How can I show you my first video ad?

[The Bass Bagwhan]

Thought I'd run it past you folksfor some objective opinions, but I can't upload it to my website because it's over the upload limit. I can do it through the CPanel/File manager ... but is there an easier way? Dropbox is one, but I thought someone here might have a better quick-and-easy idea.

Thanks!

[The Bass Bagwhan]

Hmm... occured to me I could maybe post it on my Facebook page and I'll have a link to the post to put here ... maybe? It's 70mb. Just over a minute long.

[Bill Hiatt]

It could be a nice way of advertising to your FB fans, but Dropbox is also fine. You can even use YouTube (in which case, if you also want it up on your website, you could relatively easily use a YouTube embed, depending on how it's hosted. It's generally better to use an intermediary like that than to display video directly on your website.)

[R. C.]

Why not a YouTube page? It's shockingly easy to link to the videos.

Here's mine: R C Ducantlin

R.C.

[The Bass Bagwhan]

I do have a YouTube channel. I'll figure it out, thanks. It's an exercise in considering aa Reddit ad...

[R. C.]

I do have a YouTube channel. I'll figure it out, thanks. It's an exercise in considering aa Reddit ad...

FYI - You may already know, if you don't make it public facing, you can limit access to the video YouTube.

R.C.

[Jeff Tanyard]

If you make a Youtube video "unlisted," then only those who have the link can see it.  If you want to limit viewers of your video to just us, then make it unlisted and then make a post here in a private subforum with the embedded video.

[The Bass Bagwhan]

Here we go, folks. I've just uploaded it, so it may take another ten minutes or so to be visible. It's designed to be used on a Reddit Horror Subreddit and appel to that specific demographic, but I suppose it can be used generally... Reddit gives me the option to link straight to the Amazon page, but I'll have a landing page with other books as well. Again, that's to target the Reddit readers who you'd hope will be keen to see more titles and info.

Link :

Cheers!

[Post-Doctorate D]

Papyrus?  You used Papyrus? 

Also, I feel like there are too many fonts.  Looks like three or four different ones where two complementary fonts would probably be best, IMO.

[The Bass Bagwhan]

Papyrus?  You used Papyrus? 

Also, I feel like there are too many fonts.  Looks like three or four different ones where two complementary fonts would probably be best, IMO.

Thanks, any font suggestions? Da Vinci Resolve hasn't a comprehensive selection.

Does anyone else agree? I'm looking for a "horror" font, but most are too gothic-looking and hard to read against a moving or complex background.

[Post-Doctorate D]

Some possibilities for horror:

Lettering Delights Horror Movie
Dark Wood Two
Rage Italic
Amatic
Blaze
Black Rose
Bloody

[Jeff Tanyard]

The music is cool, but I think something a little more "moody" might be more appropriate for horror.  For example, a snippet from this:

If you can find a free-to-use version of that Rachmaninoff piece, then try using a snippet of that and see how it works.

[Cabbages and kings]

I'm not an expert on trailers, but I think it conveys what it needs to.

I'm not an expert on music, but I did like the way the music synced with the title coming up.

[R. C.]

It's solid and on point for the genre. I'm not sure what the goal is for marketing. It feels more like a Trailer than an Ad ready for the socials.

Unsure of my opinion, I looked up the definitions.

Advertisement (Ad)

    Definition: Any paid promotion for a product, service, person, or event.
    Goal: To persuade an audience to take action (buy, subscribe, visit).
    Format: Highly varied (TV commercials, social media posts, billboards, radio spots, print).
    Content: Can focus on features, benefits, price, or brand identity.

Trailer

    Definition: A short promotional video (or audio) for an upcoming film, TV series, or game.
    Goal: To intrigue and excite potential viewers about the content of the upcoming media.
    Format: Typically video, ranging from short "teasers" to longer "full trailers" (2-3 mins).
    Content: Uses key scenes, dialogue, music, and editing to establish mood, introduce characters, and hint at the story, often making it feel more epic or fun than the actual film might be.

My two cents, if socials are your target, cut it in half. 

R.C.

[Bill Hiatt]

I confess I didn't notice the font issue until PDD pointed it out, but yeah, all the font switches could be an issue.

I agree that the first musical piece might be a little light for horror.

The problem with video ads (which I've wrestled with myself) is the length issue that RC points out. Social media attention spans are pretty short. On the other hand, it's hard to convey much in the thirty-second time range that he suggests. It could be done--if one was custom making a video for a ton of money. But with what stock footage and stock images are available, it's hard to anything that's going to blast people out of their seats, and that's practically what you'd need to make a thirty-second available (unless people are already familiar with you and your work). If you need to provide a bit more for a potential reader to latch onto, what can I say? There's only so much text you can get on the screen in 30 seconds.

For what it's worth, I've seen longer videos (longer than what we're allowed to us through the KDP version of AMS) by publishers on Amazon. Maybe they're just making a mistake, or maybe they have market research showing they can get away with more if the audience is targeted well enough.

[PJ Post]

Sorry, too much reading.

The audio needs to be louder, as well.

[alhawke]

Here's what I would do with it if I was editing it. Take my opinions with a grain of salt (I hope you were looking for opinions). Take a few of these ideas or ignore:

IMO I'd cut the vid to just the first 20sec or so before the guitar. Maybe put it on repeat with the cool echo. Use that as the meat of the ad with your book and leave it at that with mystery. I love the smoke effect and I think that's gold for this book trailer.

If you're going to have the field image, show it without any writing. But I don't particularly like this image. It looks very AI (is it AI)  If you choose to still use , cut the writing. And if you have writing, use the same font as the intro.

I'd also cut "a place to fear". I know this is your focal point but I'd simply use your book here.

I don't like the electric guitar in the music. BUT I really like the music at the beginning, particularly the stereo effects.  I recommend a loop of the same for 40seconds.

Decrease the writing as PJ suggested. Simplify it as much as possible as an ad. We think like writers when we do ads. People don't like writing in ads, that's been my experience.

[Lorri Moulton]

None of my video trailers are under 30 seconds.  I think you have a good start, but you might want to add some people or creatures, etc. for anything over 20 seconds.  Otherwise, the smoke and field work well.

Here's one I did for my WW2 short story.  It's a trailer rather than an ad, but it does get some people to take a look at the ebook.

[The Bass Bagwhan]

Thanks everyone, I don't think the length is much of an issue with the Reddit target demographic ? anyone who can read Stephen King's "The Stand" doesn't have attention issues.  But I was iffy on that cane field image, and it is hard to make the text clear against it, so I'm thinking it can be dropped and the timing of the texts shortened a little.
I composed and recorded the music myself ? it's a pretty straightforward piece and I can tweak the timing accordingly. I also didn't get too serious about the mix and mastering either just yet.
Apparently, video adds on Reddit are cheap with a good ROI because you can actually watch the video for "free". It's only clicking the action button/link that triggers a CPC. So people might watch the ad and decide without clicking through.