If you’ve applied dozens of times to various agencies, and you’re still not getting signed, you can either choose to give up, or strategically improve your marketability for future application rounds.
If you believe that there is a market for you to book work as a model, here is what I would recommend–as someone who has been rejected by agencies numerous times, but is now represented by agencies in New York, LA, and Cape Town.
Re-Evaluate the Agencies You Are Applying To
If you are a petite model, (that’s me too!) you’re probably not going to get much interest from the majority of the agencies that you see on Models.com. While not all of them are traditional and looking for high fashion models, the vast majority of those agencies serve clients looking for sample size models. For women, that looks like 5’9 – 5’11, size 0 – 2.
When you see petite models with Elite, IMG, or other equally renowned agencies, 99% of the time, they have been placed there with mother agents (after having booked numerous campaigns over multiple years).
If these are the agencies you are applying to, chances are, you are going to get rejected if you are petite and have no modeling portfolio, modeling experience, or social media presence. It will be more worth your time to apply to smaller agencies that have a strong commercial client base to build your portfolio and tearsheets.
For a list of agencies that are open to signing petite models, check out this article.
Consider Changing Your Look
If you have been thinking about changing your look for a while, this may be worth trying. Some models don’t get interest when they have a specific look, but once they change their look (whether it be hairstyle, piercings, tattoos etc), it adds to their vibe and they become appealing to agents.
Sometimes this is based on market trends, sometimes this is based on the fact your face is simply more marketable with a different presentation. So, if you were already thinking of making some drastic change to your appearance, consider doing it, then re-applying to agencies.
Apply to Mother Agencies
If you are brand new to modeling, and you have been trying to get signed to booking agencies, try looking at mother agencies. If you find a good mother agent who is willing to represent you, this is a golden ticket in the modeling industry.
A mother agent’s responsibility is to develop you with digitals and test shoots, then pitch you to booking agencies in different domestic and international markets. They will oversee your contracts, make sure terms are fair for you, and manage multiple clients who want to book you. In return for their investment in you as a model, they split commission with the booking agencies with which they place you.
Some booking agents operate as mother agents, and there are also mother agents whose only job is to manage their talent. I explain the difference more in depth in this article. One of the key differences is that booking agent MAs make money through bookings and through managing models, while mother agent managers make money only through managing models.
In my view, mother agency managers are much more highly incentivized to get you booking as soon as you are ready, because this is their main stream of income. I talk more about the nuances between both, and I would highly recommend checking that out if you are considering the mother agency route.
I will say–getting signed to a mother agency manager is not easy. Mother agencies typically have small rosters because they invest a lot of time and energy into their models. If they are good mother agents, their roster will have low turnover. If a reputable mother agent is interested in signing you, this is a great opportunity as a new model.
Build Your Portfolio
I’ve spoken with and interviewed with many agents at this point. Based on my personal experience and observations, unsigned models are more likely to get signed if they have a strong existing portfolio that can immediately be used to market to clients.
If you come to agents already having a marketable book, they can start making money with you through your existing portfolio.
Here’s the thought process behind it. If you don’t have a strong portfolio, you need to be developed. This means you need good digitals taken, at least 1, ideally 2 rounds of test shoots to get marketable images, and this requires time and investment from booking agents.
If you come to agents already having a marketable book, they can start making money with you through your existing portfolio. After you get signed, you’ll continue to work with your agents to fill in the gaps in your portfolio (if there are any), or continue to update it with new images. In the meantime, however, they can start submitting you to clients and castings.
You don’t need a portfolio to get signed, and many models don’t have a portfolio when they start their career with an agent. However, if you think you have what it takes to book work in your market, and you are willing to invest in professional images, this will 100% help you get signed. A basic portfolio has at least 10 images with 3 different looks/backgrounds, and 1 – 2 solid headshots. You can build a portfolio either through TFP or paid portfolio shoots.
Investing in your portfolio creates a snowball effect on your marketability. The more quality images across different booking category you add to your book, the wider a spectrum of jobs clients can see you in.
In every commercial model’s portfolio, I would recommend 2 strong headshots, athletic shots, beauty shots, traditional denim/t-shirt shots, and some ecommerce style images. My agents are still submitting my images from 3 – 4 years ago for jobs (as long as they still look like me, it’s not an issue), and I still get casting requests and bookings from said images.
For more details on how to construct a portfolio that will book you jobs, check out this video:
<insert YouTube video on how to build a portfolio that will book you jobs>
Build a Social Media Presence
Building a social media presence is crucial to your model brand in 2026. It’s something I only just recently buckled down on, after one of my friends (who’s been in the industry for 15 years) said she began booking regularly after she started posting videos on her Instagram.
Look past gaining followers for a second. Clients and agents want to see who you are outside of modeling. What do you look like in your natural element? How do you spend your time? As a commercial model, clients want elevated relatability. Your social media profile can help convey that alongside your portfolio and self-tape.
I’ve mostly been posting talking head videos; this is intentional. Potential clients who come across my Instagram or check out my profile can read my energy and see how expressive I am on camera.
It’s been less than a month since I’ve started posting regularly on my Instagram (~5 – 6 videos a week) and I’ve been getting about 50% more casting requests per week than I had before I started posting regularly. It’s hard to say that the increase in castings is 100% due to my activity on social media, but at the very least, there is a correlation.
If you have hobbies outside of modeling, talk about them on your social media! Post yourself partaking in them. Make videos that showcase your personality. When agents see your abilities, this also makes them more inclined to represent you, especially if you have a niche hobby that you are extremely proficient at.
Key Takeaways
If you’re not getting signed as a model, apply to agencies that book jobs for models with similar profile to yours. This may mean you have to do more research on the proper agencies for you, but this article is a great place to start.
If you’ve been contemplating a physical change for a while, and you think that can help you get signed and booked, try it! The worst that can happen is that you don’t get signed, which puts you back in the same position you have been in. The best case scenario is that this is the change the agents wanted to see.
Consider applying to mother agencies if you’re not getting any interest from booking agencies. You’ll need strong digitals to get their interest, but having an existing portfolio is not necessary, as they will help develop you before they pitch you to partner agencies in different markets.
If you are willing to invest in your modeling career before you get signed, the best way to do so is through building your portfolio. Not only do you develop experience in front of the camera, but once you approach agencies with marketable images, they are much more likely to sign you. This cuts down on their investment in developing you, and they can start submitting you to clients right away.
In the midst of all this, you might consider investing in your Instagram profile. Upload high quality videos of you talking to the camera about your interests, pictures of you doing your hobbies, and also pictures that show your face and body.
If you think you have what it takes, keep trying!
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