What to Look For

f you are looking for a paid model listing site and you actual want to have some hope of getting work from it, consider these factors before signing up:
1) The site should be easy for someone who wants to find a model to use starting with the home page with clear directions for the model seeker(photographer, art director, and such) to follow. Most sites clutter their opening page with model mania news, how a model should sign up, and stories of not so famous models. If a potential client can't find how to search the site and feel welcome, they are not going to stay.
2) Does the site have a good search system? Many of the model listing sites let you search by size, gender, hair color, ethnic background, and planets in the solar system, but most fail to let you search by city. Since 90% of the work for models outside of New York does not include travel money, only local models will be used. If I, as a photographer, can't find what talent this site is listing for my area, the site is useless. Again, most of these sites want you to think top casting directors from around the world are going to find you so they don't include city search and in reality these sites are useless.
3) Does the site use thumbnail (small pictures) of the models and do they load quickly? I am amazed at how many of these listing sites think an art director or photographer is going to sit there while 5 or 6 high K files down load, and do this time and again trying to get an idea of the talent the site is offering. Or worse yet, where their thumbnails are 80K files rather than a quick-load 3k. Believe me as a photographer you go through a couple of these and you are out of there. You quickly don't care what talent is there - you have a life to live.
4) Does the model get to include other information? Many of these sites let you post just a couple of photos and vital statistics. After a photographer, or other potential client, has narrowed the choices down, extra info, like resume or interview questions can help show a model's personality and experience. Not only do you like a model to have that "look", but you also want to know she or he is someone you can work with. This extra information can help with that.

5) How easy does the site make it to contact and book the model? This part does not seem to be a problem with most sites. Many sites just let potential clients email you. Other sites try to be more like an agency and screen clients and set up bookings. The key point is that if someone does respond to the web listing, you must have a plan on how to proceed. Remember most of these sites are open to the whole world, so you do not know for sure who or what might contact you. You need to work out a system to qualify clients and make sure they are legitimate.
6) What does the site do to attract potential clients? The bulk of these sites just try to get listed on search engines and hope someone finds them. A few actually have a plan for attracting clients and a very few of those actually have budgets with which to do so. If potential clients can't find the site or are not driven to it, it does not matter what else the site does right, it will eventual fail, and along with the site's failure goes any hope of the models finding work.