Before launching your new mediaproject... You should know

1. YOUR NEW MEDIAPROJECT
KEEP AUDIENCE OUT OF ANABIOSIS
!
some rules
and my experience

2. CONTENT IS THE KING
but… there is no king without the QUEEN
And the QUEEN is the audience

3. HOW TO FIND THE QUEEN?
Everything starts with… the gaps
Not with the idea

4. WHY NOT WITH IDEA?
Because the audience is the QUEEN. Not idea
IDEA
AUDIENCE
NEEDS
SUCCESS…?
IDEA
AUDIENCE
NEEDS
SUCCESS…!
There are 2 ways to design
and develop your new
media project:
!
1st - you find the idea, then
find the need (the gap)
which it covers, then ferret
out what kind of audience
this need belongs. You
launch your media and
hope for success… maybe
your idea would be really
useful = successful
!
2nd - you find the need (the
gap), then ferret out what
kind of audience this need
belongs, then develop the
idea which cover this need
and launch your media. This
option guaranties you 90%
success, because your idea is
useful from the get go

5. WHAT’S THE
DIFFERENCE?
VS
At the 1st option you cherish
your creativity
At the 2nd - you do business
!
But… They say there is a
kind of opposition between
this too positions…
!
I let you find the bottom of
the well…
THERE IS NO VERSUS between
CREATIVITY and BUSINESS
!
It’s all from the literature
tradition of XVIII-XIX cents.
When it was a king of
prestige to be “unsuccessful
but genius”, living at poor
cock loft and writing really
great novels about the same
losers…

6. ALL “VS” ARE ONLY
IN YOUR OWN MIND
TWEAK IT
ALL YOU WANT
That writers were really
talented in writing but know
nothing about promotion and
doing business… That’s why
they weren’t successful while
alive… and there were not
any “inspiring psychology” 200
years ago: nobody could
teach them how to THINK and
how to promote themselves
!
But we used to believe the
novels and writers, and we
studied their bios, and we
decided that “unappreciated
genius” - is the law,
consistent pattern, legitimacy
!
NO!
All THIS DOUBLE ASPECT
THEORY IS ONLY IN OUR MIND

7. CREATIVITY CAN BE
BUSINESS EFFECTIVE
BUSINESS CAN BE
VERY CREATIVE
It’s up to you

8. WHAT ARE THE QUEEN’S NEEDS?
Finding the gaps

9. BEWARE OF
RESEARCHES!
THEY WANTED:
Men 14-45
brutal and would-
be-brutal
!
THEY GOT:
Women 13-25
romantic and
emotive
Research is not a panacea…
Even if all sociologists tell
you that your TV-series
contains all manly and
brutal images: guns,
soundtracks, absolutely
“rock-car” and almost
everything attractive for men
audience…
!
Nobody tell you about secret
girl’s fantasies… What all
girl-viewers of this series are
dreamed about? You maybe
won’t believe, but they
dreamed about Sam and Dean
were gay couple in real life
!
Men said “What?!” and mostly
declined Supernatural
!
Google will help you with
more information ;)

10. HOW TO USE THIS KNOWLEDGE
That example means that first of all you should FEEL
And feeling of your audience is not a science and not
mathematics
And you must imagine different kind of your viewers
watching your project - how do they do it? How they react?
By the way… Had you ever watched “The Supernatural?”
Could you imagine brutal rocker about 36-38 yo, bearded,
in bandana with skulls, with can of beer, slouched in an
old farther’s armchair and… watching “The Supernatural”
TV-series?…
Emmm… yes… I can’t too…

11. MORE DEEPER NEEDS -
MORE SUCCESS
Close fundamental needs!
Do you really think that dating sites are
really for sex?
The Night of ADeaters - is really for your
admiration with results of others creativity?
Love lines in TV-series are really for your
erotic fantasies?
NO… all this is for…
your escape from loneliness
Don’t try to close local or
temporary needs… don’t run
for trendy interests
!
Look for fundamental,
ground psychological
structure of people. Only if
you close it, your content
would have long life
!
To find such fundamental
needs you should ask only
ONE question but to all of
your next answers
!
WHY?
WHY??
WHY?!

12. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE
NEEDS
WHY?
WHAT FOR THEY SHOULD BE YOUR AUDIENCE?
!
Pyramid of Questions
Extremely concrete answers
Minimum of words in the answers
!
What does it mean?
WHY anybody should wants to
watch your content?
!
WHY will your content should
be interesting?
!
Creators prefer to answer:
- because it’s entertaining
- because it’s informative
- because it’s beautiful
- because it’s… bullshit!
!
Disneyland is more
entertaining than any
content…
News cast or Reuters are more
informative than any media
startup…
Louvre contains more beauty
than any web site…
!
The point is all that answers
are too general

13. WHY SHOULD THEY
WATCH?
- Because they love football
- So what? WHY should they WATCH YOUR CONTENT?
- Because they want to know football score.
- WHY SHOULD they WATCH YOUR CONTENT?
- We will show them the score…
- Only you will show?
- Not exactly…
- So WHY should they WATCH YOUR CONTENT?
- Because they want to watch the goals again and again. “Replays” are
not enough for football fans. We will give them the opportunity.
- OK… So… Why?
- They will watch because the WHANT TO KNOW! MORE and BETTER
than other fans! They will. With help of our content.
That’s what I call Pyramid of
Questions.
You should ask again and
again: WHY YOUR CONTENT?
And you should stop asking
only when you find the most
deep need - the GAP, which you
fill with your content
In this example “TO KNOW MORE
and BETTER THAN OTHERS” -
the most deep and suitable
need.
If we dig more deeper, we find
out even 2 mostly deep layers:
1) TO KNOW and 2) TO BE THE
BEST…
Audience will never analyse
your content and their own
needs
YOU MUST DO It

14. WHY SHOULD THEY
WATCH?
NIKE TV:
DONT TALK ABOUT SNEAKERS, TALK ABOUT
BASKETBALL…
…which is better to play in our sneakers!
Your business goal could be
hidden in “readable” deep
needs which you cover with
your content
!
people love sports because
it’s not only about the health
but about the VANITY too
!
They love to watch and
imagine that there is their
own success
!
They what to be like
basketball stars
!
How can they be? Or at least
look like?
!
Yes. People can wear the
same clothes and shoos
!
Sure! They’ll buy it

15. QUEEN’S HABITS
Trends of mediaconsumption

16. MEDIACONSUMPTION
1. Discreteness (nonlinearity)
2. Sketchy (scrappy) watching (on the go)
3. The principle of the three "A" -
Anything, Anywherе, Anytime
4. Small-format trends
5. The Three Screens concept
6. Binge-viewing
7. Eager for STORIES (serials)
!
What is all bullets about and what to
do with them?

17. 1. DISCRETENESS
(NONLINEARITY)
This is not new, but nowadays it’s the absolute:
The viewer does not allow to impose him a
regime of watching
Program guide works only for old audience,
who doesn’t know how to handle with online
content and where is such content generally
lives…
Young and progressive viewer has been diving
into online broadcasting platforms with VOD or
“by-tag-formed” playlists content
BUT…

18. 2. SCRAPPY WATCHING
But… people watch on
the go
When they have “a free
minute”
Waiting for a train, or
in the queue in a bank,
or while having a lunch
!
This implies the
following principle:

19. 3. PRINCIPLE OF
THREE “A”
Anything, Anywhere, Anytime
!
Absolutely technical part: care
about all existing platforms,
browsers and mobile OSes
!
And the next principle starts here:

20. 4. SMALL-FORMAT STORIES
Maximum duration of regular internet format
(webisodes, newscasts etc):
5
minutes
of irregular (any creative videos - not series):
3
minutes
If longer - there is a risk that your content
won’t been watched to the end. So…

21. COMPRISE YOUR STORY INTO 1 MINUTE (URL)
yes, you need ultimate concentration of
creative energy… BUT beware:

22. 50 seconds for 3 months or more longer (URL)
get ready:
efficiency coefficient is always extremely low

23. ONLY MASTERPIECES CAN AFFORD TO BE LONGER
for example this 8-minutes life story of humanity (URL)

24. 5. THE THREE SCREENS CONCEPT
people use use all
their devises at the
same time for
various purposes
chatting
watching
gaming
editing pics of
lovely kitties
whatever else…

25. SOMETIMES THERE ARE 4
SCREENS

26. HOW TO USE THIS KNOWLEDGE
WHERE? At the kitchen while
breakfast along? Or with the
family? At the office waiting for
coffee near coffee-machine? Alone
or with colleagues? In the metro
train?
ON WHAT DEVICE? Cell phone?
Tablet? Laptop? Or, maybe TV-set?
Would they need earphones? Which
resolution will be enough? And for
the fastest loading?
Knowing the principle of three of four screens make you to figured
out HOW would your viewers consume your content:
CONJOINED OCCUPATION? WHAT ELSE
COULD YOUR VIEWERS DO WHILE
WATCHING?
Because they will. Weather you wish or
not. they will. Help them not to go far
from your story
Maybe you can suggest them chatting
topics according to your content?
Community? Extras? Subcontent for
other devices? THINK ABOUT IT
Unfortunately nobody does

27. THE THREE SCREENS CONCEPT
FOR BIG FORMATS: 90x90
90% KILLING
!
!
90% probability that
the viewer will lose
the narrative thread
and be bored with
your damn long show
90% SAVING
!
!
90% of probability that
the viewer will find
how to occupy himself,
and won't switch over
to another channel
BUT!
at the same time:

28. BY THE WAY…
How about long formats?
Are they really ready for itself funeral?

29. 6. BINGE-VIEWING
LONG-PLAY STORIES
The most interesting trend of
mediaconsumption…
TV-series exists more than 30
years, web exists not more less
time. But only 3-4 years ago the
Binge-viewing trend appeared…
I consider the fragmented
thinking, kaleidoscope thinking
as the main reason of Binge-
viewing
The point is that our mind is
tired to be switched on and off
and over every 2-3 minutes. Our
mentality strive to relax
And good long story is the best
way to calm down after constant
switching during the entire day…
Maybe that is the reason of
mostly afternoon or night Binge-
viewing

30. 7. SO… PEOPLE ARE EAGER FOR STORIES
Long-play, well-designed, well worked out
and absolutely “well done”

31. HOW TO MERRY THE QUEEN?
Close the gaps

32. WELL… HOW?… WHAT ARE
THE QUEEN’S NEEDS?
Why there are so few successful media
about nature?
!
'My dear lady, alligators love
alligators, plants love plants, but
people love people. When alligators and
plants buy magazines, we'll do a
magazine on nature.'
William Randolph Hearst

33. William Randolph Hearst
All media are still living by his laws

34. HEARST’S LAWS
Hearst said that any journalist’s
material should contains an appeal to
basic human instincts:
!
1. Reproduction (sex and children)
2. Self-preservation (risk/safety)
3. Vanity (about something THE BEST.
Appeal to "social instincts”)
…do you recognise
this structure of needs?

35. MASLOW-HEARST
Yes, I really consider
that William Hearst and
Abraham Maslow were
talking about the same
things but from different
points of view
And I’m not alone, I
guess
Think about it too

36. SOMETHING IMPORTANT ABOUT
THE WORDS
How to “fit” the Hearst’s laws

37. MODULATING WORDS
“Modulation is the process of varying one or more properties
of frequency signal with a modulating signal that typically
contains information to be transmitted” what is it about?
There are different “lexical kits” for appealing to different
instincts and to “switch” viewer between them. Some of such
words:
1. Reproduction: beauty, young girl, long legs, curvy,
baby, shorty, sexy, attractive…
2. Self-preservation: safe, dangerous, beware, anger,
attention!, cunning, homicide, treacherous and so on…
3. Vanity: the key modulating word is THE BEST and…
THE WORST… Also - the most famous, the most rich,
the most important, absolute, ultimate, hardline,
shocking, odious etc…
All these words start some
processes in our mind. In all
of us. In my brain too ;)
!
This is universal mental and
psychical principle: to attend
definite way on definite words
!
Use these carrots to elicit a
response
!
You can describe one situation
in thousands of various key
words from various “lexical
kits” and get hundreds
variations of stories… because
of dozens emotions that key
words induce…
!
This is the “psychical
mechanics,” which every mass
media use…

38. PERCEPTION
Some Ground Rules
Emotion!
Final!
Duration!
Intonation!
Reality!
Story Development Potential!
Only emotions stays in memories
for entire life. Not knowledges.
Make emotional stories
You should know the final of
your story from the very
beginning. Exactly the final
commit emotions in our
memories
Don’t be too long… put your story
in 3 minutes
Use emotional speech! But music
has it’s own intonation too. Use
proper voices with proper music
Take your scenes or plot from
real life, or make it recognisable
for the audience. Make them
think: “yeah! I know such
feeling…” They will believe you
more in this case
Give to story potential for
sequel. Don’t forget that people
are thrust of stories!

39. AND ONLY YOUR THINKING
MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL
keep it in your mind

40. FINE TUNING OF
THE BRAIN
Watch!!! Look for references of the great content - gather
collection
Stole the ideas!
Mix formats, but don't use more then 3 in one video
Carry out experiments - try to repeat the references!
Gather feedback - your audience can make a good advice
Start with small formats
Engage in self-reflection: look at the world through the lens of
"how would I shoot it?"
Find out the FINALS - imagine various finals for any scenes in
life around you
Not any externals can stop
you when your confident of
success
!
All breaks are in your mind
!
You should develop your
successful and professional
thinking!
!
The brain is the muscle. Train
it, tune it and you will see
how your point of view will
change, and how your
understanding of your
audience will appear
!
Don’t be lazy! If you want to
make smash audiovisual
content you SHOULD analyse
any other successful
examples!

41. Alina Belkovskaya
!
!
Executive TV Producer
Digital October Group
Moscow, Russia
!
sheftv@gmail.com
facebook.com/alina.belkovskaya
Thanks a lot!
And GOOD LUCK!