Master The Art Of Book Trailers With These 7 Essential Tips

Sure, good writing can keep readers hooked, but are you sure the same would work online? The internet has lots of distractions, so relying only on text won’t cut it. You might not know this, but making a cool book trailer for your new book can help.

Yes, you read that right – trailers aren’t just for movies anymore. Some writers create exciting book previews to get people excited about their new books. But we get it: making videos might not be your thing if you’re a writer.

So, if you’ve never made a promotional video before, making a good book promo might seem tough. Don’t worry, though. With the right tips, you can do it well the first time. Luckily, this article has all the info you need to make a great book preview.

But First, Let’s Talk About Why Creating A Book Trailer Is A Smart Move?

For starters, a book promo is super flexible. You can use it on your social media, at book signings, and other events. Additionally, it helps people remember your book better. When the audience watches it, they get a quick idea of what your book is about and who you are as the author. So, when they’re browsing at the bookstore, they’re more likely to notice your book.

And finally, lots of people spend a ton of time on the internet. Sharing your book online means more people see it, engage with it, and might even buy it. In fact, videos make up a big chunk (82%) of what people watch online – that itself speaks volumes about the consumption of video content!

Market Your Book The Right Way: 7 Essential Tips For Creating A Book Trailer To Entice Your Readers

• Captivate The Viewers From The Beginning

Think of your book trailer’s first moments, like the opening lines of a book’s first chapter. How many times have you gone back and edited those lines to make them perfect? The beginning of chapter one is really important because it needs to grab a reader’s interest right away. That’s exactly how previews work, too!

Suspense and curiosity might work well in your book, but for previews, the first few seconds decide whether an individual wants to watch it further or just keep scrolling. So, make sure you give them something that catches their eye and steals their attention!

Maybe there’s a special dialogue in the story that could do the magic. Or a scene you can start your video with that will make people go, “Hmm, I want to know more…” and then you can build on that.

• Don’t Deviate From The Tone Of Your Book

Just like when you design a book cover in UK, think about the mood and style of your book when making the teaser. When someone watches your book trailer and then reads your book, they should feel like they match.

For example, if your book trailer has funny parts, the reader will expect your book to be funny too. If your book has more than one type of genre, show that in the preview as well. For instance, if your book is both a romance and a thriller, use romantic and mysterious parts in the clip. This can also help your book appeal to a wider group of people.

• Let It Flesh Out From Your Premise

Your clip should tell a story that’s not quite complete. The goal is to give people a taste of your book’s idea and crave them for more.

To figure out what your trailer’s main “story” should be, look at the work you’ve already done for the back cover or sales description. You want to pick out the most interesting parts of your story that can grab viewers’ attention without giving away too much.

It can be a bit tricky because sometimes “less is more” might not apply. You need to provide enough information so that anyone watching understands what your book is about, but don’t give away everything.

• Make Sure It’s Not Lengthy

If a promo is too long, like more than a couple of minutes, people might get bored and stop watching. Wondering how long the video should be? Well, it depends on where you’ll share it. For instance, people on YouTube might be okay with longer videos, but on TikTok, shorter ones work better. But be careful not to make it too short, either. If it’s too short, it might not deliver your message effectively or make people interested in buying your book.

• Write A Proper Script

This might sound unnecessary, but don’t overlook it. Even if your book trailer is mostly music with words on the screen, you should treat it like a script.

Write it all down from the beginning to the end until you’re happy with how the information is revealed to the viewer. In other words, you should plan out your video a bit. Once that’s done, start making it better.

Using a script format for your video’s content can help you stay organized. Plus, it makes it easier to notice if something is missing. For example, maybe the narrator is talking about something too soon in the preview, or maybe the words on the screen don’t flow smoothly. If you catch these problems early on, it can save the UK book trailer maker from a lot of trouble.

• Include Your Characters

A lot of book previews try to be all artsy and abstract, focusing on big ideas instead of the actual story. But we believe that’s a mistake. Stories are great and all, but it’s the characters in them that make them feel real. Your trailer shouldn’t be any different.

This doesn’t mean your entire clip should be about the main character, even though there’s nothing wrong with that, either. But the people watching should at least know who the main characters are when they walk away from it! This applies to non-fiction books too! In those cases, the author can be like the main character in the prevue, so viewers have someone relatable to connect with.

• Conclude With A Soft CTA

It’s important to include a “Call to Action” at the end of the teaser. But you don’t have to be too pushy about selling. You can say things like “Find out more” or “Available at xyz (Wherever you’re selling the book).” In other words, don’t make it all about marketing. If you do, your book trailer might feel like just another ad and lose the artistic and entertaining touch it could have.

Bottom Line

As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into a book trailer. And we didn’t even cover all the technical stuff in this article! But hey, we’re not telling you this to scare you off. Remember, if you do it well, it’s worth it.

It’s tough to catch people’s attention these days, but video is still one of the best ways to do it. So, use these tips to start creating a fantastic preview that perfectly aligns with the tone and mood of the amazing book you’ve already written!