Presentation given by Blaine Graboyes at StoryCode (Lincoln Center) on September 19, 2012 about our use of Twitter to promote the indie film Saving Lincoln. Check out https://twitter.com/savinglincoln for the whole story.

2. @savinglincoln
How We Use Twitter
To Promote The Indie
Film “Saving Lincoln”
From Saving Lincoln: President Abraham Lincoln (Tom Amandes) atop the parapet at
Ft. Stevens when Washington D.C. came under Confederate attack during the Civil War.
©2012 Saving Lincoln LLC - all rights reserved. www.SavingLincoln.com

4. Saving Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln's fiery trial as Commander-in-Chief,
as recounted by his closest friend and bodyguard,
U.S. Marshal Ward Hill Lamon.
From Saving Lincoln: President Abraham Lincoln (Tom Amandes) test fires
Springfield rifles with U.S. Marshal Ward Hill Lamon (Lea Coco) in front of
the unfinished Washington Monument at the height of the Civil War.
©2012 Saving Lincoln LLC - all rights reserved. www.SavingLincoln.com

6. Challenge
March 2011
Reuben Lim (Producer) and Blaine Graboyes (Digital
Marketing Consultant) discuss ways to “tackle
setting up outposts and managing our online
presence and crowd building in an affordable way.”
• Awareness for unreleased indie movie
• Very lean team and resources
• No access to production elements
• Sustain campaign over a year or more
• Outdo larger “Lincoln Projects”

7. Twitter Team
Brad Cook Nina Litvak
Twitter Writer Scriptwriter
Sal Litvak Blaine Graboyes
Director Consultant
Reuben Lim
Producer

8. Strategy
• Focus On Story
• Leverage the power of story and narrative
• Develop The Universe
• Relate the character and world of Ward Hill Lamon
• Be Fast & Cheap
• Frequency and responsiveness on a budget
• Remain Authentic
• Combine history, technology, and indie culture
• Do Something Fun
• Run a unique campaign, without production assets

9. Goals & Tactics
GOALS
• 10,000 (Legit) Fans
• Create Network For The Film
• Build Brand Awareness & Buzz
• Monthly Budget < $1,000
TACTICS
• Twitter!
• Ability To Tell Stories In Detail
• Voice
• Lamon’s Life In Colorful Words
• Frequency
• Broadcast But Personal Interactions
• Structure
• Serial Format Simplified Logistics

11. The Process
“When I approach each story, I figure out how many
days to allot to it. Some tales are simple moments that
only need a week to relate (sometimes I combine
related moments into one story, if they're brief
enough), while others need a week or two to unfold.
I figure out the main points and then write the tweets
so that each day is another beat in the story.
I send the completed story to Nina so she can review it
and make any necessary changes, which are typically
minimal. Then I stage the tweets for publication in
HootSuite and move on to the next one.”

12. Structure
Stories Begin On Monday
And End On Fridays
Serial Comic Strip Format
• Each Day's Series
Of Tweets Forms
A Story Beat
If A Tale Is Multiweek,
• About 4 To 8 Ends On A Cliffhanger
Tweets Per Day
Become A Story

13. Sources
“I rely on several sources
as I imagine Ward Hill Lamon
reflecting on his days with
Abraham Lincoln.
Recollections of Abraham
Lincoln, which Lamon wrote
(it was edited and published
by his daughter after his
death), and Lincoln and
Lamon: Partners and Friends,
by Clint Clay Tilton, are two
primary books that I use. We
even obtained a photocopy of
a 1949 doctoral thesis about
Lamon that's only available
from a library in Illinois.”

14. Messages
“I check the Twitter feed daily for interesting
direct messages and tweets aimed at Lamon. Many
people have discovered that if they communicate
with Lamon, he responds. For example, if someone
mentions John Wilkes Booth, Lamon notes that had he
been at Ford's Theater, he ‘would have shot that devil
'twixt his yellow eyes.’ or...”
Messaging Tips
• Reply In Lamon's Voice,
• After Story Tweets Sent
• Keeps Stream Clean
• Frame Responses How
Lamon Believes Lincoln
Would Have Responded
• Don't Mention Movie
Unless Asked

15. Retweets
“While Lamon's one-off observational tweets have
been good fodder for retweets, the story tweets have
often been retweeted and favorited too, particularly
if they contain interesting information. For example,
a tweet about the battle of Antietam and the
staggering casualties there garnered six retweets,
which is very good for us.”

16. Favorites
“My favorite tweets are the ones where Lamon
makes an observation that exposes the heart of the
Saving Lincoln story, which is the idea that Lincoln
was fated to be assassinated, whether by Booth or
someone else. For example, one story in which
Lamon relates several attempts on Lincoln's life ends
with these three tweets...”
In later years, I often found myself imagining a wiser and
grayer Mr. Lincoln sitting by my side, sharing stories of old.
"Hill," he would say, "do you recall the evening my $8 plug
hat was blown clean off my head by an assailant's bullet?"
I would say I did, and I would laugh with Mr. Lincoln at the
memory. And I would have another sip of whiskey in his honor.