An Actor Promotes: Part I

Most actors and other performing artists have a limited budget for promotional materials: headshots, demos, postcards, etc. If you’re like me you’ve tried various sources for these materials with varying levels of results. In the self promotion game, at least one thing is certain: If the promotional materials aren’t professional quality they’re likely to hurt more than they help. So…how best to make a professional impression on a budget? This could get into a lengthy discussion and that’s not my mission here. Though I do invite comments from others who have ideas and tips on services and vendors with whom they’ve had success. For my part, let me throw a couple of ideas into the mix. To the left (CLICK the image to enlarge) is a low resolution version of a new postcard I got printed at my favorite online printer, Vista Print. I’ve used Vista Print for years, mostly for printing low cost business cards. I’ve been a client for so long that nowadays I get ‘FR**EE offers from them frequently. The postcard above cost me almost NOTHING. I got a fr**ee offer in my email, I clicked the link in my email which took me to the Vista Print site and tracked the DEAL I was offered, designed the card online and in a few minutes (including uploading my own photo to replace the default image)…presto, a low cost promotional postcard. I got it for the price of shipping, about $10.00 as I recall, for 100 postcards. I’m not getting paid by Vista Print (unless you click that 125×125 ad to the right and order something!) but they have done me right for years now and I thought I’d try to pass along what I know to be a good source for low cost promotional materials. FWIW. YMMV.

Coming in Part II: Headshots, Demos, Craigslist, and more.