Creating a good book trailer involves a tricky kind of alchemy — not unlike writing a good book! So we decided to break down a successful book trailer to highlight some of the elements that make it work, and how you can create your own with what you have on hand.
Written by Mike Bender, co-founder of Awkward Family Photos, Everything’s Awkward takes a loving look at awkward childhood moments. Mike turned to video to help publicize the book, and engage existing fans on social media, creating a video ads and a trailer for the Awkward Family Facebook page, featured below. His videos were viewed more than 500,000 times, shared 800, and, more importantly, helped quadruple the book’s ranking on Amazon.
We’ve thought a lot about what kind of video works online — just check out our State of Social Video report if you don’t believe us — and here’s what we think this trailer did right, along with some tips for making your own book trailer more successful:
You’re a storyteller — a book trailer is just a new way to tell your story. Focus what you want to say and the audience you want to reach, and you’ll have what you need to make your trailer.
If you want to learn more about how Everything’s Awkward became a hit, head over to the Awkward Family Photos Success Stories page. Or if you have your own book trailer success story, we’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
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