How to Get Photography Clients

1. Understand Your Ideal Client
2. Create a Website That Brings in Inquiries
3. Understand How Clients Make Decisions
4. Go Above and Beyond to Get People Talking
5. Get More People to Hear About You
6. Stay Top of Mind
7. Refine Your Post Sales Process
8. Ask for Referrals and Create Incentives
9. Bonus: The #1 Mistake That Guarantees Your Marketing Will Fail

1. Understand Your Ideal Client

The more clearly you understand exactly who you want to work with, the easier it will be to get them to hire you. Put yourself in the shoes of your ideal client and think about their lives and answer these questions:

• Where do they shop?
• What are their interest and hobbies?
• What websites do they frequent?

These questions represent a starting point. The better you can understand your ideal client and their lifestyle, the more effective your marketing will be. To increase your effectiveness, base your marketing strategy on your ideal clients.

What works for one type of client will be very different from what works with other types of clients. For example, how you market newborn photography should be entirely different from how you market headshots for CEOs because you are trying to attract two very different types of clients.

When you understand your ideal client inside and out, you can create a marketing plan that makes them feel like you completely understand their needs. This makes them much more likely to book you.

2. Create a Website That Brings in Inquiries

Your photography website is a helpful marketing tool that many photographers take for granted. It is your virtual storefront where clients form their first impression and decide whether they’ll hire you or someone else. You need to be intentional about how your website is structured so that it turns more visitors into inquiries. If you only blog client sessions, show your portfolio, and have a contact page on your site, you’re losing inquiries you could be getting otherwise. Luckily, many website builders available today are affordable and easy to use, and they include multiple features that will allow you to build a formidable online presence.

3. Understand How Clients Make Decisions

If you don’t understand how clients make decisions about who to hire, you may be unintentionally turning away clients that might have loved working with you. When you understand how clients choose a photographer, you can adjust your marketing message to make sure you’re giving them the information they need to make the right decision about working with you. You’ll attract the kinds of clients you really want to work with, and you’ll repel the kinds of clients that don’t value you and are stressful to work with.

For example, if you educate your client about what to look for in a photographer, they’re going to see you as an authority. They’ll be thankful that you helped them understand how to make an informed decision, making them more likely to choose you when they’re ready to select a photographer than someone else who hasn’t helped them in any way.

4. Go Above and Beyond to Get People Talking

When someone hasn’t hired a photographer before, it can be overwhelming to try and decide who to hire. People trust the opinions of friends and family, so they look to them when deciding on a photographer. People are much more likely to book you if they know that a friend or family member had a positive experience with you.

When you go above and beyond to create a remarkable experience for your clients, they’ll be happy to recommend you when they know someone is looking for a photographer. We reached out to our community of professional photographers for their thoughts on how to get more photography clients, and many pointed to using social media.

5. Get More People to Hear About You

Fantastic photos aren’t enough to get you clients if nobody sees them. Word of mouth advertising ranks high on the list of how to get photography clients, but it’s limited by the number of clients you have. You need more people to hear about your business so they can hire you.

Here are a few ways to get people to hear about you:

• Optimize your website to show up in search results: Many people look for photographers by looking them up in a search engine. The better you understand how search engines display results, the more likely you’ll be able to show up at the top of the list.
• Network: When you build relationships with vendors, businesses, and other photographers, you’ll be the person they rave about when prospective clients ask them for recommendations.
• Tap into the power of social media: Social media is powerful if used in the right way. Each platform serves a different purpose, so you have to understand their differences and figure out what works best on each one. For example, you can use Instagram Guides as a key marketing tool to get more people to hear about you.
• Know when to use paid advertising: Unless you know exactly what you are doing, paid ads are generally a waste of money. That being said, paid ads can bring in a lot of clients for very little money when you understand how to create ads that appeal to your client and how to make sure only your ideal client sees them.

6. Stay Top-of-Mind to Get More Photography Clients

If you want to get more referrals and get them now, then you have to be Top of Mind (this not only works with clients, but vendors as well!). The way you get Top of Mind (you and your business are at the forefront of someone’s mind) is by doing something for them and getting on their radar. Many times you don’t get referred by a past client or vendor because you simply haven’t done anything for them lately.

With current clients, stay Top of Mind by doing something for them every few weeks. It can be as simple as an email, call or note in the actual mail, or better yet, a perzonalized gift which helps them focus on their relationship (date night kit, anyone?) and is NOT about you and your photography.

Click below to hear us talk about a practical way to stay Top of Mind with vendors!

7. Refine Your Post Sales Process

If done correctly, in the post sales process, you can really separate yourself as a business person. This is your opportunity to get creative and think of spectacular ways to get referrals from clients. Word of mouth is 10x stronger than most marketing campaigns you can create using Facebook, radio ads, or whatever form you chose. On the unfortunate side of things, if someone has a spectacular experience with you, they are likely to only tell a few people to hire you. On the flip side, if they have a bad experience, they will be happy to tell ten people not to use your service within a day. Even with the numbers skewed against you, word of mouth is a powerful tool for photographers, and initially, it is the best way to launch your newfound business. This is why it is very important to focus on first performing remarkable work and secondly having a great system that makes it easy for clients to refer more clients to you!

8. Ask for Referrals and Create Incentives

Ask immediately after the sale. Mention to your client that your businesses runs mostly off referrals and would love to help out any friends, family or coworkers of theirs.  I have always been a personal fan of rewards. If you want me to refer someone to your business, reward me with something I want. If you do a reward system for referrals, then make sure you build that referral system with the client in mind. Really think about what would excite them to refer people to you.

Bonus: The #1 Mistake That Guarantees Your Marketing Will Fail

When you apply these tips to your business you’ll get better clients and more of them. You’ll be able to charge profitable prices and only work with the clients you really want. However, there’s one mistake that guarantees all your efforts will fail: not creating a marketing plan

It can be hard to find time to focus on marketing when there are so many other things to do in your business, but if you don’t take the time to actually do any marketing, you won’t see results. Creating a marketing plan helps to ensure you set aside time to put these marketing strategies into practice. The marketing plan outlines what you plan to do and gives a game plan to reach your goals. It helps you decide exactly when you’ll be doing each task so you can schedule time to work on marketing. To make sure your marketing plan attracts the clients you really want, it has to be customized to your ideal client and market.

More Info

If you need help creating a marketing plan or growing your business in general to get more of the clients you want, check out the Photography Business Training System. In this workshop, Pye Jirsa shares ALL of the strategies, templates, and workflows used over the past decade to build his photography studio

Linkedin Tips for Photographers

LinkedIn stands out as a professional network that offers unique opportunities for photographers to connect, collaborate, and advance their careers.  In previous articles, we’ve covered Pinterest for Photographers, Instagram and Facebook for Photographers; and in this one, we’re going to provide essential tips on using Linkedin for Photographers to build their network and market their services.

Build a Strong Profile

Your LinkedIn profile is like your virtual business card in the professional world. Start with a profile picture that reflects your professionalism while showcasing your personality.  Keep the following in mind:

• Profile Picture – Choose a professional picture for your profile that your network can easily and quickly identify as you.
  Cover Photo – Choose a cover photo that resonates with your audience.  This can be a beautiful image, a team photo, or a graphic that showcases your style and brand.
• Headline – Craft a compelling headline that encapsulates your photography focus or lets the audience quickly understand what you do. Tell your story, highlight your skills, and share your passion for photography.
• Featured Section – Use the “Featured” section to exhibit your portfolio, giving visitors a glimpse into your creative world.

Network and Connect

LinkedIn for photographers is more than just a platform for digital connections – it’s a networking powerhouse for photographers. Start by connecting with colleagues, mentors, clients, and fellow photographers. Personalize your connection requests to show genuine interest in building meaningful relationships. Expand your network strategically to include professionals who align with your photography goals.

Showcase Your Work and Make Announcements

The “Posts” feature on LinkedIn serves as your personal blog space. Share your photography insights, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and tips on mastering the art. Visual content speaks volumes – utilize images to captivate your audience. Whether you’re discussing the latest photography trends or sharing your personal experiences, this platform lets you establish authority and engage with your audience on a deeper level.

Try to work this into your workflow, just as you would Facebook or Instagram.  For example, if you post a new blog entry to Facebook or a collage or images to Instagram, why not take the extra 5 minutes and post it to Linkedin as well?  Continue to track the effectiveness with the built in analytics and see if your content resonates with your network.

Consistency is key when it comes to personal branding. Ensure that your profile, posts, and interactions all reflect your unique style and creative vision. Through your content, demonstrate your expertise and perspective. A LinkedIn for photographers strategy is to use these posts to promote your photography services, workshops, and any special projects, reinforcing your position as a trusted photographer.

Join and Participate in Photography (and other related) Groups

LinkedIn Groups offer a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in specialized communities. Seek out photography-related groups to connect with like-minded individuals, engage in discussions, and learn from peers. Participating in conversations showcases your expertise and establishes you as an active contributor within the industry.

Try to join various groups based on the following characteristics:

• Your Location
• Your Photography Niche
• Your Larger Industry (Wedding, Newborn, Etc)

Find Photography Job Opportunities

The platform isn’t just about connections – it’s also a gateway to job opportunities. Explore job listings, freelance gigs, and photography projects tailored to your skills and aspirations. Customize your profile and messages when applying for positions to showcase your suitability. Recommendations and endorsements from your connections further enhance your credibility.

Get Testimonials and Recommendations

Client testimonials and recommendations from industry pros provide tangible proof of your skills and professionalism. Request recommendations from clients and colleagues who can vouch for your work. Don’t hesitate to endorse others as well – it often leads to mutual endorsements, bolstering your profile’s authenticity.

Use Analytics and Insights

LinkedIn’s analytics offer valuable insights into your profile’s performance and post engagement. Track views, likes, comments, and shares to refine your content strategy. Adjust your approach based on audience behavior to maximize your impact.

Linkedin provides information on the following:

• Page Views
• Visitor Demographics
• Follower metrics
• Follower Demographics
• Leads
• Content engagement
• Competitor Analytics

Use this information to gauge your success and adjust your strategy over time.

Conclusion

LinkedIn isn’t just a digital address book – it’s a dynamic space where photographers can showcase their talents, foster connections, and seize unique opportunities. By crafting a robust profile, actively engaging with others, and leveraging the platform’s features, photographers can elevate their careers, solidify their professional reputation, and open doors to a world of endless possibilities.

I’m willing to bet that many of you reading this probably have a LinkedIn account and like me, probably rarely use it for anything except to update your work history and accept ‘connections.’ We are missing out! If your target market are upper middle-class professionals, LinkedIn is a place to be. With LinkedIn, you’ll be immersed with millions of other professionally-minded people who are marketing themselves and networking with one another. Plus, if most of the photographers are on Facebook and Instagram (which they aren’t; many commercial photographers market themselves on LinkedIn), then wouldn’t it be a great place for you to differentiate yourself and your photography business?

Note: The information from this article is derived from Course 3 of our Complete Photography Business Training System. a 30+ hour, 4 workshop program to help you build the business of your dreams.

1. Marketing to Past photo Clients for Referrals

Marketing continues to evolve but one constant is the power behind word-of-mouth referrals. According to Nielsen, 83% of consumers say they either completely or somewhat trust recommendations from family, colleagues, and friends about products and services.

All photographers need to incorporate marketing to past clients as part of their workflow. It starts with a great overall client experience, timely delivery of images and making the client feel valued. Beyond that, consider campaigns like sending surprise prints and other gifts to turn clients into raving fans. Consider staying in touch with them via email, social media, and perhaps even in person. One approach is to consider anything you would do for a friend, from sending Christmas cards to staying up-to-date on their major life events.

2. Vendor and photography Network Referrals

Regardless of your photography genre, getting the recommendations of other professionals can benefit your business and serve as a consistent source of leads. While different for every genre, these professionals might include make-up artists, model agencies, wedding planners, wardrobe designers and more.

The best way to market to vendors and other professionals is to simply benefit their business in any way you can. This includes referring them business, giving them additional exposure and recognition on your social media, and getting their work published in related magazines.

3. Photography Marketing with SEO and Content

Online search is still one of the most frequent methods of finding services like photography. According to the Search Engine Journal, 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine so incorporating SEO into your photography marketing is essential to long term growth.

SEO for photographers still starts with good content. Create information-rich, useful, shareable content on your website. Answer questions and become a trusted, reliable resource within your niche. Study keyword and link building strategies, understand local (maps) search results, learn about image search results, and more. It sounds daunting, but it’s not rocket science and it’s worth the investment of time and brainpower.

For more information, see our Photography SEO and Web Marketing Course.

4. Social Media Marketing for Photographers

One of the best rules of marketing is to always maintain a presence where your target market is. So depending on your niche, social media could be critical for your photography marketing.  Photographers should focus on the following platforms:

• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Facebook
• Tik Tok

The key is to be smart with your time and understand that sustainable marketing requires a multi-faceted approach. These days, too many photographers spend too much time on social media, stressing about Instagram likes, Facebook shares and other vanity metrics. The goal is to bring social media into your workflow and maintain a consistent schedule.

For more info and specific tips and strategies on growing your social media marketing, see Course 3 in the Photography Business Training System.

5. Video Marketing in Photography

According to Forbes, 90% of customers say video helps them make buying decisions and 64% of customers say that seeing a video makes them more likely to buy.

Creating videos has never been easier thanks to slideshow software like Adobe Spark, Animoto and even Lightroom. So no matter how busy you get, you should try to incorporate some video marketing into your plan this year.

Here are a few quick ideas on how to use video marketing:

• Create a video on a specific subject and upload it to Youtube, making your work discoverable on the 2nd largest search engine.
• Upload videos on Facebook, Facebook stories, Instagram, Instagram stories, Pinterest or even Twitter.
• Use videos to supplement the content on your existing pages on your blog or website.

Here’s an example of a video our photography studio used to supplement an existing resource page.

6. Photography Marketing with Business Directories

Yelp, Weddingwire, Google Business, and Model Mayhem are all examples of online directories intended to connect you with those looking for your services. There are hundreds of business directories, so it’s important to be selective and find the right match for your niche.

Remember the old marketing rule of establishing a presence wherever your target clients are spending their time. If they are on Weddingwire, then you should be too. If they are on Yelp, you should invest some time on your profile over there as well.

For most photographers, it’s worth completing robust, accurate profiles that feature your best imagery on each of the websites that offer free accounts and are related to your niche. When allowed, it may also be worth your time asking your clients for reviews to build up your online reputation.

7. Photoshoot Giveaway Marketing

Giving away your photography services as part of a promotional giveaway can be an effective way to generate leads and awareness of your photography business. Use a promotional giveaway app like Gleam to collect emails, incentivize actions that benefit your business, and drive viral sharing of the giveaway. When done well, these can generate thousands of leads and expand your reach beyond your current network.

Learn all about how to use this strategy in the bonus PDF of our marketing course.

8. Photography Email Marketing

After you’ve collected an email, whether you got it from a giveaway, a lead magnet, or other legal method, sending a carefully crafted series of emails containing valuable information is a great way to nurture the lead with more touchpoints. According to Marketing Week, 15 years ago, the average consumer typically used two touch-points when buying an item and only 7% regularly used more than four. Today consumers use an average of almost six touch points, with 50% regularly using more than four.

To get started with email marketing, sign up for a newsletter service like Mailchimp. Or, if you’re a Squarespace user, utilize their email service. Set up a series of valuable emails to be delivered over time. Set up a form of lead generation (i.e. email collection). And tweak your funnel as necessary over time. For more info on email marketing, see the bonus PDF in our marketing course.

9. Photography Marketing with Awards and Features

Winning awards, getting featured, and gaining other publicity can increase the discoverability and lend credibility to your business.

While awards and features alone won’t likely lead directly to bookings, they can decrease the friction and increase the trust a potential client would have in your abilities as a photographer.

Image by Ciprian Biclineru, SLR Lounge Award Winner

10. Paid Ads – Social Media and Adwords marketing

Facebook ads and Google ads are still viable marketing strategies.  However, they are only recommended if you have the time, experience and knowledge to manage them properly.  These fees can quickly add up and incorrect audience or keyword targeting is the same as throwing your money away.

In addition, with so many other marketing methods that don’t require a financial outlay, spending money for ads should be done sparingly, if at all.  Other methods of lead generation, like SEO and social media, continue to drive leads over time.  The content and the accounts are like assets you own that continue to provide benefits for your business.  On the other hand, if you rely primarily on paid ads, the minute you stop spending is the minute your leads dry up.

Conclusion – How to market a photography business

Like marketing any other small business, there are no shortcuts with photography marketing.  The good news is that we have a surplus of beautiful visual assets that make our product shareable and appealing.  With the right guidance and allocation of time, there’s a great opportunity for success.

Here’s a quick summary of the 11 ways to market your photography business:

• Photography Client Referrals
• Vendor/Network Referrals
• SEO and Content Marketing for Photographers
• Social Media for Photographers
• Video Marketing
• Directories and Online Listings
• Awards, Features and Publicity
• Email Marketing
• Giveaway and Charity Marketing
• In Person Networking Events and Tradeshows
• Paid Ads – Social Media, Adwords and More

We would love to hear from you.  What works?  What doesn’t?  Share your knowledge with the community!

Creating Your Pinterest Account

Before you can start using Pinterest, you’ll need to create an account. Once you’ve created an account, it’s important to optimize your profile by adding a profile picture, bio, and website link. Next, you’ll want to create boards to organize your pins by category or theme. Finally, you can start creating pins by uploading your own photos or by saving photos from other sources to your boards.

Maximizing Your Pinterest Presence

To maximize your presence on Pinterest, it’s important to identify your target audience and create content that will appeal to them. This may include creating boards that focus on specific niches or topics, such as wedding photography, nature photography, or portrait photography. You’ll also want to utilize keywords and hashtags in your pin descriptions to make your content more searchable. Creating high-quality content is key to attracting and retaining followers, so be sure to use high-resolution images and well-written descriptions. Finally, consistency in pinning is important for keeping your audience engaged and growing your following.

Integrate Pinterest into Your Client Workflow

Have your clients Pin images from your website when they create their mood board.  The moodboard is a collection of photographs that represents the desired style for a photoshoot in photography. When your clients pin your images from your blog onto Pinterest, they are essentially sharing your images on that social media platform. Each of these images contains a link back to the source, which is your website. Therefore, these mood boards can serve as a significant source of traffic to your website, potentially increasing your online presence and visibility.  For more marketing hacks, see our free ebook, 8 Marketing Hacks for Wedding Photographers that we created with Wedding Maps.

Create A Board Full of Past Work

Go through your portfolio, pick out your very best work, and create a Pinterest board –– or make a few and theme them! They’ll function the same way as a Facebook album, only Pinterest users will be able to easily re-post or “pin” your pictures, increasing their views on the site. With any luck, your images will be re-pinned, those re-pins will be pinned, and you’ll create a domino effect of exposure. Just make sure to put a subtle watermark on your photos to protect them!

Pin Client Testimonials

Pinterest users love themselves a well-designed pictographic, which works out great for you –– they’re a perfect way to showcase client testimonials! Keep praiseworthy quotes short and use an eye-catching font that will grab pinners’ attention. For example, you can place a testimonial from a happily married couple over your most gorgeous wedding photo. People will be attracted to the picture, and will simultaneously get to-the-point information about why they should hire you. It’s a win-win!

Engaging with the Pinterest Community

Engaging with the Pinterest community is important for building relationships and growing your following. You can start by following other users in your niche or target audience, and liking and commenting on their pins. You can also collaborate with other photographers by creating group boards and inviting them to contribute. Finally, participating in group boards is a great way to increase your exposure and reach new audiences.

Measuring Your Success on Pinterest

To measure your success on Pinterest, you’ll want to track your analytics to see how your pins are performing. You can evaluate your engagement rate by looking at the number of saves, likes, and comments your pins receive. If you’re not seeing the results you want, you may need to adjust your strategy by creating new content or targeting a different audience.

You can also dive into the Pinterest Analytics to see how your account is doing and adjust accordingly.  You can see the gender, age, locations, devices, topics and more!

Set Up a Pinterest Business Account

Creating a business account with Pinterest helps you cater content to potential clients. You’ll be able to track which of your boards and pins are the most popular, as well as how much exposure you’re receiving on the platform. Are users flocking to your wedding portraits like moths to a flame? Throw together another board of beautifully photographed couples in love. Do pinners love your tips on styling fashion shoots? Make a video tutorial of your process and pin it straight from YouTube! Having a business account gives you inside scoop on what your clients are looking for, and by catering to their interests, you’ll get more business.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Pinterest can be a powerful tool for photographers to showcase their work and attract new clients. By following the tips outlined in this article, you can unlock the power of Pinterest and take your business to the next level. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new strategies and techniques, and always remember to stay consistent and engage with your audience. With time and effort, Pinterest can become an essential tool in your photography business’s social media strategy.

Tips for Link Building For Photographers

Let’s start with a few tips to get started before diving into each individual strategy.

Avoid Relying Entirely on the “Trickle Down” Approach

What many website owners do is simply focus on driving links to the home page. This is what we call the “trickle down” approach (though this is not an official SEO term). In the “trickle down” approach, you’re simply driving all links to the home page; and the Page Rank trickles down to the rest of the pages on your site.

While it is important to drive the majority of your external links to your main page, this “trickle down” approach will have its limitations. If the “niche” keywords that you are targeting on your individual pages are competitive, this trickle down approach may never drive enough Page Rank for that page to succeed in search results.

Drive Links to Individual Pages

It’s important to drive some external links to some of these individual pages as well. This is known as “deep linking.” Doing so will help those individual pages rank higher quicker than the “trickle down” approach. Page Rank will also flow up to the home page and over to other pages on your site as well (via the links on the page), so you’re not entirely neglecting the home page or other pages.

General Rule of Thumb – Drive the majority of your external links to your home page, but also be sure to drive some links to other important pages as well.

As you review the strategies in this section, you will discover opportunities to get multiple links from a single site. When you find those opportunities, consider linking to your home page first and then find a way to link to other pages as well.

Set a Schedule

Google loves “fresh” links. Having new links point to your site is a sign of continued relevance. So be sure to plan and even schedule your strategy so that your efforts are consistent. Once a week or once a month is recommended in the beginning. And even down the road, engaging in link building practices every few months or so is recommended.

SEO Link Building For Photographers With Vendor Networking

A great way to drive links to your site is to simply network. As a photographer, this is actually very easy because, after every shoot we have something valuable to offer – the images from the shoot.

Create an email that outlines your rules for image usage and send it out, along with a few select images, to everyone involved in the shoot. Require that they link back to your site in order to use the images and there you go! You now have targeted, local, related; and most importantly, legitimate links coming into your site.

Advanced Tip – While you’re shooting, snap a couple extra pictures of the vendors involved. Capturing an in-action shot of the makeup artist or DJ can benefit you in many ways. First off , they’ll really appreciate the images and potentially send you referrals. Secondly, they may use your images on their site, which, of course, you would allow ONLY if it came with a link to your site.

Example Email

Dear [INSERT NAME]:

It was wonderful working with you for [INSERT EVENT NAME]! We just wanted to let you know that we’ve blogged the event and given you credit for your amazing work.

Blog Entry: [insert blog entry link]
Facebook: [insert Facebook post link]
[insert any other links where you shared the event]

We hope you have the chance to share these links with your fans! Also, feel free to take any of the images on the blog entry and use them for your own blog. The only thing we require is that you link back to [insert your URL] any time these images are displayed on your site.

Also, here are a few pictures that we took of your wonderful team. [ATTACH PICTURES]

We hope to work with you again and please let us know if you’re ever in our area.

Sincerely, [INSERT STUDIO NAME]

Action Steps & Recap

1. Create an email template for your vendors with the policies of your image use.
2. Add the important step to your workflow of emailing all vendors involved in the shoot with the information and the images.

This strategy is not for everyone. Some photographers are very protective of their images and believe that anyone using them should be paying. Or perhaps some think that if the images are distributed, they would lose out on print sales or increase the chance of their images being stolen. While there might be some truth to these fears, the SEO, networking, and referral benefits far outweigh the risks for most photographers.

Guest Writing to Build Links

In 2014, Google cracked down on a few popular guest blogging networks for abusing the practice of guest blogging for links. However, if you guest blog with caution by using the right websites and the right content, this can be one of your best strategies when Link Building For Photographers.

There are a ton of popular photography websites that accept submissions. Submitting an educational tutorial to SLR Lounge, Fstoppers, or DIY Photography. net is a great start.

These are all popular blogs that are directly related to your profession, which means each link is valuable for your website. Additionally, their large reach makes their content commonly referenced and shared. So excerpts from your article may end up in more web pages than just one, with more links pointing to your website.

More than Just Links

Besides gaining a valuable link or two, Guest blogging can boost your standing and reputation in the industry. Photography is a unique industry where the students can quickly become the teachers. Teach others how you got a particular shot. Tell the community how you cut time from your post production workflow. Give 10 tips on your specific type of photography. Review your latest gear purchase. Don’t feel like you must have years and years of experience to start teaching others. Share what you do know and what you are learning.

List of Photography Websites that Accept Guest Submissions

Though many of these sites may not have official guest submission procedures, if you have a good enough article idea, you can likely get accepted onto any of these sites. It doesn’t hurt to get in touch and try!

• https://fstoppers.com/
• https://www.diyphotography.net/
• https://jointhebreed.com/
• https://www.iheartfaces.com/
• https://digital-photography-school.com/
• https://inspiremebaby.com/
• https://www.steves-digicams.com/
• https://www.themoderntog.com/
• https://www.lightstalking.com/
• https://www.thephotoargus.com/
• https://petapixel.com/
• https://photographyblogger.net/
• https://www.picturecorrect.com/
• https://expertphotography.com/
• https://blog.photowhoa.com/

Think Beyond Photography

Think specifically about your industry and consider guest writing for indirectly related websites. If you’re a real estate photographer, for example, connect with some real estate blogs or real estate agents if they have good web presence. Remember to gauge their web presence based on their Page Rank, Alexa, and other tools we have shown you.

If you’re a fashion photographer, then online fashion magazines might publish your opinions in an editorial piece. Even think locally! Maybe the local paper, university, or charitable organization has opportunities for guest blogging.

Action Steps:

1. Contact 3-5 blogs to inquire about submitting a guest post
2. Set a Guest Posting Schedule (weekly, monthly, etc.)
3. Continue adding to your list of blogs and submitting guest posts.

Get Featured to Build Links

Getting featured is similar to guest blogging except instead of sharing your thoughts and experiences, you share your work. Think about popular online publications in your niche and see if they accept submissions to get featured.

For example, in the wedding industry, websites like Green Wedding Shoes or Ruffled Blog are powerhouses in terms of traffic, popularity, and SEO importance. Links from these websites can help you climb the ladder of rankings for wedding photography.

While the wedding niche has the most websites that accept submissions, continue to search for websites that are most applicable to your photography niche. Start with a Google search for “[INSERT YOUR INDUSTRY] Blog.” The search results should give you a good starting place.

Websites to Submit To:

• https://www.lemonadeandlenses.com/
• https://www.brendasweddingblog.com/
• https://theeverylastdetail.com/
• https://www.oncewed.com/
• https://www.rocknrollbride.com/
• https://theknottybride.com/
• https://thecinderellaproject.blogspot.com/
• https://www.inspiredbythis.com/
• https://www.boho-weddings.com/
• https://www.lovemydress.net/blog/
• https://justwenderful.blogspot.com/
• https://www.polkadotbride.com/
• https://ruffledblog.com/
• https://greenweddingshoes.com/
• https://www.stylemepretty.com/
• https://www.pushitmagazine.com/

Action Steps:

1. Make a list of target sites
2. Obtain their submission rules
3. Set a schedule to submit

Register for Directories to Build Links

Generally, you want to avoid most web directories. If you’re simply paying for placement on a website that contains thousands of links to other websites in every category on the web, then that link will be of little to no value to your site. On the other hand, if the web directory is actually useful to its users and receives traffic from people (and not just bots), then you may want to consider getting a listing with it.

Ask yourself these general questions:

• Does this directory relate to photography? If so, consider it.
• Does this directory have recurring fees? If so, then you most likely should NOT list. Reasonable one-time fees are okay but remember, one of the major goals for SEO as a photographer is to invest time and effort so that you do not have to rely on paid services. Your recurring fees are likely better spent on other forms of direct advertising. There are certainly exceptions, but this is a general rule.
• Will this listing be of value beyond SEO? If so, consider listing. Google is always coming up with new ways to cut off benefits from unnatural links. If you see value in the listing, there’s a good chance Google sees value in it as well. If you don’t, then it’s probably not a sustainable source of quality links.

Here are some directories to consider.

Consider some “nofollow” listings

Listing in directories with “nofollow” links can still be useful because some have the traffic and relevance to lead directly to business. For example, wedding photographers should start accounts with sites like Weddingwire, Project Wedding, Snap Knot and others. Fashion and Fine Art photographers should strongly consider listing with Model Mayhem and Behance. Other industries should have similar listings.

Even though you may not get many SEO benefits from these “nofollow” links to your site, we still recommend that you list your business on them since they may lead to direct sales. Additionally, these listings will help with your local SEO, which we’ll cover in the Local SEO chapter.

Commenting to Build Links

Commenting is not the most effective way to build backlinks. First off , most websites have the “nofollow” attribute for outbound links. And the very few that still don’t are usually flooded with so much spam that it’s only a matter of time before they delete most of their links, place a “nofollow” value on the links, or get designated by Google as a “spammy website.” If any of these happen, then the time you spent commenting will have been wasted and potentially damaging.  For those reasons, we advise against commenting for backlinks.

Ask for Backlinks from Charities and Clients

Link Building For Photographers often involves actual networking and business building.  Everyone needs photography, from charities to local businesses to academic institutions. Consider photographing events for local charities that need your services to spread awareness for their cause. Of course, you should not do this solely for backlinks; but if you’re already helping out, it makes sense to tactfully ask for a favor in return.

The same approach works for local businesses. If you’re already hired by a local restaurant, gym, real estate agency, insurance agency, or any other local business; why not tactfully ask them to give you link credit for your images on their site. For some clients, you may even build in a discount for your services as an incentive. With others, you might have a strong enough relationship to simply ask.

Actions Steps:

• Brainstorm opportunities for Link Building For Photographers among the organizations that you already support.
• Ask your current clients with websites for backlinks.
• Consider building in small discounts as incentives for backlinks.

Reviewing or Featuring Products for Backlinks

There are hundreds of product, service, and software companies in photography. Think about your own gear bag and workflow and you’ll realize how many different companies you have supported over the years by buying their products. These might include:

• Major Camera, Lens, and Lighting Makers
• Tripod Makers
• Radio Trigger Companies
• Camera Bag Companies
• Post Production Software
• Album Design Software

The list can go on and on, but the point is that you’re using these products on a daily basis; and sometimes all it takes is a picture of you using the product or a testimonial for the product or service to get you featured on their website. Here is an example of a feature we received from the Pocket Wizard Blog:

Action Steps:

• Make a list of all of your gear and software
• Study company blogs to see if they feature user reviews or testimonials.
• Create your content. Take a picture or record a video of the product in use and/or write up your review.
• Find the best contact person. This is usually their marketing manager.
• Email the contact and remember to follow up if you do not receive a response.
• If you are still not receiving a response, reach out via social media with Tags and Mentions (to be covered in the next book).

Bad Practices When Link Building for Photographers

When SEO link building for photographers, do not try to take short cuts.  Link building is not easy. It takes time, dedication and a unique strategy. As with anything difficult, there are always those who try to take shortcuts. Here is a list of shortcuts to avoid:

Do Not Buy Links

As tempting as it is to go onto sites like Fiverr.com and buy hundreds of links for the price of lunch, don’t do it! This is one of the quickest ways to hurt your SEO and waste money in the process.

Do Not Participate in Link Exchanges

Also known as reciprocal links, this practice involves placing a link on your site in return for a link on their site, creating reciprocal links. Google is quick to detect unnatural reciprocal links and penalize you for it. You won’t be penalized just because you are linking over to a site that happens to link over to you. However, just make sure it’s natural and in-context.

Do Not Build Links at Unnatural Rates

Google spiders are crawling the web nonstop. If one week you have hundreds of new links pointing to your site and the next week you have no new links, then your Link Building For Photographers strategy might work against you because it seems unnatural. Remember, Google wants everything, including link building, to happen naturally, so your link building strategies should be consistent and sustainable.

Linking to and from Bad Sites

In SEO circles, this topic is called bad “link neighborhoods.” If you’re linking to or from spammy sites, you can get penalized.

Remove Comment Spam – Remove spammy links from your site. This includes in the body of your content as well as the comments.

Verify Use of Nofollow – It’s also important to ensure that you have the “nofollow” tag on comment links from your own site so that you’re not lending credibility to any potentially spammy sites. This is the default for most content management systems so there should be no action required on your part.

Get Removed from Spammy Sites – Sometimes a spammy site will link to your website without your approval. For example, you may have mistakenly hired a bad SEO company; and they may have bought spammy links as part of their strategy. If you’re somehow being backlinked by a spammy site, first try to contact the website owner to request removal. If that doesn’t work, use the disavow tool in your Google Webmaster account, which we’ll cover in the bonus chapters.

Link Building For Photographers Using Backlink Watch

SEO link building for photographers also involves checking out the competition. There are many websites and services that allow you to input any URL; and from that, they generate a list of links to that site. Some charge monthly fees while others are free, like https://www.backlinkwatch.com/. The free services are limited in the number of results they show you, but they give you enough information to help you gain an understanding of any website’s backlinking strategies.

If you think about it, backlinks are like SEO footprints. By analyzing a competing website’s backlinks, you are able to track where they’ve been and what they’re doing to improve their search rankings. Type in a few of the URLs that rank well in your area for your keywords and see what you find.

Below is a sample screenshot of our blog linandjirsablog.com that shows you the following for each link:

1. The Backlink URL
2. The Anchor Text
3. OBL (number of outbound links from that URL
4. Flag (indicated nofollow when applicable)

Analyzing these reports will give you new ideas and strategies for building backlinks. Here are some potential ideas that you can get from these reports:

Websites to submit to – Maybe the majority of a website’s backlinks are from industry specific websites like fashion blogs, wedding blogs, or specific religious websites. By checking out the source of these backlinks, you can find websites that accept submissions. Submit your work as well where appropriate.

Directories to Submit to – These backlink watches will help you discover legitimate, valuable, relevant directories that you may consider submitting to.

Site to Guest Write for – The backlink watch process will help you discover popular websites on which you would want to post. We already mentioned submitting to SLR Lounge and other popular photography websites but there are thousands more out there that relate to photography, your related industry (wedding, fashion, etc.), and your specific location.

Partnerships to Make – By studying another website’s links, you’ll gain insight into the partnerships they’ve chosen to make. It might be worth exploring how you can make those same partnerships in your business.

Backlink Watch Limitations

Keep in mind that just because a website is doing well in search rankings, that doesn’t mean that all of their links are great ones. For example, maybe they’re paying for links or submitting to low quality directories or comment spamming. But maybe their positive SEO efforts are simply outweighing some of these negative ones to still rank well. Do not simply dive into each scenario blindly and be sure to use the knowledge you’ve gained in this book to analyze each link.

A powerful brand comprises of multiple ingredients – a unique and attractive logo, a catchy tag line, an unforgettable personality, a distinct voice, and more. You can use the same ingredients and build a unique brand for your photography business.

1. Identify What Makes You Special

One of the most important things that you need for your brand is the “X” factor. It’s one thing (or even a couple of things) that makes you special. For instance, it could be a certain photography style that’s unlike any other style out there, or just a unique perspective on taking photos that others lack. If you can identify this unique factor, then you can make it your tagline, incorporate the message in your blogs and social media posts, etc. to build a big brand over time.  The key is reinforcing this unique characteristic throughout all of your web presence.  If you’re having a hard time thinking of your “X” factor,  ask yourself the following questions:

• What are my strengths and weaknesses?
• What makes my photography style different from my competition?
• What makes my client experience different from my competition?

From these answers, come up with the following:

• A set of core values
• A mission statement/tagline
• Your “about us” story

Effective branding for photographers means consistently including these messages these around on your website, your other business and social media profiles, and any print material you might create for your business.

2. Create a Unique logo for effective branding for photographers

The next step to branding for photographers if having a unique and attractive logo that allows you to stand out from the competition. When your customers see your logo in ads, social media content, videos, etc. then it helps in building brand loyalty. Plus, people take your company more seriously when it has a premium logo.

When I started photography, getting a unique logo was difficult and costly because the best option was to hire a professional designer.  These days, it’s much more easy to create a logo, with plenty of low cost options or free options. You can learn all about creating a beautiful photography logo online and create some of the best designs yourself!

3. Identify Your Ideal Client

A business is all about selling, right? But do you know who are you selling to? If you don’t have a clear mental image of your ideal client, then your marketing and branding efforts will be weak. This is because all decisions you take- which social media platforms to focus on, what local events to attend, what tone and messaging to use online, etc. are influenced by the target audience. For instance, if you want to do wildlife photography, then your message should contain a sense of adventure and a hunger for risks. Similarly, if you want to be a professional wedding photographer, then you want to develop a brand that’s pleasing, comforting, and understands the beauty of relationships.

The key takeaway is to specialize and avoid trying to serve every single client.  Identify your audience and cater your website, your social media, your newsletter, and every other public facing aspect of your business to that audience.  Consider specializing in styles, such as “Light and Airy” or “Moody” or “Editorial.” Or consider focusing in on marketing to a specific demographic like culture/ethnicity or age group to create effective branding for photographers.

4. Develop a Strong Personality

The next step in branding for photographers is to understand that brands have personalities just like humans. They have a certain way of speaking and communicating. They can give good or bad first impressions.  They can seem confident or insecure. They can also feel strongly for certain causes and emotions.

For instance, Nike is all about pushing yourself to the limit and “just doing it”, and Apple has a personality of an elite entity that always seeks the most premium entertainment experience. Take away point: If you want to develop a strong photography brand, then you must develop a strong personality for your brand first.

The key takeaway is consistency.  For example, if you’re going for quirky and fun, then that vibe and communication style should be present in your images, on your about us page, and on your social media profiles and content.  If you’re going for “Luxury,” then that theme needs to stay consistent in all of your content as well.

5. Keep it simple when branding for photographers

An important rule in branding for photographers is simplicity. You don’t want to create a website that’s replete with all kinds of fonts and colors, or use too much jargon in your social media posts, blog posts, etc. to the point at which you sound too technical and high brow. What you need is simplicity- simplicity in messaging, style, and just about everything.

A viewer should be able to tell what you do and why you’re different within 5 seconds of viewing your website or social media profile.  If it takes multiple clicks, scrolls, or paragraphs to come to that conclusion, consider revisiting your website layout or overall brand presentation.

6. Connect emotionally

The end goal of all brands, for most businesses, is generating a lot of revenue. However, emotions sit at the core of every major brand. This is because a brand works only if it connects with a person on an emotional level. Otherwise, it’s just another business in one trade industry or another.

Some of the main attributes that your photography brand should have are charisma, passion, and reliance. Use these emotions to build stronger bonds with your customers. You will see that this approach will help you create more regular customers than ever.

7. Build a Spectacular Website

Photography is all about presentation and visuals. So, when you build a website for your photography brand, then the website should be vivid, attractive, and simply captivating. You can also consider it a platform to show off your photography skills as you can publish your portfolio in all kinds of creative ways. So, whether you are taking help from a professional or creating your photography website yourself, make sure that the final result manifests creativity and passion.

So, there you have it- 7 simple steps to build a unique brand for your photography business. The question is- when are you going to start?

While the best, most effective reels are usually personalized clips that show the photographer’s face, some photographers are not as comfortable doing that.  For the more introverted photographers, recording videos of themselves talking into the camera or showcasing a BTS clip can be a daunting task.  With practice and a little extra courage, you can iron out your presentation skills and improve your process.  But in the meantime, you can still get exposure within the Instagram Reels algorithm with a video slideshow of your work, along with adding music to the video. In this article, we’ll review how to make reels on Instagram with photos in a slideshow format.

We’ll review the following:

1. Example of Instagram Reels with Photos
2. Method 1: Make Reels on Instagram with Photos in the Native App (not recommended)
3. Method 2: Make Instagram Reels on Canva (Recommended)

Example of Instagram Reels with Photos

Let’s get started with an example of Instagram Reels with Photos from an actual recent wedding photoshoot. If it’s not showing up, you can click here to view it on Instagram.  With the following process in this article, you should be able to create a similar video in 20-30 minutes from start to finish.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Lin & Jirsa Photography (@linandjirsa)

Method 1: Make Reels on Instagram with Photos in the Native App (not recommended)

One way to make reels on Instagram with photos is to use the native app exclusively.   However, we do not recommend this process since it takes longer and lacks features.  However, if you prefer to keep things within Instagram, follow these steps:

1. Tap the “Reels” tab/section in Instagram
2. Tap the camera icon at the top-right to create a new Reel.
3. Tap the Gallery icon at the bottom-left corner (or swipe up).
4. Select the image (or select multiple images)

   

5. Choose the time duration for the photo.
6. Add the photo to your Reel.
7. Repeat to add more photos
8. Next, press the “Audio” button to add music to your Reel. 
9. Optionally, you can add text, effects, stickers
10. When you’re done, press the blue “Share” Button

While the native Instagram app works for creating an image slideshow Reel, the process can be time consuming and the features are not as robust as using a 3rd party app.  Instead, our preferred method is Canva, which we’ll detail below.

Method 2: Make Instagram Reels on Canva

Our preferred method is to use Canva for your Instagram Reel image slideshows.  While there are other options out there, we find that Canva gives you intuitive, versatile features without overwhelming you with too many options.  This is why we prefer Canva over software like Adobe Premier or iMovie for creating Instagram Reel slideshows.

Reasons to Use Canva

Here are a few reasons we prefer Canva:

• Free – All of the features in this article are available in the Free plan (as of the time of writing this article).  The paid version will give you even more templates and features, but you don’t necessarily need them.
• Desktop and Mobile – Most photographers have their full resolution images on their desktop.  Instead of having to transfer the images to your mobile app to use within the native Instagram app, Canva lets you upload your images and create your Reel on your desktop.  You can then use the app to download the final video on your mobile device.
• Templates! – The ability to use their available templates or create your own makes the process quick and easy.  After you create your first reel, you can simply copy the project and replace the images for your next one.
• Font and Transition Options – Canva gives you plenty of font options to match your branding.  You’ll also be able to select from animations and transitions from image to image in your reel.
• More than Just Instagram!  – Canva offers design templates for all types of uses, from presentations to other social media uses.  So getting started with Canva and having image assets uploaded to the platform may come in handy again in the future for other uses.

How to Make Reels On Instagram With photos on Canva

Let’s walk through a complete workflow for creating IG reels on Canva.  As mentioned, you should be able to get this process down to 20 minutes or so with some experience.

1) Select a base template

Create an account on Canva or Login to an existing account.  Then, search for “instagram reels” and browse the existing templates.

Find the template that matches the overall feel of your brand.  Don’t worry about the music, as we’ll be selecting the audio track within the Instagram app.

2) Select your images

Number of Images – Select around 20-30 images to use in the slideshow.  Since the Reel is limited to 60 seconds, and you want to give each image at least 1.5 seconds, your absolute maximum should be 40 images.

Type of Images – To speed up your process, limit the images you select to certain types of images.  The last thing you want to do is spend hours sifting through thousands of images.  If you’re a wedding photographer, feel free to follow these general guidelines:

• 1-4 venue images (establishing shots)
• 2-4 bride prep images
• 2-4 groom prep images
• 2-4 first look images
• 5-10 couples session images
• 5-10 ceremony images
• 5-10 reception images
• Ending photo – night session photo or couple on the dance floor
• Your Logo

3) Upload Your Images to Canva

Optionally, you can order and rename your images prior to uploading if that speeds up your process.  We use Adobe Bridge for this, but if you don’t have it, then it’s not absolutely necessary.  You can just upload all of your selected images in Canva and go from there.

4) Create your lead photo

Use the fonts and animations within Canva to create your lead photo.  For weddings, we typically use the strongest couples session photo from the day and overlay the couples’ names.

5) Add your photos

Add the photos with the following tips in mind:

• To make your photo take up the entire frame, right click and use “replace background”
• For landscape orientation photos, consider using a black background or a semi-transparent background (using the same photo). See the example below.

  

6) Standardize your transitions

7) Login to the App and Download the Video

From here, you can either export and download your video to your desktop or you can log into your Canva app on your smartphone and download the video from there.  We use the latter so that we don’t have to transfer the video from our desktop to our smartphone (to upload to Instagram).  So creating the slideshow in Canva on desktop and downloading with the app is the fastest way to make reels on Instagram with photos.

8) Upload to Instagram Reels

Use the same process as we outlined above in the first section get to the Instagram Reels section.  Then add the video clip that you created in Canva.

9) Add an Audio track

Find the right audio track based on your branding and your style.  We prefer chill instrumental music for our brand such as lofi or acoustic remixes of popular songs.  We typically avoid pop songs and songs with too many lyrics because we want these picture slideshows to be timeless and not too “dated.”

Tip: As you browse for songs, be sure to swipe left and save the good ones for future use.  This will save you a ton of time in the future as you make more reels on Instagram with photos.

10) Publish! (Share)

After that, select your share settings and press the “share” button.  If your audience doesn’t respond the way you’d hoped, make a few tweaks and try again with the next one.  There is a chance that your audience is not used to the new format, and it might take a few tries for your Reels to start getting the engagement you’re looking for.  If you would like, you can also reuse the video you created for your Youtube Shorts or Tiktok.

More Information

For more information on web marketing, we invite you to check out the Photography Business Training System in SLR Lounge Premium.

They simply need to share them at the right time, in the right way, and with the right people, and awareness of their work and their brand will increase. This article teaches you just how to do that in four easy steps.

Note: the advice below is most applicable to wedding, event and portrait photographers and may not apply to genres or businesses heavily reliant on print sales such as commercial or landscape photography.

1. Share Teaser Images Within Two Days

Timing is everything. We recommend sharing “teaser” images in the first day or two after any event with both your client and the vendor team from the event. Immediately following an event, whether it be a wedding, a corporate function, a baby shower, or other, the hype around the event is at an all-time high. Sharing images soon after the event capitalizes on all of the excitement and increases the engagement on any social media posts or blog entries that include your images.

To share your images, use a simple file sharing service like Dropbox that allows you to quickly and easily send large files from any device. You can create a shared link for a file or folder, then copy that link into an email, chat, or text.

Try to avoid sharing low-resolution files as the quality of the images will likely work against you and defeat the purpose of sharing the files in the first place.

2. Expand Your Image Usage Rights

The last thing anybody wants to do is get caught up in a copyright lawsuit over shared images. Make it worry-free and easy for vendors and clients to share your images by minimizing image usage restrictions. Your original images are inherently protected by copyright, but you have several options as to how you may choose to allow others to use your images: fair use, creative commons, public domain, and so on.

For marketing purposes, whether you’re sending images to online marketplaces like WeddingWire or vendors like Details Details, we recommend granting express authorization to use the images you share on the recipient’s web and social media platforms. You can always ask that the person  or business sharing your photos link back to your social media profile, website, etc. Just remember to keep it simple.

3. Remove Those Ugly Watermarks

In the business of photography, your images are your product and the success of your imagery weighs heavily on its visual appeal. Unfortunately, in an effort to maintain ownership of their product, many photographers splash large watermarks across their images whenever they share their work. Few things can curb the shareability of an image like obtrusive watermarks. This practice will definitely decrease the likelihood of your images being shared.

If you are inclined to include a watermark, keep it small and place it in a location that does not distract from the focus of the image (see the example above).

4. Dummy Proof Your Intentions And Make Suggestions

In the same message as your file delivery, include the following:

• Simple instructions
• Suggested social media hashtags
• Instagram handles for all vendors and venues involved
• Clear and simple image use restrictions
• Anything else to make sharing your images easy and pain free

If the person can simply copy and paste a message to their post, they are more likely to share.  In addition, by saving them the time and effort it takes to find all of the hashtags and vendor handles, you’ll come across as a rockstar that they’ll want to work with again.

You shouldn’t need to author a novel to communicate your intentions; just cover the basics. As we’ve mentioned in previous steps, the idea for sharing your work, from selecting the service you use to share files to the permissions you grant to use those files, is to keep everything simple.

Conclusion

Photographers are never short on competition. It’s true that setting yourself apart from your competitors requires strategic marketing, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Although there are myriad tools with which to market your work, knowing which tools work best and how to make the most from the available tools can make all the difference. Sometimes, simplifying the process is the answer.

If your images are your best marketing tools, then the faster you can share your images with the people who will in turn re-post and share the images on their own sites and platforms, the better. Besides, you will benefit not only from the added exposure of more eyes seeing your images but also from the stronger relationships you build with fellow vendors and clients alike. As we mentioned above, the impact is highest while the event is still fresh.

What are some other ways you use file sharing to your advantage in day-to-day business?