How Sharing Something Remarkable and Unique About Your Film Can Bring Attention…And Money
By Carole Dean
What we talk about influences how others see us. When we talk about cool things, others want to repeat what we’ve told them to their friends.
That is called Social Currency and you can use it to get people to notice your film.
Get People Talking About Your Film to Get it Attention and Funding
What is Social Currency?
People want to share compelling, exclusive content that makes them look smart and in on a secret. That type of content is social currency.
Wharton professor Jonah Berger, author of the brilliant book “Contagious” explains how, by using social currency, you can get more people talking about your product or idea.
Here’s an Example
Crif Dogs, a NYC Hot Dog restaurant, has a vintage phone booth in the corner. When you enter and dial the ancient rotary phone, a voice answers and asks if you have a reservation. If you are lucky enough to have one, a hidden door opens and you find you are in a posh 45 seat exclusive restaurant no one knows about.
The name? Please Don’t Tell. It makes you feel like you found a great secret. There is no sign on the street or ads for it. It takes bookings only for each day and only at 3pm. By 3:30, all spots are gone.
The restaurant does not publish its number. It’s all word of mouth; the most powerful way to market.
Rules of Social Currency:
- People share things that make them look good to others.
- People share things that make them seem entertaining and clever.
- People use social currency to achieve desired positive impressions among friends & family.
How to Mint Social Currency for Your Film
Find your film’s inner remarkability. Give me some astonishing facts or an incredible statement I can repeat.
The Key to finding inner remark ability is to think about what makes something interesting surprising or novel. What is interesting about your film or your cast? What is remarkable about your characters? What is remarkable about the subject of the film?
How about is it fiscally sponsored?
You want to create social currency so people talk about your film and your crowdfunding campaign. You want them to say I donated to a film and I got a tax deduction. Or I donated to a film that raises awareness of Veterans suicide.
That may be what gets people to talk about your film. Then, they donate too because it’s cool to support your film and it’s cool to get a tax deduction.
By finding your film’s inner remarkability, you can use it to go viral and create social currency.
Do it right and you will end up with a different currency to use to make your film!
Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-profit that offers fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcast, The Art of Film Funding, interviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film production. She is also the author of The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.
