A strong relationship with your agent is crucial to your success as a model. It leads to better trust, communication, and more opportunities. Good agents are often fielding emails from clients while at the same time reaching out to their talent to check availability for upcoming shoots.
With so many different factors pulling their attention, approaching the relationship with promptness and professionalism will take you far in your agency/model partnership.
A strong relationship with your modeling agent is all about how to make their job easier when it comes to pitching you to clients and booking you jobs. Here my 6 best tips to be a great partner to your agent.
Don’t Expect Constant Communication
My communication with my agent often looks like what’s shown below:
If they have something to tell me, they will reach out to me promptly either via email or text. In the meantime, I trust that there is work being done behind the scenes that will get me the castings to book me jobs.
On my end, I focus on keeping active on social media so that when clients and casting directors check my instagram, they see my most updated images, my hobbies, and my personality videos.
If there’s been a period of time in which it’s been quiet, I will reach out via email to check-in. Sometimes silence is a matter of seasonality, other times, your model portfolio needs to be updated. Your agent should give you more clarity if it’s been quiet for a month or more.
Respond Quickly
When agents reach out directly to you, it’s often for a pressing matter. Whether it’s to check availability for a shoot, ask for clarification on whether I fit client specs, I always respond as soon as possible. The faster they get a response, the faster they can go back to the client with my updates.
If they need additional materials like self-tapes or images from me, I tell them when I can send over what they need, and I make sure to send it by that time. My agents know I am reliable because I always stick to my word.
Speed matters in booking jobs, as casting deadlines can be tight! When you respond quickly, not only does it build trust with agents and clients, you increase your chances of getting booked, since clients naturally option and book models who respond ASAP.
Be Reliable
Reliability and quick responses to your agent go hand in hand. When you are sent a casting, follow instructions and send in the tapes on time. It’s also important to show up on time to in-person castings, with the proper materials. For shoots, show up on time (or early!) with everything you were asked to bring.
If you’re unsure about anything, ask your agent for clarification. They should always direct you to the answer, and if they don’t know, they will ask the casting team or the client.
If you are running late to a casting, or can’t submit a self-tape in the time frame you said you would, send your agents a message to update them. They will communicate with the client on when to expect you, and sometimes they can also get you an extension on self-tapes.
Update Your Book-Out Dates Regularly
It is so important to keep agents updated on your availability. This includes vacation days, existing options and book-out dates, and busy dates.
This is particularly important if you have multiple agents in different markets. Your LA agent might text you to hold dates for a client while your New York agent is submitting you for a job that falls on those same dates. In that scenario, it’s important for your New York agent to know that you are on hold for a job in LA. They will continue submitting you for jobs, but will communicate accordingly to clients that you are on hold for a shoot if the client shows interest in you.
If you are going on vacation, letting your agents know ahead of time will avoid any miscommunication with potential clients about your availability. They will mark those dates as booked out, and will not submit any jobs that shoot while you are away.
Consult Your Agent When You Change Your Look
I’ll preface this section by saying you should always do whatever you want with your body.
That being said, if you choose to change your look, there are a few things to consider. Your client base may shift, if you change your look drastically. You’ll also have to retake digitals and update your portfolio.
It’s important that the marketing materials your agent has is consistent with how you represent yourself.
It’s also best practice to tell your agent before you make the change, since from a business perspective, they might start submitting you to different clients once you’ve updated your digitals. Be prepared for them to give you feedback on how (if even) this will change your bookings.
I had a model friend dye his hair blonde for funsies, didn’t book anything for a month. Once he dyed his hair back to his original color, he started working again. So if you change your look, be prepared for work to shift.
If you’ve changed your look, don’t forget to send your agents an updated image, so they know what they’re working with.
Send Your Agent Updated Images
Anytime you test, send your agents your favorite images. Whether its paid shoot or a TFP, always send your agents updated images for your book. This gives them an opportunity to update your portfolio, and when they send your book out to clients, clients will see that you’ve been working and updating your portfolio.
To make things easiest for your agent, don’t send them more than 5 – 6 images per look or background. If you send them a folder of 50 images of you in the same outfit with different poses, you are giving them more work to sort through to find your best images.
Furthermore, the images they choose for you might not have been the ones you would have chosen for yourself. This has happened to me on several occasions. Since then, I have always pared down a batch of final edits for my agents to choose from. That way, I know whichever images they choose, I know I will like.
Anytime you take good images that you think could be added to your portfolio, send it to your agents. It’s better for them to have the option to use these photos, and if it doesn’t benefit your portfolio, they won’t use them.
One of my model friends who also works as a photographer captured a photo of her male model friend while they were hanging out, and it ended up being used for his comp card during fashion week. You never know when a casual photo turns into the photo.
Key Takeaways
When you sign with an agent, your agent will text you only when they need something from you–checking availability, sending you to a casting, or asking any clarification questions. If things are quiet, don’t fret, but it could be worth scheduling a check-in if it’s been quiet for a bit long.
When they do reach out, respond in a timely manner. This typically looks like within 2 hours, sooner if you can. Get them the materials they need when you say you will. This demonstrates that you’re reliable and easy to work with. Also, don’t forget to update your agents with your bookout dates.
If you significantly change your physical appearance, don’t forget to tell your agents, and update your book. Anytime you test with a photographer, send your agents the updated images so they can update your portfolio for clients to see.
If you put all of these tips to practice, you will be your agent’s favorite model. 😊
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