To make it as a professional actor you need more than just acting ability, you also need to know how to promote yourself effectively. These days, an acting website is one of the most essential ways to market yourself as it allows you to put all of your promotional material in one easily accessible place that you can simply point new contacts towards.
But does every actor need a website? How do you know whether it’s going to be worth the time and effort? And what exactly does your acting website need to contain? We have the answers.
Who needs an acting website?
Pretty much anyone working as a professional actor should have their own website, but it’s important not to get ahead of yourself. The key is that your site has to look professional and do a good job of convincing people that you are a serious, professional-quality actor ready to be hired.
As such, it’s no good thinking you can simply throw a website together with your name and a couple of pictures and think that is going to get you anywhere. If anything, this approach is likely to do more harm than good. Remember, you only have one chance to make a good first impression, so it’s better to wait until you can make a great site than make one as soon as possible just for the sake of it.
Before deciding whether it’s the right time to make a website, you need to understand what it needs to achieve and how this can be done. This will then give you a good indication of whether you should make your site now, or wait until you have the necessary resources to make something more impressive.
What is the point of an acting website?
One thing to understand is that just having an acting website probably isn’t going to generate work for you. It’s highly unlikely that casting directors will just stumble upon your site randomly and decide to give you a shot. What is much more likely is that people will be following a link you have sent them or from social media. Alternatively, they might have heard your name and want to look you up (in which case, if you don’t have a website, they may quickly lose interest!).
Either way, your site needs to act as a one-stop shop that shows off exactly what you have to offer as an actor. Its aim should be to clearly establish your acting credentials, which can have a big impact on when you decide to launch your site. For example, if you have no professional training or acting credits with just a few amateur productions to your name, your site is unlikely to convince people to give you professional work. You are therefore better off waiting until you have done some acting classes and got a few decent roles under your belt before putting a website together.
It’s also important that your site contains the right kinds of promotional materials to give a professional impression as there are certain key things casting directors and other industry gatekeepers will expect a professional actor to include on their site.
What makes a good acting website?
A good actor’s website will have a clean, easy-to-navigate, professional-looking design. Anything less will make you look like an amateur. The site’s content should include all the standard things people will need to see when making a decision about whether to offer you an audition as well as information about what you’re up to and how to get in touch.
Your acting website should contain:
- Head shots
- Actor’s CV
- Showreel
- Bio (including what acting training you have undertaken)
- News (keeping people up-to-date with your latest and upcoming work)
- Additional images (showing you in action)
- Social media links
- Contact details (email and phone number)
When planning your website, it is a good idea to get these materials together first, rather than thinking you can create the site and add the rest later. As these are the bare minimum agents and casting directors will expect, then there is little point having a site that doesn’t contain them as people will not take you seriously and you will be wasting both your time and theirs.
One thing you definitely should not overlook is making sure your site is mobile-friendly. Casting directors tend to be very busy, so are highly likely to look up your site on their smartphone or other mobile device. It would therefore be really unfortunate if they weren’t easily able to read and navigate your site, so mobile-friendliness is essential!
Is it worth spending money on?
If you are just starting out and struggling to make ends meet, splashing out on a professional website design might seem like an unaffordable luxury. The problem is, if you simply try to make your website yourself, it is likely to end up looking rather amateurish. This is absolutely not the impression you want to give off, so it really is worth spending money for a professional web design if you can.
It’s important to remember that your website is an investment, just like your head-shots and showreel. A good acting website will help to generate work by effectively showing off what you have to offer as an actor, so the sooner you can put one together, the sooner you can start reaping the benefits.
Find out how to crack the business of acting
Acting is a career like any other – you need to learn how the industry works if you want to get ahead. It’s not enough simply to know how to act, you also have to know how to get out there and find paid work using your acting talent. Our method acting tuition is second to none because we don’t just focus on the artistic side of acting, we also teach you all about the business side of the industry. From making your own acting website to putting together your showreel, learning to ace auditions and how to network effectively, we teach you everything you need to find work and build a viable career.
Our 1-Year Ultimate Acting Programme covers everything you need to succeed as a professional actor, so if you want to turn your acting dreams into your everyday reality, please don’t hesitate and apply today!
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