Thought about approaching a model agency? The thought of becoming a model or a brand ambassador is at once amazing and daunting; but how do you get started?
Do you worry you might not have enough Followers or not be young or skinny enough to even try?
These days, brands are looking for all kinds of different people to be ambassadors for their brands. The days of companies wanting homogenous models are over.
We’ve found Bookd.online and love their concept! This website, like so many recent startups, connects buyers with sellers and thereby cuts out the ”middleman” and their hefty fees.
To find out more about Bookd.com click here.
To help you understand the importance of how Bookd is changing the global talent business, we’re going to look at:
- Why companies bring in modeling talent to their businesses
- Why talent sign up to Bookd
- How to sign up to Bookd and get ready to start booking jobs
- The reasons Bookd is a great solution for companies
Plus, we’ll answer the questions that we know will spring up as we walk you through it.
What is Bookd.online and why was it created?
Bookd.online is a central online hub containing the details of talent that allows companies to book the models they need.
Bookd works with loads of different businesses, like:
- Creative agencies
- Production studios
- SMEs
- Casting agents
Bookd is a one-stop-shop for companies to source talent because all the necessary information about the talent is available online and bookings are easy for the company to make; they just need to register and then the process of booking talent is very quick and easy.
The benefits for talent to sign up with Bookd.online vs a regular model agency
The key benefits of signing up to Bookd.online as a model or talent are:
- Free to join
- Single low fee on all jobs (10%)
- Integrated booking system
- Payments are made within 15 working days
These are all huge benefits compares to many other model agencies; especially when the industry standard is to get paid 2-3 months after a job has been complete. But, in addition, another big benefit is that the Bookd team can help you to prepare your submission.
In order to become a verified talent, you’ll need to submit polaroids and a video casting. If you’re not quite sure of what is required or if you want to be sure that the quality of your submission is high, you can either book a 30-minute session or 60-minute session with the Bookd team and they’ll take all the photos and video footage you need.
Best of all, Bookd does this service for a really low fee and they do a really good job at it; after all, they want to ensure you get as many bookings as possible.
How to sign up to Bookd.com and become a talent?
To use Bookd, you can either sign up as a talent on their website.
The signup process is pretty simple;
- Enter your email address
- Complete your profile (including polaroids, video casting, and portfolio images).
- Get verified by the Bookd team (they will ensure that your submission meets industry standards – mostly that what you have submitted is of sufficient quality for potential clients to review).
Then you’re ready to sit back and relax. You don’t even need to be constantly checking the app because if you receive a booking, you will automatically receive an email. Companies end up booking you for different types of jobs including product photoshoots, social media content, or in-person product launches.
Benefits of hiring models with Bookd.online
If you’ve ever tried to hire a model or run a casting, you’ll probably know how stressful it could be.
You’d have to deal with casting agents and model agencies, with no direct contact with the talent until they arrive at the casting. This is just one of the many issues with hiring a model that Bookd is working to alleviate.
Want to know exactly why Bookd is where you want to go to hire models? Here are the benefits to companies who use Bookd to hire talent.
Save time when you hire a model via Bookd.online vs a typical model agency
Find a talent agent, set up a call, deal with their sales and onboarding process, talk about your needs, wait for them to send you through some options.
It’s a bit tiresome, isn’t it?
Bookd cuts out a whole lot of those processes and makes hiring models for photoshoots and promo activity quick and painless.
In order to book talent, companies simply enter their details, adjust the filters, such as age, gender, hair color, and directly book the talent that matches the brief. The time saved can be better spent planning the shoot or deciding on how you’ll use the images you produce.
Right now, there are thousands of models for hire on Bookd (note, they’re planning on rapid expansion and the company is targeting to have 1 million profiles available online by the end of 2021), all available to book with a few quick taps.
The app is really easy to use, and allows people to adjust filters so they can easily scroll through the polaroids and casting videos of the people that match their needs.
Once the desired model has been found, details of where and when they are needed are input. Payment is made through the app, and it’s a done deal.
No more hours on the phone or waiting for emails to land.
Hire models with the help of star ratings
If you’ve never hired a model for a photoshoot before, do you even know what you should be looking for?
On Bookd, they have a star rating system for all their talent to help you choose who to work with. Previous clients rate models under the categories:
- Punctuality
- Performance
- Professionalism
- Appearance
- Overall job rating
Rather than taking the word of an agent or reading through paragraphs of feedback, you can see at a glance if you’re going to want to hire the model you’re looking at.
Choose whether you cast or book (just like a typical model agency)
First, we should clear up the difference between casting and booking if you’ve not hired a model in Hong Kong before.
- A casting is when you bring a few models on-site and see which one you want to work with – think of it like an audition but for models.
- A booking is where you know you want to work with a model based on their Bookd profile and request they come to the shoot you’re organizing.
On Bookd, either option is available which means you don’t just have to rely on what you see on the app. This can be really helpful if you need models to work as greeters or present your product at a tradeshow, for example.
All models have professional portfolios online
You’ll know exactly what you’re getting when you browse the models for hire on Bookd.
Each model gets a professional photo shoot so you know they can work in front of a camera and don’t just take a cute selfie!
You’ll probably see models with a range of looks, so you can see how versatile their work is.
Another integral element of the profiles you’ll be looking at is a casting video. This is particularly helpful when you want to create videos – think Instagram Reels or building your YouTube channel.
Seeing how someone moves on video can be an important factor in choosing which model to hire and can potentially cut out the need for a casting.
Secure internal messaging and booking system
Being able to contact a model you’ve hired directly can cut out a lot of stress.
Whether you need to tell them what to wear or just need to amend the location of the shoot, having a direct line to the model you’ve hired streamlines your processes.
Everything is held securely, meaning you’ll not have to worry about your competitors getting access to your details or your account getting hacked.
Secure payment
Paying talent can be a difficult needle to thread. If you pay them upfront, you might worry if they’ll turn up at all, whilst some models might not be happy to take a booking without a deposit because they’re holding the appointment for you.
Bookd cuts out this worry. Following the model of lots of other platforms that connect buyers and sellers, Bookd acts like an intermediary for you.
When you hire a model, you make a secure payment to Bookd that confirms the booking or casting with the model for hire. The model knows the payment is waiting so will turn up to the shoot and collect the payment from Bookd.
It gives both sides confidence in the transaction and brings more professionalism to the system. You need reliability when you’re creating or scaling a new business, after all.
Efficient customer service
In the event something doesn’t work quite right, Bookd has English-speaking customer service available.
Whether you need help navigating the platform, are having issues contacting the model you’ve hired, or have any other issues at all, Bookd is on hand to help.
The team understands the talent industry as well as working as a business that needs to deliver results, so the service they offer reflects that knowledge.
Free to sign up and use – much easier than dealing with a regular model agency
There is absolutely no upfront cost for signing up to Bookd. That’s one less overhead you have to consider when expanding your marketing strategy.
If you want to hire talent through Bookd, all you will need to do is:
- Add your company details
- Create filters for models
- Browse the results
- Search through the profiles of models you want to hire
No subscriptions, no one-off or sign-on fees, no admin costs to pay.
The only cost you incur is a 10% booking fee, which is only applied when you go ahead and hire a model. Fees for each model are easy to check so you’ll know the exact total cost to hire with just a few clicks.
Cast talent online
Whilst you may be a traditional business person and enjoy face-to-face meetings, the world moves faster than that most of the time now. Hiring models also probably isn’t the type of activity you want to spend inordinate amounts of time on.
Doing your casting and booking for models online is a new way of doing things. As well as being quick, you get to make online payments rather than wait for an invoice and create work for your CFO.
Just like you can hire freelancers on Upwork or Fiverr, you can use Bookd to find and hire the models you need.
Create your own job and bookings
As well as browsing for the talent you want using the filters like:
- Hair color
- Eye color
- Age
- Location
You can create a job and have models approach you if they’re interested.
This feature is helpful if you have a decent lead time before your photo shoot or exhibition. It can also be helpful if you’re looking for something more specific in terms of experience or looks that the filters aren’t quite hitting for you.
Once you find the model for your photoshoot you want, you go through the process to book them like normal.
FAQs about Bookd.online and model agencies
Still not sure if you want to become a model or how to go about becoming one? Bookd is a company that can make marketing and branding strategies feel real – they do this by putting a face to a company or bringing in people to represent what you’ve built to the wider public.
Of course, you’ve got questions. Here are the ones that Bookd gets asked a lot – if we’ve missed any, pop your question in the comments and we’ll be sure to address it!
How do I hire models in Hong Kong?
The standard route to hire models in Hong Kong is to use a model agency or booking agent. This can be a cumbersome process and there are high fees involved. Using Bookd.online streamlines the whole process – create an account, add your filters, browse the models that meet your needs, and create a booking or casting there and then.
Is bookd.online global?
Bookd was founded in Malaysia but has expanded rapidly and is available in Hong Kong and around the world.
Why do companies hire brand ambassadors?
Content is key. And in order to create content businesses need people. Business is all about branding; the people you use on your website, brochures, and social media posts tell your audience a lot. As a result, businesses are more eager to use more realistic people in their advertising.
What are the different types of models?
There are lots of reasons you will need to hire models and there will always be a model available somewhere that’ll meet your needs. Some models specialize in a certain type of content, whilst others can adapt to different scenarios.
Here are some of the most common modeling categories:
– Fashion
– Runway
– Swimsuit and lingerie
– Commercial
– Fitness
– Parts
– Promotional
How much does it cost to hire a model?
Lots of factors will determine how much a model charges for their services and talent.
Things like:
– The type of booking it is; trade show or photoshoot for example
– If they have to provide their own clothes or do their own makeup
– Whether you plan to cover expenses
– How experienced they are
Can all affect the price you’ll pay to hire a model in Hong Kong.
As a rough guide, you can expect to pay around $500-600 per hour for a model in Hong Kong, but don’t be surprised if you come across models charging a lot more – you get what you pay for!
Finally
The need to hire models is growing with the increasing importance of social media and projecting the lifestyle behind your brand.
It can feel like a difficult task to navigate, with most people thinking of supermodels and highly styled fashion shoots when they think of models.
Bookd.online take the mystery out of the industry and connects companies directly with verified models who know what they’re doing. Companies can see examples of the model’s work and ratings so they’ll know they’re getting the talent you’re paying for.
Bookd.online is following the same business model of so many great companies before them including Uber and Airbnb, if you’re interested to sign up to become a model; there’s no better place to start.
