How to Promote Your Film: Guidance from an Industry Expert

There is no one size fits all strategy when it comes to promoting a film. Each production is unique, and the ways in which filmmakers can promote their projects must be treated as such. With that being said, there are many tried and tested formulas that can propel a film to the forefront of industry conversation and the appetites of audiences.

To ensure our filmmaking community understands how they can promote their film and bring about success for their project, we partnered with the founder and CEO of Rossscammm Films & Marketing, Rosa Camero! Rosa is an industry expert and she helps clients from across the world grow their projects internationally, while also teaching courses on digital marketing, branding, film distribution and promotion. With 12 years of experience, Rosa has organised international events and press campaigns for a multitude of films, as well as participating in the releases of more than a hundred films, which include The Twilight Saga, The Impossible, Divergent and more.

Rosa held an exclusive webinar for several Mandy members and you can watch it in full below, as well as reading through key quotes and learnings from Rosa that you can implement when promoting your film.

Understanding Your Audience

"Really understand who the audience for your film is. We often think of an audience as an enormous group of people, but it’s important to understand that you cannot market your film to everyone. Consider what the persona of your target audience may be, including where they receive their industry information, their moviegoing habits."

 "Promoting your film can be vastly different from genre to genre. The community surrounding the horror genre is incredibly strong. This group is loyal and very passionate. They often work harder to find new horror films, and word of mouth marketing is incredibly important for this genre."

"Documentaries are an interesting genre to market and they can often pose more difficulties than other genres. Topics in focus are often niche and can be relevant or interesting to only those in certain countries, so understanding your documentary may not have an international appeal is important. For example, this genre generally performs very well in Europe, whereas it is not as popular in South America."

"Understand who you are selling your film to and how you are going to sell it to them. Once you understand and research your target audience, your marketing plans will begin to formulate."


Marketing Considerations

"All films need to have a marketing plan, no matter their budget or studio attachment. Having a well-formulated plan is integral and films that have one are more likely to succeed than ones that don't."

"When approaching your digital marketing efforts, creating, building and maintaining a strong digital footprint is key."

"Ensure your website, digital content and web page titles use strategic keywords. References of your film, the talent attached and perhaps your production company will demonstrate to Google and search providers that your website and pages have authority - this means you will rank higher in web searches."

"One area you should not underestimate is newsletters and having access to people's email addresses. Your newsletter is much more likely to be seen by someone who subscribes to you than a follower on social media seeing your post. Having their email address gives you ongoing access and a sense of intimacy. A mailing list is entirely unique to you and can be very powerful."


Mastering Social Media

"A platform that is incredibly important for filmmakers is Instagram. It is a fantastic medium to showcase your work in an accessible way, as well as offering opportunities to direct message professionals, as well as participating in Live talks."

"Engage on social media with key influencers and in groups that are relevant to your project. This will help create a strong community and build key relationships."

"Don’t underestimate organic social media. Building communities and being active in small or specialist Facebook groups can be a good start."


Cultural Differences

"Each country and territory has its own culture and promoting your project can be vastly different. For example, in Spain a screening room is often rented, meaning you will have to pay for it when showcasing your film to key audiences. In other parts of the world, they are free."


Networking

"You should still be making the most of networking in this current climate. You can make the most out of social media platforms and introduce yourself to professionals - have a digital coffee! Don’t be afraid to message people - we all have more time right now and are looking to adapt our communication and partnership styles."


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