Start a successful photography blog with these tips for getting new clients and impressing your old ones. It’s easier than you think! (Featuring NICOLE NERO STUDIO)
If only writing blog posts was as easy as reading them! Unfortunately, blogging takes effort – and a set of skills that doesn’t come easily to everyone. After all, you’re already a brilliant photographer. What more do people want from you?!?
Photos by Nicole Nero Studio
A quality blog plays a huge role, however, in helping photographers build sustainable businesses. If you blog regularly, your business will benefit from:
- strong SEO referrals – meaning you’ll be easier to find on Google when people search for a photographer
- regular portfolio updates – your blog keeps your newest work readily available to potential clients at all times
- easy word-of-mouth referrals – your clients and vendors will LOVE sending their friends and family to “their” blog post
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Keep reading and get our nine simple blogging tips that will help you start a successful blog – one that won’t send you searching for a therapist!
Photo by Nicole Nero Studio
#1: Give Your Photography Blog a Purpose
A blog is more than a button on your website. Your photography blog is an integral part of your marketing strategy and an extension of a memorable client experience. Your blog should do two things:
- make your current clients super-duper happy
- convince prospective clients to book you
If you keep your blog’s purpose in mind, you’ll be well on your way to creating great blog content!
Photos by Nicole Nero Studio
#2: Write Attention-Getting Blog Post Headlines
You’re not an entertainment blogger, so forget about sensational headlines like, “Joe and Sam Got Married and You Won’t Believe What Happened Next!” First off, it’s absurd. Second… it’s absurd.
When you’re getting your blog going, stay focused on headlines that tell your readers what they’re about to see and why they should care. Here are some examples:
- Winter Family Portraits in the Snow at Dundalk Park
- Navy and Gold Themed Family Photos in Dundalk Park, PA
- Dundalk Park Family Photos with Gorgeous Fall Colors
Photos by Nicole Nero Studio
If you’re still struggling to title your blog posts, think about it this way:
What would you search for on Google if you were looking for a photographer?
Would you search for “Joe and Sam”? No way! You’d be looking for photos like the ones you want for yourself. So tap into the power of relevant keywords that describe the photos in your blog post: “family portraits in the snow,” “navy and gold fall photos,” and “dundalk park portraits” are all solid elements of savvy headlines.
>>> Get help writing quality headlines with CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer
Photos by Nicole Nero Studio
#3: Create Your Photography Blog Schedule
When you keep your blog updated, search engines pay more attention to it. Writing two blog posts a year does NOT count as “keeping your blog updated.” Think more along the lines of one or two posts per week.
This doesn’t mean you need to physically sit down and write two blog posts every week, though!
You can plan out your blog publishing schedule weeks (or months) in advance, write posts in bulk, and then schedule them to go live over time.
Photo by Nicole Nero Studio
#4: Turn Every Session Into Blog Content
The awesome part of maintaining a photography blog is that you already have TONS of content! You don’t have to spend hours looking for topics; you don’t even have to do much writing. Simply keep your focus on your clients, and you’ll never run out of ideas!
If you’re just starting out and you only have a few clients, you can separate a single session into several blog posts. For example:
- Snowy Elopement Ceremony in Albany, NY
- Wedding Portraits in a Snow-Covered Field
- Winter Wedding Reception at the Shaker Heritage Society
Ta-da! You’ve just made three unique blog posts from one job!
Photos by Nicole Nero Studio
#5: Use Lots and Lots of Links
Lest we mislead you: there is such a thing as stuffing your blog post with too many links. Search engines will penalize you for that. But a blog post with thoughtfully-placed, relevant links will reward you.
Keep in mind: you don’t want to link to outside sources only. Sure, it’s important to link to relevant vendors, but it’s also important to link to your own blog posts!
Get clients. Get paid. Get happy.
When you write a multi-part blog post like the one we outlined above, link all three of those posts to one another. You can hide the link behind the in-line text, like this, or you can explicitly invite your readers to “Click here to see Ashley and Jamie’s reception photos!“
Photo by Nicole Nero Studio
#6: Think of Your Photography Blog as Your Brand’s Magazine
Once you’re in a blogging routine, you can expand your blog content to include anything and everything that’s relevant to your photography business. Redecorated your office? Take some gorgeous photos and share them on your blog! Won an award or received recognition? Document the experience and blog about it! You can also create compelling content using these themes:
Photos by Nicole Nero Studio
- List posts. People LOVE lists. Give your readers a list of the best local photography spots, the tastiest wedding cakes of the year, or the cutest outfits your clients have worn.
- How-to posts. Consider the questions your clients ask most often, then share your solutions in a simple how-to blog post!
- Checklist posts. You probably already use a checklist (or two) to keep your clients on track with their photography experience. Consider sharing your checklist in an easy-to-read blog post that your clients can reference at any time.
- Contest posts. Consider hosting a quarterly contest where you give away a free mini-session, a fun subscription box, or a product from one of your favorite local vendors. People LOVE to win stuff, and it’s easy to collect entries using tools like Submittable, and Judgify.
Photo by Nicole Nero Studio
#7: Blogging Doesn’t Have to Equal Writing (Not Much, Anyway)
A good photography blog does need words if you want it to rank on search engines. But you don’t need to be a writer, per se, to create a great blog post. (In fact, if you’re not a good writer, it’s better that you don’t try to fake it. Bad writing can ruin a blog post just as quickly as you hit publish!)
A few simple tricks can help you create compelling blog posts that don’t require fancy writing skills.
>>> Click HERE to learn more about how to blog if you hate writing!
Photo by Nicole Nero Studio
#8: Don’t Wait for Folks to Find Your Photography Blog
Don’t just hit “publish” on a new blog post and call it a day. Share what you’ve blogged! Your social media channels are a great first step in pushing people toward your photography blog. But it’s also great to share new posts directly with the people you’ve featured – and encourage them to share as well! Here are two sample emails to get you started…
Photos by Nicole Nero Studio
Hi, [client name],
I just published a blog post featuring YOU, and I’m so excited for you to see it! You can find your feature post here: [link] I’d be so honored if you’d share this with your friends and family.
Have a beautiful day!
– Your Photographer
or
Dear [vendor name],
I just published my yearly “Best of” blog post, and I’m so thrilled to have included [vendor] in my Top 20 list of local wedding professionals! Thank you for doing amazing work and always making my clients look so fantastic! You can read and share your feature using this link: [link]
Have a wonderful day!
– Photographer
Photo by Nicole Nero Studio
#9: Stay True to What Moves You
If you don’t care about it, don’t blog about it. When your heart isn’t fully invested into whatever you’re creating, the final product will show it! Instead, focus your photography blog on themes and topics that inspire you and keep you excited. Your readers will feel inspired and excited, too!
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Written by ANNE SIMONE | Featuring NICOLE NERO STUDIO
Contributor
