10 Surefire Ways to Market Yourself as an Actor

So you got some great headshots… now what? A fabulous shot alone is not enough to get you work as an actor. It’s extremely important to get your name and face out there so you can get the attention of casting directors, theatrical agents, and commercial agents. This is where effective marketing comes in. Here are 10 marketing ideas that will help you go from struggling artist to successful actor.

1. No matter how talented you are, you must educate yourself constantly in order to improve your acting skills and remain on top of your game. The training doesn’t stop once you get cast for your first part. It’s a good idea to attend acting classes and acting workshops regularly to give yourself an edge over your competition and boost your resume.

2. Create a resume that details your work experience and any relevant skills you have. Print out your resume on an 8x10 piece of paper so it fits on the back of your headshot. Staple or glue all four corners of the resume on the back of your headshot. Resume formats vary depending on whether you are submitting for a film, theater, or TV role so check with a book about the acting industry to determine how you should format your resume.

3. One of the biggest complaints that casting directors and agents have about headshots is when the person called in for the audition looks nothing like the person in the photo. Make sure your shots are an accurate representation of you and that they are not overly retouched. 8x10 digital color prints are the current industry standard.

4. Actor websites are an easy and effective marketing tool. You can display a variety of headshots as well as your resume, demo reel, and current projects on your website. Use your full name in the URL of your website because it looks professional and helps to build your brand as an actor. Avoid getting a URL that looks something like: www.thebestactorinlosangeles.com because it looks unprofessional and people will have a harder time remembering it. Make sure that your email address contains your full name as well. Nobody will take you seriously if you have a cutesy, generic email address.

5. Get a casting website. Casting directors and agents browse profiles and headshots on sites like LA Casting to find suitable actors so make sure to have a strong presence on one of these sites. When casting directors conduct a search on LA Casting, hundreds of thumbnails with photos pop up. The only way you are going to be called to auditions or get the attention of agents is if the shots you display on LA Casting are nothing short of spectacular. It’s a good idea to include around six photos on your LA Casting site to show your versatility.

6. At the very least, you ought to get commercial and theatrical headshots but it is recommended to get headshots with a few different looks to display on your casting website and actor website. Theatrical shots are submitted for TV, film, and theatrical roles. In your theatrical shots, you should look professional and speak with your eyes. Commercial headshots are submitted for local and national commercials, print ads, and voice work. In your commercial headshots you should have a big smile and look trusting and approachable.

7. Get business cards with your headshots, contact information, and website URL printed on them. Carry your business cards around with you so you don’t have to take your headshots with you everywhere you go.

8. Create postcards that feature your current headshot or another shot of you in a different look. You can send these postcards out to follow up with casting directors and agents, letting them know what you are currently working or thanking them for taking your meeting. Avoid mailing postcards out more than every three months unless your contact information has changed or you are inviting someone to a production.

9. Don’t spend hundreds of dollars getting professional headshots, only to get cheap prints. If you want to be taken seriously and present yourself in the best manner possible, you need quality lab prints. Ask your headshots photographer for recommendations on where to get your photos printed.

10. As you start getting acting jobs, make sure to get copies of all the work you do. Choose three to five minutes of your best work to transfer to an acting demo DVD, or demo reel. Hand your demo reel out as a promotional tool.