If you’re wanting to extend your reach as a model, you may want to put yourself out there on social media and start building a following! In the past 5 years, Instagram has become an especially powerful social media platform that is now incredibly useful for not just entertainment but for the business world – reaching out to customers, business development, activism and more. And specifically, modelling agencies now use Instagram to share news, promote their models and (importantly for you), scout for new models.
In Australia, Instagram is one of the most popular social networks and with over 200 million active members worldwide who share 60 million images and 1.6 billion likes per day – it’s not hard to see why models flock to Instagram!
So, if you want to put yourself in front of new potential clients as a model or if you’re looking to be scouted by any of the world’s elite modelling agencies, here’s how to boost your portfolio as a model on Instagram:
Tip One: Have a clear purpose.
Having a distinct focus is so important. Instagram is for sharing photo and video which is perfect for models – share behind the scenes outtakes, portfolio snapshots, live stream yourself on the way to a go see… however you use Instagram, be sure that it aligns with a purpose and this will help you stay motivated. Consider which agencies/clients you want to attract (depending on your niche) and develop your content accordingly).
Tip Two: Promote yourself well.
Remember, everything you share on Instagram is now a part of your greater portfolio… so don’t share anything that you feel doesn’t represent you well or doesn’t align with the greater context in which you present your portfolio! You can also use hashtags to cleverly promote yourself to be scouted by major modelling agencies. Want to be scouted?
Try these hashtags to be scouted by international modelling agencies:
- #WABDE / Modelwerk
- #MWcurvesWanted / Modelwerk Curves
- #wescoutusa / LA Models
- #lamodelsyouth / LA Models Youth Division
- #beAMunichModel / Munich Models
- #Models1scout / Models1
- #M1CurveScout / Models1 Curve
- #SPOTTEDBYMETRO / Metropolitan Models Agency#WLYG / IMG Models
- #TheLookout / IMG Models Men
- #WILLYSCOUTS / Wilhelmina Models
- #scoutmetier1mm / Tier1 Model Management
- #scoutmechadwick / Chadwick Models
- #makememajor / Major Model Management
- #LoveEliteMiami / Elite Model Management Miami
- #nymmscoutingtour / New York Models
- #3mscoutme / 3mm models
- #omgscouting / OMG Model Management
- #Beyondaselfie / Morgan Model Management
- #PLscout / Peggi Lepage Model Scout
- #jointhemvmt / The Movement Models
- #anmscoutme / ANM Management
- #scoutmiscmodels / ISC Models
- #scoutmeonyx / ONYX Model Management
- #21mmscoutme / TwentyOne Millimeters Management
- #scoutmeignite / Ignite Models
- #heffnerscoutme / Heffner Management
- #hunterscout / Hunter Model Management
- #bestarsystemfamily / Star System
- #WeAreGold #TheGoldBagSquad / Dulcedo Management
- #NEWGENERATIONSCOUT / New Generation Model Management
- #instasuccessboy / Success Models
- #becomecjmodel / CJ Models
- #scoutmepanache #panachemodelsearch / Panache Management
- #citymodels / City Models
- #newfaze / FAZE Models
- #be1scoutme / Be1 Scouting
- #M4SCOUTING / M4 Models
- #ullascout / Ulla Models
- #futurefacesmodels / Future Faces Model Management
- #meetthesupremeteam / Supreme Management
- #WACR / Creartvt Casting Agency
- #TeamNemesis / Nemesis Models
- #becomeidmodel / iD Model Management
- #touchescout / Touché Model Management
- #vscouted / Vivien’s Model Management
- #BeAnotherSpecies / Another Species
- #unikocasting / Uniko Model Management
- #beMANGOmodel / Mango Models
- #PARSme / PARS Management
- #DirectionsScout / Directions USA Models
- #dmmscoutme / DMM Models
- #ntcme / No Ties Model Management
- #ScoutMeBeth / Beth Model Management
- #lomoface / Louisa Models
- #mc2scouting / MC2 Model Management
- #GirlsClubScouting / Girls Club Management
- #SCOUTMEIMMORTAL / Immortal Models Management
- #MSAme / MSA Models
- #ScoutMeTRUE / TRUE Model Management
- #scoutmeSTATE / State Management
- #PickMePlutino / Plutino Models
- #Catchme / Catch 22 Model Management
- #makemeelite / Elite Model Management Toronto
- #scoutmeaddicted / Addicted to Models
- #BecomeWicked / Wicked Models
- #ohlssonminisuper / Ohlsson Model&Talent
- #hook_scout_me / HOOK Model Agency
- #iscoutstarrs / KStarr Management
- #Weareonescouting / Weareone Management
- #JOINSEEDS / SEEDS Management
- #BECOMEOKM / OKAY Models
- #ScoutMeMontage / Montage Models
- #ModelPartnerScout / Model Partner
- #nologoscoutme / Nologo Mgmt
- #mirrrsmuse / MIRR/RS
- #spotmemodelsearch / Spot 6 Management
- #scoutmefaceparis / The Face Paris
- #mekamodelmgmt / Meka Model Managment
- #beascrew / AS Management
- #scoutmebella / BELLA Management
- #iamsmg / Seattle Models Guild
Tip Three: Network, follow & comment!
Agencies are increasingly looking not only to your portfolio statistics such as height and weight, but also your social media following – this includes your likes, comments and engagement. There’s no specific threshold of how many followers you need to have but more is always better! For example, Naomi Campbell has 4.8 million followers, Adriana Lima has 11.6 million followers, plus size model Ashley Graham has 6.4 million followers and locally, Jennifer Hawkins has 878,000 followers. Your follower count signifies your ability to market yourself (and this is especially important if you are a freelance model!) and your ability to engage your target market.
However, be aware that social media isn’t the be all and end all – so even as a model on Instagram, you still can’t ignore the importance of being friendly and personable, impressing agencies and clients on casting calls and being an overall professional model.
Supermodels will routinely post their official campaign and runway shots on their Instagram pages, so follow suit and share any work or experience that you may have. Don’t be afraid to get creative – and always be sure to use your Instagram account to network strategically. Ask yourself who you can learn from and who it would benefit you to be associated with.
Tip Four: Clearly understand your audience.
Of course, defining a purpose and doing your research is incredibly important – and after doing so, you should have a good idea of your audience. Now, it’s time to understand that audience! If your audience is agencies that you hope to pitch yourself to, consider what they’re looking for in your content… likewise if you’re freelance and trying to pitch yourself directly to clients or to photographers.
Tip Five: Have objectives.
Social media goals aren’t just for businesses! As a model – and to fully realise what it means to become an Instagram model – you absolutely need to learn to think like a business and as such, setting goals is crucial. Set yourself objectives in terms of your follower count, who you want to engage with, how many leads you want to obtain through social media and what you’d like your engagement rate to be. Not sure where to start? Look to other models in your niche who are a little bit ahead of where you want to be and see what you can learn from them!
Tip Six: Develop your audience.
Hashtags (as mentioned above) are one way to grow your audience, however there are also other ways to grow your portfolio as an Instagram model. One of the best ways to grow is to give your audience value through great quality content. Include not just photos from your portfolio but general musings about the industry and your experience – this will give agents and clients an insight into your personality! Remember too that everything you say (not just the photos that you share) is part of your greater “unofficial” portfolio, so be careful to what you say!
This is by no means an exhaustive list – however, the above tips will give you a good start as an Instagram model!
