Five Quick Tips to Make Your Script Listing Incredibly Attractive to Producers

We’ve been tracking the number of films that producers made from InkTip scripts and writers this year and it’s exceeded 17. We’re proud of not only that number itself, but that out of those 17 movies, many of them began when a writer listed their scripts on InkTip.

Out of all of the departments I worked in at InkTip, I spent the most years working in our producers department. This meant I discussed with them which scripts listings on InkTip they found effective – in other words, which script listings attracted them the most and potentially led to being optioned – and noted what some of those writers did to create that effect. While some writers used different strategies, what consistently caused their script listings to shine the brightest became clear.

As a result, here’s a checklist I created to help you make your listing on InkTip as attractive as possible to producers:

1) Use our Logline Lab

2) Upload your script

3) Check your synopsis

4) Move your listing to the top

5) Check your script’s profile page

Here’s a bit more on each of the above:

1) Use our Logline Lab

Loglines are what a producer first notices when they search on InkTip. The Logline Lab guides you in creating an industry-standard logline as well as allows you to save loglines from the past, or for future use for your script listings.

The best thing about this free service is that it’s easy to start and helps you not only create an effective logline, but also potentially explore your script more.

2) Upload your script

The majority of writers on InkTip upload their entire script to their script listing. Though we do provide the option of not uploading the script, you’re better off following the majority here and uploading it.  The reason?  You want to make it as easy as possible for a producer using InkTip to quickly check out your script. So if you haven’t already, log in and upload your script’s pdf (or at least Act I) to your listing.

3) Check your synopsis

It should flow from beginning to end. Ideally, 250-400 words.

More on creating effective synopses here. I’ve seen many synopses that are either too short or too wordy. A one paragraph synopsis usually does not entice enough interest in a producer. In other words, offer more than just Act I. On the other hand, you still want to keep your synopsis flowing by not getting bogged down in unnecessary details or subplots in your story. Basically, just practice telling your story out loud to people to discover what is necessary or not, and then weave that into a 250-400 word synopsis.

Choose dynamic words that match the tone of your story.

4) Move your listing to the top

Some writers forget you can do this every six weeks. Log in and click on “My Scripts/Viewings” and you’ll see a button under your listing every six weeks.

What does moving your listing to the top mean? This means your listing will show up at the top of the search results when producers look for scripts that match your script’s criteria.

When you do this every six weeks, it’s also a good reminder to consider modifying your listing. You can, for example, evaluate your logline and try the Logline Lab mentioned above. You don’t have to wait every six weeks to change anything with your listing. Speaking of which...

5) Check your script’s profile page

Remember that page where you first checked every Main Genre and subgenre? Time to make sure you checked enough of those boxes or even the correct ones.

Don’t sell your script short. Make sure you select every Main Genre or subgenre that applies to your script.

For example, did you select a Secondary Main Genre? A script will sometimes have two main genres, such as in the case of a horror/thriller, a crime drama or a dramedy. Why is this important? Well, if a producer is using InkTip, they have the option of selecting a Main Genre to search by. If either of your script listing’s Primary or Secondary Main Genre matches the genre they selected, your script listing may show up in their search results. So don’t forget to select a Secondary Main Genre if you have one (and many scripts justify a Secondary Main Genre).

But how do you know which Main Genres to select? Which genres are most commonly searched for by producers on InkTip? This fluctuates, but genres such as Thriller, Horror, Comedy, Drama and Action are more commonly searched for than Fantasy and Musical. That means if your script has elements of magical realism but is closer to, let’s say, Stranger Than Fiction than Lord of the Rings, then don’t list it as a Fantasy. List it as a Comedy and Drama instead. Far more people are searching for Comedy or Drama than Fantasy.

Also, see if you selected enough appropriate Sub-Genres. I’ve seen too many script listings on InkTip that did not include enough Sub-Genres that may apply to their script. Here are some common ones that writers miss: Central Hero, Overcoming Obstacles, Contemporary and Character-Driven or Story-Driven. These are common Sub-Genres and themes present in most scripts, yet these remain largely unchecked in many InkTip listings. That means if you did not check the Contemporary (your story is set in the present day) checkbox but a producer using InkTip does check the Contemporary box, your listing will not show up in their search results. So take a look at the various subgenre checkboxes and drop-down menus.

On the other hand, don’t intentionally mislead. You do want to make sure that everything you select is appropriate for your script. If you’re not sure what a selection means, please ask us and we’ll clarify some of the Sub-Genres. Although we don’t read the scripts ourselves, you can ask us if something applies based on what you can tell us about your script.


In Summary:
Ultimately, you want to put your script in the best position possible to get read. Listing a script on InkTip helps you do that. Following the tips above helps you do that even more.

By making sure you use our Logline Lab, upload your entire script, keep your synopsis brief yet thorough, and move your logline to the top of multiple searches, you’ll be on track to draw more attention to your script.

Michael Kim
Questions? Comments? Write me at InkTipStoryPower (at) gmail dot com
https://pro-labs.imdb.com/name/nm3207158/

Michael Kim has worked in every department at InkTip. He is now the VP of Product Development & Media. Besides music jamming, he likes trivia, whiskey and telling everyone he knows how surprisingly good the molcajete salsa is at Baja Fresh.