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Marketing: Tips & Tricks To Promote
Yourself to Agents & Casting Directors
By Michelle Summers
Agent / Talent Relations
VO Planet
 Excerpted with permission from Marketing Techniques & Other Helpful Info, an e-book by Michelle Summers How can you set yourself apart from the crowd? Here are some tips and tricks for creating your own unique brand and getting people to notice and remember you.
First off, the more agents you have working to get you jobs, the more exposure you get, and the more opportunities you have to book a job.
Just be weary about signing exclusivity contracts.
Many talent have done this, and then not book much of anything through that agency. They have no ability to go elsewhere to make a living. If you do sign an exclusivity contract, be sure the agency offers a minimum monetary guarantee.
I recommend having an entertainment attorney look over your contract.
And when signing with an agent, be sure they allow you to audition through other agencies, as well.
CASTING DIRECTORS
You can contact casting agents via email, phone and post cards.
For instance, If I am not super busy and receive a post card from a new talent, I will go to their web site to take a listen.
But let me give you a little tip. The one thing about post cards that really sticks out in my mind is that they have become so automated. You can have everything printed directly on there.
I really hate getting the pre-printed post card with the stamp stuck on and thrown in the mail.
PERSONAL ATTENTION
I know it can take a little extra time, but it will be worth it to write a quick personal hand note on the card, with the agent or casting director's name. What you write can be small and simple, such as:
This gives it a personal touch and pulls my attention in more because you took the time to personalize it.
Also, don’t print a million post cards. You will want to update them frequently with your most recent credits and news. A few amazing credits will definitely make an agent or casting director take notice and want to hear what you can do.
EXCHANGE LINKS
Another great thing you can do, which is quite simple, is to exchange web site links with other voice over talent.
If you Google: “voice over talent link exchange,” tons of talent come up. So get started!
SOCIAL MEDIA
There are also a lot of voice-over-related groups, forums and social networking sites on the web.
For instance, go to Yahoo Groups and type in "voice over," "voiceovers," "voice over talent," "voice over artist," etc., and you’ll find many groups where you can drop in and learn from others.
Participate if you’d like, but remember that anything you post stays there pretty much for life. If you might regret saying something, then keep your fingers away from the keyboard.
EMAIL A NEWSLETTER
You can also do a monthly newsletter. Gather email addresses from the web or purchase lists and shoot it out monthly to get exposure and let clients know what you have been up to.
Post a sign-up page on your web site for your newsletter to gather new emails of interested parties.
The best program I have used for newsletters is Constant Contact. This service lets you import your email addresses and create newsletters from a number of templates.
NETWORK FOR REFERRALS
Network with people in your industry.
For instance, a talent you’ve met may not be a good fit for a certain project, but could know that YOU would be perfect, and therefore shoot you a heads-up about the audition.
Also sign up for some of the voice-over coaches’ free newsletters. Sometimes they have really useful information.
Always carry plenty of business cards! You never know who you will run into. You can have professionally-made business cards, do-it-yourself business cards, or get really creative.
We are artists! Get creative with what you do!
Michelle Summers is an agent and talent representative with VO Planet, the online casting and voice-over talent agency. Involved with the entertainment industry for over 16 years - including as a model and for the past 10 years, as an agent - she represents clients with a strong background in marketing and advertising.
Email: msummers@voplanet.com
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