I Hate Marketing is a weekly Stareable Film School column, where we talk about how to make marketing easier, even for those of us who hate it.
Happy (almost) Halloween! I know you're probably busy celebrating, so this special (almost) holiday edition of I Hate Marketing is a quick list of ideas for how you and your show can be festive AND smart marketers at the same time.
Halloween
Costume inspiration. Make inspiration images for each character's "costume." Mention any important props or wardrobe notes so that fans can look as accurate as possible.
Halloween headcanons. what would the characters themselves dress up as for Halloween? Share the thoughts and reasonings throughout the week leading up to the holiday. Points if you get your actors to dress up as their characters in costume, or have some sort of terrible but funny Photoshop job.
Thanksgiving
Go really earnest. what are you and your cast and crew thankful for this year? Sharing short video clips the week of the holiday, one per person, would be a cool way to have consistent content while also putting some positivity into the world
Go meta. what are your characters thankful for? What are their favorite Thanksgiving staples? Which one starts the political fights? Accompany each of these admissions with a photo of the character, possibly Photoshopped in front of a roast turkey.
Winter holidays
Season's Greetings. Make a cast and crew holiday card or video message- get everyone to send in a video of themselves around festive decorations giving a short holiday message, and edit them all together.
A Very Special Episode. If you can get a few of your cast and crew members together (especially if your usual set is pretty accessible), make an out-of-chronology holiday episode, where your characters celebrate the season in their own way!
New Years
Year in review. New Year's is a time to reflect, so make a compilation video of all the cool things your show (or your production company or your cast/crew) have been up to during the year.
Resolved. Make show-specific (or "company"-specific) New Year's Resolutions! Are you planning on writing a new season, filming more episodes, finding distribution, or making a new project altogether? Tell your audience, so they know what to expect in the next year, and encourage them to share their goals with YOU!
Valentine's Day
Pun the love. Make printable Valentines based on your characters, with show-specific love messages. Think puns!
GIF the Love. Make GIFs of the popular "ships" in your series, sharing them in a post on Tumblr or on your website.
Mail the love. Send show-specific valentines to top fans, or have a contest where fans retweet a particular message and you randomly pick a few (or the first few) to mail Valentines to!
St. Patrick's Day
Go green. post celebratory images from your show tinted green, or stills from your show of characters wearing green.
Grinking Dame. write up a playable drinking game for your show. "Drink every time this character says something sarcastic," "finish your drink when a character thinks they've solved the mystery," etc.
Do you have any holiday-themed ideas to promote your web series? Let us know, and let us know what you're going as for Halloween!
