For almost three years now, I’ve hosted a podcast covering Indie film. As I’ve interviewed filmmakers and attended festivals all over the world, it’s become clear to me that successful films—although very different in style and subject matter—all follow the same general blueprint.

I believe there’s an actual method that, if followed correctly, dramatically increases the chance of a film being successful.

For my purposes, successful means profitable. These projects get press, open in theaters, earn distribution deals and ultimately leave their producers financially viable—able to make more films in the future. They launch careers

Donnie Darko (2001)

It’s not enough to just be creative. Ground-breaking films often leave their producers shirtless while warmed-up-leftovers with inspired promotion rake in big cash. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way.

If the true auteurs and artists out there learned to market their work as well as the corporate hacks, the film world would be dramatically better for it.

There are better resources out there on how to make a good film. I’m going to limit myself to sharing what I know about making lucrative films.

With that caveat, here’s what the most successful indies I’ve covered have in common.

1. They Hire a Publicist

An email from a PR rep, with an attached press kit, is the standard currency in the economy of getting noticed. Without polished press material, you’ll struggle to get outlets to cover your project. This is one of those you-can’t-afford-not-to expenses. No project is too small.

One of the first films I covered was a great short called Mojave Junction. A PR rep contacted me on behalf of the director, who requested an interview. I had a great conversation with the director and our talk became a popular episode. Mojave Junction won an award at DragonCon and scored a distribution deal there.

Mojave Junction (2015)

It was a great film, made to high standards, but I doubt it would have been on my radar without the hardworking PR team behind it. Take a page from Hollywood’s book and set aside part of your budget for marketing and promotion. A PR agency or publicist is essential if you want to find an audience for your film.

2. They're Active on Social Media

Post on social media. A lot. It doesn't all have to be about your project — in fact, you'll attract a wider audience if you retweet other projects and people.

There’s a huge community of film buffs online, and social media (particularly Twitter) is where they discover new projects. Make it easy for them to discover you. Become part of this community by interacting with other projects. Easily 85% of the interviews I arrange start with somebody tweeting at me or vice-versa.

If you’re struggling to find followers, use a service like Crowdfire to follow 1000 people every other day, then unfollow those that don't follow back. It's brutal, but you're practically guaranteed to eventually build an audience.

3. They Get Big Names Associated with Their Project

Do you know anybody that's made a successful film before? Do they know anybody that's made a successful film before? Get them associated with your project, even if it's in a meaningless role. Their name on the credits will be worth its weight in gold.

Brad Carter (True Detective) in The Scent of Rain and Lightning (2017)

The most successful movies I’ve covered leverage name-recognition to establish credibility and generate publicity. A few months ago, I interviewed Blake Robbins, the director of The Scent of Rain and Lightning. Because of his excellent press materials, I knew that he’d appeared in an episode of The Office; that the other stars of the film had previously played major roles in True Detective, Sons of Anarchy, It Follows and Taken.

Being able to connect his project with other major shows that I knew and liked helped me put it in context.

4. They Do the Podcast and Indie-Review Circuit

There are a lot of podcasts out there. I'd jump on as many as possible. If you can't get an episode, get an article, and if you can't get an article, get a shoutout.

For those of us who can’t afford a full-page ad in the New York Times, podcasts and review websites provide an easy, free and effective way to reach a large audience. I’ve found this to be especially true in the world of horror film, where fans follow podcasts and review sites with tribal fanaticism.

Even if you don’t listen to podcasts, take a minute to familiarize yourself with the popular ones covering your style of film. Tweet at the hosts. Compliment their episodes. Podcasters and bloggers are always looking for new content. It doesn’t take much to ingratiate your way into an episode or post. If nothing else, a retweet from one of these accounts can put your project in front of thousands of sympathetic Twitter users.

5. They Work With Hot, Socially-Relevant Premises

Indie films about race, gender or LGBTQ issues get exposure easily because the topics they cover are trending, and indie film is where audiences expect to hear from those voices. The edgier your film, the more people will talk about it.

I’m not saying that you should cynically harness these topics for publicity—that’s exploitation. However, indie film has always thrived on topics and stories that Hollywood was unwilling or afraid to tell. Don’t be afraid to push the envelope.

Get Out (2017)

The entertainment market is saturated to the point where it’s virtually impossible for an independent film to break through without doing something crazy. Hollywood studios are already producing all the safe projects, and they’re doing it with hundred-million dollar budgets.

Look back at this last year. The indies that made money were almost all social commentaries: Moonlight, Get Out, I Am Not Your Negro. Learn from their success. If you can provide a new insight into a politically charged issue, you can make an impression. If you can make an impression, you can make money.