Now that you know what an infomercial is, find out how you can make money by acting like yourself!

Everyone you see on screen during an infomercial, barring the product's "inventor" or a celebrity guest, is cast by a casting agent or producer. In a more traditional infomercial, on a fixed set, there is usually an expert character and a friendly co-host. This expert can be the inventor, the owner of the company, a celebrity guest, or just about any source of authority for the audience. If the authority is generic, like the kind that comes from an expert chef or master fisherman, the role could be cast with someone who fits the physical type, or someone with related experience who can work with the materials. The co-host is usually an energetic and attractive person who is out of "the know" about the product, and is being educated by the authority. This role is filled by a casting director and because it's technically "real" it doesn't fall under union jurisdiction.

In the newer, more natural form of infomercials, most of the footage comes from "real homes" and shows "real people" enjoying the product, and relating how much their lives have improved. These roles are almost always cast, and the most important part of casting an infomercial like this is to make the audience believe that they are watching regular people, just like them. There are many opportunities for aspiring and unconventional actors to make money and gain exposure.

Another way to get involved in infomercials is to join product trials. Often times the producers of infomercials will recruit models or actors with a specific look, and hire them to participate in a product trial. After the trial is over, the classic before-and-after template is used in the infomercial to show how effective the product is. You are paid for your appearance, and for the time you spend before the commercial is produced taking place in the trial. Because these trials are unregulated and conducted by the company in question, they aren't really scientific, and often require other steps to achieve the desired "effect" of the product.

There are also lots of roles for background or featured background artists. They are there to create a "living" atmosphere for the infomercial shoot, and to suggest healthy activity, happiness, and personal success. These are much like regular extra roles, except everything is supposed to be even more natural to preserve the illusion of reality. Many featured extras are also used to demonstrate the use of a product in a natural setting, in order to show a wide variety of people using and enjoying the product.

Another lucrative source of employment in the infomercial industry comes through 24-hour shopping channels. These channels depend on having energetic, convincing hosts talking about products every minute of the day. Hosts need to be likeable and photogenic, and also feel like real people whose opinions and likes the viewer can relate to.

Grandmothers, bald men, single mothers, young professionals, artists, athletes, body-builders, businessmen, chefs, and just about any other type of person you can think of have a place in infomercials. It's easy, fun, and a great way to make money and start your career.

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