Routine Marketing to Help Sell a Script or Treatment

When all is said and done, script writing is a business. You are creating a product to sell, for a profit. Successful businesses employ marketing, to reach target audiences and make sales. Simple, right? Then you, trying to sell a script, need to add marketing skills to the array of skills you need to be successful in the business your are entering. Mailing queries and spec scripts to producers and assistants is part of the equation, because it’s like mail marketing your product to potential buyers. But this kind of hawking print materials is about selling a product – your Script or Treatment. Will it help sell a script if you sell yourself?

Limiting your scriptwriting career to your home may be wasting resources – especially if you live in Los Angeles and close to Hollywood where the industry thrives. Get out and market you and your name. You can improve chances of selling a script by networking and name branding within the industry. For example, attend industry events, no matter how small. Search industry trade publications for special events. Think about free public relations, such as submitting a letter to the editor of an industry publication, which comes with your name at the bottom along with whatever title you choose, such as “screenwriter.”

Select Marketing Tactics to Sell a Script or Treatment

Writing a script is, as you’re no doubt aware, only one of many parts of the process in selling a script. Marketing it to those who will decide to pay you for it is a major part. There are many other marketing tactics to choose from, including creating your own website, to having business cards and ensuring those business cards will be effective when you meet Hollywood decision-makers. Have you thought of attending as many free movie screenings as possible? The reason is, these screenings are often attended by industry insiders, people it couldn’t hurt to know. The more in the industry you know, the better the odds of selling your script or treatment.

How about asking local publications if you can write reviews of movies? As long as they agree to give you a byline, that gets your name out there among the industry folks who read such articles. You could also host seminars on script writing, by attending a few and borrowing their information and tactics. You don’t even have to charge a fee. You can use such events to send mailers throughout the industry, or place ads in industry publications to get your name known and brand yourself to help sell your script or treatment.

Name Recognition in Selling a Script or Treatment

When you submit your script or treatment, maybe, just maybe, the reader will recognize your name. Recognition of a brand, or name, regardless of why a person remembers it, can help. And most marketing tools mentioned above are not terribly expensive or time consuming. Prioritize, and perhaps tackle the easiest first to get the ball rolling. Remember, persistence and patience are key elements in selling a script or treatment for the first time. Some marketing campaigns take time to come to fruition and deliver results. Particularly branding campaigns.

For example, did you ever wonder why large companies like Coke or Chevy run general ads with no real “ask” in it, such as “Visit our dealership today and ask about our three-day sale.” Many major network television commercials don’t have any specials to hype. They run, and run often, just to continue to get the brand out there, to build name recognition. You can do the same to sell your script, concurrently with your writing. It does not have to cost too much, and the time exerted could very well result in a script sale that never would have happened without your extra efforts.