Getting signed to an agency takes more than just a strong face. It’s about timing, the quality of your application, and the right agency/model fit. This article covers common mistakes many aspiring models make in their application for representation, and how to easily fix them.
1. Timing – Your Look Doesn’t Fit the Agency or Market Right Now
There’s two pieces to the matter of timing.
- Your look doesn’t fit the market right now. Industry clients aren’t hiring models who look like you. In a general sense, some types of models are often in trend and book regularly, while other types of looks work in waves. Beyond that, personal brand is also a huge part of being able to regularly book jobs.
- The agency already has models of similar profiles to yours, and they are not willing to sign another model who has the same look. Agencies can be hesitant to sign yet another model with a similar look because they don’t want their models to compete with each other for jobs.
When it comes to timing, it’s a matter of applying and re-applying every 4 – 6 months if you don’t get any interest. In the meantime, continue shooting TFPs to build your portfolio and gain experience in front of the camera.
2. You’re Applying When Agents are not Reviewing Applications
Agencies will never advertise when they are or are not reviewing applications, but the industry moves in seasons, and during busy season, agents aren’t focused on scouting new models. Yet models will still be applying, so when agents get around to reviewing the backlog of applications, there are more applications to review, and they may not consider your application as thoroughly.
In big fashion markets, these times of year typically fall during Fashion Weeks (twice a year) and big holiday breaks–December holidays, Easter Holidays, July holidays (in the US). This is all dependent on which market you are in, but make a note of when people tend to take multiple days or weeks off in your country.
Instead, apply to agencies right before their busy booking season. This is really dependent on geography, so do some research into your location. For example, I spent last (southern hemisphere) summer in Cape Town on a model contract, and had applied to agencies in September. Model season in Cape Town runs from October to April, during their summer. The best time to apply to agencies for Cape Town would be June – September, during their slow season, and before the busy booking season.
I primarily work in LA and New York, which are strong commercial markets. There aren’t as clearly defined busy seasons for commercial modeling here, but I typically have always been busier during the fall, spring, and late summer. Winter has often been quiet in my experience.
3. You Submit Low Quality Model Digitals
Model digitals or polaroids are simple images of your face and body that show what you look like as a blank canvas. Digitals are one of the most important aspects of your model application. Some mistakes models make when taking their digitals include:
- Wearing too much Makeup – Digitals should be taken with little to no makeup.
- Taking digitals with bad lighting – Always take digitals in front of a window or outside, with the light facing you.
- Messy background – A plain wall for digitals is best. Any background that would detract from you is not ideal.
If agents don’t like your digitals, they will not seriously consider your application. How you take digitals is also how you will present to clients. If your digitals don’t meet their requirements, then
Digitals are very easy to take with help from a friend or by yourself with a tripod. All you need is a plain wall, facing natural light, and a form-fitting outfit with heels. Look at the model digitals of agencies with which you want to sign. Submit similar digitals to the digitals you see on their website.
4. Your Instagram Profile is Private
Your social media profile is a big part of your brand as a model. If you want to be taken seriously in the industry, you need to have a public Instagram profile.
Many agents might be interested in a model application through a model’s online submission. When they click on the model Instagram profile to get a sense of who they are, the profile is private. This may disqualify the model from consideration immediately.
To give yourself the best chance of getting noticed by an agent, keep your social media profiles public. If you’d like to keep your personal life out of your professional brand, create a separate modeling Instagram where you post your portfolio images, and some photos of your hobbies and interests.
5. You’re Not Targeting the Right Agencies
If you’re a petite model, you probably will not get much interest from traditional high fashion agencies. These agencies often signed models 5’9 and above because their clients request these types of models. Many traditional agencies work with high fashion and runway clients.
If their clients don’t have jobs for someone of your profile, the agency will not sign you, because you will not book jobs with them.
Apply instead to agencies that work with more commercial clients. These types of brands are more inclusive with regard to size and height. Boutique Mother Agent management agencies are also a great option too, though it will also be a bit harder for petite models to get interest from a Mother Agent manager. If you do, and they are excited to work with you, this is a great opportunity for your career.
Conclusion
The best agencies are always scouting models that they think will work. If you are not getting scouted, that simply means your look is not in demand at the moment, but this can change in 3 – 6 months when the industry trend changes. If you change your look (ie with a haircut or dye job) you might get more interest then as well. It is always better to be unsigned and have the option to book work as a freelance model than to be signed with an agency with whom you are not working.
You don’t need a portfolio to be signed, but having a professional portfolio with marketable images helps immensely. Having a portfolio means that the agency will not expend as much effort to develop you as a model and can immediately send your profile out for castings and jobs.
It’s not necessary to pay money for a portfolio, especially while starting out. While you’re trying to get signed with an agency, I would recommend reaching out to photographers for TFP portfolio shoots.
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