Self Promotion - Freelance Models

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How to Promote Yourself as a Freelance Model 

Promote Yourself as a Freelance Female Model - If you would rather promote yourself ...

If you are not interested in getting jobs with modeling agencies in New York for runway or high fashion jobs, you might want to promote yourself as a freelance model. But, remember that you have to do all the work including contacting clients and even the paperwork.

Some models would rather promote themselves instead of listing through talent management companies A.K.A. the model agency. Nothing wrong with this but it does require more work on your part. If your are signed with a model agency, they promote the business, they talk to the clients in your behalf, they set up the shooting dates, they take the heat if you don't make it to the session, etc.

But, there are many models who are "loners" in the pool of modeling and want complete control over who they work with and why.

If you are one of these models, read on ...

There are several ways to promote yourself. I will try to mention some ways for you to promote your modeling talent and a step by step format to follow.

First things first ..

In self promotion, the first step to take is putting together a professional portfolio. Once you've followed the portfolio guidelines from above, it's a good idea to have comp cards and business cards made.

A) Business Cards - Your business card should have as much information on it as possible. It's not expensive to have extra words listed and this way you can include things other than the name and phone number.

For best results and at just a little extra cost, I would suggest putting your photo (preferably a headshot) on the card. People don't tend to throw away photos as quickly as they do just cards. Below the photo (or on your card if you choose not to include the photo) you should list ..

• Your name, contact phone number, email and don't forget to put your web address on the card
• You may want to also include in bulleted form your attributes (i.e. height and weight, model body measurements), special skills and the type of modeling you specialize in (your modeling strength area)

B) Composite Cards - You'll definitely want to get composite cards (comp cards) made to hand out to possible clients / agents and to leave with clients or photographers you work with. A comp card is one of the least expensive pieces of printed promotional material but packs a big punch in saying, "I'm a professional model".

Basic Model Comp Card Layout

Front - Photo covering the front of the card (I suggest a good, strong headshot here) along with your name in bold letters.

Back - From four to six photos showing different looks (indoor and outdoor) in a variety of outfits with at least one good body shot (swimwear or tight-fitting clothing).

The back of the card will list important information about you and your stats including ...

• Contact information (Who to contact, phone, email, web address, etc.)
• Height
• Weight
• Bust size / cup size
• Waist size
• Hip size
• Dress size
• Shoe size
• Hair color
• Hair length (short, shoulder length, long)
• Eye color
• Type(s) of modeling jobs preferred (i.e. commercial, fashion shows, catalog, promotional, etc.)

No need to feel overwhelmed with the details of getting your comp card ready. There are many companies online such as CompCard.Com who have versions and templates online which will help you every step of the way. Remember too that there are many different versions of comp cards so it's all a matter of personal preference as to which style you choose.

C) Modeling Websites - When it comes to websites, I could probably write complete chapters on the subject but I will try as best I can to simplify this part.

Your website - Paid or Free?

Should you pay to have your own website created or go with one of the free web listing services online? Your choice in the type of web promotion you do depends upon your level of experience and the amount of budget you have to work with.

If you are, in actuallity, an eccentric millionaire and are just pursuing modeling out of boredom, by all means hire a professional web designer and start from scratch to build a website that other models will be in awe of! But, even if you go this route, there's the promotional costs and time to think about; time that could be better used to improve your modeling abilities and make contacts with clients who need you for their photo projects.

I personally feel that it's better to start but using a few of the online services (paid and free) to get your name out there. You can do a search and find many listing places but one site that seems to have lots of buzz at the time of this writing is .. Model Mayhem

Madel Mayhem offers a basic free package or a paid premium package and you can view and make comments on pictures, etc. This is a less expensive way to get your feet wet and find out if you've got a look which is in demand.

Remember, you can have the most awsome beauty & talent in the world but if nobody knows where to find you ... becoming a model could be in vain! So, get off your backside and go to work!!

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