Making Your Promo Reel

So, you wrote your artist CV and resume after reading this post, right? Next up, you’ll need a promotional reel or a highlight reel (same thing), to show off your true awesomeness.

Never made one before? That’s okay! That’s why you’re part of IPIA!

This post will cover everything you need to get started.

What to put in your reel?

Start by gathering your favorite *recent* videos of you performing, whether it’s on-pole work, floor work, chair, aerial, blending traditional dance with pole—whatever you enjoy doing, get videos of you doing it.

Just make sure they are current videos. 

If you could do it before (pre-pandemic, pre-baby, pre-injury and rehab) and you can’t do it now, don’t put it in your reel.

Does it have to be professionally filmed?

For your first reel (and several iterations after) it’s totally fine to have training videos done on your cell phone as the clips you use for your reel.

The key is to have video of you executing skills you bring as a performer.

TIP: when you have performances and there is professional video—ask the videographer for their card and start collecting all the professional video you can!

Be clear!

Make sure the skills you are showing in your video are executed to the best of your ability.

If you only have group videos, during editing, highlight where you are in the group (either with a giant arrow over your head or a quick cue card with a description of you and where you are in the video (ex. “I”m the green-haired one on the far left”).

How long should it be?

Video should be no longer than 90 seconds. 

That’s a short time frame to show off all your awesomeness! But most casting directors are humans with limited time and attention, so they won’t watch all the way to the end anyway. Put your most impressive skills up front.

What about music?

Music isn’t all that important.

Casting directors are often doing a million different things at once and don’t often listen to the music.

Additionally, if you’re hosting your video on YouTube or reposting it on social media sites, you’ll want to make sure you’re using copyright free music so the algorithm doesn’t block you.

Chances are you don’t currently perform to copyright free music, and even if you made your own mix (falling under fair use), the algorithm may still block you—like the independent artist who was shadowbanned from TikTok for using a sample of her own song that she was promoting.

Have music that is fitting and you enjoy/want to be associated with you—but make sure it’s copyright free and don’t be offended if no one listens to it.

Make sure it’s fire from the start!

Put your highest skills/hardest skill in the beginning. 

This is definitely different from building an act where there is a build up to the climax.

Casting directors are human and only have so much time and attention, so catch that attention right out the gate.

Editing

There are a lot of free or cheap editing software out there in the world that work on your phone or on your computer.

Check out these posts for many free (or free-mium) tools that can help you do video editing and more!

• Top 10 free resources for pole professionals
• (Even More) Free or Low-Cost Resources for Pole Professionals

Final Thoughts

Don’t let perfection inhibit your progress.

Having *a*promo reel is better than having no promo reel. 

Even if you hate the video quality, or are bummed you couldn’t use your favorite song in the background, have something together. You should update your reel at least once a year, so you are always showing your current skill level.

 

Super Awesome Bonus Checklist

Use this bonus checklist to help keep you on track to create your first promo reel (or update one if the last one you took was on real film)!

Gathered Videos	√
Whittled that down to 60-90 seconds
Put your big skills up front
Found copyright free music
Made sure to call yourself out in group shots
Edited video
Hosted it somewhere