Creating Your Brand as a Singer - Part 2

Back in December, we featured an article by Antioch, TN teacher Erica S. on creating your “brand” as a singer. Now that you have your business cards printed up and your resume completed, what do you do with them? Here’s part two of the article…

Marketing is defined as “the action or business of promoting and selling products or services.” Now that you have your branded promotional materials (headshot, resume, website, business card and reel), you need to get people to see it. There are many ways as a performer that you can promote yourself, but there are a few common ways to get started.

First, you can submit your information when it is asked for.

You may be asking yourself, “When is this asked for?” The answer is in an audition posting. Lately, there has been a trend where the casting director will sift through submissions of headshots, resumes, and/or reels, before he or she even offers a singer/actor an audition appointment.

Your headshot should be sized appropriately so that the file is not too big in your web submission or email. You can talk to your photographer about getting your headshots in both higher pixels and lower pixels for different uses.

Next question you are probably wondering is, “Where are these audition postings?” Each city will have different websites where theater and opera companies post auditions. Also, backstage.com is a great resource for finding auditions in your state or around the country.

• Business Cards: If you happen to meet someone in the industry, and they want to see something you’ve done or tell you that you should keep in touch, this is a great time to whip out your business card and have all your information neatly presented on the card.
• Postcards/Thank You Notes: If you attend an audition and have a great experience, it is common for performers to send a thank you note or a postcard thanking the casting director and personnel for their time. Now, you may be thinking: “Postcard?” This is a good thing for you to question – because it is not just any postcard. This particular postcard should have your headshot and information on the front, and a blank postcard form with lines on the back. You can buy these at most photo printing stores or online at reproductions.com or vistaprint.com
• Mailings: Many performers mail their headshot and resume with a short cover letter to casting directors or agents. You never know when they are looking to cast someone like you, and your mailing may come at just the right time.