The Pet Photographers Club Podcast Archives

The Instagram algorithm is seriously favouring Reels at the moment, so if you're not already using them in your pet photography business - now is the time to start! Tune into today’s episode for Six Quick Tips for how to start using Reels.

Need some extra help getting started? Check out the Pet Photographer’s Guide to Reels (with 45 Reel ideas, the Reel formula + 13 bonus tips). It’s free for club members, or available to purchase in the education store here: https://www.thepetphotographersclub.com/education

Do you have clients who have their own pet-related business? Perhaps you’ve received enquiries from local dog brands before, or you know of small businesses that you’d love to work with, but you’re not sure how to serve them. Are you always wondering how you can create a package that would best serve them - stumped between your normal pricing, recommended licensing pricing, and giving everything for free? Stay tuned.

Kerry Jordan of Fur & Fables works with small dog businesses grow their brand and feature in magazines like Town & Country. Today, we’re here to talk all about how she started with brand photography, how those sessions might different, and of course, the age old question- how to charge for it!

IN THE EXTENDED EPISODE:

Pricing structures for branding, and what about licensing and usage?
How many images do brand clients need and how often?
The recent Instagram changes to becoming video dominant
Where and how you can build relationships to attract
What messaging helps the businesses to see they NEED professional images?
How knowing dog behaviour helps seperate you from the brand ambassador working for merchandise

Click here to listen to the full extended version of this episode in the Memberzone

LINKS:

Website: www.furandfables.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/fur_and_fables/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FurAndFable/

Are you using Pinterest to grow your pet photography business? Or (like us!), is your Pinterest board full of photos of your dream house and recipes that you’ll never cook? Did you know that implementing a Pinterest strategy into your social media marketing is a really easy way to improve your Google ranking? Stay tuned for our interview with Jenn Bays of Success Beyond the Lens to learn everything you need to know about how to get started with Pinterest for your business.

*How to set up your Pinterest account for maximum success

Click here to listen to the full extended version of this episode in the Memberzone

Website: successbeyondthelens.com

Instagram: instagram.com/successbeyondthelens

Facebook: facebook.com/jennbays

Ooops sorry - correct links to this week’s episode in this email!! We’re also releasing a bonus episode later this week, so if you’re new to the world of professional pet photography and keen to take the next step, stay tuned for that one!

I've been working fulltime in my business, Ragamuffin Pet Photography, for over a decade now and it has become my personal tradition to carve out a time at the beginning of each new year to sit down, review the previous year and plan for the upcoming 12 months.

In our recent Planning for Photographers workshop, I shared the exact Review + Reset process that I use for my own business and life. Studies have shown time and time again that setting challenging yet attainable goals is linked with higher motivation, self-confidence and task performance. In today’s episode you’ll learn how to craft your own BIG GOAL for 2022.

p.s. did you miss the live workshop? You can still catch the replay here: https://thepetphotographersclub.com/plan

I remember exactly how I felt when starting my business. It was completely overwhelming. I just wanted someone to give me a checklist and say “here, do this” so today, I’m doing exactly that and sharing my 5 steps to creating a sustainable pet photography business.

1. KNOW YOUR NUMBERS

2. KNOW YOUR IDEAL CLIENT, THE EXPERIENCE THEY WANT & WHERE THEY HANG OUT

3. CREATE A WEBSITE, THAT ACTUALLY CONVERTS

4. DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR WEBSITE WITH A SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT THAT'S MORE THAN PRETTY PHOTOS

5. CREATE A 12 MONTH MARKETING PLAN (BOTH ONLINE AND OFFLINE) AND FOLLOW IT

Little extra marketing hint: Be sure to know what your goals are for each avenue (Eg. Why are you on Instagram and what do you want to achieve at the next pet event?), and how you will measure the results!

Events Mentions:

BUSINESS FOUNDATIONS CHALLENGE - Starts January 26th
MARKETING INTENSIVE WORKSHOP - (For established photographers) - February 1st

P.S. Enrolment for our Business Foundations Challenge closes THIS FRIDAY.
Secure your seat here: https://foundations.thepetphotographersclub.com/

Alison Hockings | Alison Writely

Are you worried that your website is a little bit . . . bland? As photographers, it can be easy to skip the copywriting and just focus on our images online, but words are powerful and catchy copy converts! In today’s interview, Alison Hockings from Alison Writely teaches us how to inject personality into your writing AND how to rank #1 on Google without sounding like a keyword robot.

Alison is a kick-arse copywriter who helps fellow creatives polish boring words into copy gems. She has a knack for writing copy that’s both engaging for your audience and loved by Google- a balance we are all in need of finding!

IN THE EXTENDED EPISODE:

* Alison’s best tips for optimising your copywriting for SEO (i.e. how to rank #1 without sounding like a robot!)

Click here to listen to the full extended version of this episode in the Memberzone

LINKS:

Website: https://www.alisonwritely.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alisonwritely
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alisonwritely

DISCOUNT CODES:

ILOVETRAFFIC
ILOVESEO

P.S. Looking for more website pointers?

Grab our website design freebie here: https://www.thepetphotographersclub.com/website-design-checklist

What are your business goals for 2022? If one of them is to feel more confident in your prices, (and increase your income) then todays episode is especially for you with my three steps for creating a profitable price list! Spoiler alert, it has nothing to do with the prices of the photographer down the road or multiplying your costs by a random number!

1. Know how you spend your time and your desired hourly rate

2. Know your cost of business (download free calculator)

3. Sell what you love- at prices that meet your targets!

FREEBIE: https://www.thepetphotographersclub.com/freebie-required-average-sale

P.S. we are taking a little break over the festive season and hope you are too! If you’re missing us, we recommend you dive into the archives during this time!

P.P.S. Are you in your first 18 months of business or haven’t officially launched yet? Join Kirstie in our Business Foundations Challenge for weekly Zoom class to set up a profitable and lasting business in just 3 months! 

If you were seriously inspired by the award winning images in the 2021 International Pet Photographer of the Year Awards, then you won’t want to miss this very special video episode. It’s a deepdive discussion with the Category Winning photographers, Travis Patenaude (Action), Esther Rybczynski (Open) and Jackie Eke (Portrait). I asked them all about their process for choosing competition images, found out the stories behind the photos and got their best advice for other pet photographers.

This episode is a bit of a niche topic, but when I became pregnant, I discovered that there was really very little content out there about how to handle pregnancy and maternity leave when you are a fulltime solopreneur/photographer.

To be honest, I felt a bit lost - when should I finish up shoots? How do I handle clients? When do I need to start back again? In the hopes that it will make someone (you?) feel less lost in the future, here’s ten things that I learned as a pregnant photographer.

TEN THINGS I LEARNED AS A PREGNANT PHOTOGRAPHER

#1 Reduce your workload
#2 Set client deadlines
#3 Buy yourself a belly band
#4 Allow extra session time
#5 Update your database
#6 Outsource
#7 Automate your social media
#8 Create a maternity leave waitlist
#9 Pause your inbox
#10 Plan your comeback

Check out this week’s blogpost and podcast episode for more details on each of these ten lessons.

Most photographers I know are so busy toward the end of the year that their marketing gets completely neglected and then in the new year, their calendars are empty.

Hopefully you have a 12 month marketing calendar in place to avoid that, but if not, fear not- I’ve got you..!

This episode today is to share my favourite campaign with you to ensure that you can kick off 2022 with bookings in the diary.

I’m talking about a Pet of the Year Competition.

#1 Re-connect with this years clients#2 Let the clients do your marketing#3 Access their network to fill your calendar!

But the last giveaway you tried was a fail? Fear not! Just ask the right questions and require a holding fee! Details in the episode!

P.S. Want the step-by-step guide AND access to the workshop replay?

Grab it here
https://www.thepetphotographersclub.com/poty
And save 20% with the code: LISTENERBONUS

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Other upcoming events

Start your business with solid foundations! I’m tlaking a proper 12 month marketing plan, a strong price list you believe in, knowing what to say and when.. and of course, tackling sales!
Join our Business Foundations Challenge: Doors open for January