Hallmark Media is aware of you don’t look a content material reward horse within the mouth.
That’s why The Hallmark Channel and its sister networks will debut 33 motion pictures this vacation season. (And for Hallmark, the Christmas vacation season began Oct. 21.)
Audiences tune in by the thousands and thousands – 80 million watched no less than a part of one in 2021. And the films don’t require huge budgets.
And but, no Hallmark vacation film is all that unique. They share comparable plots. Some even share the identical lead actor (with a special character title and job). Solid members pop up in supporting roles throughout the lineup.
The formulaic content material works so properly that Lifetime, Netflix, HBO Max, GAF, Hulu, Uncover+, Peacock, and others have created their very own “unique” cavalcade of this vacation film style.
All of it combines to provide a present to content material entrepreneurs – rethink the concept you will need to create progressive or utterly unique content material to draw and maintain audiences.
#Content material have to be progressive to draw audiences, proper? The success of @HallmarkChannel components would possibly make you rethink this in #ContentMarketing, says @AnnGynn through @CMIContent. Click on To Tweet
The Hallmark film components
Love them, hate them, or don’t care, you’re most likely considerably aware of a Hallmark film plot:
- A girl experiences a life change and travels to a brand new vacation spot that’s imagined to be non permanent. It’s typically a visit to go to household or a short-term relocation for a piece mission.
- Whereas there, she encounters a problem – the household enterprise is failing, or the proprietor of a property her employer needs to accumulate doesn’t need to promote.
- She additionally encounters a person with whom she has a battle – a childhood classmate who wasn’t good to her, an individual who works for her employer’s competitor.
- As she works to resolve her problem, she discovers the person is useful or will not be the dangerous man she thought he was.
- The couple realizes they like one another.
- She decides to remain, and the film ends with a kiss.
(Sure, every one of these motion pictures characteristic a person and a lady within the lead roles, with Christmas because the central vacation. This 12 months, The Vacation Sitter turned the primary Hallmark film that includes a same-sex couple within the lead roles. And Hannukah has been the featured vacation in solely a handful of the flicks.)
Why does it work to inform variations of the identical theme each day for months and even all 12 months (Hallmark has expanded that storytelling mannequin from Christmas to all 4 seasons)?
Let’s discover how one can undertake a Hallmark method in your content material advertising.
1. Authentic content material isn’t (all the time) required
Take a web page from Hallmark’s script and spend much less time attempting to provide you with unique concepts and distinctive content material. Acquainted content material remixed into new packages works simply as properly and even higher to draw and develop audiences. Recognizable content material alerts make consuming content material simpler and set expectations for easy-to-understand and rewarding outcomes. (Hallmark motion pictures lend themselves to multitasking – you may simply catch up even in the event you don’t listen for a couple of minutes.)
I’m not suggesting that none of your content material belongings must be unique or thought-provoking. You continue to want so as to add your model’s distinctive spin and a special approach to the acquainted parts in your content material. Sprinkle in just a few unique concepts that can entice viewers members who all the time need one thing totally different whereas retaining those that depend on the acquainted to assist them heat as much as contemporary concepts and approaches.
Sprinkle unique ideas into your #ContentMarketing, however repeat acquainted parts, too. You may assist audiences heat as much as the contemporary concepts, says @AnnGynn through @CMIContent. Click on To Tweet
2. One story will not be essentially worthy of a marathon
Repeating a well-recognized tone, fashion, and story arc received’t assure content material success instantly. Hallmark aired solely 9 motion pictures in 2009 and added just a few extra every year till it went right into a Countdown to Christmas film marathon stretched over two months.
After you publish or air just a few items of content material primarily based on acquainted parts, stand again and have a look at your viewers’s response. Verify your analytics: What number of impressions or views does the content material get through the first week or month? How a lot time do readers or viewers spend consuming it? How often do they click on on the decision to motion?
Your analytics questions ought to join straight with the objectives of your content material advertising technique. As soon as you discover which content material sort, theme, or story arc resonates finest, double down on that components.
3. No spoiler alerts wanted – it’s OK for the viewers to understand how the story ends
All Hallmark motion pictures have glad endings. In the event that they didn’t, they won’t be as well-liked. Audiences benefit from the consolation of figuring out how issues will end up. They don’t have to fret an excessive amount of that issues will end up badly for the characters.
In advertising, case research play the same position. A model wouldn’t publish a buyer story that goes awry and stays unsolved. Audiences eat them although they know the result shall be optimistic. They need to know the story that introduced a profitable final result to the client. What downside did they should clear up? How did they seek for an answer? Why did they select yours? What advantages did they expertise from the answer? That’s the plot of a case research.
4. Acquainted faces assist
Hallmark motion pictures normally embrace a well-recognized face (or two). Most of the actors began their careers as youngsters – Lacey Chabert (Celebration of 5), Tamera Mowry-Housley (Sister, Sister), and Alison Sweeney (Days of Our Lives).
Hallmark additionally makes use of the identical lead actors – women and men – in a number of motion pictures in a single season. They merely swap out the pairings so the identical actress and the identical actor don’t play towards one another in the identical season. For instance, this 12 months, Andrew Walker did double obligation, starring in A Maple Valley Christmas on Nov. 5 and Three Smart Males and a Child on Nov. 19.
Audiences admire seeing faces they know. Take into consideration that includes acquainted faces – sources or storytellers – all through your model communications.
Should you do a photograph shoot for a buyer profile that runs in a digital publication, for instance, ensure that the client turns into one of many faces in your company web site. That method lets your viewers see somebody they might acknowledge out of your different content material and communicates an authenticity that inventory imagery can’t.
Or create a video collection with one particular thought chief as host or presenter in each episode.
TIP: Enhance upon Hallmark’s components for range. Right here’s the place I don’t advocate copying Hallmark. The channel’s lack of range in casting – particularly for lead roles – got here underneath criticism a few years in the past and even led to this 2019 Saturday Night time Reside skit. Since then, Hallmark has made some strides (although it nonetheless has an extended technique to go.)
5. Contemplate producing sequels to well-liked tales
Some Hallmark motion pictures show so well-liked that the channel creates annual sequels. Does any of your content material name out for sequels or perhaps a spinoff collection?
Should you’ve profiled individuals or companies, you can do a follow-up content material piece to see what has and hasn’t modified because you final advised their story. Likewise, if a podcast episode spikes your obtain or listening numbers, take into consideration “what’s subsequent” subjects and add them to the editorial calendar.
Or, in the event you discover somebody who shines in entrance of an viewers, take into account giving that individual a video or podcast present.
6. An even bigger viewers doesn’t require a much bigger price range
Hallmark vacation motion pictures entice about 80 million viewers for one vacation season, barely greater than Netflix collection like The Crown or The Witcher, which price rather more to provide.
Hallmark productions reuse taking pictures areas (simply as they reuse plot factors) and no matter else they’ll. They might get a package-deal low cost when actors’ contracts embrace a number of motion pictures, too.
Preserve this method in thoughts as you ponder tips on how to do probably the most along with your content material advertising price range. Discover the set of content material you’re planning and determine the sources you’ll must create it. Then, search for methods to save lots of by packaging manufacturing. For instance, in the event you’re planning to publish a month-to-month video, might you save money and time by writing all of the scripts and taking pictures them in a single batch? (You’ll want to contemplate whether or not your on-camera expertise ought to put on the identical garments or range their outfits.)
Or, if you’ll must rent freelancers to put in writing a number of tales over the following six months, you would possibly save time by discovering one certified author and making a single contract that covers all of the items. You may even ask for a bulk low cost.
7. Count on copycats
The appreciable success of Hallmark motion pictures prompted a number of copycats. This 12 months, Lifetime, Netflix, Peacock, Hulu, HBO Max, and others have dozens of those motion pictures. The rebranded Nice American Household community introduced in a former Hallmark government and a number of the Hallmark stars (together with Candace Cameron-Bure) to create a brand new lineup of films. Discovery+ took the films to a brand new degree, that includes two motion pictures with stars from The Meals Community property in minor roles. Heck, even QVC received into the vacation film enterprise with Holly & the Sizzling Chocolate streaming on QVC+.
Be flattered when different manufacturers recreate what you’re doing, however don’t relaxation in your (not-so) unique storytelling laurels. Even when your components nonetheless works on your viewers, mirror on what tweaks you can make to maintain your content material present, related, and but fairly acquainted to your viewers.
Do not relaxation in your storytelling laurels. Mirror on small tweaks to your components to maintain #content material feeling present, related, and (but) nonetheless acquainted, says @AnnGynn through @CMIContent. Click on To Tweet
Be careful
I’ll finish this text following the Hallmark mannequin and ship what you most likely anticipated – an unambiguous decision. Followers, non-fans, and even haters of the Hallmark mannequin can be taught rather a lot about what to do – and what to not do – by finding out its success.
The ethical of the story: Audiences wish to eat one thing acquainted. With a little bit of ahead pondering, you may create cozy content material that works for them and your model.
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Cowl picture by Joseph Kalinowski/Content material Advertising and marketing Institute
This text is an replace of the Dec. 19, 2021, model.
