Teaser

A short excerpt or a single image that points to longer content without giving it away. Teasers are the most important tool for guiding people from freely accessible channels to a paid offering. They show enough to spark interest, and so little that there is still a reason to buy.

The key question: Am I even allowed to use the material?

For performers who want to build reach after shoots, this is the decisive point. A teaser from a production you participated in is a separate use of that material. The rights to it generally belong to the production. You may therefore use an excerpt only if the contract expressly allows it. The fact that you can be seen in the scene does not give you this right.

Many productions are generally open to this because a teaser on your channel also promotes their title. The usual conditions then include: only certain excerpts, a maximum length, a reference to the production, and publication only after the official launch. Have these points provided to you in writing. The article Usage rights: period, territory and channels explains which provisions are included in such contracts.

Channel rules come first

A teaser almost always appears where explicit content is not allowed: on social networks, profile pages, and messengers. The relevant rules are the Community Guidelines of the respective network, not those of the platform you link to. What is allowed on one site can lead to an account suspension on another. Before every publication, check what kind of depiction the channel permits, and when in doubt, stay clearly below that limit.

Teasers that work through the situation, setting and mood rather than explicitness have proven effective: a behind-the-scenes look, a moment in makeup, or a still image with a neutral caption. The same applies here: behind-the-scenes material from a production requires its permission.

Advertising that earns nothing itself

A teaser brings in no money. Its value is measured by how many people it directs to the paid offering. That is why it is worth planning teasers deliberately: a fixed place in your publication schedule, a clear connection to the content being promoted, and an unambiguous indication of where it can be found. A teaser that promises something not available behind the paywall costs you trust and generates chargebacks.

Protection against redistribution

Teasers get shared, and that is intentional. But they also spread where you do not want them to, for example on tube sites that link your material to third-party offerings. A visible watermark with your stage name ensures that the excerpt still points back to you and can be attributed to you if necessary.

Four questions before posting

• Is the material yours, or has its use been approved in writing?
• Does the target channel allow this depiction?
• Are other people identifiable, and have they consented to exactly this use?
• Is the production still subject to an exclusivity period?

If you cannot answer one of the four questions with certainty, wait before publishing and ask.