If you want to make it in the entertainment industry, networking is the key for actors. Unlike twenty years back, the internet has changed things and the way we network. And actors should take advantage of it.
Social media for actors can help them get jobs, get auditions, and if they have good followers can make them a star even without any acting gig.
Here I will share my experience with social media and give you everything you need to ensure you are using social media to your advantage.
Why Social Media For Actors Is Important?
In simple words, social media helps you show the world what you got. With platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube, you can show your acting skills and build your brand.
However, you should know what you want as an actor before uploading content and making followers.
Actors who are new and looking for work should use social media to put their skills in front of casting agents, directors, and producers.
But actors who have done a fair bit of work should use social media to gain fans so that they can establish their brand and gain some sponsorship.
Let’s see in detail what are the advantages of using social media as an actor:
1. Exposure
If you are a new or established actor, social media is the best way to put yourself or your work out there. If you are a new actor, you can post your photos or demo reel for acting agents to see.
And if you are an established actor, you can use social media to promote your latest gigs so that you can gain as many eyeballs as possible.
To have good exposure, you must upload content constantly. If you look at the profiles of well-established actors, they share even the smallest events of their life. This is done to create an image and brand.
2. Networking
A great advantage of social media is that you can connect with anyone from the comfort of your home.
Especially when you are new in the industry you want to connect with as many people as possible. Using social media, you can send friend requests or ask them to follow you so that you can show them what you are made up of.
You can also share your profile link to any casting agent easily with the help of your social media. Moreover, you can maintain your profile on this platform so that you can share it with ease.
3. Finding Auditions
Nowadays almost all casting agencies have social media profiles. Even the people involved in casting their profiles.
You can follow the profiles to get regular audition updates. During my audition days, I regularly kept track of these profiles to find important auditions.
Especially if you are on Instagram, do follow the pages of popular casting agencies. Almost every day you will find some or other audition calls that suit you.
If you are new to acting, these pages of casting agencies on social media will be your best source of audition updates.
4. Gaining Fans
We live in an era where OTT platforms like Netflix lead the entertainment industry.
If you want to be a part of a web series for these OTT platforms you need to have a good amount of social media following.
I have seen instances where casting agencies preferred an actor with good Instagram or Facebook followers rather than going for an actor with good acting skills.
I am not saying to focus only on making followers but make sure if you plan to audition for a web series you should ensure you have a good online presence (Check out how to make an actor website). Especially if you have done a few gigs, you should also spend some time and money on making followers so that you can do self-promotion or even earn as an influencer with paid promotions.
Celebrities with millions of followers charge even millions for their single posts on Instagram. Just imagine the many opportunities you have with sizeable followers.
5. Passive Income
As I have already mentioned, people with millions of followers have a great opportunity to earn passive income; you can also take advantage of that.
Almost all the actors when they start take up some or other part-time job to pay rent and bills. But if you have a good following on social media, you can make some passive income from it.
I used to take freelance writing jobs during my struggling days. That is how I learn the art of blogging and created this blog after some experience.
If you are good-looking and have a good sense of dressing, you could easily partner with some local fashion brand and leverage your influencer status for passive income.
How Can You Leverage it To Get Jobs?
How you use social media depends on what you want to achieve through it. If you are new to the acting business and looking for jobs, you should use it to connect with sources that could either give your jobs or help you generate leads for new auditions of your interest.
How do you do that?
Here I will give you steps to use your social media to find auditions. Just follow these steps:
1. Build Your Portfolio
You might already have some headshots or demo reels of your acting. I suggest uploading them to your social media accounts.
Also Read: How To Make A Portfolio For Acting?
It would be wise to plan some headshots or demo reels for social media accounts. Get photos in an aspect ratio of 1:1, a standard for Instagram and Facebook. Also, the same aspect ratio applies to the videos.
But unlike 1-2 minute demo reel, divide it into small 30 sec units because you won’t be able to upload long videos on Instagram. Probably you can do it on Facebook.
Also, maintain the account as an Actors account. What I mean by actors account is that if you are an actor make sure it looks like an actor’s profile. It should not give the vibe of some explorer, traveler, or painter.
It has to have good photos of you in different make and costumes. Also, uploading small clips of you doing scenes or even acting exercises will do.
If you want you can create separate accounts for uploading your stuff and a separate account dedicated to your acting.
2. Connect With the Right People
As a new actor, you want to find as many audition opportunities as possible. You want to follow and make friends with the right people on social media.
Currently, do not focus on getting fans but on getting people from the entertainment industry to follow you. It could be a casting agent, casting director, producer, assistant director, writers, etc.
These are the people that might help you out getting you into the right audition. Sometimes these people post requirements on their profile which is another great source of finding new auditions.
To find auditions, you must follow all the pages and profiles related to casting. On Instagram search for the word casting and filter out with only accounts. These will give you tons of pages that post audition calls regularly.
You can do something similar on Facebook. Even on Twitter follow these agencies for updates.
Also Read: How To Market Yourself As An Actor On Social Media?
3. DM Your Profile
If no one looks at your profile, it is useless. So how do you make the right people follow so they can see your every new post?
For that, you have to start sending direct messages. I know it’s needy, but trust me, people follow you if they like your profile.
Especially casting people with acting requirements will look at it. That’s what their job is.
Yes, it’s a fact. Not all follow your profile or even open the link but keep sending them. Do not spam. Just send the updated profile every 2-3 months to an agency. That is enough.
And if someone replies to your DM, don’t be greedy. Thank them for replying and ask them to follow your profile so that they can see your latest post.
4. Collaborate
Like you, other actors might upload their profiles and acting videos on their social media. Be a part of their content. I suggest getting together with your actor friends and preparing scenes you can upload on social media and tag each other.
If not scenes, you can upload even acting exercises you do with your friends.
Sometimes it is much better to upload a full-fledged scene than a monologue.
Collaborating with other actors like you also leads to the exchange of followers which is why you see many YouTubers and Instagram influencers do collaborations.
The idea behind the collaboration here is that you will be able to gain more followers of your interest and also you will be able to make a great demo reel with the help of other actors.
Just do these four things with your social media, and you can leverage its power to find acting jobs.
What Do You Need To Keep It Updated?
You have understood what you need to do with social media as an actor, but you might be wondering what I should upload on social media to come across as an actor.
Here I am going to tell what kind of posts you should upload as an actor seeking work and an actor seeking fans.
For Work
Those actors who are in the audition phase need to upload content that would help them get jobs or auditions. This content includes headshots, photos in different get-ups, demo real, and different scenes which show your acting skills.
Invest in getting good headshots that you can upload on social media. You can check out our article about getting headshots at home.
And in addition to headshots, get shots of you playing different clothes this will show the casting agents what kind of roles you fit in.
With Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube you can post videos as well. Videos can act as self-audition tapes. You don’t have to shoot these videos separately you can collect all your self audition tapes and post them online for others to see.
Also, I suggest every week or month you can prepare something with your fellow actors and then keep posting it online.
This is a great way to show your acting skill as well as learn acting.
For Followers
Here the purpose of making social media account is completely different for actors. You want to gain as many followers as possible so that you can gain popularity as well as make establish yourself as a brand.
This is mostly for the working actors who have become known faces.
The type of content these actors have to post is different. If you are such an actor whom people recognize, you should try to post regularly. Instagram influences suggest posting 2-3 times a day is a sweet spot for gaining good traction on social media.
The post can be related to your daily lifestyle or you are beginning a new show or movie you can promote it by giving a sneak peek of the project.
Established actors often use social media to promote their upcoming projects and post something from their life if they are not involved in any project.
When seeking fans, you want to be consistent with your posts. Keeps posting and try to engage with your fans as much as possible on these platforms.
Reply to their comments. Entertain them with your posts and sometimes give away your stuff like signed t-shirts etc.
Final Thought
Social media for actors is important. It doesn’t matter if you are a new or well-established actor. It is going to be a huge part of your life. Based on what you want to gain out of social media, plan out the content and keep it updated.
