Why Marketing is the Best Supporting Actor for Independent Films

These days, with streaming offering dozens, if not hundreds, of new options for viewers to watch every week, it can be difficult for an indie filmmaker to cut through all the noise. The main question indie filmmakers have to ask themselves is how they can stand out when people sit down in front of their screens to decide what new movie they want to watch. The answer: a killer marketing strategy.

The challenges of indie film marketing have recently gotten the spotlight because of a particularly high-profile (and expensive) indie film by an A-list filmmaker: Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis. Even though the movie cost over $100 million to make, Coppola financed the film himself, and his distribution agreement with Lionsgate required him to pay for the film’s marketing out of his own pocket. In many ways, this is the same situation that nearly every independent film goes through.

The importance of the algorithm in indie film marketing

Every independent filmmaker is hoping to catch the algorithm with their marketing. If a film gets a little heat and buzz, and you can convince just enough people to rent or buy it, it will make its way up the recommendation chain, which in turn causes more people to rent or buy it. Eventually, an independent filmmaker’s hope is to get front page placement, which is huge, or at least “recommended after watching” or “for you” spots.

While there is a “magic key” to success in film marketing, it is something that indie filmmakers, unfortunately, do not typically have access to: money. Generally speaking, a movie’s marketing budget is at least 30% of its production budget. Still, when it comes to major Hollywood productions, that figure often increases to 50%, or with some big blockbusters, studios might spend even more on marketing the film than they do to make it. This gives a natural advantage to big-budget movies. Even using the 30% figure, a movie that costs $250,000 to make would spend $75,000 on marketing, while a $25 million movie would spend $7.5 million. That larger amount of money can finance things that would otherwise be out of reach for indie budgets, like prime-time commercials, sporting event partnerships, and major events.

Major studio films also have the advantage of massive deals with key platforms such as Netflix or Hulu, which include contracts that guarantee top placement on these streaming platforms’ homepages. Indie filmmakers do not have this luxury. The only hope indie films have of getting this all-important digital real estate is to become viral hits — difficult and unlikely, but not necessarily impossible.

Indeed, the contracts that indie filmmakers make with distributors are often no-frills agreements. The distributor merely provides the infrastructure and channels for a filmmaker to release their film to the public, with all of the burden and costs of marketing falling to the producers. It’s a revenue-sharing agreement where the producers carry much of the exposure, and the distributor gets to sit back and root for the movie to find its way to the masses on streaming platforms because, even if it doesn’t, the structure of the deal means that their risk is minimal.

Because of this system, indie producers need to keep costs down, both during marketing and the production of the film itself. If a producer spends too much money, they’re chasing a huge dollar figure to get themselves into plus territory once it’s released. Unless you get into a major film festival, you probably won’t be able to make money if your indie film’s budget goes into the high six or seven figures — and even then, it’s not a guarantee that you get a major deal that puts you in the black. Plenty of movies strike out at festivals like Sundance.

Strategies to market your indie film

That being said, even though it is an uphill climb for indie films to succeed amidst these challenges and less-than-favorable conditions, it is absolutely possible. You just have to hustle and work for it. In my experience as an indie filmmaker and actor, there is no one specific method that is the key to success in indie film marketing. I’m a big believer that you need to take advantage of a bit of everything to create a formula for success. 

• Social media: Social media is one of the most powerful tools for an independent filmmaker. The cinephile community is very active on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Letterboxd, so independent filmmakers should build a presence on these platforms. Create a hashtag for your movie, which will help boost the visibility of any user-generated content. If you have any high-profile cast members, ask them to talk about the film or share its trailer on social media, as this can create valuable awareness.

• Social media ads: If you have the budget, paid social media marketing strategies can also benefit indie films. Paid ads can be a great way to share your trailer and get visibility, and paid collaborations with significant film influencers can bring eyes to your project that you may not have otherwise reached.

• Podcasts: Podcasts have become an increasingly popular medium, and because of this, they are a great way for indie filmmakers to market their work. Podcast listeners are often extremely devoted and willing to trust the recommendations of their favorite podcast hosts. If you can appear on podcasts talking about your film, this can be a great way to reach people who will watch your movie.

• YouTube: Many people use YouTube to watch film trailers and film clips before deciding whether to buy or rent a film. Partner with other popular YouTube pages that post trailers to get your trailers in front of even more eyes. The YouTube interface also offers a convenient API that lets you link to the rental page for your film on YouTube, which could lead to some conversions.

Help your indie film cut through the noise

Marketing an indie film is a complex and unique challenge. Because independent filmmakers don’t have the benefit of a large marketing budget, they have to make up for it by hustling. Instead of investing money, they must invest blood, sweat, tears, hard work, and lots of time to get their film noticed and seen by the masses. However, if you are willing to put in the effort and are smart about your spending, your indie film can still become a successful hit.

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