After two decades of working with creatives—from unknown underdogs to Oscar and Grammy winners—on their marketing and publicity, I’ve seen where they get stuck. In particular, I’ve constantly encountered actors and artists who think that the need for publicity comes after they’re known. They say things like, “I’m not ready for PR” or “I don’t have anything to promote right now.” But, you do! It’s YOU!
It’s time to change the trajectory you’re currently on and get the tools you need to become the well-known and in-demand actor you envision. Let’s break down some of the reasons you’re still unknown and what you can do to address them. These are the most common mistakes I see actors making.
#1 Business Mistake: Not running your career as a business.
As an actor, you must manage your career as a business with you as the product. So many creatives get lost in the shuffle because they don’t realize that they’ll have so much more success if they function as a business owner. Your talent is what you’re bringing to the world and if you treat that like the real valuable commodity that it is, you’ll find that others start to do the same. Having a strategic business plan for your acting career changes everything!
#1 Marketing Mishap: Trying to hide parts of yourself.
Everything you put out into the world is a reflection of the essence of you, and that’s what we want to share with your audience because that’s what magnetizes people to you. When you authentically express yourself as a holistic personal brand, that’s what allows your audience to connect with you. All the things that you love doing are what you want to be sharing in your branding and messaging. Trying to hide certain aspects or segment them off into different fragments is why you might be feeling fragmented in your own marketing and success.
10 PR + Publicity Terms Every Actor Should Know #1 Mindset Pitfall: Thinking “I’m not ready” or “Now isn’t the time.”
Here’s where I hope you can make a big mindset shift today. This limiting belief is why so many actors are living on pause. If you’re waiting or stopping for any reason, the only person you’re hurting is yourself. If you don’t get started on putting yourself out there in an aligned way, then we’re going to be having this same conversation again in six months. If you’re hoping someone else will come save the day, then you’re giving your power away. It’s time to take your future into your own hands and create the future that you desire now.
#1 PR Myth: Thinking you have to be successful before you do PR.
I’m out to debunk this huge misperception and top PR myth amongst actors. So many creatives I’ve met over the years think that they have to be where they want to be to do PR, when in fact, it’s exactly the opposite. PR is the thing that gets you known and recognized as a household name. The people that are having massive success out there are using a public relations strategy and that’s why you’re seeing them everywhere. They do have PR reps continuing to help them because once you’re known, you’ll want to stay known—and that’s when you get to really have fun by managing your image and reputation on a larger scale. Publicity is a year-round proposition and career-long necessity—at any stage of the game.
So as you’re reading this, I hope you’ll take these tips to heart. Starting to work on your acting career as a business, creating a holistic personal brand, and implementing publicity today is what will get you to become a household name.
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