What do Sunny Lane, Aurora Snow and Vicky Vette all have in common? Get your minds out of the gutter because the correct answer is WAY more of an audience than you have (their combined Twitter following alone is roughly 266,000). You could make the argument that they have an advantage because of their chosen profession (yes, they’re all porn stars). But the truth of the matter is, they know how to hustle and interact on many different levels with their audiences. They share more than just nude pictures and videos with their fans, they also share a lot about themselves, their families, and their jobs. They share photos, videos and tell people about their lives on and off the set. They also know how to direct people to their websites for additional content (which you usually have to pay for). At the core, they know what their audiences want, and they know how to market to them. They know how to fill niche audience’s needs like Joanna Angel’s punk porn website Burning Angel, and even, to a more tame degree, but just as successful pin-up girl site, Suicide Girls. There are three things that indie filmmakers can do to emulate some of the business savvy that these women have.
Offer something to your audience that they want. Sometimes your feature film, DVD extras, or perks from your crowdfunding campaign just aren’t enough. Give them some reason to not just want what your putting out there, but make them crave it. Porn might still be frowned upon in many circles, but it’s gone mainstream in many other parts of our culture. Many advertising campaigns use sex (or the promise and hope of a sexual encounter) to sell their products. Now we’re not suggesting that you strip down and get busy for your film (unless that’s something you WANT to do), but if you’ve got a hot, scantily clad man or woman in your film, put them front and center in your advertising. For a less scandalous example check out the documentary PROGRAMMING THE NATION to see how companies are manipulating you everyday, mostly without you knowing it.
