How to Get Clients as a Makeup Artist

Updated 2024

So, you’ve decided to pursue your dreams of becoming a professional MUA. Awesome! To work in this field, you will need to learn how to get clients as a makeup artist.

Luckily, you’ve come to the right place!

Today, we’re going to break down 6 efficient ways you can market yourself. In turn, this will help you find makeup clients and get your business off the ground.

So, let’s get started!

How Do Makeup Artists Get Noticed?

If you’re serious about pursuing this as a legitimate career, you’re likely researching how to grow as a makeup artist. You want to learn how to stand out, build client relationships, and maintain them. Here’s the good news: in today’s day and age, there are all sorts of ways for you to get your name out there and gain exposure!

For starters, there’s the tried-and-true method of word-of-mouth. Referrals have been a staple networking strategy for as far back as we can remember… and with good reason! If a trusted person recommends your services to their friends, family, colleagues, etc., others may be more inclined to look into your business and give you a try.

Plus, there’s also the online world to consider, too. We all live online nowadays. Thus, a large portion of your marketing efforts will need to be tailored to the digital platform. Between business websites, paid advertisements, and social media platforms, there’s a lot of competition out there. As with word of mouth, getting strong client testimonials is everything.

This means that if you want to stand out as a makeup artist and get noticed, you’ll  NEED to maximize your presence online, build relationships, and plan out your strategy wisely.

The Stats Don’t Lie

HubSpot’s “Ultimate List of Marketing Statistics for 2024” provides the following data which supports the efficacy of online marketing:

How Do You Brand Yourself as a Makeup Artist?

Think of your “brand” as your unique fingerprint in the makeup industry. It’s the thing that’ll set you apart from other MUAs. Your brand is your business’s identity and personality. Moreover, it’ll will make you memorable in the minds of prospective clients and online followers.

A makeup artist who’s developed a solid brand will be much more likely to secure customers than a makeup artist without one.

Consider the following companies, for example:

Each name alone probably sparks something in your mind, be it a color, a logo, an emotion, a purpose, a belief, etc. This is the case because these companies strategically worked hard to associate those specific things to their brand. That way, whenever someone – such as yourself – sees their company name, their mind will naturally go to the exact place that business wants it to go.

This is proper branding.

So, how can YOU achieve this for your own business? Our recommendation is to first sit down, grab a pen and paper, and answer the following questions:

Coming up with clear, concise answers to all of these questions will help you brand yourself as a makeup artist. In turn, this will make it even easier to get clients!

6 Ways to Get Clients as a Makeup Artist

1. Build Up a Creative Portfolio

Your portfolio will show off high-quality images of makeup applications you’ve done on past clients and/or models. Basically, it’ll be physical proof of the quality of work you can do.

If you don’t have a professional makeup portfolio, you’ll have a hard time getting clients.

This is because, especially these days, prospective customers want to know that you can give them what they want, before they invest any money into your business. Asking potential clients to book you on a leap of faith alone is unrealistic – and frankly, a bad business move.

If it’s between you (without a portfolio) and another MUA (with an impressive portfolio), guess who the person is going to pick?

Not you. 

If you need help getting started, here’s a small handful of our past blog articles that can guide you in the right direction:

2. Start Your Own Website

If you want to get clients as a makeup artist, a professional business website will be a MUST! Without your own site, you’ll be missing out on so many booking opportunities. Plus, and I cannot stress this enough, it’ll make you look unprofessional.

If your budget allows for it, you can always hire a professional website developer to create one for you. But if you don’t have the money for this, that’s okay! Luckily, there are all sorts of free website builders and hosts out there with simple, user-friendly templates that you can work off of.

Either way, it’s important to make sure that your business website contains the following key information:

3. Show Off Your Skills on Social Media

As we already established earlier, social media marketing will be one of your BEST friends! After all, literally everyone uses social media these days. It’s undoubtedly one of the single best ways to meet others in the industry and attract clients as a makeup artist.

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest are all examples of extremely popular platforms on which you can establish a solid presence.

When the time comes that you’re ready to set up your social media accounts, keep these useful tips in mind:

4. Start a YouTube Channel

Makeup enthusiasts love watching MUAs; be it tutorials, product reviews, makeup challenges, etc. While other popular social media platforms – such as TikTok and Instagram Reels – are great for posting condensed, shortened videos, their time constraints can be limiting.

For that reason, we also recommend launching your very own YouTube channel!

YouTube is a wonderful platform to share your content on, especially for videos exceeding 3 minutes in length. Furthermore, it’s so easy to tie your YouTube content to what you post on other platforms. For instance, you could easily tease at a new video by posting enticing clips on TikTok or Instagram, and then encourage your following to watch the FULL video on your YouTube channel.

Not to mention, if you happen to amass a large following, you could also earn some side coin from the money you’d get paid from YouTube! Either way, more platforms for your business = more opportunities for prospective clients to find your business and book you.

It’s a win-win!

5. Network, Network, Network

The beauty industry is quite unique, in that everyone seems to know each other. Indeed, if you establish a positive reputation for both yourself and your business, it’ll get around and other MUAs will know all about you.

(Of course, the same can be said if you develop a bad reputation, too…)

One important thing to understand early on in your career is that other makeup artists are your FRIENDS – and not your enemies. Yes, they’re considered your “competition”. But at the end of the day, you all have the same goal: to transform clients’ lives for the better.

So, get to know the other beauty experts in your town or city! In addition to other makeup artists, connect with photographers, hair stylists, fashion stylists, etc. The benefits of proper networking are endless, and here are just some of the reasons why:

6. Ask for Referrals

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? There’s NO harm in straight-up asking for referrals, so long as it’s done tactfully!

Thanking Your Clients

Before asking for a referral, you want to ensure your client has the best experience possible from start to finish. A way to set you apart, show appreciation, and have your client remember you is a simple thank you note. Thanking your clients will help build a genuine and strong relationship, making your work more fulfilling and putting you in a stronger position to ask them to recommend you to others.

Asking Clients

Once you’re done working with a satisfied customer, you can casually let them know that if they know anyone in need of professional makeup services, you’d be happy to work with them.

You can also provide a customer survey for them to fill out and include that request somewhere on the form. Using a survey is a great tactic because it also gives you client feedback which you can use to help improve the client experience and retain your makeup clients.

(But also, don’t forget to ask for a testimonial from that particular client. Remember: you can use this for your website and social media channels!)

Asking Friends and Family

Another option is to ask for referrals from the people you know personally. For instance, do you have a friend who’s getting married in the near future? What about a family member about to celebrate their birthday?

YOU can assist them by helping them look and feel their best on their big day!

By maximizing your personal connections, you’ll be able to acquire the materials needed (such as photos and success stories) to develop your professional portfolio and further elevate your website. Plus, your friends and family can also give you positive feedback that can then be added to the testimonials page on your site and social media posts.

And just as importantly, they can help spread word about your makeup business by recommending you to people they know!

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with drawing from your inner circle and getting some help, especially when you’re first getting your makeup career started. So, don’t hesitate to reach out to the people you trust and see if there’s any way you can lend your services to them!

Can you think of other ways to get clients as a makeup artist? Drop them in the comments below!

Attract even more clients by adding a professional, internationally-recognized makeup certification to your resume! Enroll with QC Makeup Academy today and graduate in as little as 2-6 months!