Using Your Height to Your Advantage: Promotional Modeling

I work as a promotional model occasionally. Might as well exploit my height for what it is worth, right? What's a promotional model? A promo model is a female or male who is hired by a company to help promote the product. I have done everything from selling sunglasses to handing out free duct-tape to running race car simulators. It's pretty fun work, and pays well, usually $12-$16 an hour. The age requirements for promotional modeling vary. Models under 18 may require parental permission. Some promotions require you to be over 18 because of long or late work hours, or over 21 because it is a liquor promotion.

Promotional modeling not without its pitfalls. Promo models usually don't get paid until several months after they work, due to all of the middlemen the payments must go through. And, if an agency found you the job, they usually take a cut of around 20%. And then there are the creepers on the job. Because you're usually in short-shorts and are being super-friendly and smiley (it's a job requirement, really), weird guys think they can come up to you and give you hugs, take photos with you, hit on you, etc. In these cases, mastery of the polite decline is essential.

Also, if you get a promotional modeling job, be prepared to sell stuff. You often have to sign people up for giveaways, get customers to interact with products, encourage them to buy stuff, etc. And your temporary bosses while working the promos will be salespeople, so they will push you to sell. Though you're not paid on commission, and you don't handle any money, you will make your clients happy, and do your job, if you bring in real business. I have even had previous clients request me specifically when they revisited an area because they were so happy with the work I did previously.

Despite a few shortcomings, promotional modeling really is FUN. I find myself working the Nascar races every summer. Most promo work is on the weekends, so it provides a nice break from the office job I work in between school semesters. The people you work with are usually really laid back, as are the customers with whom you interact. This makes the work fun, and the time usually goes quickly.

For more information, including more details about the pros and cons of promotional modeling, check out my Squidoo post on the topic.