How to network as a self-employed producer

Figuring out how to win and maintain a client base is one of the biggest challenges you face as a self-employed producer, whether you produce films, music, advertisements, or any other entertainment. That’s why figuring out how to network as a producer is crucial to establishing an excellent reputation for your production company. 

This guide will go over best practices and techniques to help you increase your efficiency in client lead generation and outreach. We’ll go over:

• Why networking is necessary for producers
• The types of networking you can do
• How to network effectively as a self-employed producer

Have you ever looked at successful producers and wondered how they built such thriving companies? We can almost guarantee that most of them found success through effective networking. As a self-employed producer, networking has a number of benefits, including:

• Meeting new people – networking is how you meet new people who either need your services or know someone who does. Whether you want to freelance for a bigger production company or start your own, learning how to network as a producer can help you get your foot in the door. 
• Boosting your reputation – the only way to build a reputation for yourself is to get people in the industry talking about you. But people can’t talk about you if they don’t know you exist. That’s why you need to get yourself out there and build connections with people who can help you move your business forward. 
• Building your confidence – the more you put yourself out there and speak to new people, the easier it will become. You’ll also build your confidence and skill set as you learn what approaches are most effective. This way, it’s easier to build a strong network as a self-employed producer. 

As a self-employed producer, there are two types of networking that will help you promote your business. 

This is when you network for yourself as an individual. You find people who think like you and form a relationship with them based on your shared interest in the industry. From this relationship, you can learn about new trends, share ideas, and help each other get where you want to be. 

Social networking is more about forming friendships than trading favours. These connections will celebrate your success with you and support you in your lower times. Social networking is more about forming friendships than trading favours. 

This form of networking is about making connections based on mutual benefits. You form relationships with these people because of what they can do for you and vice versa. 

Professional networking is more about trading favours by helping each other find clients or other business opportunities. So focus on finding professional connections with solid networks of valuable contacts to help you build your reputation and find more clients. 

If you haven’t already, start by identifying the ideal client for your production business. Knowing exactly who you want to work with helps you focus your efforts to find and approach people that can help you get to them. 

Try building an ideal customer profile to define the type of person or business you want to work with. You’ll get a clear picture of your ideal client that will allow you to enhance your client acquisition strategy, including how you network and with whom.

Being able to prove that you can produce is key to winning clients for your production company. The key is to leverage your pre-existing strengths to create a portfolio that looks great, sounds amazing, and entices viewers to find out more about your business. 

Many production businesses use reels (short-form videos set to music) to present their work to prospective clients. For example, if you’ve produced music for a client (or yourself) create a short video that features snippets of the songs. Or if you specialise in movie trailers, have your best one ready to show or send to people you network with. 

Once you have your portfolio, it’s time to find people you can show it to. One of the best ways to meet new people as a self-employed producer is to attend local events related to your focus. For example, go to music festivals, comedy clubs, theatre shows, etc. 

Platforms like Eventbrite have a variety of virtual and in-person events that you can attend to meet other people in the industry. When attending these events, introduce yourself to new people. 

The important thing is to focus on conversations rather than making sales. Focus on building a relationship first and ask questions to gauge if the person might need your services. If you hit it off with people at the events, get their contact or social media details and use them to stay in touch after the event to form stronger relationships.

Social media is one of the most powerful networking tools you can use for networking. Use these platforms to your advantage to interact with people, show off your skills and create a buzz about your production business.

Platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn have plenty of forums and groups you can join to meet like-minded individuals. There, you can share content relating to your niche and answer questions others have to prove your knowledge. Also, direct people to other sources if you don’t have the solution to present yourself as a knowledgeable, helpful, and valuable contact. 

Other platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram, are excellent for finding undiscovered talented individuals you can offer your services to. If you find someone you like, get in touch and ask if they need a producer. 

Countingup is a unique two-in-one business current account and accounting software enables you to manage your financial data from one place. Save time on bookkeeping so you can focus on growing your network and building a reputation for your production business.

Start your three-month free trial today. 

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