The Most Important PR Questions for Writers & Filmmakers

Quick questions:

Why are some authors and filmmakers featured in magazines, newspapers, and on TV, while others seem to remain under the radar?

Why do some careers take off while others falter or flounder?

The quality of the artwork; that’s always a good starting point, but that is seldom the complete answer.

We all know of some magnificent artists whose work seems to be stuck in perpetual twilight, while others, whose work might not be quite as amazing, garner media coverage.

This is rarely a simple matter of luck. Wait long enough and the media will find you, is seldom a good game plan. Those authors and filmmakers who achieve media coverage have generally taken their career into their own hands.

One of most important question an author or filmmaker has to ask is:

Do I care enough to give your art a chance to succeed?

If the answer is yes, here’s the next question -

Are you willing to get out of your comfort zone and actively work to promote yourself and your art?

The most successful artists generally see marketing and PR as a part of their job description. The upside is it’s not about selling, but about telling compelling stories. Effective PR is effective storytelling.

And who better to tell stories than authors or filmmakers?

The media and the public are interested in the process and in the artist’s journey. That’s not to say that your story needs to be dramatic, tragic, or theatrical to be effective, but that you need to showcase your work within the context of a story. Everyone has a compelling story. All artists, whether they be authors, filmmakers or musicians, have taken a captivating journey. The trouble is that most are too close to their own experiences to see which stories are the most compelling, which is why working with someone who can view you and your story through a fresh set of eyes can help.

Public relations and marketing are nothing new in the art world. Centuries ago artists had to promote themselves to patrons, now the focus is on the media and the marketplace.

The myth of the artist is that true artist simply create and wait.

And that myth is precisely that - A myth!

Try that approach and you could be waiting your entire life, while no one sees your work.

Since you need to market is a given, the question is -

How?

Those that can afford to hire a PR firm, should. Those who can’t should learn PR and marketing steps that they can start on their own. But the bottom line is that you begin to shine a light on your art

And that you start –

Now!

Create & Wait: An Author’s Worst Marketing Approach

Many authors, filmmakers and artists, work under a strange type of “create and wait” mindset. According to this approach once a work has been created, an artist has completed his or her work and can't be bothered with marketing or promotion.

Some feel that they shouldn’t have to market their art, others are loath to invest in their work. Those are such strange attitudes to hold around something that is so important. When I ask artists what is most important to them, the response is invariably, their art. If it’s not number one on their list, it is assuredly in the top three. Yet when it comes to caring for their art, which by definition involves marketing and promotion, that importance often seems to plummet.

This a strange disconnect. Not that it’s not understandable. We live in a culture where art is generally seen as an avocation or a hobby. We view those artists who have made it as anomalies. We could never be one of those success stories. When young artists tell their peers or families about their dreams, they are generally told to grow up and find a suitable career. Without support, is it any wonder that so many simply give up their art, or do so in secret? What other venture would have people hiding as opposed to promoting their work?

The other trap is when artists believe that marketing is beneath them. They've done their work and shouldn't have to bother themselves with marketing or PR. To those I simply say - join the real world and your chances of success will increase exponentially.

If this describes you, change your mindset – now!

The best book or film in the world needs a bridge built between it and its audience. From my perspective, building that bridge is something that artists owe to their work. It's incumbent on them to give their work the best chance it can to succeed, reach an audience, and touch others.

The trick here is to view promotion as an art.

If you can afford it, hire a professional. If not, don’t wait. There are tools you can learn and implement on your own.

Learn the art of marketing; the art of PR.

Have fun with it, experiment, be bold.

To quote Goethe: “Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”

And the truth is if you adhere to the “create and wait” philosophy, chances are you will wait and wait and…
You get the picture.
Writers not only need to be bold in their work, they need to be bold in how they market their work.
One artist told me, he was confident his art would be discovered once he passed on. But, waiting to die in order for one’s art to be discovered doesn’t quite seem like the most effective marketing plan for your work.

Take action.
And, remember Goethe –
Be bold.

PR & Marketing in the Age of Disruption

From music to film, to publishing, to the world of fine art, the internet has forever changed marketing in the creative industries. This shift has been seismic and has turned what had been thought of as set-in-stone business models on their collective heads.

I began as a music journalist and then managed bands in the early ‘90s, but those days are gone. The music world was the first to be rocked by the changing communication landscape, whereas many were engulfed by the changes and faded, a new breed of musicians learned to take matters into their own hands and create successful careers utilizing PR, social media and guerilla marketing

The publishing world has also been turned upside down. No longer do traditional publishing houses hold the keys to success. Self-published authors are taking matters and marketing into their own hands. Increasingly self-published authors are landing on the best sellers list and on Amazon’s top 20 list. Amanda Hocking initially became a millionaire by self publishing her work. It was only after she was established that she signed with St. Martin’s Press.

The shifts came later to the film industry, but it too is experiencing the change. For example, as with self-published books, CreateSpace (http://www.createspace.com) serves entrepreneurs in the music, publishing, and film worlds. As an independent producer you can upload your film as part of a digital DVD along with cover art and information on the film. Your film is then posted for sale. The company (which is owned by Amazon.com) takes and fulfills the orders and splits the profits with the filmmaker. That is just one option. There are several outlets online that help producers sell their films. There are also new channels of distribution. Films are now reaching the public by being shown at churches, organizations, schools, museums, and other non-traditional establishments. Theatrical distribution is no longer the only name of the game.

That said, the most powerful marketing tool available to artists is a combination of PR and social media. An effective public relations campaign will land you media coverage that offers you the validation and credibility that no other form of marketing can offer. You are the news! You can then begin to share and amplify your media coverage on your site and on your various social media platforms. Compared to other forms of marketing, this combined approach can be extremely effective and affordable.

Whereas the internet has torn down down some of the traditional walls and allowed artists in all fields to take more control of their careers, doing so is not always easy. It involves creativity, persistence, and an investment of both time and money. These changes can initially be daunting. For years musicians, filmmakers, and authors were reluctant to rock the boat and alienate the powers that be by charting a path of their own. But more and more artists are realizing that the old models have shifted, bringing different challenges but also opportunities. The upside? With tenacity and creativity, artists can now carve out successful careers on their own terms.

The Filmmaker’s 5 Main Marketing Myths

You’re a filmmaker, not a marketer or promoter.

Right?

Wrong!

That approach to filmmaking can lead you basically nowhere. You might end up with a gem of a film, a film that’s important, a film that could succeed - and a film that gets lost.

As a novelist, playwright and PR consultant, I know both sides of the street. I understand your marketing misgivings as an artist, as well as your promotional necessities as a marketer. I know the practical and emotional hurdles that often come with having to market your work.

So, let’s cut to the case, when it comes to filmmaking, PR is not a luxury.

PR is a necessity.

But simply understanding you need to market isn’t enough. It’s important to know how to effectively promote you and your film. Trouble is, there are quite a few myths floating around about how PR works. Myths that can make you feel that you’re moving forward in your PR and marketing efforts, when you’re actually standing still. So, let’s tackle some of them. Below are five of the main culprits

The Filmmaker’s 5 Main Marketing Myths:

1) Sign with a distributor; and your marketing and PR will be taken care of.

2) Regularly updating your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is enough.

3) Send a press release out through a paid wire service and that will take care of your PR needs.

4) Online promotions and giveaways is all you need to establish your film in the marketplace.

5) One magazine article or TV interview will launch your film and your career.

There are definitely more myths than these five, but these are some of the main culprits.

If you can hire a PR team or consultant, do it. It will be well worth the money and save you headaches. If you’re not able to, do your homework. Learn the dos and don’ts of promoting your work.

Truth be told, a mediocre filmmaker who promotes will generally be more successful than the talented one who doesn’t.

But talented filmmakers who also market and promote are truly ahead of the game.

That’s the club you want to belong to.

Producing A Film? Create Your PR Plan First

Making a film can be a magical experience, but many filmmakers get so excited about and engrossed in the making of their film that they forget producing their film is only step one. Actually the production of your film should be pretty far down the line in your film to-do list. Particularly when it comes to new filmmakers, the excitement of making a film, and all that is involved in scripting, pre-producing, casting, production and post production, has a tendency to become all consuming. Creating the film becomes everything. But here’s the question, what are you going to do once your film (filled with joy, enthusiasm and dreams as well as blood sweat and tears) is completed. How are you going to get your film, promoted, marketed, distributed? How are you going to build that bridge between your finished product and your audience?

If this article were actually a script, we’d be having a flashback sequence here. We flash back to the incarnation of your project. We would fade back to before you edited, shot, cast, or wrote your film and add a new focus to the process. In this sequence your new flash back approach in the past would change your future. You’d figure out a game plan outlining how to PR, promote and market your film. Your new public relations plan would act as a guide, as a roadmap as you moved forward in your filmmaking process. It would be a bridge-building process between you, your audience, distributors, potential investors and influences. It would be the focus that helped insure your film would have a strong shot at succeeding.

So many filmmakers come to me after they’ve finished their film. They’ve been so wrapped in the process and the project has inevitably gone over budget. They didn’t consider a marketing campaign before they started production and now have very little money left for marketing. There’s often little I can do for them at that point. Those I have most success with either start with me during pre-production, or from the start realized that marketing was an essential part of the game plan and kept that in mind during the production process.

Ideally you want to start promoting your film and creating a buzz online and in the media before you finish shooting or editing your project. A well thought out media relations and social media campaign can serve you in a number of ways. Keep in mind, depending on your needs; you are going to be addressing different audiences with your media relations campaign. One outreach could be directed to the general public, another to a more targeted grout of viewers, another to distributors and still another to possible investors. You can also start creating a buzz for upcoming projects while promoting your current film.

So dive into your film project. Make the very best film you can. But be smart about it. Make a PR and marketing campaign an essential part of your film’s game plan. You don’t want to end up with a film that a few of your friends see, or gathers dust in your home, or gets submitted to a few film festivals and then fades away. You’ve put your heart, soul, time and money into your film project. You now owe it to the film and to yourself to give it a chance to succeed.

The PR & Distribution Connection for Indie Films

There are two primary areas where most independent films run into roadblocks, the first is marketing/PR and the second is distribution. That has pretty much always been the case, but now, with the film industry in such flux and more competitive than ever, it’s becoming even more of a challenge. Marketing, public relations and media exposure do not only create a buzz and help establish your brand, but these strategies can also solidify distribution interest, and interest film festivals. Distribution gives your film a way to reach your audience

At Anthony Mora Communications, Inc. we’ve been promoting major and independent feature films and documentaries 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 outreach designed to publicize and market films as well as secure distribution.

Our firm specializes in media placement, media training and image development. We have 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, Entertainment Weekly, and various other media outlets.

Making a film can be a magical experience, but many filmmakers get so immersed in the making of their film that they forget about focusing on the next steps, specifically marketing and securing distribution. Too many filmmakers forget to ask themselves what they are going to do once their film is completed. How are they going to get their film, promoted, marketed, and distributed? What is their gameplan for building that bridge between the finished product and the audience?

What we’ve developed are unique PR and distribution film packages with the independent filmmaker in mind. The approach is to actively PR and market a film while pursuing distribution through a number of channels including theatrical, DVD, VOD/Pay TV, and Online/Streaming.

We deal directly with distributors to make sure your film get the best deal and secure the widest release possible. By coupling our distribution efforts with a simultaneous specialized publicity campaign, we increase your film’s exposure both during the process of securing distribution, and during your film’s release.

If you have a completed independent film and are seeking distribution and publicity we can help. We have worked with a wide array of movies. Each film is unique and there are an almost infinite number of different strategies we can utilize depending on the needs of each project. Your primary objectives are to have your film find its audience and to make your project profitable. Public relations and distribution are the two keys that can help you reach your goals.