Why Most Book Trailers Are Awful & How Yours Can Be Different

My first book trailer was awful. The second one was great. And the third was even better. What made the difference? The way we approached the process.

For my first book, I met with a video crew and stared awkwardly into a camera for five minutes, talking about myself. I didn’t have any experience as a speaker and didn’t understand what a good trailer was supposed to do.

Not surprisingly, it flopped.

With the second trailer, I didn’t do any of that. My publisher provided a top-notch video editor, I wrote a compelling script, and we kept it short. It went over like gangbusters. Here’s why:

We made it about the reader, not the author. In fact, I wasn’t even in it, which was good. Every person wants to believe they’re the hero of their own story, so we spoke to that desire.
We talked about the idea behind the book, not the book itself. Most people don’t want to buy books. They buy solutions to their problems, so we addressed a universal struggle.
We didn’t tell people to read the book, we invited them into a movement. Everyone wants to feel like they’re a part of something important, something bigger than themselves, so we piqued their interest with an invitation. If they buy into the movement, they’ll buy the book.

Most book trailers aren’t that good. Okay, that’s generous. Most book trailers are lame. They’re boring and insulting to the reader. Just like a good book cover, a trailer should respect its audience.

Why am I sharing this?

Because I love books and hate seeing them represented so poorly. Which is why I was excited to see this trailer for my latest book. I think it satisfies all three of the criteria above, but I’ll let you judge for yourself.

And whether you ever produce a book trailer or not, remember that successful marketing is all about making others the hero, promoting a worthy idea instead of selling a product, and inviting the audience into a movement.

Don’t forget: there are only three weeks left to pre-order my new book and get it for free when you pay $6.99 in shipping. If you do it today, you get access to a private community, workbook, and free online course. Get started here.

What do you think makes for a good book or movie trailer? Share in the comments.