Tailor the trailer to your audience's familiarity, engagement and motivations
As a game trailer and commercial screenwriter with 10 years of experience, i've learned that creating truly effective trailers goes beyond just understanding your audience's age, gender, social status and interests. to craft trailers that resonate deeply with your target audience, you need to dig deeper and uncover three key insights that will guide your creative decisions.
What key audience insights will make your trailer more effective?
To create a truly engaging and effective trailer, you need to understand your target audience inside and out. but what specific insights should guide your creative decisions?
Your game's core target audience provides the essential foundation for understanding their tastes, interests and the techniques that will resonate with them.
This knowledge is more about how you will craft your trailer - the form it will take.
But we also need to understand what specifically we need to say. This is more about what you will show in your trailer.
I'm talking about familiarity, engagement and motivations of players. This information is often not mentioned in briefs, but without it, an effective trailer cannot be made.
Familiarity: is your audience new to the game?
Yes:
Focus on introducing core concepts and unique selling points. Provide a clear, engaging overview without assuming prior knowledge. Emphasize the game's most accessible and appealing aspects.
No:
Highlight new features or content that will excite existing fans.
Acknowledge and reward their loyalty and investment in the game.
Offer a fresh perspective or surprising twist to reignite their interest.
Familiarity: is your audience familiar with the game's universe?
Yes:
Highlight new features, characters, or storylines that expand the established world.
Capitalize on existing emotional connections and anticipation for the next installment.
No:
Introduce the game's universe and key concepts in an accessible way.
Emphasize the unique aspects that set this game apart from others.
Create a strong sense of intrigue and curiosity about the world.
Level of engagement: is your audience actively following the game and seeking more info?
Yes:
Dive deeper into the game's unique features, showcasing how they enhance the gameplay experience.
Highlight the most anticipated elements, such as new characters, locations, or storylines, that fans are eager to see.
Tease the evolution of beloved mechanics or the introduction of fresh, game-changing systems.
Offer a glimpse into the game's expanded lore, hinting at how it will shape the overall narrative.
No:
Focus on creating a compelling hook that grabs their attention and sparks curiosity.
Emphasize the game's most unique, exciting, or relatable aspects to generate interest.
Use eye-catching visuals, intriguing narratives, or memorable characters to make a strong first impression.
Provide a clear and concise overview of the game's core features and appeal.
Motivations and expectations: what drives your audience to play games like yours? (escapism, competition, socializing, etc)
Highlight the key features, experiences, or emotions they seek.
Align your messaging with their primary motivations.
Motivations and expectations: what do they expect from a game in this genre or series? (gameplay mechanics, story, characters, multiplayer, etc.)
Deliver on core expectations while offering fresh, exciting twists.
Subvert expectations in a way that feels rewarding and innovative.
By tailoring your trailer to your audience's familiarity, engagement, and motivations, you'll create a video that truly resonates and inspires action.