LinkedIn Do’s and Don’ts
LinkedIn is used all over the world to make connections and network in business, but did you know that LinkedIn can be just as useful for actors? LinkedIn is a great way to stay connected with other actors you’ve worked with, as well as research people in your field, such as agents and casting directors. There are also casting directors looking for talent on LinkedIn more often than you might think, so you want to make sure you’re utilizing it to its full potential. So, with that being said, let’s talk about what you should have on your profile, and how you should be using LinkedIn as an actor!
As far as your profile, make sure that everything is and looks professional. Your headline, profile photo and overall look of your profile should look polished, clean, and concise. Your photo should be a current headshot, or a professional portrait, and your headline should include keywords that you would like people to find you under. Some other things you can include are your union status, your college/degree, any current employment, etc. Here’s an example of a headline: “Actor, Singer and Dancer with BFA in Musical Theatre from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.” Then just fill in your profile as instructed with as much information as you can. Other things you can add to boost your profile are your resume, social links (Twitter, Instagram, etc,) casting profiles (IMDb, BWW, IBDb), and don’t forget your website!
Now, let’s discuss how to properly use LinkedIn. There is a lot of unspoken social etiquette in the networking tool, so we’re going to go over the do’s and don'ts as an actor on LinkedIn.
DO: Start making connections! Connect with friends and family, add colleagues in the industry you’ve worked with before, connect with industry professionals you have a relationship with, etc.
DO: Follow hashtags and influential people/companies in the industry! Follow companies you’ve worked with, as well as companies you’d maybe like to work with. Follow your college, representation, anything that will show industry-related news for you to interact with and share with your connections.
DO: Start checking LinkedIn daily, and interacting with your newsfeed! Leave likes and comments on fellow actors’ posts, re-share interesting posts, etc. The more active you are on your LinkedIn, the more you stand out to your connections!
DO: Post your current or past work! Use photos, videos, etc. of anything you’re working on or have worked on. We recommend posting only industry-related content to your LinkedIn profile.
DO: Join LinkedIn groups! They’re a great way to network with a specific, smaller group of people. For example, some colleges have groups for students with the same major, or maybe a workshop you did a few years ago has an alumni group.
DO: Use LinkedIn for researching industry professionals! Say you have an audition, and you want to learn a little bit about who’s casting you. Use LinkedIn to see where they went to school, what they’ve worked on, where they’ve worked, etc.
DON’T: Reach out and connect with casting directors or industry professionals you don’t know. This is a huge LinkedIn actor faux-pas. They are not recruiting through LinkedIn, and don’t have any interest in an elevator pitch from someone they’ve never met.
DON’T: Post irrelevant personal opinions. LinkedIn is strictly for connecting within professional industries. Save unrelated personal information for other socials, such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
We hope this has been helpful as an introduction to LinkedIn for actors! As always, if you have any questions feel free to schedule some time with us and we'd be happy to discuss with you!
