(A filmmaker’s guide to getting their project noticed)

So you don’t have the money to hire a publicist, but you still want to get the word out about your film so that someone other than your mother will see it. So what do you do?  Well, you can either find a PR firm to handle the promotion for you for free or a reduced rate (which is possible, but unless you know someone it’s highly unlikely) or you can promote it yourself. Promoting it yourself can be done easily enough, but beware that it is a time consuming job. However, it’s extremely important if you want to get the word out. Just think of it as the next phase in the filmmaking process. In fact, I would dare say that some people would argue that promoting a film is more important than making the film itself. Without promotion you can have the best film in the world, but if no one sees it, no one will care.

Journalism 101: What you need to know about journalists to get their attention.

Over the years I have worked in television, radio and print, but no matter where I worked there were certain realities that were always the same. I always had to come up with an interesting story to tell or a new angle on an old story, and I always had to make my deadlines.

Journalists, in general, are pretty stressed-out people. They have to turn in so many words, minutes or seconds by a certain deadline, which almost always is not enough time to tell a story really well. In addition, they have to stay competitive and on top of things by breaking stories first, finding new angles, and writing more creatively than other journalists. They all want an exclusive and they all want a big story, because that’s their ticket to readers and viewers. So how do you get them to help you?

First of all, make a journalist’s job as easy as possible. Give them all the information they need to do a story on your film without spending a lot of time or effort. In order to do this, you need to first figure out what would be interesting or newsworthy to the average person about your film. This is your angle, or the small story behind the larger story of the film being released that will get you in at a media outlet. Once you have your angle, then you need to sell it by writing a great press release that will get the media’s attention.  Back that up with an online press kit that contains all the other supplemental information a reporter needs to go to press and you’re well on your way to getting press.