The recent Tubemogul study shows that audiences rapidly decline from the pilot to the second episode.  Even Michael Eisner's high profile Prom Queen went from 405,000 views to 38,000 while the average of the 50 highest profile web series' decline a whopping 64%.

What's going on here?  What are "we" (online video producers) doing wrong that JJ Abrams and other traditional TV producers are doing right?  Why is there "Must See TV" but not "Must See Online Video"?
How can we utilize the tools around us to build an audience without a Hollywood P&A budget?  Try these six tips:

#1 - Start a conversation.  Things spread very quickly via the social networks.  Got a Facebook page?  Twitter handle?  Start talking about your show.  With inexpensive guerilla media (ala Blair Witch), a slick web site, and some creativity you can build a little buzz and have that spread quickly electronically.  Have something unique about this series?  Do you have a star involved?  Is there a hook somewhere?  Are you giving something away?  How can you make this THE series that everyone is talking about?  Online the water cooler effect is multiplied many times.  Make sure to take advantage of this to build out the word as much and as fast as possible.  (But what will you talk about?)

#2 - Keep them coming back for more.  Most films have declining box office after the first weekend.  Only a few really good films can continue to pick up box office after the first weekend (i.e. this year's Slumdog and famously Greek Wedding and Napoleon Dynamite); which plays toward a combination of #1 and #2.

Once you market it, the content has got to be good.  Especially web video which is exacerbated by the ADD of computer users.  Episodics on TV have 44 minutes to build a story arc that has some kind of closure and then end with a hook for you to watch the next one.  With half hour shows its more difficult since you have less time to set up your story.  With web content, even harder.  You have 2 minutes to achieve everything that it takes the "professionals" in 44 (or 22) minutes.  Dan Brown the author of the Da Vinci Code does this very well.  Each chapter is a few pages.    You read Chapter 18 and it ends on a cliff hanger.  So you flip ahead and notice that Chapter 19 is only a few pages.  "okay, one more chapter."  Chapter 19 ends on cliffhanger and you see that Chapter 20 is 5 pages.  One more.  Chapter 20 ends on a cliffhanger and Chapter 21 is 4 pages.  Next thing you know, its 5am, and you are on Chapter 147 and done with the book.  Damn you Dan Brown.  Create this hook and you'll have customer for life.  TV Execs know this.  That's why the biggest advertiser on TV is .... TV!

#3 - Engage!  Get Interactive and engage your audience beyond the video.  ABC's Lost has a blog, a wiki, and tons of ancillary properties that let you get 'lost' inside of its content.   American Idol lets you call in and determine the fate of the contestants.  Deal or No Deal let's you text in to win $10,000.  What can you do?  Online, lots of interesting things you can do like creating contests, choose your own adventure, games....Who killed JR?  Where's Waldo?  Clue.  (Plug: You can do some really cool things with our platform KlickableTV.)

#4 - Create Urgency.  How do you get someone to watch your content...TODAY?  Web content lives forever right?  Since we just don't know when things will tip, how can we forecast when people will come watch?  Releasing regularly is important.  Make sure that everyone knows that the new episode will go up on Wednesdays at 4pm.  Along with Rule #3, perhaps whoever solves the crime wins a (fill in the blank).  See SamHas7Friends where the killer would be revealed on a certain date.  First one to figure it out wins.  If you are able to carry an audience across 50+ episodes once a week, you bet that people will talk about it.  Lost has kept me engaged for the last five years!  

#5 -Show Don't Tell.  We've heard this one before and for web video it rings truer than ever.  Video is a visual medium not an auditory one.  We want to see things happen not hear them.  Depending on your audience, some people won't even have their volume on!  SHOW your character development instead of HEARING it.  We only have a few seconds to hook someone in and to KEEP their attention.  Don't think that you can get "dialoguey" in minute 2.  Fickle users can leave at anytime.

#6 - Get lucky. "Luck is preparation meeting opportunity."  Show up and tell everyone you know about your web series.  You never know who you mgiht run into.  They might run a popular blog, they might be the editor of a popular webisode guide, they might  even happen to be Campbell Scott (who was pitched Dylan Kidd's Roger Dodger because he carried the script with him).  You just never know!

Hope this helps in our neverending quest to build audience!  Please share with us how you've been successful!

Photo by balleyne