In this era of digital marketing and social media, why send paper postcards you may well ask. Here's why: A photo postcard puts your name and face in front of casting agents repeatedly, keeps them up to date on what kinds of projects you're booking, and is more likely to be successful than other kinds of contact.
Send in an 8" by 10" glossy and a resume and it goes on the "Intern pile" for filing. Send an email and it gets lost among correspondence more important to agency business and may be deleted without being opened. Telephone? (NO PHONE CALLS!!!)
A postcard is brought in and put with the casting agent's personal mail. The agent will read it when time permits and they're not distracted by other business (during coffee breaks, for example). If you're tracking the agent's projects, a postcard gives you an opportunity to make a positive personal comment and build a relationship.
Not all casting agents like receiving postcards, but most do and especially veterans in the business do. It's their job to know who's out there and who's booking what.
My standard postcard is my headshot with my name and union status. On the back (which I design myself) I list where I'm based and where to find agent contact information (never put direct contact information on the card.) I get them through Vista Print at $20 for 50 (4"x6" cards on matte recycled paper) and they look as good as some I'd purchased from a specialty printing site that cost twice as much. (Note that larger cards require extra postage.)
Postcards got me on the radar at several casting agencies after more than a year of updating "profiles" on their respective websites had produced no results. So don't forget to include postcards in your marketing campaign. It's old school but it works.
Send in an 8" by 10" glossy and a resume and it goes on the "Intern pile" for filing. Send an email and it gets lost among correspondence more important to agency business and may be deleted without being opened. Telephone? (NO PHONE CALLS!!!)
A postcard is brought in and put with the casting agent's personal mail. The agent will read it when time permits and they're not distracted by other business (during coffee breaks, for example). If you're tracking the agent's projects, a postcard gives you an opportunity to make a positive personal comment and build a relationship.
Not all casting agents like receiving postcards, but most do and especially veterans in the business do. It's their job to know who's out there and who's booking what.
My standard postcard is my headshot with my name and union status. On the back (which I design myself) I list where I'm based and where to find agent contact information (never put direct contact information on the card.) I get them through Vista Print at $20 for 50 (4"x6" cards on matte recycled paper) and they look as good as some I'd purchased from a specialty printing site that cost twice as much. (Note that larger cards require extra postage.)
