Promoting your Kickstarter film project might seem like a daunting task, but it helps if you are able to quickly and easily find communities in your niche. Of course social media, blog, and crowdfunding promotion sites can be a lot of help, but ultimately it’s up to you to find an engaged community that is interested in your film!
Here are a few places to promote your Kickstarter film project that can be used throughout different stages of your campaign. A few of these sites will be helpful for getting your work out there once your crowdfunded film is complete, while others are great for making people excited about your launch or keeping them up to date during your campaign.
1. Kickstarter Film Festival
In 2014 Kickstarter held their fourth annual Film Festival to showcase success Kickstarter-funded films, documentaries, shorts, and other video projects. Last year was also the first time they held an open call for submissions. In 2014, the Kickstarter Film Fest was held in Brooklyn, NY in July, Los Angeles, CA in September, and London, England in October.
Of course, entering into a film festival means you first need to run a successful campaign and finish production. That being said, there are plenty of film festivals that have now featured Kickstarter projects – including Sundance. There are also many local film festivals around the world; if you can find one near you it could help stir up some local media coverage also. If you’re looking for places to promote your film post-campaign, film festivals can help get your work in front of a large audience.
2. VHX
VHX is an open platform where anyone can sell their videos online, and even has a section devoted to Crowdfunders. VHX allows you to fulfill the digital rewards for your campaign for free, build a website to keep spreading the word about your project, and grow your audience by allowing you to upload your email list and interact with fans.
With dozens of crowdfunded films on their platform, VHX seems like a go-to online marketplace for promoting your film post-campaign. All you have to do is upload your film and set a price (you can also bundle videos together)! The cost of using the platform is 10% + 50 cents per sale.
3. Filmmaker Forum
Filmmaker Forum in an online community for filmmakers that has over 3,000 members. They have different sub-forums for various aspects of filmmaking, and also a Kickstarter and Indiegogo Projects section. Along with the forum there are also sections for articles and reviews. This forum is a great place to promote your film project before, during, or after your crowdfunding campaign.
4. IndieTalk
IndieTalk is an online filmmaking community with over 30,000 members. This site has a forum with a lot of useful information and a promotion section for getting the word out about your own film. Indietalk also has a blog section for members who would like to make more regular, separated posts.
5. Reddit
Reddit can be a great social media platform to use to spread the word about your Kickstarter film project. Searching for things like /r/Kickstarter, /r/Filmmakers, or /r/Documentaries can help you decide where best to promote your campaign. Just make sure not to spam by posting too often, and make sure your post is exciting and informative. Reddit is known for having a very engaged community, which can be great if they like what you have to offer. For more on this topic check out this article.
6. Google+ Communities – Independent Filmmakers
There are several Google+ communities related to film, independent filmmaking, etc. This example has over 4,000 followers and has many resources and sections, including one for crowdfunding links. It is also important to note that there are also local communities available on Google+.
7. Filmcommunity
Filmcommunity is described as “a worldwide network for filmmakers & film industry professionals. Thousands of international film festivals hold submission calls on this platform. The site is comprehensive and includes sections such as: groups, forum, blog, film news, events, and more. This site requires you to sign up before viewing most of these, but is free to use.
8. Dvxuser Forum
Dvxuser is another online forum for filmmakers and covers topics including production, cameras, and more. The board boasts a total of 111,260 members.
9. Aotg – Content Submission Website
“Aotg.com is a free tool that allows you to share content you create or find on the Internet with others in the post-production industry.” I think Aotg could be a useful tool for connecting with other filmmakers, enthusiasts, or to submit press for your film!
10. LinkedIn Film-Related Groups
Conclusion
Keep in mind that you can get even more specific than these – like searching for communities by genre (like horror) or topic (like romance). Sometimes finding the best ones can take a little extra time, but looking for the right places to promote your Kickstarter film project will be worthwhile in the end.
Leave a comment if you have any other suggestions!
