day before |
| GM | Fill seats and keep the group together | Open seats three days out, gets a nudge to share the Magic Link |
| Convention runner | Attendees, and connections that last past the weekend | Con ends, attendees get "turn your table into a Party" |
| Game store | Full event nights | Weekly note: RSVPs for your events this week |
| Publisher or creator | Reach players who will play | Monthly report: signups and activations from your link |
Named in the posting. A short, agreed event list (signup, Magic Link opened, RSVP, session played, upgrade) so the four numbers mean the same thing to everyone.
Also named in the posting. Triggers by role from those same events, so a GM and a player never get the same email.
Conventions, stores, publishers and creators in one simple pipeline (Airtable is fine to start): who we talked to, what we agreed, what it sent us.
The four numbers by channel and by role, in one place the whole team reads. I've built these in Power BI and Airtable before.
Three short emails for a new player who hasn't joined a game. Each has one job, and the series stops as soon as they save a seat.
Subject: 3 games near you this week with open seats
You don't need a group to play. Here are three games nearby this week marked "new players welcome," with what to bring and how long they run. Save a seat. You can change your mind later.
Subject: What to expect at your first game (no rulebook required)
Most beginner games start with the GM explaining the basics. You'll get a character, dice and plenty of help. One tip from GMs: tell the host it's your first game, and they'll save you a good seat.
Subject: Two seats open Thursday. Want to bring someone?
Plenty of people come to their first game alone. If you'd rather bring a friend, these games have two seats left together. If none of these times work, tell us when you're free.
I write, design, send and measure all of these myself, with no agency or marketing team.
A free Monday email of local events in Hastings. I write each issue, built the signup site and archive (newest issue public, older ones for subscribers), and designed the print pieces: welcome cards, signup postcards and QR flyers. It's the same problem as the Directory: helping people find events before they've happened.
The weekly newsletter for Jen Fox's Minnesota House campaign, plus regular emails asking supporters to give, volunteer or share, and a "Jen in the News" roundup. Alongside that: the campaign site, yard sign routing and voter file work.
Candidate questionnaires and voter updates for a local organizing group. 24 of 37 local candidates sent back answers, and each one got a card in the update.
Enrichment toys for high-energy dogs. I set the brand voice ("Derp hard. Fetch harder."), wrote the search guides, and built the email signup, bundles and a spin-the-wheel discount game.
All live, all designed, built and written by me. So is this page.
A shared calendar and lists for one household, with a self-serve paid tier.
Campaign site, weekly newsletter and yard sign routing for a Minnesota House race.
A small online shop for high-energy dogs, with guides and an email list.
Signup, current issue and archive for a weekly local events email.
Former licensed K-12 school counselor. I build and ship digital products, websites and data tools through my company, Empty Bar LLC, and I'm local to St. Paul.