Tag Archives: facebook

Beginner’s Guide: Starting a Cosplay Page

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As cosplayers, we don’t necessarily think of ourselves as a “brand”, but we are essentially marketing ourselves to our viewers… even if we aren’t selling them anything. Your brand will be a guideline on what and how you post in the future, so before you start a cosplay page, please consider the following:

 

  1. What outlet should I use? (Website, Facebook, Instagram, etc.)
    • The type of posts you make might determine the best place to put your product. Do you post often? Do you make lengthy posts? Are you posts heavily image-driven? Do you like to schedule posts?
  2. What direction do I want my page to go?
    • What is your main reason for having a page? Tutorials? Updates on costume progress? Reblogging cool cosplay-related things?
  3. What name will I use?
    • Make sure this is something that you identify as. For instance, I use “Life Of Cosplay” because I update on everything in my life that involves cosplay.
    • Do you want it to be unique? Easy to remember? Easy to spell? Remember that this name will STICK WITH YOU FOREVER.
    • How many variations of this cosplay name is there already?
      • Initially I chose “Peachy Cosplay” as my page, but realized there are several pages out there with a similar name.

How to start a local cosplay group

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It’s pretty easy to find a group that enjoys sports, cars or the outdoors… but what about the less-popular hobby of cosplay? (this applies to many other hobbies, too)

If you desire something that doesn’t exist yet, the chances are that others feel the same way as you. So start it!

The internet is a beautiful tool for communication and bringing people together. I used meetup.com AND Facebook to make a fun local group. A simple title works best to get the message across, so I used “DC Cosplay Photo Shoots.”

Figure out the “why do we exist” factor and write it down. Make sure it’s somewhere public where the rest of the group can see it. This will be your backbone to support all your future decisions.

 

Have some activities planned out. This doesn’t have to be too complicated. It could be something as simple as a meet & greet or video game night and go from there.

 

  1. Ask people for opinions!
    1. You can’t do everything on your own – nobody can. Your members will come up with stuff you might never have thought of. I have learned SO much about making a group by asking members who are just as interested in making DC Cosplay Photo Shoots grow and improve.
  2. Be patient. They will come.
  3. Once you find a few interested members, urge them to tell their friends. This is how word can spread and your group can grow!

 

Recap:

  • Find out if there’s already a group in the area
  • Make an easy group name & motto
  • Start simple
  • Ask for help

 

Yes, I know that this is a little bit of work. I myself am an ‘artsy’ type that tends to avoid organization and guidelines. But I did it! And so can you! Let me know if you have any questions. I’d love to help! 🙂

Finding free photographers (2/4) – Facebook

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If you’re as much of a Facebook fanatic as I am, you probably spend a good chunk of your time on the site. Why not use this time to your advantage!

 

  1. When you’re going to a convention and want decent photos of your costume, take a quick selfie/ full-body a few days before. Post these photos on the convention’s Facebook page and ask if any photographers want to do a free photo shoot. Many people will show pictures of the character they are GOING to be, but looking at an animated character doesn’t have the same impact as seeing the real deal. Stand out above the rest!

My first time wearing my entire Snow White before Otakon. It was a test, but I still posted it and got a lot of great responses!

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  1. Join a FB photography group. There are people from ALL ranges of photography skills and they’ll likely be very excited to try shooting a different style of model (that’s you!), even if they don’t know your character. Post a list of costumes you own and see if anyone wants to work with you.
    • Advertise yourself as a FREE model. They might not know what ‘cosplay’ is, but enthusiastic free models aren’t always easy to come by.
    • Choose your photography group carefully. If they focus on nature shots, cars, nudes, etc. they might be less interested in costume photos. (Still might be worth a try)

 

In my next post I’ll go over some tips for advertising on free modeling websites. 🙂

 

Articles in Finding Photographer series:

The basics

Model websites

Meetup.com