Celebrities and industry experts often hire PR (Public Relations) professionals to manage their images. Why? Because how you present yourself is 99% of information from which people will form their opinion of you. Think about Kim Kardashian — someone who has herself admitted that she has no viable talents like singing, dancing, acting, etc. She is a PR success story if there ever was one. She turned a sex tape into a billion-dollar empire with great PR spin.
My advice to those coming up in the entertainment industry is to mind your PR at every level. Even when you’re just starting out, it is vital that you consider your image at all times and really examine how people SEE you – not necessarily who you truly are. That is what’s going to sell your brand.
Are you hard to work with? Do you demand too much? Are you on time? Are you fun to be around? No matter if you’re an actor, writer, director or producer, your image can make or break your success potential. Take a good look at your Twitter and Facebook posts from an impartial/objective view — would YOU hire YOU?
In acting classes, coaches will often ask the class to give adjectives about other actors in the class to give them a realistic view of what roles people see them playing. I think this is a great idea for anyone in the entertainment biz. Ask your friends for adjectives to describe you and tailor your PR to match. If you’re “sexy,” then try to get on more red carpets, in more social photos and do photo shoots exploiting your best assets. If you’re “funny,” then do more live shows, more funny youtube videos, more stand up, more silly hosting/appearances. If you’re “kid friendly” then pursue more educational theatre, kids’ programming, etc. It seems simple enough, but sometimes we get so caught in our own lives that we forget how to simplify our focus to capitalize on our image projection – this is the case of good “pigeon-holing.” Once you establish yourself, you can break out and do other things.
Something to think about for 2012. Happy New Year everybody!
Thank you, great advice. I need to promote myself, any tips?
Sure. In addition to what’s mentioned above (finding out your “category”), look at what other people in your category do to promote themselves online and off and think of similar ways you can do the same.