The Pet Photographers Club Podcast Archives

I initially had just one question prepared for today’s guest, Belinda Richards, and it wasn’t anything to do with PR. Yet we just spent over half of this interview diving into why Belinda is putting most of her marketing energy into getting newspaper articles, blog posts and even a radio show segment! And let me tell you- the information she shared will make you go back to your client avatar, look at where they go for information and find a way to feature there.

In the member’s half Belinda shared her top tips for getting free publicity and then we moved on to her approach for successful expos- which really had little to do with being there on the day. I took us well over time but I know you’ll be glad because the episode is full of so many great take aways, oh and eventually I did get to my one question- how and why Frog Dog studios is charging for pre-shoot consults?

WE COVERED

• Why Belinda began entering awards and the impact on her business
• Client trust- how do you make sure that your audience knows about the awards
• Why Belinda doesn’t work with a PR Agent 
• SEO impact from the backlinks of the online publications 
• Client demographic that comes from printed media 
• Who is the client Belinda wants to work with now
• How far Frog Dog Studio’s clients travel for to work with Belinda

IN THE MEMBERS-ONLY EXTENDED EPISODE

• Belinda’s top tips for getting PR - who to contact, how and what to say
• The marketing strategy that Belinda has pivoted away from, and why
• How Belinda approached expo’s
• A decision doesn’t have to be forever 
• The story behind the studio shop front
• Charging for pre-shoot consultations
• Belinda’s conversion rate from consultation to booking

Links in the show notes: https://thepetphotographersclub.com/podcast/1703

Today’s guest has been in business for a long time- and you can tell. She is thinking outside the box with her marketing while also ensuring she has a layered approach to fill her calendar. I’m talking about Lisa Asp who beyond that, is heavily involved with PPA and ISAP so after chatting marketing she answered your questions about joining a photography association and the different awards and competitions that are out there.

WE COVERED

• Lisa’s journey from the dream of being a painting major to shifting gears into photography 
• How a rescue encouraged Lisa’s business to transition into pets from general portraits
• How Lisa uses social media
• Marketing a specialised studio versus a general portrait studio 
• Thinking outside the box with passive marketing by partnering with a cafe
• How putting yourself out there can lead to new clients and marketing partnerships
• What is a professional photography association and why would you join

IN THE MEMBERS-ONLY EXTENDED EPISODE

• How to find an association to join for professional photographers
• What's the deal with competitions and awards, and which should you enter
• Headshots for hounds
• Knowing when to say no to fundraisers

Show notes can be found here: https://thepetphotographersclub.com/podcast/1702

Do you groan every time you hear another coach or podcast guest talk about the importance of phone calls or pre-shoot consultations? Then this interview will be a breath of fresh air for you! Today’s guest, Jessica Wasik, is on track to hit a quarter of a million dollars in annual revenue- without phone calls for most of her 80+ bookings a year!

She shared what she does instead and the importance of systems along with a whole lot of other insights. And if you’re a member, you’ll even hear my of my recent rookie mistake!

WE COVERED

• Where Jessica’s clients come from each year
• How much are Jessica’s gift certificates
• Client communication to ensure gift voucher clients spend 
• Jessica’s booking fee, how much her clients spend and what they’re purchasing

IN THE MEMBERS-ONLY EXTENDED EPISODE

• Booked out for the next two months - what does that mean
• Number of sessions per month
• Goal for next year 
• How knowing your numbers helps mindset for assuming the sale
• The real reason people don’t book 
• Boundaries and policies that have made the biggest difference 
• Kirstie’s recent rookie mistake
• Marketing and selling vouchers 
• What Jessica’s Black Friday sale includes and how she promotes it
• Rainbow sessions 
• Pre-purchase credit 

Mentioned links can be found here: https://thepetphotographersclub.com/podcast/1701

I initially reached out to today's guest to chat all about her Facebook group for pet parents, and we did get into the details of that but we also covered much more because today’s guest was a complete open book! 

I’m talking about Allira Fontana and if you’re considering offering event photography for horse shows, the first part will certainly be of interest to you. Then we switched gears and chatted about that Facebook group- why she started it, how it grew and why Allira isn’t worried about losing clients with it. 

If you’re a member- you’re really in for a treat, and maybe even a bit of a wake-up call. Allira shared the importance of understanding animal behaviour as a pet and equine photographer- and how she went about learning that, and then we got into her marketing strategies. If you’re looking at an empty calendar, hearing Allira list off her upcoming marketing calendar will be quite the eye-opener! 

I don’t think I’ve ever had an interview with such variety so no matter what stage of business you’re in- be sure to tune in.

We Covered:

• From Horse Events to Private Sessions 
• Burnout from Horse Events
• Fulfillment from private sessions
• How Horse Events work financially
• Recognising what makes you happy and following that
• Recognising burnout, taking a break and re-assessing 
• Pricing for horse shows
• The ultimate training ground for learning dog behaviour
• Relaunching the change in business model 
• Why start a Facebook group with photo tips for pet-parents
• Diversifying income 

For members-only:

• The goal of the Facebook group
• Are you losing your clients by teaching them?
• Certificate in animal behaviour
• Working with a coach
• How clients find Allira Fontana Photography today
• What are people buying 

Mentioned links can be found in the show notes: https://thepetphotographersclub.com/podcast/1612

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DIRECTORY UPDATE

The new and improved Pet Photographers Directory is now live! 

You can claim your free listing, or upgrade to a premium listing for extra backlinks to tell Google that you’re a trusted site so they improve your ranking.

Find out more at https://www.petphotographersdirectory.com/ 

We’ve heard it before, business is not for the faint-hearted and today’s guest agrees.

I’m talking about Alex Cearns who’s been in business for 15 years and has worked with pet photographers from all corners of the globe. 

We covered many topics including the usual business structures, marketing and products, but the common theme throughout was not to let fear hold you back in business. 

If you’ve caught yourself getting down after comparing your average sales to other photographers, or beating yourself up over the peaks and troughs of business, Alex’s message is sure to hit home.

In the members second-half, Alex shared how she’s booking 250 clients a year, what they’re buying, why they don’t ask for digitals and her thoughts on social media for marketing.

There’s great takeaways from this episode no matter what stage you’re at in business, so tune in!

We covered:

• The business structure of Houndstooth Studio
• Characteristics to be successful
• Business is not linea
• Fake it ‘til you make it
• Get in front of people and talk passionately about what you do
• How to appreciate where you’re currently at with your sales when you see your friends making 5 figures

IN THE MEMBERS-ONLY EXTENDED EPISODE:

• Organic bookings are all but dead, so how is Alex booking 250 shoots a year?
• What clients are buying
• Social media expectations
• What one thing has the biggest impact on a successful business

Mentioned links can be found in the show notes here: https://thepetphotographersclub.com/podcast/1611

Over the last few years I’ve seen how trends have changed and pet photographers around the world have introduced new business models and pricing structures.

But today’s guest is the exception. 

She found what works for her early on, and she’s sticking to it. By pricing herself this way she is consistently hitting her averages, and attracting the type of client she wants- all by word of mouth! 

I’m talking about Jane Thomson whose work is pure art and just gorgeous, and I am stoked to have her on the show today.

We covered:

• Jane’s journey from $350 shoots to the structure she uses today
• What gives Jane the confidence to ask for the money upfront
• How clients respond when they’re told about the minimum collection 

IN THE MEMBERS-ONLY EXTENDED EPISODE:

• What Jane’s clients are buying 
• The client experience
• How Jane sells products, without In Person Sales!
• How Jane’s clients find her
• All about the charity project and why Jane took it on

Mentioned links are in the show notes found here: https://thepetphotographersclub.com/podcast/1610

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For the first time since the launch of The Pet Photographers Club six years ago, a price rise is coming.

That price rise is because the new membership structure will include over $150 worth of bonus content for monthly members and even more for annual members. Of course, there is also 16 seasons of interviews in the archives of the podcast! That's a lot of valuable content collected over the years!

Don't worry existing members- your payments won't change. The new price is only for new sign-ups from 1st October 2024.

Not yet a member? You can lock in the current low price. Sign up now.

We often hear educators saying that you can find clients anywhere. I know I say it, and I believe it because we really need so few clients per year that we can find enough no matter where we live- well almost.

Today’s guest agrees, but she also pointed out that some markets are easier than others which is why she happily travels two hours to her client shoots back in Boston, instead of trying to find clients in her new hometown.

By making this decision, she also realised she had to make more money per client. So two years ago, Blue Amrich re-designed her business model to meet that new required average sale. In today's episode, she shared what Beyond the Fence looked like then and the biggest change she made to ensure that drive is worth it.

We covered:

• Moving into pets because "dogs are better than brides"
• What happened when Blue stopped selling digitals 
• Conversion rate from enquiry to selling 
• Why Blue didn't move her business when she moved her home
• It's a numbers game 
• Knowing your client 

IN THE MEMBERS-ONLY EXTENDED EPISODE:

• Most people haven't thought about the final result 
• Blue's initial client call
• Pricing and products and profits
• Why Blue is happy to be working seasonally
• How clients are finding Beyond the Fence 
• Why do personal projects

Show notes can be found here: https://thepetphotographersclub.com/podcast/1609

Today’s guest is absolutely no stranger in this industry. She has been setting standards for pet photographers for a decade or so, but today she’s here not to talk about education, but her own journey as a pet photographer and the changes she’s made throughout the years in order to meet her business goals. I’m talking about none other than Nicole Begley and I’m wrapped to have her joining us today.

WE COVERED:

• The push for Nicole to start a business back in 2010 and her first goal
• The wake-up call to switch from $175 all-inclusive sessions
• The impact of attending a conference 
• Nicole's first sale from making that switch, and her average from then on
• How Nicole's marketing approach changed to align with her new pricing came in 
• Why Nicole stopped photographing families and went "all in" with photographing pets

IN THE MEMBERS-ONLY EXTENDED EPISODE:

• The confidence boost from a great sale
• The mark up Nicole puts on her products to be profitable 
• Money blocks 
• The three different pricing structures Nicole has trialled: Collections, Create your own collection, (including digitals), Al A carte 
• Why Nicole uses digitals as an incentive, and how
• Nicole’s golden first question for enquiries
• Nicole’s booking process and how she utilises the pre-booking phone call
• Why offer a bonus even for clients that have an unlimited budget

Find the show notes here: https://thepetphotographersclub.com/podcast/1608

I’ve spent a lot of time increasing my SEO knowledge over the last 12 months and I can tell you first-hand that eventually it all pays off..! Even still, there’s always something more to learn, particularly in the ever-changing space of SEO. 

Today’s guest, Claire Lauer helps photographers rank higher on Google to increase organic bookings and in this episode she shared tonnes of actionable tips to help you do the same as well has her favorite SEO tools. Even after this last 12 months of increasing my knowledge around this topic, I also grabbed some great tops and will be implementing a few changes on my own sites thanks to this episode! 

If you’d love to have more enquiries coming to you from people who are already searching for the exact thing you offer- amazing pet portraits, then be sure to tune in. 

We covered:

• What is SEO and why should we spend time on improving it
• Keywords and tools for researching them
• How to use these keywords in blogging and why 
• The importance of image optimisation
• How can someone like Claire help us photographers? 

In the members-only extended episode:

• What is a Google Business Profile 
• Claiming, optimising and posting on your google business profile 
• Backlinks: where to get them and why
• Understanding Domain Authority 
• How long do our blog posts need to be and how can we make the most of them for SEO

Find all the mentioned links in the show notes: https://thepetphotographersclub.com/podcast/1607

Today’s guest, Gabi Leon of Gavriella Pet Photography, moved to the U.S. 4 years ago. In the lead up to her move she laid as many foundations as possible to be ready to hit the ground running. Since then, she’s stayed focused on her goal which is to offer a high-end luxury photography business and build a million dollar business.

She isn’t quite getting consistent bookings yet, but the ones she does get, spend enough that it doesn’t matter- which by the way, is on average between $5-6k.

She’s gotten creative with her marketing too and in this interview, she shared one strategy that I haven’t heard of before and if you’re aiming for high sales, you could certainly replicate.

We covered:

• What separates Gabi from her local competition
• How Gabi prepared for her move to the U.S. to set up her business for success
• Where Gabi went to become known and how she went about it 
• The connection that led to a great opportunity to make a little money, and get great brand awareness
• The reality of setting up a luxury business, without shortcuts
• Gabi's ultimate financial goal and the income avenues she's planning to use to reach it

Members-only interview

• Getting clients through a luxury magazine at a retirement village
• Gabi’s plan to be more consistent 
• The numbers: How often Gabi is photographing, and what the spending clients buy 
• Why offer mini sessions to the agility world
• Gabi’s plan for building a passive income

Links to all things mentioned can be found in the show notes at: https://thepetphotographersclub.com/podcast/1606