Dave Cool’s Top 10 DIY Film Marketing Tips

1. Write Everything Down: Extremely important! Everything you want to accomplish with your film, write it down and develop a plan.

2. Research: To help with writing your plan, do a little research on marketing. There are some great books and websites out there.

3. Set Realistic Goals: Be sure to set realistic goals. Winning Sundance might not happen right away, but maybe winning a local film festival will. Start small and build from your successes.

4. Know Your Audience: Research who would like your film. Organize pre-screenings, hand out surveys and talk to people afterwards.

5. Know Your Budget: Price the cost of everything you want to do so there won’t be any surprises!

6. Set a Schedule: Make sure to keep a calendar of everything you’ll be doing to promote your film to help you stay on top of things.

7. The Media is Your Friend: Start developing relationships with the media right away. Free publicity is the best publicity!

8. The Internet is Your Best Friend: Get info about your film up on MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, Blogs, etc., even if it’s still in production.

9. Network: Get out there and meet people! And don’t just hand out business cards like a mad-person. Talk to people, find out about their projects and their passions too.

10. Ask for Help: DIY doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask friends, family and even fans of your film for their help.

Dave Cool, who serves as the Program Director of the St-Ambroise Centre, directed and produced the documentary film “What is INDIE?”. Funded entirely with his own credit cards, he took the film from a small do-it-yourself project and turned it into an indie success story, even catching the attention of CNN.com, Newsweek Magazine and Canada's National Film Board. For more information on the film click here.

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