How to Build a Market and Generate Audience Interest for Your Web Series

So, you've poured your every drop of blood, sweat and tears into a multi-episode web series and spent hundreds and thousands on equipment - all in the hopes of making it big in the industry.

There is too much noise on the social web for most content, and yes, the amazing ones as well, to get discovered on its own. The most daunting phase is building an audience.

Unfortunately, good quality isn't sufficient. A show needs not only to connect, but needs to have a life outside its episodes that people talk about and feel connected to. The views needs to become participants.

The question is, how can you ensure that your series is viewed by all and many, and not just by your friends?

Allow us to present you with the answers:

Meet Your Audience

Let's start off with one of the most recognizable web series on the internet, Justice Woman. In a short span, the show has been able to draw a staggering number of audiences. The creator and star of the show Vanessa Verduga is a regular at the New York comic Con, San Diego Comic Con. She interacts with her fans allowing them to have a sneak peak and surprises every passing year and ensuring trust on the brand is maintained throughout. The fans have the right to know if the creators are equally enthusiastic about the show as they are. There have been times when many people involved with a show don’t seem to match the level of enthusiasm of its loyal audience and trust us, they can see right through it. Imagine the horror and disappointment when fans have to face the reality that the creators look down on their audience, rather being ardent participants.

Keep Budget and Finance and Plan in Check

A web short does not have a standard number of episodes in a season, no standard length and certainly no standard amount of budget to produce a successful one. Right before you give a go on the production process, make sure you have the budget, finance intact, and followed by a successful plan. Keep a note of the episodes you plan to make and the length of each episode in a season. As you build your audience, this plan is going to be extremely important. The audience will have expectations and you are expected to deliver, or you will fail to keep them for engage for long. Also, being consistent in airing schedule is an important factor to keeping your audience. Let them know about your airing dates from the very beginning and then don’t miss it. MAKE IT HAPPEN! 

Network with Other Filmmakers

If this brings peace to you, you're not the only one losing sleep over a lack of coverage by a latest episode. Here's a suggestion: network with other filmmakers in your neighborhood and around the world who could be much valuable resources in attracting a target audience to your show. It would be crazy to consider them as the competition and instead, you will have opportunity to reach out to them on their official pages over social media pages, such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn to develop mutually beneficial and meaningful relationships. Cross-promoting each other’s content on your personal and professional networks can give a boost to some serious new audience members.

Keep Your Facebook and Other Social Media Pages Updated Regularly

As soon as you release your new episode, or write a new blog post on your series, update your Facebook page and other vibrant social media pages. Fans want to see what the show is upto. If you have been nominated or have selected as an official selection to a web festival, put them on Facebook. Use the medium to showcase the bios of people involved in the series. You can also host contest related to the series, announce your next project and post behind the scenes videos and pictures and a lot more. This will help you earn more exposure for your web series.

One of the easiest ways to keep your fans involved is communicating to them, by answering questions and responding to their feedback and making them feel like they are part of the process.



Use Other Platform

Consider adding your series to as many sites, other than YouTube, that you possibly can. Think Vimeo, Daily Motion, Funny or Die, Web Series channel and many more sites out there, use them all.

And Advertise!

Hear this out; advertising is not a dirty word! It’s spreading the word about something great that you created. Spend a few hundred dollars on targeted Facebook, Google or Twitter ads, which will help your series become visible in front of new people. Just be sure to target your specific audience while you advertise.