In today’s digital age, having a robust social media presence is not just a luxury but a necessity in the business of the TV and film industry. Not only is it a dynamic way to showcase your work, but also to connect with potential work leads. One of the keys to success is accumulating a large number of followers.

Recently there has been talk in Hollywood about the number of social media followers one has in direct relation to the jobs they get. Actors say they now need social media following. I have seen evidence of this! When a ‘casting advice note’ lands in my inbox, in addition to the usual contact details and measurements, ‘CAN’s’ as we call them, now include the actors digital audit, that is the total number of followers they have on various social media platforms.

It’s easy to see how an actors social media following can have a direct and substantial impact on the success of a film. A social media strategy is a form of targeted advertising, like every other industry, a good social media strategy is essential to a films success, it reaches specific demographics to maximise the films audience, as well as providing invaluable insights that can influence other marking strategies working in tandem. An actor with a sizeable and engaged on line fanbase, is already serving as a powerful promotional tool, they bring with them a built in audience that will enhance the films visibility and can significantly contribute to the success of a film, this presents an attractive promotional asset to film producers and directors.

If the social media followers count has become such a significant factor in influencing actors opportunities, how does this affect costume designers and other Heads of Departments?
Is our social media following just a vanity number in Hollywood or is it relevant to securing your next job as costume designer, production designer, director etc?

I hope as a costume designer, I am hired based on my talent, experience, and my track record of delivering excellent work on time and within budget, but it seems now, it’s not just about creating beautiful costumes anymore; it’s about showcasing them to the world, and gaining the social approval for it.

On the heels of the Covid pandemic work stoppage, (at the time of writing this) I am on another long work pause, this time due to the WGA and SAG strikes. I am using this time to learn how to grow my on line following. I like keeping up with the curve, learning new digital skills anyway, but if future hiring does come down to numbers I want spend this time building my followers.

My skill is interpreting a script to tell the visual story of a characters background through the clothing they wear, not crafting engaging Instagram posts or deciphering and understanding algorithms, so how did I get started?

I decided to focus on just two social media accounts, Instagram and Pinterest. I already enjoy using both and these platforms, they are visual in nature making them ideal for a costume designer or someone wanting to show case visual work.

I have had a Pinterest account for years. I have only ever used it as a tool for costume research, creating boards to share with my director or cast as part of the conversation of looks for the show I am designing. Understanding how to use these apps as a tool to market myself is a whole other kettle of fish!

The first thing I did was make sure that both of these platforms have my name and face on them, a consistent ‘brand’ so I am easy to find. I chose my user name, @taracostume because it is my name and what I do. I also use my full name Tara Knol under the @username name so I can be found by google search.
I would prefer to be totally anonymous, but nobody is going to find me with an obscure user name. @taracostume socials are fully accessible to everyone, and I have links to both of these sites in my email signature and on my website to encourage visitors. For this reason, the @taracostume accounts feature work related posts only, I post my work in order to attract future work.

There is more than enough information on line about how to grow followers organically and decipher the mysterious algorithms, perhaps even far too much information. I didn’t want to get overwhelmed by watching and reading too much. I found one or two YouTubers that resonated with me, and only watched a couple of their videos. I then proceeded to Hubspot. Hubspot is my favourite resource for digital marking educational information and courses.

Here are a few of the strategies I am following to increase my social media following:

I keep all of my posts related to my niche, Costume Design for film and television.

I am creating original Pinterest pins with links that drive viewers to my instagram page.

I dedicate time every day to ‘like’ and comment on other peoples posts. (The algorithms of all the social media channels favour ‘engagement, by engaging in this way, your instagram will appear more frequently in more places)

I post new content regularly (okay, I’m still working on this one!) Posts can be planned and scheduled in advance.

I Include a ‘CTA’ ‘Call to Action’ asking for readers to follow me on Instagram.

I am working building my Instagram and Pinterest socials to serves as a testament to my work within the film and TV industry as well as to showcase my work to a wider audience with an aim of being more visible and appealing to producers, directors, and potential clients. My goal is to grow my Instagram followers to 20K organically by the end of 2024.
Will a higher follower count in translating into more job opportunities?