Kym here. The last time I went looking for a new manager I sent 30 emails. Two were opened. One person watched the reel. That one person signed me.
So the email matters, and so does knowing which bit of it is failing. Here is exactly how I build one.
The goal of every step is to get to the next step, not to close the deal.
The subject line gets the email opened. The email gets them to click your reel. The reel gets you the meeting. The meeting gets you signed.
Keep that in your head and you stop trying to say everything in one message.
If you have a referral, put it in the subject line and keep it simple. Never salesy, because salesy reflects badly on the person who referred you.
[Your name] referred by [referrer] Meeting referred by [referrer]
Without one, lead with your point of difference: unique talents, known credits, and especially ethnicity and languages. The sweet spot is where the market wants it and this rep does not have it.
Trilingual Mexican actress [your name] Russian stand up comic wanting to meet you [Your name] sitcom trained, 18 to 23 Awkward funny white guy Meeting with [your name] (two recognisable credits)
Training at a recognised school is worth naming, because it shows you gave three years to this. And the name in the subject line is yours, not the rep’s.
Under 300 words. Writing too much is one of the five big mistakes, because too much content is off putting and does not get read.
Here is the order:
Free masterclass: if you keep rewriting this email and never sending it, that is a block, not a writing problem. Clear Your Subconscious Blocks and Thrive is our Journey 3 masterclass, and it is free, permanently.
Two or three web optimised headshots. Web optimised means 94 DPI, which is what a screen shows, as against the 300 DPI a print needs. A 300 DPI file clogs their inbox and on a phone shows them the corner of your chin. Size them at eight by 10 inches at most, and send one to yourself first to see what arrives.
Your resume, every time, as a PDF. Never Word or Pages, because you do not want an editable version of your credits out there.
Do not do a one sheet. If a course tells you to make one, the course is wrong.
Two extras earn their place: a list of the casting directors who know you, because it saves the agent introducing you, and a flyer for a play or festival screening coming up, because people like getting on a train that is already moving.
Never attach video files. Link to the exact page your reel sits on, hosted on Vimeo or IMDb, never YouTube. No download links, no WeTransfer, and no password unless the footage is genuinely restricted.
Then build a proper email signature with your name, a couple of links, your phone number, your socials and a photo. For the photo, put three headshots showing vastly different looks into a strip and export it about three centimetres tall so it does not blow up at the bottom of the email.
Test every link before you send. Links do not always survive a paste.
Install email tracking. It shows you when someone opens the email and when they click a link, and that tells you exactly where the pitch falls down.
Opens mean the subject line works. Clicks mean the email works. Clicks with no reply is when you look at your reel.
Without it, you assume the reel is weak when nobody is even opening the email. I use Mailtrack for Chrome with Gmail; the class also names LeadBoxer and Bananatag.
After lunch on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Everyone is busy on Mondays and leaving on Fridays.
Then follow up three times, forwarding the original email each time.
Follow up one, a week later: Hey, hope you have a great week, just following up on the email below.
Follow up two, one or two weeks after that, on a different day of the week: Just bouncing this to the top of your inbox.
Follow up three, about a week later: Hey, I hope you’re well. I realise you’re busy so I’ll give you a buzz tomorrow, just wanted to chat about this email.
Most responses come off emails two and three. Then call, and expect a receptionist.
Hi, I sent a couple of emails through, I really want to work with you. Any chance you have time to meet next week?
It is close to a pressure sell, but the pressure is on them paying attention, not on repping you.
The same rules, tighter. Be concise, use bullets or numbers, never more than three questions in one email, number them, and never more than three sentences in a paragraph.
My current manager has 40 high profile clients and answers every email within 45 minutes, often in three or four words. My old manager gave 45 minute phone calls, and nobody on that roster was getting out.
If you have written something long, save it as a draft, come back in an hour, and cut it.
Get the whole class and the people to check your draft. All 18 Journey masterclasses, 3,000+ videos and the community are in every SAS plan, with a 7-day free trial. Start your free trial.
Your referral if you have one (“[Your name] referred by [referrer]”), kept plain and never salesy. Without one, lead with your point of difference: languages, ethnicity, a known credit, recognised training or a specific type, such as “Trilingual Mexican actress [name]”. Your name goes in it, not the agent’s.
Under 300 words. Open with your name and one line about you, say why you chose them, give one link, keep background to two sentences for an American agent (two to five for a manager), add up to six bullet points, invite a meeting in the next two weeks and thank them.
Two or three headshots at 94 DPI, sized eight by 10 inches at most, plus your resume as a PDF. Optionally a list of casting directors who know you and a flyer for an upcoming show. Never video files, WeTransfer links, download links or a one sheet. Link to your reel on Vimeo or IMDb.
Three times, forwarding the original each time: one week later, then one or two weeks after that on a different weekday, then about a week later saying you will call tomorrow. Then call. Most responses in Kym’s experience come from the second and third follow ups.
Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, after lunch. Mondays are busy and people are leaving on Fridays. Send the second follow up on a different day of the week from the first, in case that day is simply bad for them, and forward the original email each time.
All 18 Journey masterclasses, over 26 hours, come with every SAS plan, and Gold adds small group career strategy sessions twice a month (23 a year) where you can bring your actual pitch email. 7-day free trial on Silver and Gold, 60-day refund always.