How to Create Video Trailers on a Shoestring Budget
February 2018 Roundtable
Creating Book Video Trailers on a Shoestring Budget
Facilitated by Brian Whitney, Substantive Editor at Greg Kofford Books
The Basics
- You can make a book trailer for $100.
- Book trailers are becoming a more important marketing tool for books.
- On average, Greg Kofford Books gets about 5,000 views on its book trailers.
- Keep the video short (1.5–2 minutes)—use it as a teaser to entice people to read the book. Less than 1.5 minutes might not include enough content; 2 minutes is the cap for length on Twitter.
The Format
- Author interviews are particularly effective for scholarly books.
- Conduct a longer interview with an author.
- Use a largely open-ended format (a few predefined questions and then many follow-up questions in response to what the author says) to achieve greater authenticity. (People on social media prefer authenticity rather than overly polished content.)
- Edit down to the few most engaging sections.
- Use images (in addition to showing the author) to smooth transitions when jumping from one part of the interview to another part.
Equipment (Free/Low Cost)
- Recording software: Zoom is a good option (free version lets you record for up to 40 minutes; a typical interview for Brian is 8–10 minutes). You can download Zoom on your phone and use your phone to record the interview.
- Microphone: You need a decent microphone so you have high-quality audio.
- For in-person interviews, you can use a lapel microphone that plugs into your smartphone.
- For remote interviews, you can use a USB microphone. (The author will need one too.)
- Tripod: Set your smartphone on the tripod so your phone’s at the right height during the interview.
- Lighting: Choose a room with natural, even lighting. You could buy a lighting kit with tripod lights, but not necessary.
- Editing program: Programs like Filmora ($60) let you drag and drop files, incorporate images and sound, choose transitions and image motions (in general, you want to use images in motion, unless there’s text you want viewers to read), access templates etc. Various free programs are available, though perhaps not as user-friendly.
Images
- Make sure to select images that are free to use.
- Search Google for royalty-free images: At google.com, click on Settings>Advanced Search. In the drop-down menu next to Usage Rights, select Free to Use or Share, Even Commercially.
- Ideally, pick images with a resolution of around 1,000+ (some lower res will probably be okay—just make sure the image is crisp when in your video).
Music
- Use Free Music Archive to find royalty-free music in a variety of genres.
Exporting Finished Video
- After the video is finished, click the button in your video editing program to export to YouTube. Also export as an .mp4 file, which you can upload to Facebook.
- Don’t share YouTube videos on Facebook; Facebook doesn’t like promoting YouTube videos, so load the .mp4 file on your Facebook account. Pay for a little Facebook advertising to extend the reach of the video.