If you’ve finished shooting, or have locked your film—congratulations!

I know from experience that is not any easy process. It takes, blood, sweat, tears, and persistence—not to mention funding. So, do congratulate yourself, but then do a reality check and realize that your journey has just started.

You now need to get your film into the marketplace and promote it. What are your plans for distribution and marketing? If you’ve secured distribution that’s a huge step forward, but that in and of itself does not assure that your film will be successfully marketed. If distribution is still on your to-do list, an effective PR campaign will not only help create a buzz and establish your brand as a filmmaker, it can also solidify distribution and film festival interest.

With the film industry in such flux and more competitive than ever, effectively positioning yourself in the marketplace is more challenging than ever. At PR for Writers & Filmmakers, we’ve been promoting independent feature films (both narrative and documentary projects) for years. Having worked as a screenwriter and indie film producer, I know the hazards and pitfalls of getting a film from concept to the market. With that in mind, we’ve developed a unique PR and distribution approach designed to publicize and market films to the public, but also to help secure distribution.

Our firm specializes in media placement, media training and image development. We’ve placed clients in a wide range of local, national and international media venues including Time, Newsweek, The Today Show, 60 Minutes, CBS This Morning, CBS Evening News, People, US, Entertainment Tonight, Premiere, Fox News, USA Today, CNN, MSNBC, 20/20, Oprah, The London Times, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Entailment Weekly, and many more media outlets.

Making a film can be a magical experience, but the mistake many filmmakers make is to focus solely on the production and forget about next steps, specifically marketing and securing distribution. Too many filmmakers forget to develop an action plan they can implement once their film is completed. How are they going to get their film, promoted, marketed, distributed? What is their gameplan for building that bridge between the finished product and the audience?

Each film is unique and there are a number of different strategies we can utilize depending on the needs of each project. Effective marketing and promotion will help you achieve your primary objectives: to find your film’s audience and to make your project profitable, which will allow you to make your next film—and the next after that.

If you have a completed independent film, you need PR.

It’s that simple.