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Distribution: Building an Audience Online

People watched more than 10 billion videos online last year. Shouldn't some of those people be watching your stuff?

Thanks to the internet, audiences for video have skyrocketed. As a video producer, you can nurture your own audience for business or pleasure or both. Introducing lots of people to your videos has never been easier, too. We'll look at Social Networking tools (did you know that 40% of MySpace visitors are over 35?) and good ol' local connections to jumpstart your viewership. So, if you're excited about sharing your stories with more than the family (think thousands or even millions of viewers), then read on to find out the best ways to build an audience online.

With all the future effort you'll be putting into building your audience, you ought to make sure that you showcase your best videos. The saying goes, "Content is king," and it holds true for building an audience on the web. Make sure your video grabs the viewers' attention; if you simply pull five minutes out of your 56-minute documentary and post it on the web, chances are that your viewers will not have enough information to be engaged. Instead, create a unique video like a teaser to spark interest. Web video traditions, like abundant use of the closeup shot (CU) and the static locked-down shot are still here, but better online video compression and larger video windows could change this. With Vimeo and YouTube offering high-resolution widescreen video, you can engage your viewers with detailed moving images.

For more info on video compression, be sure to check out earlier Videomaker Distribution articles, Compressing the Goods, January 2008, and Stellar Video, Just Smaller, December 2008. Building an audience is difficult if your audience isn't interested in your vi…