REPLAY: Town Hall on How to Find Word-of-Mouth Fans for Your Project Before Release

The 1000 True Fans rule is a great concept. But what does “true” mean?

I believe a true fan is one who will talk about your work unprompted, who will purchase tickets when they’re available, and who is game for the next thing you’re making before you’ve even made it.

The word “fan” here… I’m using loosely.

In my mind, it’s 1000 True Relationships. While you can’t have a deep relationship with every person who sees your work, you can be intentional about creating the possibility for one. You can be intentional in how you market, the words you use, and in reflecting the specific qualities you see in your audience.

And I believe that intention is how the word-of-mouth flywheel starts spinning.

Enter: the wild, beautiful practice of market research. Yes, market research.

It’s not as stuffy as it sounds.

In fact, it’s incredibly personal, edifying, and creative for all participants involved. And it’s something most filmmakers don’t do.

But last week, I showed you how to do it.

So let’s get into it.

00:02:07 — What does “word-of-mouth fan” actually mean in real life?

00:05:27 — Where do you find word-of-mouth fans?

00:07:55 — What is the paradoxical tension that hooks a word-of-mouth fan?

00:10:54 — How do I start building word-of-mouth fans for my own project?

00:12:44 — What is market research and how can I approach it as a filmmaker who has never done anything like this?

00:14:56 — What does a practice of doing market research change for me (the filmmaker) and my project?

00:16:41 — What are the different formats I could use for market research? Do I have to round up a group of 200 people?! (Hint: no.)

00:17:37 — What are the 5 steps of market research?

00:23:34 — If you can only watch one part, watch this part: A real time walk-through of how to conduct market research with a class volunteer and the 9 questions to ask in every interview.

00:38:11 — What is the number one, best rule for getting qualitatively juicy / specific / revelatory answers from your interviewee?

00:41:11 — What is a super important (as in, DO NOT DROP THE BALL ON THIS) part of following up from market research?

00:42:16 — What are the four lists I can use to analyze all of this information I just got from the interview?

00:46:51 — How can I use my market research to build an email newsletter campaign for my project?

00:50:55 — How can I use this information if I’m in development or haven’t even written the script yet?

(Corresponding Notion presentation shared below the paywall.)

1. Word-of-mouth is about the emotional journey of self-identification. The moment someone sees themselves inside your story (whether it’s the film or the marketing for the film) is the moment they become a word-of-mouth fan. When your marketing offers an emotional journey, your work’s biggest fans will show up.

2. Mass markets are over, but meaningful subcultures are just beginning. Because of fractured trust, media consolidation, and the lack of mass cultural “moments”, people are going to niche subcultures and groups for their recommendations, reviews, and even meaning. Influencers are out, meaning-makers are in. Become a meaning-maker, and partner with other meaning-makers when amplifying your work.

3. Paradox is your friend. IMHO, you don’t ever need to make total sense. Feel free to contradict yourself! But it does need to be intentional. And never is that more true than in creating both friction-full and friction-less experiences for your fans.

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