Most people don’t know this, but there is a LOT of money in the “promo model” industry. Depending on where you are, there are all kinds of gigs around that pay well, and are generally easy to land. If you aren’t familiar with this industry, promo models are those people you see at the mall, a store, a trade show or convention, or maybe even on the street, who usually are handing out or giving away “stuff.” It might be free samples. It may be extra product that a company wants to give away for promotion. Or they might be giving out information on a new video game system, new car, or other new product.
I personally have done anything from passing out tea to passing out flyers for new night clubs. And I’ve done it anywhere from streets to malls to convention centers to Wal-Marts. Generally, I do gigs that pay $15 to $30 an hour. I usually don’t do anything under $15/hour unless its really easy work. You can work for however much you want or need.
Promo model work usually pays anywhere from $10/hour up to $100 an hour, or sometimes more. Many of them pay per job or per day, but it usually comes out to one of these amounts per hour. In places like Las Vegas, New York, and Los Angeles, there are many people that make a good living out of being a promo model. Once you start and do a good amount of jobs, you will get people who call you again and again and pass your name around so you’ve got jobs coming often whether you want them or not.
But first, where can you find Promo Model work? The number one place that I use is Craigslist.com. If you don’t know what craigslist is, you definetely need to go look. They are basically a free classifieds site. Once you go there, go to the city or cities that are close to you or that you want to work in. Then, go look in the “gigs” section. Depending on where you live and what time of year it is, you might see a gig or two a week, or you might see a lot of them every day that you look. So, once you find a gig, just contact the person in the method that they ask you in their post and go from there. There may be some upfront stipulations such as you have to be able to do 3 days in a row, or do 3 different shifts on 3 different days or something like that. Just make sure you can do what they need and you’ll be fine.
You’ll find that promo jobs can be really strict about body types, genders, age and other factors depending on the demographic and target market they are trying to reach with the product. But there’s always a gig out there for you. People handing out products in front of convenience stores don’t need to be New York Runway models.
Not all promotional jobs are good ones. There are certain promo jobs that you should avoid for a few reasons. One of them would be those old ladies handing out the food samples at grocery stores. This is not really promo model work, and its not going to boost your resume. Besides that, they usually pay under $10/hour. Also, you will want to avoid certain jobs where you might feel uncomfortable. For example, if you are needed to dress up as a clown and work at a toy store, but you aren’t funny and don’t want to be caught dead dressed like a clown, don’t put yourself in that situation irregardless of the pay. Or maybe you are needed to play a new video game or talk about a new mp3 player, but you are awful with technology, you don’t want to be in that situation either.
After you get a gig that you can do and like, you’ll also find that there a few things that promotional companies do not like. Don’t commit to a job unless you are ready to commit. I’ll tell you the biggest things upfront. Companies hate it when models cancel and especially at the last minute. Sometimes companies will never contact you again if you cancel at the last minute. Secondly, do a good job. A lot of companies don’t really follow you around or even check up on your work. You could take all of the samples or catalogs and throw them in a river. This is not good in building up your experience and your reputation, so do the best job you can, it will pay off in the long run.
Once you develop a resume, its basically about finding new gigs, and getting in the pipeline with other models and companies, so you’ll have a constant flow of good jobs. Then you’ll be making money and making a living as a promo model.
