This article is targeting more the young models who want to give their portfolios visibility with almost no money to invest.

Ivano Cheers Blog: promote yourself

Here we are talking once again about modeling.
This post follows up many requests from young followers who want to build  a career but they don’t know where to start or they have no money at all.

Let’s give for granted that you have a sort of portfolio, doesn’t have to be super professional but not even done with your iPhone or from your parents (unless they aren’t photographers).

Beware that you may start locally and whatever you earn you should immediately re-invest it in a professional photoshoot to improve your portfolio.

Like in any business even when you invest in yourself you have to build a brand (the brand “yourself) and you got to reinvest the majority of the money you make at the very beginning … a cash flow process.

Okay, I have a portfolio: now what?

That’s the main problem for everyone who privately contacted me: they have a good portfolio but they don’t know how to showcase it, they have no money to pay the trip to make auditions and so on so forth.

Now … think about … every time you start a business (again here the business is yourself) you have to use your head … what’s the difference between now and 20 years ago?

INTERNET! Yes, welcome to the social media age, welcome to the future: when I started there was no internet, no socials, no google … let’s say that now is way easier to get spotted but also way more competitive.

So: what’s the easiest free way to publish your portfolio online? I believe the right answer is Instagram, isn’t it? It’s free, is targeted to photos, is a huge free display to millions of agencies and talent scouts. So build a business profile on Instagram and publish your portfolio: one photo per post with the right hashtags to be found. Keep it professional, avoid crazy stuff, avoid posting selfies or stories every five minutes of you dancing, eating, driving … you’re not an influencer, not yet … keep it simple and professional because it is, so far, you first and only business card.

Why not Facebook? Obviously Facebook is fine too, as well as Pinterest or all the other plenty of socials out there, but Facebook’s engagement is more for youngsters, rarely an agency will spot you on Facebook before than Instagram. So: if you want to be cool to your friends and that’s it Facebook is perfect, you wanna be more pro-like go for Instagram: anyway one doesn’t exclude the other. Since we are here follow the Ivano Cheers Instagram Profile and, why not, the Ivano Cheers Official Facebook Page … won’t hurt 🙂
Once you have your Instagram profile set and filled with your portfolio just start to interact with other similar profiles, eventually agencies (don’t SPAM) and if you have potential sooner or later someone will reach you out.

Instagram is a powerful tool, however you can subscribe other websites that will showcase your portfolio for free (you may upgrade your accounts for more features later on). Beware I’m not affiliate whatsoever with the following sites.

The site I highly suggest to apply for is models.com: a huge database of people working in the fashion industry which is a staple for any model or photographers or agencies.
You can apply for free and your portfolio will appear more or less like this one: Ivano Cheers Model.com

Another website I highly recommend to showcase your portfolio and to find gigs is ModelMayhem.com – to apply to this website you may need to have a little higher quality portfolio since it has to pass the quality control to be published: you have three tries to be accepted or else you won’t be able to apply anymore, so don’t rush it. Here how your profile will appear: Ivano Cheers at ModelMayhem. This website will give you also visibility to agencies and photographers or even movie/commercial directors and they will allow you to candidate yourself for the gigs. If you use the paid version of the site you have more visibility.

So, these are the first (almost) mandatory steps to put your nose out there once you have your first portfolio. Remember that the biggest asset of your work is YOURSELF … and the quality always pays.

Thanks once again to support me and to follow me

Love you all

Ivano Cheers

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