You’re marketing a film that doesn’t exist yet — and that’s exactly why you need to do it now.

The less finished the film, the more valuable early attention is. But most filmmakers wait until they have something “ready to show.” That’s the mistake.

My Experience With This

I’m a film trailer editor. I’ve cut trailers for films that screened at Edinburgh and Berlinale. And in almost every project, filmmakers tell me the same thing:

I don’t know where to start building buzz for a film I haven’t even finished.

They know a teaser can solve the problem. But then comes the real question: where do you show it? Who will watch it?

Let me tell you something most people won’t.

The Truth About Teaser Distribution

There is no single platform built for film teasers.

What you’re really looking for is to

place your teaser where your target audience already lives.

The platform doesn’t matter — the audience does. Here’s how to find them.

Step 1: Define Your Film in Two Lines

Identify two things:

• Genre — horror, drama, documentary, thriller, etc.
• Core storyline — one sentence describing what the film is about at its most human level.

Example: “A young woman escapes a small town.” Genre: horror.

Step 2: Research Films Similar to Yours

Search for films that share your genre and storyline. Then study two things:

Analyze their marketing: Do they post more on social media or rely on their website? Is their content video-heavy, photo-based, or text-driven? This gives you a direction for your own content format.

Analyze their audience: What are fans saying on the film’s social pages? What content do they repost most? This tells you where your audience is most active online.

Step 3: Build Your Film’s Social Presence

Create social media profiles for your film on the platforms where the majority of that audience lives.

The short-video platforms — Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts — are where most audiences discover and follow films they haven’t seen yet.

Start publishing before the teaser is ready:

• Production stills
• Behind-the-scenes moments
• Mini clips from scenes already assembled
• Relevant information about the film’s world or story

Build the audience first. Then drop the teaser into a room that’s already waiting for it.

Step 4: Release in Waves, Not All at Once

Once you have a growing audience, publish your first teaser. Let the buzz start.

Keep posting content as usual. Then drop a second teaser. This builds momentum with an ever-growing base — each release lands harder than the last because the audience is larger every time.

The Takeaway

There is no single platform for publishing teasers. There is only the platform where your specific audience gathers with other fans who share their tastes.

Find that place. Show up there first. Then release the teaser.

Want to See How This Looks in Practice?

I want to show you more examples of teasers I’ve done for other films — so you can get solid ideas for your own teaser strategy.

See teasers here