Wednesday, October 27, 2010

entertainment industry coach question 602: Do you have any further advice on this topic before i mail them? Should they be personalized?


piecing together my first mass mailing of headshots/bios this weekend, along with brief cover letters. Do you have any further advice on this topic before i mail them? Should they be personalized? Is one envelope better than the other?

As far as your mass mailing, I'm not a big believer in them, I prefer targeted work with referrals and research. Since you've already planned your mailing, here's my advice:

1. YES!!! They should absolutely be personalized which means:
2. Know the person's name (and spell it correctly)
3. Know if the person is male or female
4. Know about the company, including their client roster, so you can explain why you're writing to them.
5. Tell a brief something about yourself that brands you the way you want to be marketed, so they will get to know you a bit and want to learn more.
6. Envelopes are really just an obstacle to getting to seeing the picture. They require opening, so don't lick and fasten, that's a pain in the butt (I know from experience working in a casting office)
7. If you are rich, you can buy a colored envelope that goes with your "brand." So if you want to do romantic comedies, perhaps red or pink. If you're branding yourself for horror, black. Your picture should be branding you, so you can always match what you're wearing with the envelope. Do they really care? Maybe on a day they need a smile, or perhaps their unconscious mind will pick up on the difference in color.
8. The most IMPORTANT thing on an envelope is in black marker either "referred by [name]" or "requested." Now don't even think about writing that if it's not true, but if it is, your envelope could be vomit green and it would still get put at the top of the pile.

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