The problems with online contests
Ξ December 12th, 2006 | → 2 Comments | ∇ Modeling advice |
Aspiring models, if someone asked you to work for free, would you do it? Online contests are coming to you to do the work they don’t want to purchase. Ask yourself why a website would spend their money on advertising, when they can promise models a prize that is a FRACTION of the cost of actual advertising.
I have participated in online contests. I even financially benefitted from one contest. And any time my FRIENDS at StreetTrenz.com want me to help them promote a contest, I do help them. But that’s it!
It’s becoming more and more common for magazines (and others) to draw traffic to their websites by getting models with lots of online friends to promote their contests. You know the magazines I’m talking about! One that was published in the U.S. for a few years (but still published abroad) is now relegated (at least in the U.S.) to limiting its publication to the internet. These contests aren’t necessarily legitimate and your effort isn’t necessarily fairly measured. Many of the contests are easily manipulated using macros, bots or other simply-written programs. In some instances, the contest winner is chosen by the operator of the contest before it even starts! Sometimes the rules will change in the middle of the contests. And this tactic is intentionally employed to cause controversy to drive more traffic!
I would suggest every model refrain from entering online contests. Leave them for the girls who WANT TO BE models. A real model doesn’t have the free time to work without being compensated. And even if a contest does declare you the winner and you do get published, consider its TRUE value! Ask yourself, if you’d dedicated all that time and energy into finding a better agency or a better manager, is it possible (even probable) they would have got you published with a simple phone call?!?!?
I’ve made the mistake of participating in online contests. Hopefully, you will benefit from my mistakes.
Ownard and upward,
