How do I become a Prostaff .. How do I get Into the Hunting Industry

Posted by John Stallone on 12/14/2015 in hunting | 1 Comment

How do I become a Prostaff ? .. How do I get Into the Hunting Industry ? … How do I get My own TV show? if I had a Dollar for every time someone asked me this question I’d be rich…..

First off how to get my own TV show question has been answered here … so I will address the other 2 questions in this article… I’m gonna try to break this down  simply for you ….

The Hunting industry use to be driven by those elite hunters that were not only good at what they do but charismatic.. Much like other professional sports endorsements.. that day is gone.. you don’t even have to be a good hunter anymore theoretically.. You only have to have a large following and abide by some character guidelines… Most companies.. but not all… look for the following criteria to get added on as a Pro-staff

What’s your following?:

Companies want to see how many people you can reach and how diverse your reach is.. What’s that mean? Well they would like to see you have a following on more than one platform or social media network. Plus they want to see how large your network is.. Because the bigger net you cast the more fish you can potentially catch for them.

How engaged if your following?

Engagement is key.. the smarter companies have caught on that having number doesn’t necessarily mean you have a loyal group of followers.. For instance I have like 8000 followers on instagram and my buddy has 22,000 followers when I post something I get an average of 450 likes a 5.6% engagement when he posts he gets an average of 700.. a 3.1% engagement. More doesn’t always mean better..More and more companies are looking at these metrics and getting more savvy about how and where to spend there money..

Build your engagement up not just your numbers if you don’t have the “ear” of your followers your not worth anything to product manufactures..

What can you do for me?

when you are asking to become a pro-staff don’t just have your hand out.. Go in there with a proposal… “this is what I can do for you” ,”This is what I have done for this guy” Don’t forget you are the 100 person that day that has called this person and asked for something for free.. with the advent of social media which has created thousands of “key board Pros” you have to stand out and be the guy that’s doing something different. Follow the trends but also be a trend setter.. that sounds cliché but its true.. You have to do what everyone else is doing while still providing something that they are not… Its a happy balance of being mind forward and current at the same time..

Be a Pro…

You may not be the best hunter in the world, or even your home town but conduct yourself as professional. Image goes a long way…. Companies don’t want to be associated with people who break laws, go off the handle, disrespect hunting and animals etc. etc..

Better yourself as a hunter, learn your craft.. so that you can be a valuable resource to other hunters as you grow.. I said you don’t necessarily have to be a good hunter but its always better when you are. Because ultimately this is a sales position.. you can always sell more when people trust you know what your talking about… And companies want to be associated with guys who know what they are talking about and who are not just snake oil salesmen.. Of course there are exceptions…..

Hitting The Bricks..

Now comes the hard part selling yourself.. you’ve spent time building your brand building yourself on social media and getting name.. Now you have to start knocking on doors and getting past the gate keepers .. this all ties back on to the stuff I already discussed . Have a plan and a proposal ready something that sums up who you are, what your reach is and what you intend to do for those companies..

Throw you a bone:

I’m going to give you a opportunity here to get your foot in the door..

If you are a Professional within your Niche? meaning you are the guy everyone in your home town comes to for hunting advice..

If you have a strong following meeting some of the criteria I mentioned above.. ?

If you are passionate about the gear you use and don’t settle just because you want free stuff? I hate those guys that will rep any company just because they got it for free… read here

If you are smart and willing to hustle … send me your resume I may have a place for you info@huntsecrets.com

Check out my podcast with Zac Griffth we talk about getting into the hunting industry