6 figures. $100k/year. A mile marker and goal for so many photographers. We’re going to talk about it today! It’s not a far-off dream. Yes, it’s doable. It just takes a little bit of elbow grease and strategy. 

We’re breaking down our top 10 strategies to launch your photography business to 6 figures.

If there was one episode we could give you that is a comprehensive, step-by-step list of what we did in our own photography businesses that took us from $0 to 6 figures in under two years, this is that episode. Whether your goal is actually 6 figures, or you just want financial freedom and peace, a job you freaking love, and excellence in everything you do, this episode is everything you need to create a successful photography business.

We made a LOT of mistakes along our journeys of starting our own photography businesses. We crashed and burned a lot but, we learned so much. By the time we took our hobbies seriously and focused on actually creating a business out of photography, we both hit 6 figures within 2 years. We took OFF. But trust us, that came with a lot of hard work, blood, sweat, tears, and tons of intentional strategy. As we grew, we realized something was missing in the education space, and we wanted to fill that gap. Our passion has always been to see entrepreneurs thriving. We want to provide the tools, strategies, and resources for you to go after your passions with a purpose. That’s why we created The Heart University to begin with, why this podcast exists, and why we poured YEARS into creating our flagship online course for photographers. In the course, we walk you through EVERYTHING we know that’s gotten us to where we are today. We cover everything from branding, portfolio building, posing, editing, client communication, blogging, Instagram, pricing strategies, websites, outsourcing, workflow, and so much more.  It’s packed solid with 38 videos, over 790 minutes of footage (that’s over 13 hours!!), and 20 PDFs and templates. This includes a brand new, additional season dedicated JUST to posing. Each episode is a 40+ minute video where we walk you through our strategies and then take you out into the field with us where you get to follow along and watch us pose: a couple, a wedding party, a family, a senior, and a wedding couple.

We’ve only released this course TWICE before for limited times, and now, it’s HERE AGAIN. Our purpose behind this course is to hand you every single tool you will need to fill your toolbox as a kickass photographer. We’re here to see you succeed. If you’ve followed along with us and received helpful tools and strategies out of our FREE content, let’s just say that that is nothing compared to what’s in the course. It costs less than what you’d earn booking one average wedding. (Which trust us, you’d book WAY more than one wedding after taking and implementing the course.)

If you want to see for yourself, go to www.theheartuniversity.com/photography and you can find all the details there. For now, let’s get you started on your way to a wildly successful photography business with today’s episode!

1. Invest

Often when we start our businesses, we get scared to put too much effort into it out of fear of failure. Investing money seems so scary because as soon as you put dollars down it makes it real! If you have a passion for photography and you are striving with a vision to make it happen, go for it and invest!

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Invest in a mentor, coach, course, or online workshop. This doesn’t have to mean money either. You can invest your time in free education such as watching Youtube videos, reading freebie pdfs, or listening to this podcast!

Invest your time, effort, and money into your business. This will get you further faster than if you were trying to learn by themselves. When you put money down on something, you’re in it and will more than likely pay attention and do the work that is required to get your business going. 

If you are asking your clients to invest in you, but you aren’t willing to invest in yourself, there’s a problem there. You need to realize how valuable it is to invest in yourself. You need to be consistently investing in yourself. This will completely change the game with how fast you grow and where you will get to. 

 

2. Niche down

It’s easy as self marketed business owners to try to reach everyone and make any sale that we possibly can. This translates to just screaming into the void. This won’t get you anywhere.

You need to get yourself into the room where every single person is looking at what you have to offer. Go up to each person one by one and speak directly to those people explaining who you are, what you offer, and why you are the best pick for them. Prove yourself as the expert in your field. 

A good analogy is if someone had a heart attack, would you take them to a general practitioner? No. You would take them to a specialized cardiologist. 

When people are looking for a service, you usually want someone who is specialized and known for being an expert in your area. 

Your clients and customers are wanting to picture themselves as a recipient of your service. The moment a client stumbles upon your work you want them to picture themselves in your photos. If you are showing photos of weddings, but you want to market to newborn parents, the photos aren’t going to click with your ideal clients. Share only what you want to shoot because people will book you for what you show. Curate it carefully. 

The more you can niche down, the better. You want people to be able to immediately know that you are exactly what they want. 

Show what you want to shoot and only shoot what you want to show. 

 

3. Rock your client communication

As photographers, we often hear so many horror stories about upset clients or bad client communication. Most mistakes or upset clients come from bad client communication. 

Rock your client communication and set expectations from the get-go from your website to your emails and social media. Continue setting expectations and answering questions BEFORE they ask via email and FAQs. 

From day one, share what the experience of working with you LOOKS and FEELS like. Focus on over-communicating and give them every piece of education, communication, and value from day one.  

Reply quickly! A fast reply is so important! It shows professionalism and availability to serve. You can’t just say you are going to serve, you have to show up and actually serve them. 

 

4. Create a PERSONAL BRAND not a photography business

Reframe your thinking to build a brand, not a photography business. Infuse yourself into your business. A brand brings the emotion and personality into it and people buy what they feel. The principle of sales is that people buy from who they know, like, and trust and if you don’t have any personal connection in your brand, then there is nothing for them to know or trust. They make like your pictures, or they may like your prices, but they aren’t getting to know anything and therefore they aren’t getting to trust anyone. You have to realize that by removing yourself from your business you are limiting ⅔ of your sales power.

A lot of photographers hide behind their work and believe the lie that people don’t care about them as the business owner and artist, but this is the farthest thing from the truth. The most visited page on your website aside from your homepage is your About Me page. 

Put photos of you everywhere! Make sure you are showing up in your Instagram feed at least ever ninth photo. People need to connect with YOU the photographer not JUST your work

Make sure there’s a photo of YOU in your feed at LEAST once every 9 photos.

Be a real-life human. Share your life and give people a reason to connect and relate with you.

 

5. Cultivate a luxurious client experience

Focus on the experience from the MOMENT someone lands on your social or website. What’s the vibe you want to give them? How do you want them to feel about you and your work? Your experience should step by step to guide them through. 

Encourage, cultivate, and create a luxurious client experience through the entire process. For example, once a client books, send something of value that adds to a high-end experience. Offer them an immediate return and value on their investment. You can also send a Client Welcome Guide, Outfit Guide, a client gift, or send champagne when you deliver a wedding gallery for a little cherry on top to seal the deal on your amazing experience.

Deliver galleries FAST. One of the biggest complaints we hear is clients waiting MONTHS for their gallery. 

Blow them away by under-promising and over-delivering on everything.

 

6. Utilize incredible reviews as social proof

Think about anytime you want to try a new restaurant. You probably pull up Yelp or Google Reviews to look at the reviews. People are doing the same for photographers. 

If you’re doing everything mentioned thus far, you’re going to get bangin’ reviews from your clients. Don’t just have a single review page on your website with 3 reviews and call it a day. Put those reviews EVERYWHERE. Put them in your email footer, on multiple pages of your website sprinkled everywhere, on your pricing guide, in your welcome guide, on social media as captions, stories, and even in a Review highlight on Instagram.

Reviews give you credibility and provide social proof that people are looking for. People want security before they put down money. They want to know that they are investing in something that is worth it. Reviews help give them that peace of mind about you before they book.

 

7. Seek to SERVE above ALL else

Serve serve serve serve serve serve serve THEN sell. Everything you do should be focused on how you can serve your potential client with everything you have in you.

 

“How can I make a difference in their life?”

“How can I solve this problem for them?”

“How can I leave a lasting impact?”

“What do I have to offer that no one else does?”

 

It’s important to realize that people can tell when you are in it for yourself and it is really offputting. 

When you approach with the perspective of making someone’s life better, regardless of whether they purchase from you, that will change the game. It’s not about you, it’s about changing lives, solving problems, and making an impact. 

 

8. Make sure you have systems in PLACE

Try to automate as MUCH as possible. This will allow you to free up your hands and life and to have a business that serves you, rather than you being a slave to your business. Work smarter, not harder. 

Think of ways you can create systems to automate the process. Systems ensure that things won’t fall through the cracks. The last thing you want is for your clients to get lost in the shuffle. 

If you can’t automate it, at least have the process in a clear cut system that you can follow without thinking about it. 

If you want to grow and scale and have an excellent client experience from beginning to end, you need to focus on establishing systems that free up your time. 

 

9. Outsource

For the things that can not be automated, outsource! You CAN’T scale and stay a one-man show. You HAVE to be willing to hand things off as you grow in order to continue with that growth. 

You do not have to do everything single thing in your business. There are things that you excel at and that you are meant for, but there are others that you can easily outsource. Your time and energy are better saved to do the things that you are best at. 

Hire an editor as soon as your style is nailed down rock solid. Be sure that you are really confident in your editing style before you do this! If you are someone who LOVES editing, feel free to outsource other things in your business. 

YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO IT ALL. Screw perfectionism. That will hold you back. Be willing to give up control because you’re not the only person who can do it.

 

10. Prioritize your mindset

This isn’t fluffy stuff. This is serious and nonnegotiable. You can know all the strategies in the world, but if your mindsets are whack, you can only grow so much and you will definitely crash and burn at one point or another.

Pay close attention to what’s going on in your head. Are you self-sabotaging anything? Is perfectionism getting in your way? How’s your money mindset? Self worth?

The BIGGEST obstacle standing in your way of growth and hitting 6 or even 7 figures is YOU. You have to focus on keeping your head clear, in the game, and in healthy mindsets. When your mindsets are in a solid, forward-moving, and healthy way, your business is going to explode. 

Know your identity and where your foundation comes from. 

If your worth is tied up in your success or failure as a business owner, you are going to crash and burn at one point or another. If your identity comes from how much or how little you work, you are going to crash and burn at some point. 

You need to have both a healthy mindset and strategy.

 

Episode Links

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