What makes artists like Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and Adele more successful than other, equally talented artists? In addition to their obvious musical talent, they each have a unique personal style that communicates who they are in everything they say and do. To be successful as an actor, you must also define your unique style so you can be your authentic self in your work and while interacting online! I’ll show you 3 steps to help you become a #SocialRockstar by putting the ME in your social MEdia!
STEP 1: Define your unique brand!
Actors without a strong sense of who they are will often try to become who they think people want them to be. There’s a better way! In the words of Dolly Parton, “Find out who you are and do it on purpose!” Pinpoint what you do better or differently than everyone else and do it on purpose everywhere: at auditions, on your website, in emails, cover letters, networking events, interviews, and especially, on social media. This is your unique brand.
Take out a piece of paper and make a list of your strengths, weaknesses, talents, values, interests, hobbies and all the things that make you uniquely you! Don’t limit yourself to things that are acting related. Your audience wants to know about your next project, but they also want to know something about you: what you do in your free time, what tv shows you love, music you dance to, and all about your adorable pet chameleon named Rainbow. Don’t make any judgments when you make your list. Just write down everything that makes you YOU!
STEP 2: Decide what your “Nunyas” are.
A-listers tell interviewers which topics will be off limits so they don’t have to reply “Nunya business” during the interview. So, before you start creating public and private Instagram accounts, you can probably find a sweet spot between the two. Highlight everything on your list that you’re willing to talk about publicly. What’s left are your “Nunyas.” Not everything that makes you unique will become part of your public persona. You’ll probably want to exclude some things that are important to you that you don’t necessarily want to share with the whole world. You may decide that talking about your kids is fine, but posting pictures of them isn’t, or that who you vote for, who you love, or where you worship is off-limits because, frankly, it’s “nunya business.“ It’s totally your call.
Also, don’t automatically make your weaknesses “Nunyas.” Social media is a great place to laugh about your weaknesses and your mistakes – it makes you human, relatable and shows us who you truly are.
Congratulations! You’ve just created a list of tweetable topics that mean something to you and give us a window into who you are. Let’s move on to…
STEP 3: Don’t forget to turn the camera on yourself!
We take photos of our friends and surroundings on social media, but too often we forget to turn that camera on ourselves! Don’t just a post picture of your dog. Take a picture of you with your dog. Instead of sharing your favorite quote, take a picture of you doing something and superimpose the quote on top of it so we see the quote in the context of your life. Every photo you share and character you type should tell us more about who you are!
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to define brand you, exclude your “Nunyas,” and start posting from your unique point of view! Most importantly, don’t stress about it. Your brand isn’t set in stone. It will change over time – just like you will.
To help you attain #SocialRockstar status even faster, I’ve created The Ultimate Social Media Checklist, an awesome 30-page ebook you can download here for free!
See you on Social!
