In the competitive world of independent publishing, getting your book in front of readers is more difficult than ever before. Without a publishing house to help with marketing, authors must think outside the box about ways to get the word out about their stories. Fortunately, you can create a memorable book trailer to share on sites such as YouTube, Facebook, TikTok or your website.
Similar to a movie trailer, a book trailer will tease readers into wanting to know more and hopefully buying your novel. Here are the steps to create one that will engage your target audience.
1. Start With Your Goals
Eighty-seven percent of video marketers have said video helped them generate leads and grow sales. However, before you write your book trailer’s script, you must determine a few things to make the process flow smoothly and stay on point:
- Who is your target audience? The more you know about your readers, the better you will be able to set the tone and message to something they care about.
- What do you want to convey to them? You might only want to give them a general sense of the setting, show them the first chapter or tease them with the series’ premise.
- How long do you want your video to be? Keep in mind that people have shorter attention spans today. A 60-minute video is going to lose a lot of viewers, but they will likely watch a 60-second one to the end.
Once you have an idea of the premise and the goals, it will be easier to write the script to address specific points.
2. Write the Video Script
There are around three billion people online and 80% of internet traffic is video. If you want to stand out in such a saturated market, some of the elements you used to write an excellent book also apply to your trailer:
- Use a strong opening hook to grab the reader from the minute the video starts.
- Show the story instead of telling it. Include dialogue and movement.
- Have a strong beginning, middle and end. The ending should be a call to action that makes them want to buy the book.
- Use a storyboard to look for plot holes that might turn a reader off. You do not want to give away the entire story in a trailer, but you do want to entice them to learn more. Think about the trailer script as a sort of blurb that puts readers on the buyer’s journey.
Avoid getting so tied to your script that you avoid changing it if you have an idea. It is crucial to let your creative juices flow.
3. Drop in the Visuals
If you have a huge marketing budget, you could hire actors to play your main characters and shoot actual cinematic scenes from your movie. Most indie authors do not come anywhere near being able to afford such a production. Instead, use tools such as BookBrush and Canva, where you can use a template and stock photos and videos to tell your story without spending a small fortune.
All you need to invest is your time in learning the program and putting things together:
- Look for images that highlight key scenes in your trailer. For a mystery, you might find a photo of a dark alleyway. For a romance, you might have a video of a couple walking along a beach while holding hands. The visuals should make sense for your story.
- Your book cover should be toward the end of the trailer so people can easily recognize it when they go to Amazon or another bookseller.
- You want readers drawn into your short reel, not stopping the video to try to catch the words. Use an easily readable font for any text you do include and make sure it is as succinct as possible.
The old saying states pictures are worth a thousand words. One could argue the images are the most critical part of your book trailer, so take your time and choose them wisely.
4. Add Data Visualizations
If you are a nonfiction writer, include some data. People take in around 100,500 words online daily. Throwing a pie chart up can help them see the benefits of ordering your book now, as solid facts can help you stand out and show readers they can trust you know the subject.
You might not think of adding statistics to a book trailer, but when it comes to nonfiction, you have to convince the audience your book is worth their investment. They need to see they will gain enough knowledge to make it worth their time and money.
5. Plug in Music
You need some soft background music unless your trailer has a lot of dialogue. Sites such as Canva offer a Pro membership that gives you access to stock audio. Simply search for words such as “light and happy” and select the audio options to listen to available options.
Once you find one you like, drag and drop it under the video. You can then adjust the length, make it fade in and out, or splice more than one audio file onto the slides.
6. Refine Transitions
If you want your video to have a professional edge, work on the transitions between scenes and the opening and closing. A slow fade in and out gives the user a moment to adjust to the concept they are seeing rather than feeling jolted into the moment.
Each scene can have a transition such as the image rotating in, the image before slowly becoming transparent or the two merging together into the new slide. Play around with the options and pay attention to trailers you enjoy.
Creating the Perfect Video Trailer for Your Book
Your first trailer might leave a bit to be desired. Pay attention to feedback and learn from your mistakes so your next one hits the right notes. You will have to wait and see which format works best for different social media platforms and the video length your users respond to.
If you are not getting engagement, poll your readers about what else they might like to see. Over time, you will polish your work and churn out trailers like you do stories.
