New year, not so new you? That’s OK, because you’re already pretty great—all you need to do is make sure that everyone else knows it, too. While the start of 2019 does not mean you have to make arbitrary resolutions to better yourself, it could be a great time to check in on your actor’s tool kit, and ensure you’re marketing yourself to the absolute fullest extent.
Have an outcome in mind.
“Define your purpose. Think about your ideal audience and how you want to affect them. Do you want to make them laugh? Help them to see themselves and the world in new ways? Move them deeply? It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out and it feels like years down the road when you’ll be able to pick and choose your dream roles; knowing your endgame up front always gets you there faster and causes you to fall into roles that fit your purpose—no matter what stage of your career you’re in.
“Adopt a new attitude about marketing yourself. Every time you promote yourself, remember that you’re promoting your work and, ultimately, your purpose. You can draw on the same qualities that make you a good actor when doing so. You’re promoting the positive effect you intend to have on people, which is good for them. You’re not “wanting all the attention,” you’re doing a service. That’s a huge difference and people can always feel it. They appreciate it when you care about them.” —Teri Wade, founder of The Evolving Artist and Backstage Expert
Perfect your product—and then market it.
“While aggressive marketing may generate some opportunities for you, if you’re not truly ready to take advantage of those opportunities, you won’t deliver when it counts, and your campaign will be seen as just a bunch of empty promises.
“In most businesses new products are put through rigorous, sometimes years-long testing processes before a marketing campaign and launch are even considered. Assuming that you as an actor are in business for yourself and that the product being marketed is you, let’s take three of the guiding principles that many Fortune 500 companies use to determine the readiness of a product, and see if they can help you to determine your readiness for the marketplace.” —Craig Wallace, creator of the Wallace Audition Technique and Backstage Expert
Yes, your marketing should change project to project.
“Get really specific about your favorite genre/medium, then your second favorite, and so on and so on, until you have a complete list, from top to bottom, of the areas in which you want to focus. Some sample mediums and their genres:
“Film: Studio vs. indie; Genres: horror, romantic comedy, drama, historical drama (period films), biopics, etc.
“TV: One-hour episodics, half-hour single camera comedies, sitcoms, miniseries, etc. (Then, apply the genres I listed above.)
“Theater: musicals, Shakespeare/classics, contemporary plays, immersive theater, improv, sketch comedy, etc. Each of these then have their own genres.
“Commercials: Consider which product works best for your brand, as well as the style of the commercial (testimonial, lifestyle, comedy, etc.).
“Other Mediums: Industrials (live and on-camera), print, cabaret, stand-up comedy, etc.” —Erin Cronican, professional actor, producer, director, and Backstage Expert
It’s 2019. Use social media.
“A short, powerful bio listing your major credits and training, a compelling photo and short video will do. The three top sites are Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. There are over 30 subsites on LinkedIn especially for actors. Join them. There are daily discussions about every aspect of a performing career—commercials, prime time, films, agents and marketing tools. The subsites are run by actors for the most part, so they’re not official information sites like SAG-AFTRA or the NYC Mayor’s Office of Film, California Film Commission, etc.” —Gwyn Gilliss, founder and executive director of The Actors’ Market, and Backstage Expert
Don’t aim too low, even at the start.
“I see actors marketing themselves at too low of a level, simply to get their foot in the door. That’s a mistake and in the long run acts as a glass ceiling on their career. It's not always about the size of the company, but rather getting the representative who understands you, who shares your ideas and has the access you need.” —Devon Jackson, talent manager at Trademark Talent