How to Make a Cameo Creator Profile that Actually Books
Influencers and celebs of all levels can use the emerging app Cameo to make money from the comfort of home.
Whether you are an Instagram model with millions of followers, a former child star of a famous ’90s movie, or you have a small but passionate YouTube fan following, Cameo could be the opportunity for you. Cameo is an app that started in 2017, but didn’t really take off until the COVID-19 pandemic, when performers and influencers were stuck at home with no work and no audience.
Cameo calls itself the “future of fan interaction.” It’s a platform that allows fans to book videos of famous people, from reality TV stars to voice actors to social media influencers. Creators can set their own prices, and fans get to request the video content. Influencers can make hundreds of dollars for just 30 seconds of their time. How? Keep reading.
I am a Cameo creator. I am a regular cast member on a popular children’s TV series with millions of regular viewers. The fandom is passionate, and all cast members have Cameo accounts. My experience — and the experience of my castmates — informs most of what I’m going to tell you about how to build a Cameo profile that books jobs and makes you real money.
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1. Get Referred
Here’s the part that will seem most difficult to you just getting started: you can’t join as a creator unless you have a VIP invite code. You have to know someone who is “famous enough” to be on Cameo in order to get a professional Cameo account. While this may seem daunting, it is easier than you think. Nowadays, anyone can become famous overnight for almost anything. If you have a friend who has gone viral on TikTok a few times, there’s a possibility they’ve been invited to Cameo. You just have to know who to ask!
Remember, once you become a member and have a VIP code to refer others, you get 5% of their earnings. So it’s in everyone’s best interest to share VIP invite codes!
2. Use Recognizable Media
If you’re known for your YouTube account, use your YouTube profile picture on your Cameo. List in your profile all the things that your fans might know you from, such as the Disney film that you starred in 20 years ago or the famous sports team you played on in college. Fans will search for the thing that they’re a fan of and you want to make sure you show up in the results.
The thing you’ll want to spend the most time on is your intro video, which auto-plays when someone comes to your profile. Some of the most famous celebrities can get away with a basic video introduction, dim lighting and poor sound, simply because people instantly know who they are. However, if you’re just starting out, make sure your intro video shows them why it’s worth booking with you. Film and edit your video off of Cameo to ensure you have high quality, and include clips from your most recognizable roles or appearances so people know who you are. You can upload your intro video to Cameo when you’re finished.
3. Set a Reasonable Price
Yes, Snoop Dogg charges $750 per video. Lindsay Lohan charges $350. But you are not Snoop Dogg or Lindsay Lohan. Even former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci charges $50, and he’s probably more famous than you. Take some time to research other influencers or figures who are “at your level” with a similar number of followers on social media, and see how much they charge. If you charge too much, it will turn people away; if you charge too little, you risk seeming unimportant. Remember, if you don’t book, then you can always change your price later!
4. Donate to Charity
This may seem counterintuitive, but it can actually boost your bookings and put you on the radar as an influencer. Some of the most famous Cameo creators donate all their proceeds to charity, which is a smart PR move. Celebrities who appear to be rich but charge their fans exorbitant rates for videos seem greedy, but giving the proceeds to charity justifies the expense. For example, Scaramucci donated over $60,000 to charity last year alone.
But that doesn’t mean you have to give all your earnings away! A castmate of mine donated the proceeds from her first month to charity and got tons of bookings. And here’s the best part: after that month ended and she donated the money, the bookings didn’t slow down! The boost helped her become a known Cameo creator, and she got to keep the proceeds from following months.
Ready to give it a try? Once you have your VIP Invite Code, download Cameo from the App Store or Google Play and start earning money.
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