Growing Your Following As A New Photographer
When I first started in photography, I thought it was next to impossible to grow a following as large as some of the photographers I followed. The hard truth is that it just takes time.
My following now is as big as those photographers’ were back then…and their followings are now enormous! Step-by-step of providing a fantastic experience on your shoots and adding the following four tips to keep your followers engaged with your account, and your following will take care of itself over time.
Add a Call to Action
Liking a photo of someone else can feel a little weird for people who are not photographers. They often look at the image and think they like it but don’t double-tap on the post because they don’t want to appear creepy. This is why photos of yourself will always get many more likes. They know you!
If you want more people to like and comment on a photo of a client, invite them to do so!
Try a caption like, “Double tap if you love Amy’s dress!” Or, “Drop a ❤️ to wish them good luck with the birth of their child!”
People love to help if they have explicit instructions on how to do it.
Share Knowledge
When you share a piece of knowledge, people are more likely to interact with you out of gratitude. Again, you can say, “Save this post for later!” Or, “Tag the mom who needs to hear this today!” This also establishes you as an expert in your field, which should help potential clients trust you more to book with you…the actual desired result!
Tag EVERYONE
Tagging the people in the photo and anyone involved with its creation (makeup artist, hair stylist, shoe designer, dress shop, venue) will ensure those people see it. The tag invites them to like and comment on it. It also means the photo is more likely to get shared and interacted with, bringing more people back to your page.
Be sure to tag EVERYONE involved.
Did Mom get her makeup professionally done? Tag the makeup artist! Where did she get her dress? Tag the designer or store she bought it from. Was it a wedding day? Tag ALL THE VENDORS!!!
When others share your photos, it is essentially free advertising. They can’t do it for you if they don’t see the post. So, be sure to tag as many people and businesses as you can.
Share Your Photos
Vendors are likelier to share the photos you tag them in on their pages. Still, if they have access to all the images from a wedding you worked on together, they can share the ones they are most excited to share in their voice, which speaks to their following. Again, free advertising!
I suggest providing them with a list of everyone involved so they can tag everyone, too! I call this connecting forward, which is why the #1 referral for my business comes from other vendors!
Give the vendors the photos freely without limitation, and they will not only advertise for you for free but also send business your way to ensure they get to work with you again and get more photos of their work.
Connecting forward is a powerful concept we dive deep into with students in our courses at LPS.
One Last Note
Even though your following may be small compared to others, it’s probably not as small as you think. Let’s say you have 300 followers. Now, imagine you are in a conference room filled with 300 people. You are on stage, getting ready to speak to all 300 of them. Would you think 300 people is such a small group in that scenario? I didn’t think so.
Your social media is your stage.
Twenty people in a small room is a lot of people. Take the mic and entertain them! Let them know they should stick around for the show! Speak on your social pages like you are standing on that stage. Command attention and earn their respect. Don’t waste their precious time, or they won’t stay long. AKA, they swipe on to the next post.
Don’t post to check a box. Make it meaningful and portray yourself and your business in the way you want your potential clients to view it.
Was this helpful? Comment below how you might use this in your business (see what I did there? 😉)