Actor Marketing:
20 Networking Tips
by Janice Hoffmann

Actor marketing is often under-estimated by actors new to the business. Many don’t understand its importance and others still simply don’t know how to do it. If you don’t have many contacts with casting directors, agents, directors, producers, production companies and other industry professionals, been having trouble making contact with the people who can take your career to the next level or if you are having trouble just building relationships in general, you will certainly find the list below of excellent tips helpful.

This list was put together by Janice Hoffmann (pictured left), a career and life coach who works regularly with young actors to help them on their way to creating their careers. I met Janice a few years ago while taking one of her acting career mentoring classes at Ward Studio in New York City. Janice runs her own coaching business at SuccessIsSweetest.com

Actor Marketing Tips

20 Networking Tips by Janice Hoffmann

1. Understand that THE MEANING OF NETWORKING IS to establish CONTACTS NEEDED TO TAKE a CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

2. A NETWORK IS CRUCIAL. IT LEADS TO WORK.

3. NETWORKING IS NOT SCHMOOZING. NETWORKING IS DEVELOPING KEY RELATIONSHIPS and FRIENDSHIPS IN THE INDUSTRY.

4. KEEP YOUR SOCIAL AND EVENT CALENDAR FULL. YOU MUST WORK HARD TO REMAIN VISIBLE.

5. ACTORS SHOULD DO THEIR RESEARCH BEFORE ATTENDING SCREENINGS, FESTIVALS, SHOWCASES OR NETWORKING EVENTS.

6. A KEY ELEMENT OF NETWORKING IS KNOWING THE PLAYERS IN THE INDUSTRY. DETERMINE 3-6 PEOPLE YOU’D LIKE TO MEET.

7. WHEN MEETING SOMEONE NEW, BE PREPARED TO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY. KEEP UP WITH CURRENT EVENTS. CULTIVATE INTERESTS.

8. DEVELOP A SPECIALIZED FORM OF KNOWLEDGE. BECOME AN EXPERT, SOMETHING THAT SETS YOU APART FROM EVERYONE ELSE.

9. STOP PLACING SO MUCH IMPORTANCE ON THE FIRST MEETING. BE IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL. GO FOR LONG TERM RELATIONSHIP BUILDING.

10. BUILD PERSONAL CONNECTIONS RATHER THAN TAKING AND RECIEVING INSTANT REWARDS.

More Actor Marketing Tips

11. IT’S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW BUT WHO YOU KNOW--OR, IT’S NOT WHO YOU KNOW BUT WHO KNOWS YOU.

12. WHEN IT COMES TO MEETING PEOPLE, IT’S NOT ONLY WHOM YOU GET TO KNOW BUT ALSO HOW AND WHERE YOU GET TO KNOW THEM.

13. IF YOU RECEIVE A BUSINESS CARD FROM SOMEONE WHO AGREES TO TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR MATERIALS, FOLLOW UP THE NEXT DAY.

14. ULTIMATLELY GETTING A BUSINESS CARD IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GIVING ONE.

15. GETTING TO KNOW PEOPLE ALWAYS REAPS MORE BENEFITS THAN TALKING SHOP.

16. BE OF SERVICE TO ANOTHER PERSON. RECOMMEND A GOOD BOOK, A RESTAURANT, A MOVIE, A CLASS, AND WRITE IT ON THE BACK OF YOUR BUSINESS CARD.

17. YOU’VE GOT TO BECOME YOUR OWN PR PERSON. DOCUMENT THE CONTACTS MADE AND FOLLOW UP WITH ’IT WAS GREAT TO MEET YOU’ CARDS, MAILED OUT THE NEXT DAY.

18. IN A BUSINESS, IN WHICH FOLLOW-THROUGH IS RARE, A NOTE MAKES THE PERSON FEEL SPECIAL AND SHOWS THAT YOU ARE ON TOP OF YOUR GAME.

19. MAKE FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE NOT JUST THOSE WHO WILL ASSIST IN GETTING YOU WORK.

20. SEND THANK YOU NOTES BY THE TRUCK LOAD.

Janice Hoffmann is a career and life coach in New York City. In addition to catering to her clients through her business SuccessIsSweetest.com, she also teaches a very practical and on-going career mentoring workshop for actors at Ward Acting Studio. Visit Janice’s website at www.SuccessIsSweetest.com.

You can now add this list of actor marketing tips to my 29 ways to promote yourself! With this, you should be off to a great start! So? What are you waiting for?

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Hi Tony
I would like to thank you for helping me with the monologue question I asked in October 2007. I went to the auditions for a Drama course and I am happy to say that I have been accepted as a first-year student at the Tshwane University of Technology. Please keep on sending me those newsletters and let me know where I can find books that will help me in my acting career. Thank you once more. Have a blessed day.
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Dear Anthony,
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Hey Tony, thanks for the info, yours by far is the most useful, I am 30 years old, and I myself always (secretly) wanted to be an actress, but I never knew where to begin, so thank you. You have given me hope!
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Hi, I’m John.
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