Here are the new rates for FestBlast:
DISCOUNTED RATES
Save over 50% on our listed ad prices by reserving now!
Featured Area ($500 Value) - $95
Deadline Listing ($25 Value) - $15
Event Listing ($25 Value) - $10
Bottom Banner ($300 Value) - $50
I was tempted. In fact, I had decided to do it. FestBlast has 36,542 filmmakers in their database. Our database is just shy of 10K. So, I was thinking that I could increase my numbers 3x+, plus chances are very good that we have very little duplicates between the lists. A deadline blast would only cost $15, so what's there to lose? Right.
Then I went to pay. I'm thrifty. So whenever I'm about to pay I always try to come up with all scenerios to ensure the money is being well spent. I realized that I had decided not to add more emails to my database as it would increase the subscription rate by $13 per month. But... FestBlast is $15. Which would bring better profit margins? ie. More subscriptions.
FestBlast (to my understanding) is owned by Chris Hyams from Bside. Therefore the lists (FestBlast/Bside'sBlast) are probably created from the same database. I get tons of blasts from both Bside and FestBlast. It's annoying and I very rarely open them. Maybe on two occassions I've open an blast from either service. The blasts come often. If most people feel as I do about them then the emails are probably not read very often. Another thing... who uses Bside? Festivals, filmmakers(?) and film-goers, right? Therefore, by the time a filmmaker makes it to becoming a bside subscriber is he/she still an active submitter or are they now onto their festival run?
I then went onto Alexa - it's a service that will tell you where a site ranks amongst other sites.
StrasbourgFilmFest.com (Our fest website) current stats are:
1 month avg 2,878,287
3 month avg 3,236,696
FestBlast.com
1 month avg 6,210,520
3 month avg 3,147,762
Lower numbers are higher rankings. Therefore SiFF's ranking of 2.8 million is far higher than FestBlast's ranking of 6.2 mil for this month. That's not a good sign. Here are the numbers for WAB.
Withoutabox.com
1 month avg 112,143
3 month avg 100,592
Now WAB's numbers are a good sign!
SiFF's ranking is high because we just came off a fest. FestBlast's low ranking indicated that the site has been unable to generate ongoing interest in what they have to offer. WAB's numbers are predictable.
FestBlast would add our fest with every other fest that paid for that particular blast. The last blast they sent had 11 fests listed. Basically, what's my actual submission share of
1. 11 fests when most people probably aren't opening the mailings
2. How many of the 11 fests are going to submit to MY fest?
3. At least with WAB you get 6 blasts in the cost... maybe FestBlast should consider doing that...
Granted, I would only need a one submission to pay for the cost of a 'Deadline Event' fee. Still, I'm questions increasing my own email listing which would only cost $13 and which I know isn't a worn out listing of uninterested people, but I'm willing to pay for a listing that would probably cover the ONE submission cost it would cost me to run the add???? I don't know. On the other hand, it does add to overall exposure... but is that where you want to gain your exposure... For a festival that doesn't use marketing tools other than WAB (or including WAB for that matter) this is probably a service worth the price. It's a low buy-in with little risk and an absolute ability to see results.
In reality, now is probably a great time to try FestBlast. This is how it works. If you get submissions, the submissions will come in the same day the blast goes out... you may or may not get a dizzle in after that time... Don't count on it. Look specifically at the increase you received the day the blast went out. That is how you can quantitatively decide whether or not a blast was worth the money you spent on it. Everything else is BS.
If anyone is going to use or has used FestBlast (or StudentFilmmaker or other) please do let share your results and whether or not you thought the service was worth it. I'll be happy to post my results if we end up using FestBlast.
By the way, there is little chance that WAB's list gets 'worn out' since there are always new subscribers. If FestBlast wants to be taken seriously they will need to continually increase their subscriber numbers and create a website with some meat on it.
Best of luck to all of you!!! We'd love to hear your thoughts!
Christine
StrasbourgFilmFest.com
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