5 Social Media Rules for your #Actorslife

Social Media is a powerful tool for developing relationships with directors, producers, actors, casting directors, and other industry professionals. It’s also an excellent way to build an audience for your creative work. Here are five social media rules you can apply to your #actorslife:

You are what you tweet.

Today it’s quite possible you’ll make your first impression online before you ever meet someone in an audition room. Your posts are a direct reflection of who you are. What do they say about you? This goes beyond preaching about your political views or other controversial subjects. It includes your daily correspondence on social media. Say you had a bad experience on your trip to NY today and you want to vent about it on social media. Send out a tweet about your displeasure with the airline but move on. If you’re having a hard time reaching customer service on X, ask them if you can take the conversation to a direct message. If you don’t, an outsider will only see an angry person they don’t want to work with, even if your “in-the-moment rant” doesn’t reflect the person you really are.

Tweet others the way you want to be tweeted.

This is the Golden Rule of Social Media. If you don’t agree with someone, unfriend/unfollow them (or simply ‘mute’ them in your settings if it’s an important industry relationship). You don’t have to attend every argument you’re invited to. Whatever you do, don’t leave hateful comments or try to teach them a lesson. Treat them the way you want to be treated offline and online.

Listen before you talk online.

Sometimes actors treat social media like a big megaphone. “Look at my reel! Look at my headshots! Look at my video!” Before you ask people to look at your stuff think about what you can do for them. Listen to their conversations and respond, share their content, and get to know them before you start asking for favors of your own. The great thing about social media is there are conversations going on 24/7 about everything! It’s fine to jump into someone else’s conversation, but be sure to read the whole stream of comments before you do.

People trust actions more than words.

You’re not only judged by the words you post, you’re also judged by your actions. The best way to create a loyal following is to lead by example. No matter how tempting it sounds, don’t buy followers. It’s super obvious when you have zero engagement and 10,000 followers. Don’t let your actions overshadow the great content you’ve shared online. Remember: Your reputation is everything in this business.

Believe in your ‘selfie’.

Social media can be frustrating at first, but it’s a valuable skill that you can learn. The biggest career advantage it offers is in building relationships. That takes time. Remember the 3 P’s: Stay positive, patient and persistent.

To give you that extra boost of confidence on social media grab your free copy of my Ultimate Social Media Guide for Actors here (it’ll have you rockin’ your social media in no time).

See you on social,