Social Media

Checklistfor Actors!

THE ULTIMATE

Social Media Strategist - Backstage Expert Founder of Marketing4Actors.com

By: Heidi Dean

I love social media! Used correctly, it's

an awesome, completely free PR tool

that helps actors accelerate their

careers.   

 My ULTIMATE Social Media 

Checklist for Actors will get you started

by creating social media accounts that

more clearly reflect who you are, grow

your fan base & build lasting industry

relationships.  

On the flip side, social media can be

frustrating, chaotic & a waste of time

if misunderstood. That's where I

come in! 

Claim your username on all social

media platforms! If someone

already has your name, try

adding “actor,” “official”

or a middle initial to your name.

When the new Snapchat pops up,

be sure to claim your name even

if you’re not sure you’ll use it! Use

namecheckr.com to see if your

name is available on multiple

platforms.

CLAIM YOUR NAME

Make your Twitter & Instagram accounts

public! How will anyone know if they

should follow you if they can't see your

posts? Plus it's next to impossible to

build a fan base with a private account.

GO PUBLIC!

On your Facebook profile you can

decide whether or not you want each

post to be public or just for close

friends and family.

What about your facebook profile?

Your headshot is your 'logo' for your

career and should show the world what

you are most castable as!

One of the biggest mistakes actors

make on social media is using

completely different looks on different

platforms. Instead of showing your

range (which is usually the reason for

doing so) you fail to establish a cohesive

brand. That makes it difficult for people

to recognize you and follow you on

different platforms. McDonald’s doesn’t

use different logos for different

locations. It's the same for actors! Your

logo (headshot) should be the same

across platforms.

ADD YOUR HEADSHOT!

Headers, cover photos, and channel

art should show us the true essence

of who you are! Make sure you use

the correct size for each platform.

Current sizes (in pixels) are:

Twitter header photo (1500 x 500),

Facebook cover photo (815 x 315),

YouTube channel art (2560 x 1400),

and Google+ (1080 x 608).

Need help? I show you how HERE.

UTILIZE  THE HEADER!

A professional bio is your introduction

to the world. It expresses your

uniqueness, talents and passion and

makes us want to follow you! When

creating a bio use career-specific

keywords like “actor,” “SAG-AFTRA,” or

“voiceover.” 

TELL YOUR STORY

Make sure you optimize your bios for

each platform.  Click on the video

below to find out how to make your

Instagram bio STAND OUT!

If the platform allows you to have a

link it should usually go to your actor

website!  If you don’t have a website

link to your IMDb, YouTube channel,

Actors Access, etc. Then set up a

website right away. 

LINK TOYOUR

WEBSITE

Remember your website is

your home base for all your

marketing materials:

headshot, resume, media,

social media links & reviews.

  If a platform allows you add a

location to your profile... just do it.

This helps you connect with like-

minded people in your area—which

could mean more opportunities!

ADD YOUR LOCATION!

Everywhere, Hogwarts and Neverland

are not real locations. They may seem

cute but will only help you connect

with the Potterheads and Peter Pan

fans of the world, instead of people

who can hire you!

    I always say that it’s better to give

1,000% percent creating connections

on two platforms than burn out using

five! On the platforms you’ve decided

not to use right now, add your profile

photos and header photos and

optimize your bio. Then add a post

that says you’re not active on the

platform and link them to where they

CAN connect with you.

CHOOSE YOUR PLATFORMS

WISELY!

Example:

My Google+

Account

     Social Media is a great place to

network with new people but don’t

forget to find the connections

you’ve already made!

FIND YOUR FRIENDS!

Connect your email, phone number

and social media accounts to each

platform.

   Find new like-minded

people by using hashtag

searches on Instagram

and Twitter... 

DISCOVER NEW FRIENDS!

 Search groups on LinkedIn and

Facebook....

 or add your name to

my "Artist Snapchat

Directory" to expand

your existing circle of

friends on Snapchat. (CLICK TO ADD YOURSELF!)

 As you grow your fanbase it will

become very difficult to see just the

people you want to 'network' with

regularly. The algorithms on the big

social media platforms may also keep

you from seeing all your important

updates.

Add the people you know and the

people you want to know to organized

lists.  By organizing your friends,

followers, industry contacts, and fans

into lists you'll be able to create and

build relationships everyday.

GET ORGANIZED!

 Successful social media accounts

have a distinctive tone, voice, or

style. Are you...

FIND THE “ME” IN YOUR

SOCIAL MEDIA. 

Funny

Sarcastic

Don't copy others on social....It's YOUR

unique qualities will set you apart from

the sea of actors online.

Inspirational

 Pin a welcome tweet or post to

your Facebook Page, Twitter or

Google+.... 

WELCOME NEW FRIENDS!

This can be a quick video

introduction, info about your latest

project, or a way to direct your new

followers to your website.

 Create a posting strategy!  Decide how

often you’ll post. If you already have

Twitter followers, Followerwonk will tell

you the best time of day to post so you

can maximize your engagement and

reach!

If you have a Web series or YouTube

channel, tell your fans how often and

when you’ll release your videos.

CREATE A POSTING

STRATEGY

USE VIDEO!

Video is the perfect medium for actors!

You can use your YouTube

channel, Instagram (60 seconds), Twitter

(140 seconds) or go live on Periscope,

InstagramLive or FacebookLive to show

behind the scenes clips or clips from your

latest show (if allowed). Also try Snapchat!

With its use of photo, video, and text, it

provides a more personal and

customizable behind-the-scenes

experience.

If you’re in a show right now, encourage

fans to meet you at the stage door for a

pic or video! Save the pictures/videos and

post them on your social media channels.

I used to think hashtags were silly!

Boy was I wrong! Use popular

hashtags like....

to reach an audience beyond your

followers and to invite new people

to join your conversation!

USE #HASHTAGS!

#actorslife

#acting

#voiceover

#setlife

If you've created your own YouTube

Channel for your original work you MUST

make sure it's optimized for maximum views!

No one is just going to find your content. 

OPTIMIZE YOUR CHANNEL!

*Create a professional presence by adding

 Channel Art.

*Find keywords for your channel & videos

to attract your audience

*Create a trailer for your channel!

*Add a watermark to your videos to get

more subscribers

*Organize your videos into playlists! Then

embed these on your website or share the

playlist link on social media (so people

watch more than 1 video)!

Here are some quick tips:

Occasionally ask your followers and

fans to join you on your other

platforms!

BEWARE of automatically linking your

accounts—you don’t want your

Twitter account to be nothing but

Facebook and Instagram links. 

Instead, manually send posts (only

occasionally) from Instagram to Twitter

or Facebook to let your followers know

you're on Instagram. 

CROSS PROMOTE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA

ACCOUNTS. 

If there’s someone in the

business whose films, articles, or

classes you enjoy, make them

your #FF (Follow Friday) of the

week!

SPREAD THE LOVE

If you had a great meeting, send

a tweet thanking them for their

time or advice (w/o giving any

details away about the project).

Tweet congratulations to

friends and colleagues for their

personal and professional

achievements!

Add a your social media feeds or

Like/follow/Subscribe buttons and

Snapcodes to your website! 

FOLLOW BUTTONS & FEEDS!

This will help convert website

visitors into social media fans and

followers!

LIKES10,000

Think beyond the newspaper,

 magazine or blog review.... 

If someone posts an awesome

tweet about your performance,

play or original

webseries embed it on your

actor website!

SOCIAL MEDIA TESTIMONIALS!

...tells us NOTHING about you (except

that you're gracious).

These actions appear insincere, rarely

help build your fan base, and may get

your accounts suspended. Instead, be

aware of the connections you make and

respond if it’s appropriate.

 LIMIT YOUR

AUTOMATION! Avoid using auto

direct messages and

automatically

thanking EVERYONE

who follows you.

A page that looks like

this...

Checking each platform all day is

time-consuming.... especially

when you'd rather be acting!

Using a social media

management system like

Hootsuite lets you see multiple

social media accounts in one

place (including messages,

posts, lists, and mentions), saving

you hours every week.

SET UP A  SOCIAL

SYSTEM!  

Are you on a network TV or cable

show tonight? Why not live tweet

while watching? Be sure to use

the show’s trending hashtags! You

may get some new fans and make

connections with the cast, writers

or crew on social media!

LIVE TWEET!

Grow your following by adding

your username to your email

signature! Every email is an

opportunity to get a new fan or

follower!

THINK BEYOND SOCIAL!

Add your social media icons

and/or username to your

business cards. 

Above all, don't forget to be social!

It is SOCIAL media! Take part in

industry Twitter chats, Facebook

groups, Linkedin groups, or even

Pinterest groups to meet new

people in the business! Check your

mentions and notifications

regularly! 

BE SOCIAL!

Retweet, Reply, & React!

Get step-by-step video tutorials to help you

do all of this (and so much more)...

www.Marketing4Actors.com

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