“The trailer is ready. Can it go out today?”
Not until you know where it will run. A cinema or TV trailer needs a CBFC certificate, and CBFC's steps take days. Apply early.
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Industries · Media & entertainment · Film promotion
Film promotion for producers and distributors
For Hindi and regional films. See the plan from first look to the OTT (streaming) date, and what must be in place before an ad goes out.
A strategist calls you in one working day.
/ 01 Film promotion
What film promotion is, and who does each job
Film promotion is the plan that makes people aware of a film and then gets them to buy a ticket. It runs backwards from the release date, through first look, teaser, trailer, songs and release week, to the streaming window.
PromotEdge plans and runs the campaign. We do not apply to the CBFC for you.
This page is for the producer or distributor of a Hindi or regional film. A distributor books the film into cinemas. For OTT shows, music and live events, see our media and entertainment marketing page.
The CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) certifies films, and its rules reach your posters and trailers. Its head office is in Mumbai, with regional offices in nine cities. See our video production pages for Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.
Facts below come from rules, platform pages and named news reports, all opened on 1 November 2026. Where we found no rule, we say so.
- Since 2015working with Indian brands
- 65+in-house team: strategy, creative, media and tech
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- Every monthwe visit clients, and we review with every client online every week
/ 03 The timeline
Film promotion timeline, stage by stage
Weeks are our planning view for a mid-size cinema release.
| Stage | What goes out | What must be in place | What to count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Plan (about 12 weeks out) | Nothing public. Fix the date, cities, languages and budget. | Contracts that allow promos. A checked title. A release plan that lists the cuts needing a certificate. | Targets: tickets by city, pre-saves |
| 2. First look and poster | Poster, title card and stills, with a reminder link. | Final title and credits. Once certified, the category and certified title on every ad. | Reminder sign-ups |
| 3. Teaser | A short cut for social media, and for cinema halls and TV if booked. | A CBFC certificate for any cut that runs in a cinema or on TV. | Watched to the end |
| 4. Songs | One song at a time, lyric videos, a pre-save page. | The label's plan. A licence from IPRS, the music copyright society, for events that play the songs. | Pre-saves, first-week streams |
| 5. Trailer and press | Full trailer in each language, press and critic screenings, creator posts. | The trailer certificate. A label on every paid or gifted creator post. | Booking-link clicks by channel |
| 6. Release week | Hoardings, LED screens, a premiere, radio, city-wise ads. | Category and certified title on every ad. Show times live. | Tickets by city and day |
| 7. After release and OTT | Reaction clips, audience posts, the OTT date. | A written OTT window in the platform contract. | Second-week tickets, then streams |
Our beliefWe look at your business first. Marketing comes second.
Go deeper
Read more about Film promotion
Deeper reading if you want the research behind the plan.
How to get a film trailer certified
The steps on the CBFC portal
CBFC lists six steps. Fill the common application form on the e-cinepramaan portal, pay the fee, submit and track the status. Fix any observation and resubmit. The 2024 fee table in rule 33 starts at ₹1,900 for content up to 10 minutes, plus ₹150 for screening. Use CBFC's fee calculator for today's amount.
Source: CBFC, film certification process and rule 33, opened 1 November 2026
Where each promo stands
| Promo | What the rules say | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Poster, hoarding, newspaper ad, handbill | Rule 35: the category and certified title, after certification. | Add the category to every artwork file. |
| Trailer or teaser in a cinema hall | Third Schedule: the Board certifies trailers, teasers and promos. | Apply early. Give the cinema chain the certified file. |
| Trailer, promo or song on a TV channel | Cable rule 6: certified for unrestricted public exhibition. | If the film is A or UA, ask about a separate TV cut. |
| Trailer on YouTube or Instagram | We found no rule on online-only trailers. | Ask the CBFC or your lawyer. Our view: one certified cut avoids doubt. |
| A Hindi dub of a regional film | Dubbed content is its own type in the Third Schedule. | Ask which certificates the dub needs. |
Source: Rules, 2024 and cable rules, opened 1 November 2026
Paid and earned promotion for a film
Paid, earned and owned
Our view of the split:
| Type | Examples for a film | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Paid | Hoardings, cinema trailers, ads on YouTube and Instagram, TV, radio. | Rule 35, and the TV rule. |
| Earned | Press stories, critic reviews, word of mouth. | You invite. You cannot write or buy the review. |
| Owned | Your YouTube channel, Instagram page, WhatsApp list. | A YouTube Premiere gives fans a page and a reminder. |
Source: YouTube Help, Premieres, opened 1 November 2026
When a creator post needs a label
ASCI accepts labels such as Ad, Sponsored and Collaboration, and the paid-promotion tags on Instagram and YouTube. The label goes upfront, not in a pile of hashtags, even when the creator's opinion is honest. For a video with no caption, the label sits on the video, for a third of its length if it runs 15 seconds to 2 minutes. A trip or hotel stay for a junket counts. The advertiser and the creator are both responsible.
Source: ASCI, Guidelines for Influencer Advertising in Digital Media, opened 1 November 2026
How to count a film release
What each number counts
Our view: a trailer view is not a ticket.
| Number | Where it comes from | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Trailer views and watch time | YouTube and Instagram reports. | Interest only. |
| Booking-link clicks | Your tracking links. | Which channel sends buyers. |
| Tickets by city and day | The distributor's and cinema's reports. | Sales. Ask daily in release week. |
| Pre-saves, first-week streams | The music label's dashboard. | How far the songs travel. |
| OTT views | The platform's report, as your contract allows. | Depends on the contract. |
Source: Our view. No official source
Songs, music labels and the OTT date
Songs and pre-saves
Spotify says Countdown Pages are for albums and EPs (short albums), not singles, and need an artist with at least 3,000 monthly active listeners. A film that releases song by song may not get one, so ask the label.
Source: Spotify for Artists, Countdown Pages, opened 1 November 2026
The gap before OTT
Celluloid Junkie reported on 11 March 2026 that South Indian exhibitors resolved on a minimum eight-week window before OTT. It said this matches Hindi and Punjabi practice. Sacnilk reported on 22 August 2026 that Tamil producers planned to halt new releases from 1 September over the same window. Things move fast here, so ask your distributor for the current position.
Source: Celluloid Junkie, 11 March 2026, and Sacnilk, 22 August 2026, both opened 1 November 2026
/ 04 Sound familiar?
Common problems for film producers
“My film releases in two languages. Is that one campaign?”
Two. Each language has its own audience, press and date. Ask the CBFC about every dub.
“Which of my spends sold tickets?”
Give each channel its own booking link. See link and ticket tracking and the counting table below.
“A creator posted about my film. Did it need a label?”
Yes, if you paid them, or gave a trip, a free product or anything else of value.
“When can my film go to OTT?”
Your platform contract and the cinema chains' terms decide. Get the date in writing before you announce it.
/ 05 Cost
What affects the cost
No price list. These things move the number.
We do not publish prices. A 30-minute call comes first, then a written quote within 2 working days. Ad space, talent and venues are paid separately, and you approve each before it runs.
What affects the cost
- Release size. Screens, cities and languages.
- Cuts. Each language and length needs edit time.
- Media. Hoardings, cinema slots, TV and radio, by city and week.
- Creators and events. Creator fees, screenings, the premiere.
How we price it
- We talk for 30 minutes about the film, the date and the cities
- We read your cuts and past releases, then write a scope by stage
- A written quote follows within 2 working days
What you get in the quote
- The timeline and a weekly report
How you pay
| Way of working | When it fits |
|---|---|
| Project fee | One film, first look to week two. We confirm the timeline in the quote |
| Monthly retainer | A slate of films. Minimum 3 months, 30 days' notice |
CBFC fees, music licences and platform charges are paid to them, not to us.
/ 06 Rules to know
Rules for movie promos in India
Four points from official text, opened on 1 November 2026. Check the current text before you act.
Ads after certification. Rule 35 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024 covers a film certified in the UA, A or S categories. From the date of certification, its ads in newspapers, hoardings, posters, handbills and trailers must say so and use only the certified title. The CBFC says leaving the category off is an offence.
Trailers and TV. The Third Schedule lists trailers, teasers and promos as content the CBFC certifies. Rule 37 gives the CBFC seven days to scrutinise a complete application. Rule 6 of the cable rules bars a film promo, trailer or song on cable unless it is certified as suitable for unrestricted public exhibition.
Creator posts. ASCI (Advertising Standards Council of India) asks for a clear label on any post with a material connection, such as free products, trips or hotel stays. The CCPA (Central Consumer Protection Authority) guidelines of 2022, para 14, ask for the same disclosure.
Accessibility. In July 2026 the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting advised ticket platforms to show, before booking, whether a film has audio description, captions or Indian Sign Language.
General guidance, not legal advice.
/ 07 What happens next
What happens after you ask
For projects we think we can help, this is how it goes.
- 01
A strategist calls you
In one working day: a 30-minute call with one of our strategists about your business and what is not working.
- 02
You get a 1-page plan
A short, honest plan: what to fix first and what we would do. It is free.
- 03
A quote, if you want one
If you want to go ahead, we send a quote within 2 working days.
We confirm the timeline in the quote. Contracts start at 3 months, with 30 days' notice to stop. A single job, such as one event or one print run, is quoted as one project.
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What people say
What clients say about PromotEdge
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Hardeep SinghMarketing Consultant
Releasing a film?
Tell us the language, the date and the cities. We'll show you the order of work
Common questions
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Film promotion is the work of making people aware of a film and getting them to buy a ticket or press play. It covers the first look, teaser, trailer, songs, press, hoardings, cinema media, creator posts and the OTT date, planned backwards from the release date.
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Our view: plan about 12 weeks before a mid-size cinema release, and show the first look weeks before the trailer. CBFC's limits under rule 37 run in days, and cuts add more. So apply for the trailer certificate before the trailer date.
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For a cinema, the Third Schedule lists trailers, teasers and promos as content the CBFC certifies. For TV, cable rule 6 needs certification as suitable for unrestricted exhibition. We found no rule on online-only trailers, so ask the CBFC or your lawyer. General guidance, not legal advice.
-
Under rule 35, from the date of certification, ads in newspapers, hoardings, posters, handbills and trailers must say the film is certified. They may use only the certified title. The CBFC says leaving the category off is an offence under the Cinematograph Act.
-
Yes, when there is a material connection: money, free products, a trip, a hotel stay or other value. ASCI lists labels such as Ad, Sponsored and Collaboration. CCPA's 2022 guidelines, para 14, also ask for disclosure. The advertiser and the creator are both responsible.
-
Count tickets by city and day from the distributor's report, booking-link clicks by channel, pre-saves and first-week streams. Trailer views show interest only. Give every channel its own tracking link before the first poster goes out, so each sale traces back.
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It depends on cities, languages, cuts, hoardings, cinema slots and creators. The CBFC's 2024 fee table starts at ₹1,900 plus ₹150 for content up to 10 minutes, so check its calculator. We do not publish prices. A quote follows within 2 working days of a call.
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We plan and run the campaign: the cuts, creators, press, media and counting. We do not apply to the CBFC, sell OTT rights, clear music or give legal advice. Your team, a lawyer and the music label do those. We promise no box office.
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Ongoing monthly work has a 3-month minimum. After that you can stop with 30 days' notice. A project has a clear end, and we confirm its timeline in the quote. The smallest first step, a free 30-minute call and a one-page plan, commits you to nothing.
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Before work starts, we agree in writing who your main contact is, how often you meet, and who signs off each piece of work. The person who plans your campaign talks to the person who designs it every day. The seniors you meet at the first call are the people who run your work.