Social Media Marketing Tips from the Alphapanda Team for Arthouse Exhibitors • Arthouse Cinema Hub

Social media is the quickest and easiest way to market your cinema, but the rapidly evolving online landscape can feel overwhelming. In a crowded and confusing marketplace, what is the best social media platform to use? And with so much content competing for attention, how can you make sure that your carefully curated posts are reaching the right audiences?

Since 2011, marketing agency Alphapanda have established themselves as experts at harnessing social media to promote a variety of projects across the film industry, from Hollywood blockbusters to indie documentaries, festival darlings to film-related organisations. To mark European Arthouse Cinema Day 2025, Valentina Neumann and Mathias Noschis from Alphapanda delivered a workshop exploring how digital marketing can be used to enhance online visibility and audience engage for cinema exhibitors. Here are a few key takeaways from the session:

Every social media platform has different pros and cons, so it’s important to pick the right network for you depending on your goals, the titles you are screening and your target audience.

Instagram is the main outlet for film promotion today, and well positioned for targeting 25-45 year olds. The platform has pivoted towards reels in recent years, making it especially good for posting video content such as trailer, clips and interviews. Instagram users care about aesthetics, so well designed content and carefully curated images are key to reaching this audience.

Facebook has an aging audience (generally 35+) and is better placed for awareness campaigns rather than engagement, as the platform encourages less interactions and reactions. The majority of users treat Facebook as a newsfeed, and to get updates on their interests. Like Instagram, the platform is moving towards reels.

TikTok is a youth orientated platform, with a majority of users between 13-30 years old (although take up amongst adult audiences is growing). Compared to Meta platforms, ad spend is significantly lower, so the platform can facilitate more reach for the same budget. Organic reach and growth remains possible on TikTok, and following trends is essential if your aim is to go viral.

LinkedIn remains the primary network for B2B comms and targeting professionals. Ad spend is higher than on other platforms, but there is also a greater ability here to target specific industries and companies.

YouTube remains primarily an advertising platform, ideal for trailer promotion and pre-roll ads but with little opportunity for two way communication with audiences.

When you start using a social media network, it’s useful to establish a brand strategy and clear brand values. Work out which content is likely to require a template (e.g. brand announcements, film posters, contests) and what doesn’t (trailers, film clips, review visuals). Create the templates you’ll need using brand colours, your logo and any other defining elements, and don’t be afraid to adapt this regularly to keep your content fresh and engaging. Consistent posting is important for building audiences so use spreadsheets and scheduling software to plan posts in advance and to ensure a steady stream of content.

Each network utilises different algorithms, and it’s useful to understand how these work to ensure your content reaches the widest possible audience.

TikTok for instance, analyses user’s viewing habits and interactions (likes and follows) to suggest new content which is similar to previously viewed material. The platform pushes content that appears original, uses trending music or audio, is produced within the app, and generates an emotional reaction.

The Meta algorithm (which is still evolving) is more complex, focusing particularly on posts which get a lot of interactions (comments, likes and shares) and paid for ads. Meta will mostly prioritise material that has received interactions from friends, so favours content aimed at small, interconnected groups rather than larger, more generic target audiences.

There are lots of different kinds of content you can share. Traditional promotional material (trailers, posters, stills clips), interviews, announcements, reviews, original content from premieres or events, competitions, behind the scenes posts, and content about the cinema itself and your team, all have the potential to connect powerfully with audiences if used effectively.

On social media platforms, the aim is to create visuals and videos which will catch users attention and stop them scrolling. Short texts, with one message per post work best. Visuals and videos are most often presented in vertical and square formats. With Instagram reels and TikToks, short durations work best (less than a minute) and the first 3-5 seconds are the most important. Impactful thumbnails are also an essential part of social media videos.

The best way to grow your community is always through engaging content and organic interactions, rather than simply replying on paid advertising. You can do this by posting content which is relevant to your known audiences, and also by engaging with your peers and partners, such as local businesses, organisations in your area and even audience members themselves. Interact with posts from other organisations, and make the most of the possibilities offered by collaborative posting and tagging to encourage engagement.

You can also maximise your reach with existing audiences (and potential audiences) by creating adverts which are carefully targeted. For example, you can direct posts to those living locally to you cinema (up to 10km is effective). You can also focus your attention on users who have already engaged with your social media content (by playing one of your videos for instance) or who have already visited your website.

Differentiate between ages of target audiences depending on the platform you are using, and choose different interests for your chosen audience segments, geared to the nature of the particular film you are promoted. It’s generally better to be specific and precise, than to blanket target large audiences, for whom the content might be irrelevant. Using hashtags is another useful way to help you reach your intended audiences, outside of paid-for targeted ads.

Header image © Alphapanda