The Role of Social Media in Promoting OTT Content

Social media platforms synergize beautifully with OTT content. If you're looking to expand your OTT audience, social media is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal. How can you leverage social media to increase viewership and retention? Consider a few social media strategies that other successful creators have used.

The Role of Social Media in Promoting OTT Content

Cast a Wide Net to Catch More Viewers

One of the biggest advantages of social media is that your content can reach a wider audience. Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok spread content to millions of viewers. Even with a successful OTT channel, your reach is limited by the number of users on any single platform. Roku, for example, has over 80 million regular users, while Instagram's users measure into the billions. This is one of the main reasons we recommend publishing your OTT videos on multiple platforms.

By using social media, you can attract more attention to your OTT content. However, differences in format mean you need to employ different strategies. If you just try to repost your existing OTT material on social media platforms, you won't get the best results.

Preview Your Content to the Masses

Creating content previews can be a great way to drive more traffic to your OTT channel. Pick the best snippets of your latest uploads and package them into short videos under a minute long. Vertical 9:16 format is recommended for Reels, Shorts, and TikTok.

Make sure to tell viewers where they can go to find your full-length content. You may want to overlay this information during the whole video. If you wait until the final few seconds, many viewers will have already moved on to the next video.

Boost Engagement With Fans

Social media platforms make it easy to connect with fans directly through live video, polls, and comments sections. Ask your audience what their favorite moment was from your latest episode, or start a fiery debate about two characters. The more you get people talking about your content, the more social media algorithms will push your posts to a wider audience.

If your talent is directly involved in your social media posts, that can drive engagement even further. Hearing directly from on-air performers helps build a closer relationship with your audience. You can also use social media to promote merchandise or run contests. This not only drives engagement but also boosts your sales.

Create a Positive Feedback Loop Between OTT and Social Media

The synergy between social media and OTT goes both ways. Once you have a strong social media presence, you can use your OTT videos to drive people towards your social media content, creating a positive feedback loop. For example, if you create a poll on Instagram, you could overlay a QR code on screen during your OTT video to direct viewers right to that post. TV shows have done this for years with SMS, but it's even easier with OTT.

The key to success in online media is growing your audience. To get help expanding yours, schedule a callback with Lightcast.com.