Promote Your Short Film: Top Tips

By Anna Schiller and Magnus Poelcher, Goethe-Institut London

This list was put together following the ‘Promote your Short Film’ Google Hangout hosted by Goethe Institut at Imperial War Museum London last month. We hope you find it useful!

1. If you can’t communicate it in one sentence then you need to go back. Some of the best examples of impactful simple messages are posters from the First World War, from British and German sides. Not bad for a 100 years before twitter! Visit the collections here.

A British poster which simply features the words “The Last Poster”, “Westminster” and “War Final”. Part of the Imperial War Museum Poster Collection (photographs) Made by: Westminster Gazette 1917 © IWM (Q 80203)

2. Who are your audiences? Where do they get their information from? Target these channels

3. Timing is everything, from the run up to the screening of the film, to the actual launch. Think about your communication plan. When does it make sense to say something about your film? Can you tie it into any anniversaries, dates or existing events?

4. As a rule, assume you have to say something three times until someone gets it. ( Now read that sentence again. And again)

5. Define ‘success’ for your film. What sort of response do you want it to get? What feedback do you need? How much coverage would you like ideally? See this project as a stepping stone for the next one.

6. Partners: Outside your immediate film crew and project team, picking your partners/stakeholders carefully. Who will find your film to be relevant content?

7. Press: take a look at some other short film circulation, how did they create a buzz. Most importantly, as you are working with Imperial War Museums and Goethe Institut and Greve Museum, tap into these channels. Try and create a coordinated approach.

8. Communications tools: Think about the tools that you have access to, the websites, the platforms. What partner websites can you use? Are all the partners mentioning your film in their newsletters?

9. Hosting screenings: Following an online launch, is there scope to host local screenings? At your local film club, at your university, with the history department? Who’s being invited? How will it look?

10. Document the process! The behind the scenes of a short film are just as exciting as the final film product. e.g The Making of the Battle of Somme (1916) through a photo series.

Here is Lieutenant Geoffrey H Malins, British official film cameraman, filming British and French heads of state with their senior commanders during the Battle of the Somme, 1916 © IWM (Q 950)

11. Evaluate your film, thinking back to initial discussions of what ‘success’ looks like.

12. Take a look at festival sites, films, and reviews and assess their online campaigns. See this as an opportunity to try out the things you like and feel will work for your short film.

Using Social Media : #makefilm

1. What social media channel to use? Twitter, Facebook, both? IWM and and Goethe Institut have both Facebook and Twitter channels, Greve Museum has a Facebook platform. What do you feel comfortable using?
2. What hash tag to use? Use #makefilm so that all of your social media activity is linked, and you can follow each other’s activity, but most of all support each other!
3. Will you use a private or dedicated social media account? Personal accounts only get you through to friends and family?
4. Think of digestible content you can share about your film prior to the launch. A twine, a teaser video? A shot of a prop? Have this ready by 15th of March, so that we can upload it on our channels to be ready to share in April.
5. What topics are trending on social media, link your content to this.
6. Be creative and visual, social media content goes that much further with engaging visual content ( it doesnt just have to be cats!)

An officer aboard HMS Royal Oak with one of the ship’s mascots- a cat, 1914 © IWM (Q 18060)