Online Film Festival Hosting Checklist

Film festivals post-pandemic has been a point of discussion among movie buffs. Many film festivals have been postponed or canceled because of the restrictions imposed on hosting a public gathering. Though major ones like the Cannes will get to continue, the smaller film festivals are the ones that will be affected. And if you are planning to run a smaller film festival, how would you get the word out promptly? This is how to overcome your roadblocks.

Kickstarting your online film festival 

•  How to pitch an idea? 

Before hosting a film festival, consider these questions:  

1. What are the restrictions on submitting their work?
2. What will be the nature of the application process?
3. Do you require a clip of the film or just a synopsis?
4. How will you sell tickets, and how much will you charge?
5. Will you stream at specific times, or will you provide links to the videos to watch later?

• Receive the applications 

For early applicants, offer a lower entry fee. This encourages filmmakers to send in their work early while you spread out your screening process.  

Prior to any of this, get the film directors to apply for your festival, which includes an entry fee. Set deadlines for submissions such as early, official, and late to motivate early submissions. And promote it on Reddit or Facebook groups or through the official filmmakers board. You can attract amateur directors and screenwriters to pitch in for your film festival. Ensure your plan covers: 

1. Submission type
2. Film name
3. Synopsis
4. Genre
5. Writers
6. Directors
7. Producers
8. Main actors
9. Runtime

• Gather video submissions 

Once you get to finalize your applications, and the good films for each category, filmmakers must submit their work with a trailer for promotional purposes.

All filmmakers must fill in a video submission form that confirms their legal right to use the work  and upload the file.  

• Spread the word

After finalizing your submissions, decide how you will advertise your event. Use the power of social media marketing on Instagram or Facebook. Build your profile and create social media handles. And create a unique name in order to stand out from other social media handles with similar names.  

• Start reservations and payments

Though your event will be digital, you’ll still need attendees to reserve their spots using a reservation form. They have to guarantee their screening and confirm if they would purchase a spot for the festival.  

You can set ticket prices based on your viewing options, and collect payments through a variety of methods, such as PayPal. 

• Start with the right technology

Make sure that your viewing process is seamless. Have a password-protected screener and paid subscriptions  that give access to viewers who purchase a ticket. Upload your videos to a streaming platform like YouTube or Vimeo, where you can set up password protection to prevent unauthorized access. Online streaming enables your audience to view the content at the comfort of their own home. 

How to advertise your online film festival 

1. Social Media

Social media is the genesis of online marketing. So as a first step, create your social media profile for your event on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and add appropriate hashtags like #filmfestival, #festivals, and #movies in order to reach a wider audience. 

Advertise your special events via social media posts, tag guests and celebrities attending your event. This will increase the visibility of your advertisements and promotions.  

2. Email Marketing

Email marketing is the fastest and most cost-effective way to reach your audience. Begin by collecting email addresses from potential people that would attend and add them on to your festival’s mailing list.

Using catchy subject lines and creative content to pique the interest of your audience and attaching tickets in your emails are smart ways to make your recipients open your email.  

Leverage your email marketing by maintaining the frequency of your email newsletters like monthly, quarterly, and semi-annually to keep the engagement curve steady. 

3. Niche Promotion 

Do your research and find out the niche markets that would be interested in your event. Then create targeted marketing materials for these groups based on the celebrity fan bases in the group.  

Also find businesses and individuals with the same target audience like yours and partner with them to promote your festival. Create joint marketing campaigns with them and offer discounts and other bonuses for attendees who purchase tickets through your partners.

4. Create social awareness 

Use your festival to raise awareness about important social causes, particularly when you are screening movies that portray societal issues. By doing so, you become an important voice, well-known and acknowledged for your noble efforts. You are a huge inspiration to others that are part of your screening. You can also do this by donating a portion of ticket sales or holding a fundraiser.

5. Partner and play 

Local businesses are your friends that offer a perfect avenue to market your film festival to local audiences. An interesting way to influence people is by offering discounts and other incentives to people who visit these businesses and mention your festival. For instance, you can partner with local restaurants that create a happy hour for your festival. Conduct a donation spree, asking businesses to sponsor for advertising.   

6. Digital promotion

Go for online advertising through Google Ads, Facebook, or other digital advertising for the hosting of your international film festival online to target your ideal customers.  

Running these ads can be a breakthrough but it could also break your bank without proper planning and an intelligent execution process in place. To avoid ending up losing dollars, get the help of the professionals that know the game and as well as your target audience.  

7. Native Advertising

The major difference between legacy advertising and native advertising is that legacy advertising is intrusive but native advertising blends seamlessly with your plans. For instance, a tickle online or a YouTube video is legacy advertising. But native advertising is the article or the video on its own. 

However, you have to craft engaging original content to create effective native ads to promote film festival movies online. 

8. Content Marketing

The phrase ‘content is king’ may sound cliche but content is the way to go to gain better promotion for your top short film festival. Blogs and vlogs can be an excellent way to boost the outlook and visibility of your festival cinema online. You can use a medium like WordPress to write articles about your festival and include links to your festival website in those articles. 

Collaborate with film bloggers, create  a social media presence, and promote your film festival on all your social profiles using hashtags, post updates, and ads.

Conclusion

When marketing your online short film festivals, incorporate a combination of native advertising and content marketing to spread the word. Create a mobile-friendly website or blog to enhance visibility. And add social media buttons on your website to encourage people to share your content. And use varied content forms to supplement your original content to keep your audience engaged. Get professional help to achieve success at every step of your film festival marketing journey.